Conference Preview: NICL East

The Teams [caption id="attachment_1068638" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Jayden-Mackie.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1068638" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Jayden-Mackie-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Mackie[/caption] Aplington-Parkersburg (19-3): The Falcons were upset in postseason play last year by Hudson, but return five of their top six scorers from a 19-win team. They’re led by junior wing [player_tooltip player_id="751418" first="Jayden" last="Mackie"] (15.0), an athletic, slashing wing who can stuff the stat sheet and take over games on both ends of the floor. Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="964850" first="Owen" last="Thomas"] (10.6) and sophomore Garrett Hempsen (6.9) are also solid perimeter scoring threats. This group also has good size with 6-6 [player_tooltip player_id="964843" first="Josh" last="Haan"] (10.2) and 6-7 [player_tooltip player_id="962633" first="Christian" last="Haugstad"] (8.6), who combined to average 18.8 points and 16.5 rebounds last year. The Falcons always have good athletes, and they should have the depth to apply constant pressure on teams this year. Columbus Catholic (6-16): The Sailors lose both of their double-figure scorers from last season, leaving Carter Gallagher (9.0), a junior guard, as their top returnee. Gallagher led the team in assists last year, but struggled with turnovers. Ben Trost (5.5) is the only other returnee who saw significant playing time last season. In this loaded division, it’s hard to see the Sailors finding many more wins than they had last year. Denver (16-7): The Cyclones have been building towards this year for the last three seasons. Their senior trio of [player_tooltip player_id="796135" first="Bryce" last="Phelps"] (15.4), [player_tooltip player_id="964907" first="Isaac" last="Besh"] (12.9) and [player_tooltip player_id="796154" first="Kyler" last="Matthias"] (15.4) have been key contributors since they were freshmen. Including [player_tooltip player_id="962686" first="Caylor" last="Hoffer"] (9.4) and Will Curtis (7.2), the top five scorers return. Shooting will be a bit of a question for the Cyclones, as no returnee shot above 35% from 3, but they have a lot of threats who find ways to score. This group shares the ball at a high level and doesn’t turn it over, so they’ll stay in every game. They’ll be a major factor in this division race. [caption id="attachment_1066972" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Landen-Sullivan.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1066972" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Landen-Sullivan-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Sullivan[/caption] Dike-New Hartford (18-5): The Wolverines will have a dynamic backcourt with the return of four talented guards in [player_tooltip player_id="796147" first="Dane" last="Fuller"] (18.1), [player_tooltip player_id="964882" first="AJ" last="Wegener"] (9.9), [player_tooltip player_id="964929" first="Zak" last="Wauters"] (7.3) and [player_tooltip player_id="964894" first="Landen" last="Sullivan"] (5.2). Fuller led the team in scoring; Wauters is a knockdown shooter; Wegener is a talented slashing guard; and Sullivan came on late as he got acclimated to the team following his transfer from Cedar Falls. This group may struggle against size, but guard play wins in high school basketball, and the Wolverines will have excellent guard play. Hudson (11-13): Hudson had an up-and-down year last season. They notched wins over Denver and Aplington-Parkersburg, but they were swept by Union. A balanced group brings back 70% of their scoring, with three players who averaged between 9.5 and 9.9 points a game returning - Bryce Griffin, Sam Hansen and [player_tooltip player_id="796191" first="Carter" last="Swope"]. That senior trio is experienced and they play well together. This group needs to become more consistent, but they’re capable of beating anyone in the league on a given night. Jesup (5-17): Leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="964890" first="Brodie" last="Kresser"] (15.9), a great shooter who knocked down 44.9% of his 3s last year, returns, giving the J-Hawks a dynamic scoring threat who can take over games. Carson Lienau (9.1), Parker McHone (4.2), Jase Pilcher (3.7) and Corbin Fuelling (5.6) all return with experience. Sumner-Fredericksburg (10-13): The Cougars lost leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="801945" first="James" last="Stimson"] to graduation, but bring back the next three from last season in Peyton Schmitz (10.7), Kody VanEngelenburg (9.9) and Klay Seehase (6.7), so they have some experienced players on the roster. They’ll struggle against the top-tier teams in the league, and beat up on the bottom feeders. Union (4-18): The Knights lose their top six scorers from last year’s team, leaving Grant Behrens (3.1) as the top returnee. They’ll have a lot of new faces playing major roles this year, which isn’t great in a division as talented as this one is. [caption id="attachment_1049787" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/Gunner-Meyer-2.