Iowa Class 4A Mid-Season Title Favorites: Waukee Northwest

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kicking off a series of at least three schools per class that have the best chance at winning the state title. We begin with Iowa's largest schools, Class 4A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/01/iowa-class-4a-mid-season-favorites-cedar-falls/">Iowa Class 4A Mid-Season Title Favorites: Cedar Falls</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/01/iowa-class-4a-mid-season-title-favorites-dubuque-senior/">Iowa Class 4A Mid-Season Title Favorites: Dubuque Senior</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Case for the Wolves</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Well, duh. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With a starting five filled with Division I athletes across sports, including two Big Ten basketball commits, Waukee Northwest is absolutely loaded with top end talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The majoriy of the scoring talent resides with senior forward and one of the smoothest, pure shooters in the state, [player_tooltip player_id='1978099' first='Colin' last='Rice'], a Nebraska commit. Averaging a super-efficient 22.9 points per game on 51.9% shooting from the field and 43.9% from three, Rice has made 38-of-88 three-point shots (43.2%), an excellent percentage for the amount of triples he's launched this season. An effortless shot that's fluid and confident, Rice is one of the top risers in the class of 2026 after his summer on the Under Armor Circuit. In addition to his scoring, the 6-foot-8 Rice is averaging 9.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.7 steals and 2 blocks per game for the Wolves so far this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Onto the second high-major player for Northwest, [player_tooltip player_id='1643192' first='Landon' last='Davis'], who is committed to Illinois. Largely a mid-major recruit before the Illini stepped in with an offer, Davis is a double-double dunking machine for the Wolves. Averaging 12.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, the 6-foot-9 forward is one of the best bigs the state has to offer. Adding in a monster 3.5 blocks per game, Davis has been nothing but dominant so far this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Next up is the third high-major basketball prospect of the group, [player_tooltip player_id='2478747' first='Nash' last='Kooken'], who holds offers from Oregon and Arizona State as a sophomore. Another sharp-shooter alongside Rice, Kooken looks like one of the primary young players on the rise in Iowa, especially after the summer he had with [program_tooltip program_id='2270834' first='Iowa' last='United']. Not quite launching at the clip of Rice, but doing so at a high level for the Wolves, Kooken has made 23-of-45 shots (51.1%) from three this season. Putting up just north of 10.2 points, while adding 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, Kooken still has a way to go to shape his game, but he looks like he'll be the guy for Northwest in the near future. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now to the football prospects. Iowa PWO commit, [player_tooltip player_id='1756989' first='Isaiah' last='Oliver'] is also quite the hooper for the Wolves, taking after his father and former Hawkeye point guard, Dean Oliver. The senior guard is an athletic, bouncy wing that can put the ball on the floor and finish through contact, while also knocking down open threes (he's shooting 14-of-24 from three, making them at a 58.3% clip). Oliver is an excellent compliment to what the rest of the team does for the Wolves as a high-effort defender that can keep up with the first step of guards, and he also provides some much-needed athleticism to a skilled team. He puts up 9.2 points, 5.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Next up is D1 quarterback prospect, [player_tooltip player_id='2419793' first='Mack' last='Heitland'], a volume three-point shooter for the Wolves. Using his gunslinger marksmanship from the football field (he threw 28 touchdowns to zero interceptions this season), Heitland is a specialist from deep, making 34-of-91 (37.4%) triples so far this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A top-heavy squad, the Wolves don't go too deep into their bench, as Logan Achenbach and Joe Vinyard (also a Division I football prospect) are the only players that have seen action in every single game alongside the starting five. They each average less than two points a game. So, if the starting five for the Wolves stay hot, they should be fine come title time, but if an opponent can out-run them and hold down one of their top scorers, things could change quickly. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ultimately, the Wolves have one of the most talented teams, if not the most talented in the state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->