Conference Preview: Top of Iowa West

The Teams   Belmond-Klemme (2-20, 61.1% of scoring returning): Leading scorer Tyree Franklin (15.4) returns to lead the Broncos, who won just two games last season. Franklin is an athletic wing who looks to attack the bucket routinely, and in addition to leading the team in scoring, he led in rebounding, assists, and steals. Jackson Belstene (5.3) is the only other returnee among the top five, an efficient interior scorer who can occasionally step out and stretch the floor. Franklin is good, but without much else coming back, it's hard to imagine them competing against a majority of the teams in the division.   Bishop Garrigan (11-12, 41.9%): The Golden Bears lost four of their top five scorers from last year's team, but bring back sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id='1781875' first='Carter' last='Schwab'] (10.7), coming off a strong freshman season in which he showed the ability to score from all three levels, facilitate, and rebound. He will likely be joined in the backcourt by freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id='2243086' first='Michael' last='Joyce'], who should make an immediate impact for this group. Joyce is a 6-2 lead guard with good size, a great feel for the game, and the ability to do a little bit of everything on the floor. Drew Muller (7.1), Logan Nemmers (6.0), and Trayton Clark (4.5) are other notable returnees who will help keep Garrigan competitive in most games, but make no mistake, this is a team that is building for future years, where they could be really dangerous.   Eagle Grove (4-17, 64.7%): The Eagles won just four games last season, but there is some reason to expect improvement here with the top two scorers returning to a team that had six losses by single digits, including four by a single possession. They'll be headlined by senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2221629' first='Drake' last='Canavan'] (16.1, 7.9 rebounds) and junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2238293' first='Jaxon' last='Morris'] (14.1, 2 .8 assists), a solid tandem to build around. Canavan is a physical, athletic forward who pounds the glass, finishes at the rim, and can stretch the floor, while Morris led the team in assists and steals, and is a quick guard who can apply pressure on both ends of the floor. Nolan Krauss (3.9) is the only other returnee who saw much time last season, so it will be a lot of Canavan and Morris, but that's a pretty good place to start.   Forest City (7-15, 66.9%): For the first time in the QuikStats/Bound era (dating back to the 2006-07 season), the Indians had a losing year last season, so they'll be looking to rebound and get back to their usual winning ways this year. Senior guard Tommy Miller (12.8, 4.4 assists) is a good place to start building. Miller led the team in scoring and assists last season and is a dangerous three-level option. Carson Hall (8.7) gives them some good secondary playmaking, while Triston Brandsoy (4.7), Ty Dillavou (4.6), Ty Sopko (2.0), and Corey Thoreson (2.0) were all either freshmen (Sopko) or sophomores last season and should take another step forward.   Garner-Hayfield-Ventura (14-8, 57.6%): The Cardinals were streaky last season, winning their first seven games before dropping three straight. They followed that with a five-game winning streak, then another three-game losing streak. They lost do-it-all guard Drew Britson to graduation, and two of their top three scorers are gone. that said, five rotation pieces return, led by senior Aiden Hawe (8.9) and junior Lane Gayken (7.0). Look for senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2205109' first='Kale' last='Johnson'] (4.5) to step into a bigger role, and junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2204887' first='Nicholas' last='Zrostlik'] (1.1) impressed at the Top 250 Expo in September. With Britson and Braden Boehnke gone, the Cardinals best ball-handlers from last year's team have moved on, and ball security, especially early on, could be a concern. That said, this is a program that wins a ton of games every year, and that should remain the case. They're a step below Lake Mills, but they'll battle with North Union for second in the division.   Lake Mills (23-1, 75.1%): The Bulldogs have been elite during the last four years, rolling to a 96-7 record during that stretch. They bring back all but one player who saw significant time last season, and while Denton Kingland, the team's second leading scorer, leader in assists, and dynamic 3-point shooter, is going to be very difficult to replace, there is a ton of talent in the system here and they should continue to have their way with this division. [player_tooltip player_id='1751213' first='Lance' last='Helming'] (17.7) is the headliner of the group, the leading scorer who can score inside and out, as well as defend multiple positions. [player_tooltip player_id='1288890' first='Aiden' last='Stensrud'] (12.4, 10.4 rebounds) is a dominant force in the paint as a rebounder and scorer, and he can occasionally step out and stretch the floor. He was one of the best players in the gym at our Top 250 Expo in September, seemingly taking another step in his development. His younger brother, [player_tooltip player_id='2124026' first='Asher' last='Stensrud'], could make an impact doing many of the same things that Aiden does as a freshman. [player_tooltip player_id='1938210' first='Eli' last='Menke'] (12.2, 42.5 3P%) is an elite shooting threat who moves really well without the ball in