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1049787 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/Gunner-Meyer-2-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Meyer[/caption] Wapsie Valley (21-7): The defending state champions in Class 1A lose a huge piece in [player_tooltip player_id="955241" first="Kiks" last="Rosengarten"], but bring back four starters from that group, and add a major transfer piece. [player_tooltip player_id="962601" first="Gunner" last="Meyer"] (10.1) had a breakout week at the state tournament and could emerge as this team’s new star, while [player_tooltip player_id="964868" first="Blayde" last="Bellis"] (10.5) and [player_tooltip player_id="964865" first="Kobe" last="Risse"] (9.8) give them a very experienced backcourt. That duo combined to dish out 10.3 assists against just 4.7 turnovers a game last year, and they should be even better this year. They received a major boost with the addition of [player_tooltip player_id="956883" first="Mason" last="Harter"] (14.5), who averaged a double-double as a freshman at Sigourney and moved to Wapsie Valley. He’ll help replace some of the production that Rosengarten had in the paint last season, giving them some size and physicality. This group is going to be one of the top teams in 1A again next year, and will battle it out all season with Dike-New Hartford, Denver and Aplington-Parkersburg for the divisional crown.   Projected Order of Finish 1. Dike-New Hartford 2. Aplington-Parkersburg 3. Denver 4. Wapsie Valley 5. Hudson 6. Sumner-Fredericksburg 7. Jesup 8. Columbus Catholic 9. Union Analysis: This is, without a doubt, the best division race to watch this year. Dike-New Hartford, Aplington-Parkersburg and Denver are all top-10 teams in 2A, while we have Wapsie Valley ranked #2 to open the year in 1A. Dike-New Hartford was 1-2 against Denver, 2-0 against A-P and 1-1 against Wapsie last year; Denver 2-0 vs. Wapsie, 0-2 vs. A-P and 2-1 vs. D-NH; Wapsie 0-2 vs. Denver, 0-2 vs. A-P, 1-1 vs. D-NH; A-P 2-0 vs. Denver, 2-0 vs. Wapsie, 0-2 vs. D-NH. Throw them in any order this year and try to figure it out! Just sit back and enjoy it. Hudson is going to be really dangerous as well and can knock off any of those teams on a given night.   Preseason Player of the Year [player_tooltip player_id="751418" first="Jayden" last="Mackie"], Aplington-Parkersburg (2022): 15.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists This division is loaded with talent, and you could choose a number of players for this honor. We’re giving the edge to Mackie, who can impact the game in a number of ways and looks primed to have a huge junior year for a very good Falcons team. You could make arguments for Fuller, Meyer, Phelps, Risse, Harter or Matthias here as well. Players to watch [player_tooltip player_id="751418" first="Jayden" last="Mackie"], Aplington-Parkersburg (2022) [player_tooltip player_id="964850" first="Owen" last="Thomas"], Aplington-Parkersburg (2021) [player_tooltip player_id="964843" first="Josh" last="Haan"], Aplington-Parkersburg (2021) [player_tooltip player_id="962601" first="Gunner" last="Meyer"], Wapsie Valley (2022) [player_tooltip player_id="956883" first="Mason" last="Harter"], Wapsie Valley (2023) [player_tooltip player_id="964865" first="Kobe" last="Risse"], Wapsie Valley (2021) [player_tooltip player_id="964868" first="Blayde" last="Bellis"], Wapsie Valley (2021) [player_tooltip player_id="796147" first="Dane" last="Fuller"], Dike-New Hartford (2021) [player_tooltip player_id="964882" first="AJ" last="Wegener"], Dike-New Hartford (2021) [player_tooltip player_id="964907" first="Isaac" last="Besh"], Denver (2021) [player_tooltip player_id="796154" first="Kyler" last="Matthias"], Denver (2021) [player_tooltip player_id="796135" first="Bryce" last="Phelps"], Denver (2021) [player_tooltip player_id="964890" first="Brodie" last="Kresser"], Jesup (2021)