Conference Preview: Heart of Iowa

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Grand View Christian (24-2 last season, 67.2% of scoring returning):</strong> The Thunder lost their head coach, legendary Dave Stubbs, who is now running the show at Southeast Polk. They also lost Emiliano Barrantes to graduation, now playing Division I ball at Illinois-Chicago. That said, new coach Greg Van Soelen, a coach with plenty of college coaching experience, has far from an empty cupboard to work with. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2287857' first='Brayden' last='Hoben'] (17.3, 8.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists) is the best player in the conference, and one of the best two-way players in Class 2A. Classmate [player_tooltip player_id='2413533' first='Jameson' last='Scharnberg'] (15.6, 5.0 assists) is a skilled shooter, playmaker, and shot creator who will have the ball in his hands a ton, and Thomas Childs (8.6, 39.0 3P%) and William Seyler (3.7, 43.9 3P%) give the Thunder some serious shooting alongside Hoben and Scharnberg. This group will be able to space out the floor, allowing Hoben plenty of room to operate, and they should once again cruise through league play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Greene County (4-19, 68.8%):</strong> The Rams lost just two of their top eight scorers from last year's team, so they have a good chunk of production returning. Broc Stream (7.3) led the team in scoring last year, while Nick Madsen (5.4), Rafe Michaelsen (4.3), and Adam Bills (4.1) are all viable threats as well. This group needs to improve the turnovers (20.3) and shooting (22.5 3P%) if they want to win some more games this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nevada (19-5, 63.4%): </strong>The Cubs bring back four of their top five scorers from a 19-win team, so expectations should be pretty high in Nevada this winter. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1765535' first='John' last='Nelson'] (15.2, 7.6 rebounds, 2.5 blocks) is one of the top two-way players in the league, a versatile forward who scores at the rim, controls the glass, and is a dominant rim protector. Senior wing Drake Hinson (7.8, 6.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists) led the team in assists last season and returns to serve as the team's top playmaker, while the tandem of [player_tooltip player_id='2906523' first='Benjamin' last='Weiss'] (7.5, 43.0 3P%) and Gavin Egeland (7.4, 40.9 3P%) give them a pair of skilled shooting threats. The Cubs have to improve from the free-throw line this season after shooting 58.9% from the charity stripe last year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PCM (12-12, 43.1%): </strong>The Mustangs have to replace their top two scorers from last year's team, but bring back a pair of senior forwards in Chase Wagaman (9.0, 7.7 rebounds) and Alex Wendt (6.0, 7.2 rebounds), who will control the glass on both ends of the floor. Kash Fischer (6.0) returns in the backcourt with some experience, as does Gavin Steenhoek (2.9), and both should have the ball in their hands quite a bit this winter. PCM is a program that consistently wins double-figure games, and despite losing over half of their production from last year's team, they have the pieces to continue that run of 10+ wins.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Perry (13-10, 33.3%): </strong>Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2731871' first='Gustavo' last='Drahos'] (14.6, 4.3 assists) is one of the top returnees in the conference, but the Bluejays need to replace a pair of big-time scorers in Owen Myers and Geren Kenney, who combined to average 36.2 points, 16 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game last season. Andy Schuttler (2.5) is the only other returnee with significant experience, so an awful lot is going to be asked of Drahos, a skilled guard who loves to play downhill and attack the rim.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Roland-Story (7-15, 62.0%): </strong>A pretty young Norsemen team improved throughout the season last year and should be a top-half team in the league this season. Junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2754727' first='Luke' last='Thoreson'] (14.1, 6.6 rebounds) returns after leading the team in both categories last season. They lost their next two scorers, but bring back a number of other key contributors from last year's group, including senior guard Cody Long (6.9, 3.9 assists, 42.9 3P%) and junior foward [player_tooltip player_id='2906518' first='Eli' last='Van Hove'] (6.7, 5.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocks). Van Hove, in particular, could have a breakout year this season after really impressing throughout the summer with the Norsemen. He's a tough, athletic forward who can finish above the rim, control the glass, and protect the rim defensively. The Thoreson-Long-Van Hove trio could be among the best in the conference this season, and lots of players with experience return alongside them to provide some real depth. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Saydel (11-12, 54.5%): </strong>The Eagles lost four of their top six scorers, but return the top two, giving them a strong duo to build this year's roster around. Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2420787' first='Brady' last='Hicks'] (14.8, 9.9 rebounds) is the headliner of the group, an athletic 6-4 forward who nearly averaged a double-double last year and should be even better this winter. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2731882' first='Gage' last='Moreno'] (14.0, 6.8 assists) was fantastic as a playmaker and facilitator last season and will once again pace the offensive attack. Landen Soma (3.0) is the only other returnee with significant experience, so a ton is going to be asked of Hicks and Moreno early in the year while the other role players are figured out, but with a tandem that good, they should be a pretty competitive group.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>South Hamilton (0-22, 64.4%): </strong>It was a rough year for South Hamilton last season, going winless, with no games decided by single digits. The Hawks lost the leading scorer from that group, but bring everyone else back. There were a ton of sophomores and freshmen on the roster last year, many of whom gained valuable experience, but the leading returnee is senior Sam Koehnk (8.6). Sophomore Benjamin Swenson (7.0, 5.2 rebounds) led the team in rebounding last season and could become the focal point this winter. This is a group that is still not going to compete at the top of the league, but they should win a few games this year and have their eyes on real improvement in the 2026-27 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Marshall (12-11, 5.1%):</strong> The Trojans lost the top seven scorers from last year's group, so it will be almost an entirely new-look team taking the floor this year. Teegun Edler, a sophomore guard, is probably the name to keep an eye on this year, but this is going to be a team that is going to be brand new. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Projected Order of Finish</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1. Grand View Christian<br>2. Nevada<br>3. Saydel<br>4. Roland-Story<br>5. PCM<br>6. Perry<br>7. West Marshall<br>8. Greene County<br>9. South Hamilton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Analysis: </strong>Since joining the HOIC, Grand View Christian has dominated. That will be the case again this year. Nevada has a chance to make some noise with all their returnees, and Saydel and Roland-Story could be improved. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Preseason Player of the Year</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2287857' first='Brayden' last='Hoben'] (Grand View Christian): </strong>The Thunder rolled through the league last season, and should do the same again this winter. Hoben, with his 6-6 frame, length, and athleticism, is the best two-way player in the league.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2287857' first='Brayden' last='Hoben'] (Grand View Christian)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2413533' first='Jameson' last='Scharnberg'] (Grand View Christian)<br>2026 Thomas Childs (Grand View Christian)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1765535' first='John' last='Nelson'] (Nevada)<br>2026 Drake Hinson (Nevada)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2906523' first='Benjamin' last='Weiss'] (Nevada)<br>2026 Gavin Egeland (Nevada)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2420787' first='Brady' last='Hicks'] (Saydel)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731882' first='Gage' last='Moreno'] (Saydel)<br>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2731871' first='Gustavo' last='Drahos'] (Perry)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2754727' first='Luke' last='Thoreson'] (Roland-Story)<br>2026 Cody Long (Roland-Story)<br>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2906518' first='Eli' last='Van Hove'] (Roland-Story)<br>2026 Chase Wagaman (PCM)<br>2026 Alex Wendt (PCM)<br>2026 Sam Koehnk (South Hamilton)<br>2028 Benjamin Swenson (South Hamilton)<br>2026 Broc Stream (Greene County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->