1A Way-Too-Early Title Contenders: St. Albert

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taking a look at teams that could compete for the state championship in their respective classes in the 2026-27 season, now moving to 1A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/04/1a-way-too-early-title-contenders-marquette-catholic/">1A Way-Too-Early Title Contenders: Marquette Catholic</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/04/1a-way-too-early-title-contenders-woodbine/">1A Way-Too-Early Title Contenders: Woodbinne</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/04/1a-way-too-early-title-contenders-madrid/">1A Way-Too-Early Title Contenders: Madrid<br></a>Another squad that was upset by Woodbine on the Tigers' way to state, St. Albert loses just one of its top seven scorers from a team that finished the season 19-6, with four of those six losses coming to teams from the state of Iowa in classes 2A and 3A. The Falcons basically reload a squad that should've had a better shot at the state tournament than they did this past season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophomore shooting guard, 6-foot-3 [player_tooltip player_id='2523893' first='Cooper' last='Hamilton'] led St. Albrt in scoring this past season. putting up 18.8 points per game. He added 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.9 steals per game, as well. More often than not the best athlete on the court, Hamilton did his biggest damage in the halfcourt defensively, and in the open court looking for easy, transition layups. A long guard that had the ability to contort his body and finish on both sides of the rim, Hamilton maneuvered around the basket with ease this season, finishing up-and-under, scoop layups that allowed him to score even with a plethora of bodies in the paint. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>His ball-handling also allowed him to get down hill, attack the basket, and occasionally shake defenders out of their shoes en route to the cup. Opposing defenders could try with all their might for the entirety of the shot-clock to slow down Hamilton, but the star sophomore was going to find a way to score at the rim. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He'd also find a way for teammates to get an easy two in the paint. If the defense collapsed on Hamilton, forcing him to pass, he'd find a roller or a cutter to the basket for an assist. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Without a ton of positional size on the roster, 6-foot-4 [player_tooltip player_id='2509580' first='Colt' last='Spencer'] serves as the Falcons' starting center -- just an inch taller than their star shooting guard. He may have benefitted the most from Hamilton's vision and passing ability, frequently shown as the benficiary of bounce passes for scores in the pick-and-roll in Hamilton's <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Thn1F">film</a>. Spencer, who finished the season as the Falcons' second-leading scorer and leading rebounder, put up 14.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, while making 146-of-264 (55.3%) shots from the field. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If St. Albert can get a boost from the three-point line from any of their supporting cast, the floor should be much more spaced for the Falcons in 2026-27, allowing for players like Hamilton and Spencer to score at-will, making for an awfully difficult matchup night-in and night-out for other 1A opponents. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->