Conference Preview: SEISC South

<h4>The Teams</h4> Cardinal (11-10): The Comets have been trending upwards over the last few seasons and have seven of their top eight scorers returning, so this could be their breakout year. Four double-figure scorers return in seniors [player_tooltip player_id="962693" first="Landon" last="Becker"] (16.7), [player_tooltip player_id="962689" first="Griffin" last="Greiner"] (12.7), [player_tooltip player_id="1158496" first="Blaine" last="Bryant"] (11.1), and [player_tooltip player_id="1234967" first="Dawson" last="Lewis"] (11.0), so this is going to be a deep and balanced roster of offensive threats. Becker played in only three games last year due to injury, but he’s a big-time scoring threat who can fill it up from all three levels. Bryant is a good shooter (41.1 3P%) and Lewis is an athletic, slashing wing. Greiner is the big body in the paint who scores around the bucket and is the type of player that the offensive can run through. They should also get some strong production out of sophomore guards Keysean Mooore (5.5) and Rahsha Pope (3.2), who both had productive freshmen seasons. This team will be deep and versatile, and should win way more games this season and be a real threat at the top of the division. Central Lee (7-15): The Hawks will have an almost entirely new look this season following the graduations of eight of the 10 players on last year’s varsity roster. The only two returnees are Alex Sandoval (3.8) and Corbin Pohren (1.3), who combined to score 59 points last season. Expect them to be at the bottom of the division this year with very little coming back. Danville (13-8): Five of the Bears’ eight losses came by single digits last season, and they bring back a pair of double-figure scorers in senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="962692" first="Ty" last="Carr"] (12.2) and junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1288859" first="Caiden" last="Gourley"] (11.3). That tandem should be the best in the division outside of New London and will make them a threat in this division. Both are good 3-point shooters, and Carr is a great distributor as well, dishing out 4.1 assists a game last season. Senior guard Cadence Williams (3.3, 2.2 assists) also returns in the backcourt, while senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="1235044" first="Sawyer" last="Nelson"] (4.5, 7.7 rebounds) is back to control the paint. Nelson blocked 2.4 shots a game last season and is an excellent rebounder. The Bears should be able to score in bunches, and if they can defend at a high-level and force turnovers like they did last season, they should be a real threat come postseason play. Holy Trinity (11-11): There will be a lot of new faces on the floor for the Crusaders this season, who lose their top four scorers from last year’s team. In total, just 17.5% of their scoring output from last season return, led by seniors Tyler Snaadt (4.0) and Mike DiPrima (3.6). They were both solid role players last year but will be asked to step into much larger roles this season. With largely new faces on the roster, it will be difficult to project this team. Expect them to fall down in the league standings a bit this year, though. [caption id="attachment_1254941" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Kade-Benjamin.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1254941 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Kade-Benjamin-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> Benjamin[/caption] New London (19-5): The Tigers have the most talented player in 1A basketball in junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id="956871" first="Blaise" last="Porter"] (22.4, 4.9 assists), who holds Division I offers from Bryant and IUPUI. He’s coming off a sensational sophomore season in which he posted 53-41-75 shooting splits. With his quick first step and physicality, he can get to the rim whenever he wants to at this level, and he’s a great shooter as well. Fellow junior [player_tooltip player_id="956872" first="Kade" last="Benjamin"] (17.2, 8.5 rebounds) is a great fit alongside Porter, an athletic forward who runs the floor, finishes above the rim, and can protect the paint. He has good size at 6-6/6-7, and is working on extending his range. [player_tooltip player_id="1158513" first="Devin" last="Swanson"] (12.0) is a stretch-4 who buried 46.5% of his 3-point attempts last season, and senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1288868" first="Camden" last="Kasel"] (8.3) is another good perimeter scoring threat who is primed to have a huge senior year. He moved to New London before last season and should be even better this year with another year of continuity and experience with his teammates. Nearly 98% of last year’s production returns, and this team is going to be talented, deep, and experienced. Notre Dame (14-7): Over the last 13 seasons, the Nikes have averaged 17.8 wins a season, so despite losing their top four scorers, we still expect this team to compete in the division. Senior