his hands, and he has great size at 6-4, so he gets his shot off whenever he wants. Logan Bacon (4.5, 5.0 assists) isn't a scorer, but keeps the ball moving and plays his role. Four other rotation pieces return as well in Alex Mannes (3.4), [player_tooltip player_id='2731844' first='Nash' last='Delger'] (1.3), [player_tooltip player_id='2721756' first='Kane' last='Koch'] (1.3), and Keaton Wempen (1.1). As if that wasn't enough, the 'Dogs also got a boost in the backcourt with the transfer addition of [player_tooltip player_id='1641849' first='Jackson' last='Gaul'], a talented point guard who comes from Crestwood, where he averaged 8.3 points and 6.9 assists as a sophomore. He'll give Lake Mills a pass-first guard who can break down the defense and get them to collapse, where he'll have ample opportunity to find Helming or Stensrud around the rim, or Menke on the perimeter. This team is loaded and should dominate this division.   North Iowa (7-16, 55.8%): The Bison lost two of their top three scorers but bring back the rest of the rotation from last year's team, led by senior guard Brogyn Greensky (13.5), the team's best perimeter shooting threat. He knocked down 45 3-pointers last season at a 36% clip, and after finishing second in assists, he figures to have the ball in his hands even more this season. Jeffery Gerber (9.9) is another solid scoring threat who can stretch the floor, while juniors Brendan Price (5.9) and Jamison Kramersmeier (4.1) appear to be ready to step into bigger roles. Turnovers plagued this group last year, giving it away nearly 18 times a game, but if they can clean that up a bit, they could push for a .500 record.   North Union (15-9, 76.2%): The Warriors return six of their top eight scorers from a team that was extremely balanced last season, with no player averaging more than 9.7 points a game. The six returnees all averaged between 4.7 and 9.7 points, making this a difficult team to prepare for, not knowing who to zone in on during any given game. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2377298' first='Kyan' last='Jones'] (7.4, 6.3 assists) is the straw that stirs the drink for this group on both ends of the floor, leading the team in assists and steals. He puts constant pressure on opposing teams with his quickness and ability to impact the game on both ends. [player_tooltip player_id='2377373' first='Aiden' last='Lofstrom'] (9.7) was the team's leading scorer last season, and he and Kody Irmiter (9.0) are both really efficient interior scoring options. This is a deep, balanced team that has enough coming back to battle it out for a top-2 finish in the division.   West Hancock (12-10, 40.0%): Senior forward Mitchell Smith (11.7, 6.7 rebounds) is the only returnee among the top four scorers from last season for the Eagles. He's a 6-4 big man who can control the glass on both ends of the floor, and he's also a pretty good passer out of his post position. Evan Hinders (6.6) figures to be the team's top perimeter scoring threat after knocking down 35% of his 3s last season. Ball-handling could be a question for this group after losing their top two passers and ball-handlers from last year's team.   Projected Order of Finish   1. Lake Mills 2. North Union 3. Garner-Hayfield-Ventura 4. Forest City 5. West Hancock 6. Bishop Garrigan 7. Eagle Grove 8. North Iowa 9. Belmond-Klemme   Analysis: The Bulldogs are very clearly the team to beat in the division, and the most interesting part of the race may actually be the battle for second, where North Union, GHV, and Forest City could all make arguments.   Preseason Player of the Year   2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1751213' first='Lance' last='Helming'] (Lake Mills): You could take a number of different Bulldogs here, but we'll side with Helming, who led the team in scoring last season. He's an efficient interior scoring presence who paces a Lake Mills team that should run away with the division again this season.   Players to Watch   2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1751213' first='Lance' last='Helming'] (Lake Mills) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1288890' first='Aiden' last='Stensrud'] (Lake Mills) 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1938210' first='Eli' last='Menke'] (Lake Mills) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1641849' first='Jackson' last='Gaul'] (Lake Mills) 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2124026' first='Asher' last='Stensrud'] (Lake Mills) 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='2221629' first='Drake' last='Canavan'] (Eagle Grove) 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2238293' first='Jaxon' last='Morris'] (Eagle Grove) 2024 Tyree Franklin (Belmond-Klemme) 2024 Brogyn Greensky (North Iowa) 2024 Jeffery Gerber (North Iowa) 2024 Tommy Miller (Forest City) 2025 Carson Hall (Forest City) 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1781875' first='Carter' last='Schwab'] (Bishop Garrigan) 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2243086' first='Michael' last='Joyce'] (Bishop Garrigan) 2024 Mitchell Smith (West Hancock) 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='2377373' first='Aiden' last='Lofstrom'] (North Union) 2024 Kody Irmiter (North Union) 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='2377298' first='Kyan' last='Jones'] (North Union) 2024 Aiden Hawe (Garner-Hayfield-Ventura) 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='2205109' first='Kale' last='Johnson'] (Garner-Hayfield-Ventura)

The Teams