PREVIEW: Drake Team Camp
A myriad of Midwest talent will converge on Forest Avenue in Des Moines this weekend, as Drake — under a new coaching regime — will host its annual team camp, and we’ll be there both days to provide coverage. Most notably, there will be an abundance of high-level Iowa talent represented in the capital city. Below we list the Iowa squads that will be in attendance, and take a look at the best individual talent (from Iowa) in attendance.
The Iowa Teams: Ankeny Centennial, Atlantic, Boone, Creston, Davenport West, Des Moines East, Des Moines North, Dubuque Hempstead, Exira-EHK, Forest City, Fort Dodge, Independence, Johnston, Kuemper Catholic, Madrid, Montezuma, Mount Pleasant, Mount Vernon, Norwalk, PCM, Tipton, South Central Calhoun, Southeast Polk, St. Edmond, Vinton-Shellsburg, Xavier.
Players to Watch (class ranking in italics)
2018 Hunter Strait, 6’2 PG (Ankeny Centennial) — 5th
The highest-ranked 2018 that will be at the event is also the highest-ranked 2018 without an offer. This is the beginning of what will be a huge summer for the slick point guard.
2018 Austin Alexander, 6’6 PG (Atlantic) — 18th
His meteoric rise in the 2018 rankings is predicated on his great size paired with adept ball-handling and shooting ability. We view him as a fringe D1 prospect.
2018 John Herrick, 6’7 SF (Boone) — 24th
This big and bouncy forward was plagued by minor injuries throughout the spring, and also is a rising football prospect. It will be interesting to see if he plays, and if he get bags of buckets this weekend for the Toreadors.
2018 Brett Erwin, 6’8 C (Davenport West) — 39th
It will be our first look at the Falcons post. We know he’s got some good size and put up nice numbers as a junior. We’ll be eager to evaluate him in detail.
2019 Tyreke Locure, 5’10 PG (Des Moines North) — 2nd
Everyone knows about the preternatural Polar Bears lead guard by now. He already has an offer from Drake (also North Dakota), so he’ll get a chance to show off some in front of the coaching staff.
2018 Keith Johnson, 6’5 SF (Dubuque Hempstead) — 17th
Another fringe D1 prospect, this lean and athletic forward received his first offer from D2 Upper Iowa in the spring, and should see several more come in this summer.
2018 Lucas Duax, 6’2 PG (Dubuque Hempstead) — 20th
One of two top 20 Hempstead seniors-to-be (Johnson), the good-sized and fluid Duax has proven he’s one of the state’s best point guards after a very strong spring.
2018 Camden Vander Zwaag, 6’3 SG (Johnston) — 15th
One of the state’s sharpshooters, we’ve seen him light it up on more than one occasion, and if anyone has a chance to shred nets this weekend, it’s Vander Zwaag.
2018 Parker Badding, 6’1 G (Kuemper) — 35th
He’s always been good, and we’ve had him ranked since the beginning, but he’s grown some and worked on his game a ton. Badding can score in bunches, and get off his own shot, also finishes well at the rim.
2018 Brady Sartorius, 6′ PG (Mount Pleasant) — 16th
Upper Iowa became the first school to offer in the spring, and the speedy Kingdom Hoops lead guard will be looking to add to that list this summer.
2018 Jackson Joens, 6’5 SG (Xavier) — 12th
Perhaps the state’s best shooter, Upper Iowa offered in the spring and he promptly committed to the up-and-coming D2 program. His stroke is butter, it’s just fun to watch him shoot it.
2018 Matt Mims, 5’10 PG (Xavier) — 9th
A two-time state champ (along with Joens), Mims is the engine that makes to Saints go. He’s a bit undersized for a college point guard, but more than makes up for that with speed, skill and a desire to win. He’s got one D1 offer from North Dakota.
2018 Luke Vaske, 6′ G (Norwalk) — 10th
Certainly one of the more well-rounded offensive talents in the state, Vaske is equally adept at playing both guard positions, and is capable of getting red-hot from deep. Look for him to score in bunches this weekend for the Warriors.