wing Jackson Brent (6.4) is the top returnee, and he'll be asked to step into a primary scoring role for them. Cole Ward (2.3) was a solid contributor, particularly on the glass, last season, but those are the only two who saw significant playing time last season. Nonetheless, this is a program that generally is able to re-load, and we certainly won't count them out. Van Buren County (0-16): Only five of the Warriors losses last season came by single digits, but they bring back one of the league’s top scoring threats in junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1167734" first="Jackson" last="Manning"] (20.5). In all, eight of the top nine scorers from last year’s team return, so they should be better. They turned the ball over 19 times a game last season, and that number obviously needs to improve if they want to compete at a higher level. WACO (6-18): We expected the Warriors to be down last year following the graduations of a number of big-time contributors, and they got off to a 1-14 start. But they played better down the stretch and return the top five scorers, and eight of the top nine, from that group, so look for this team to be much improved this season. Junior forward Simeon Reichenbach (10.4) and sophomore guard Hunter Hughes (8.2) are the leaders for this team. Reichenbach led the team in scoring and rebounding, while Hughes is the top perimeter shooting threat and also led the team in assists. With a bevy of experienced players coming back, expect to see some major improvement from a WACO team that was improving as the season went on. West Burlington (16-7): One of the best seasons in Falcons’ history came up just short, as they fell to Camanche in the substate final. This program had been building towards last year for a while, and they’ll take a bit of a step back this year after the top four scorers graduated. The top returnee is sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id="1171665" first="Brady" last="Martin"] (5.4, 43.6 3P%), and he’s a good piece to start rebuilding around. Martin is a knockdown shooter who plays with the Iowa Barnstormers, so he’s accustomed to playing against high-level competition. Senior guard Kaysean Rice (5.1) gives them some athleticism on the perimeter, and Austin Applegate (4.4, 37.8 3P%) is another good shooting threat. The Falcons are going to be small, but they’ll be able to stretch the floor more than last year’s team could, so that could keep them competitive.   <h4>Projected Order of Finish</h4> 1. New London 2. Cardinal 3. Notre Dame 4. Danville 5. West Burlington 6. WACO 7. Holy Trinity 8. Central Lee 9. Van Buren County Analysis: New London is without a doubt the team to beat in the division, then you can throw Cardinal, Notre Dame, and Danville into any order and we wouldn't be surprised. Expect WACO to be more competitive this season as well.   <h4>Preseason Player of the Year</h4> [caption id="attachment_1086716" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Blaise-Porter.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1086716" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Blaise-Porter-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Porter[/caption] 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="956871" first="Blaise" last="Porter"], New London: Arguably the best player in 1A basketball, Porter is a 6-2 lead guard who holds Division I offers from Bryant and IUPUI so far. He’s quick, an excellent ball-handler, and a fantastic scorer.   <h4>Players to Watch</h4> 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="956871" first="Blaise" last="Porter"], New London 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="956872" first="Kade" last="Benjamin"], New London 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158513" first="Devin" last="Swanson"], New London 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1288868" first="Camden" last="Kasel"], New London 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962693" first="Landon" last="Becker"], Cardinal 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962689" first="Griffin" last="Greiner"], Cardinal 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1158496" first="Blaine" last="Bryant"], Cardinal 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1234967" first="Dawson" last="Lewis"], Cardinal 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1171657" first="Keysean" last="Moore"], Cardinal 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962692" first="Ty" last="Carr"], Danville 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1288859" first="Caiden" last="Gourley"], Danville 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1235044" first="Sawyer" last="Nelson"], Danville 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1167734" first="Jackson" last="Manning"], Van Buren County 2023 Simeon Reichenbach, WACO 2024 Hunter Hughes, WACO 2022 Vincent Jones, WACO 2022 Jackson Brent, Notre Dame 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1171665" first="Brady" last="Martin"], West Burlington