Grassroots Preview: Southwest Iowa Select
Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln coach Jason Isaacson helps run the Southwest Iowa Select grassroots program during the spring and summer, and as part of our series, he helped preview the four high school level teams his program has this season. Below you’ll find rosters for a 15U, a pair of 16U and a 17U team, with Isaacson’s brief thoughts on each player. Additionally, the coaches of each team provide a brief overview of the squads as a whole. Schedules for the program are posted at the bottom of the preview.
17U
Name/School | Height | Notes |
Hunter Hendrix (CB Abraham Lincoln) | 5-10 | Shifty PG, started for AL, averaged 6 ppg, shot 41% from 3 and averaged 3 assists, 1.7 steals |
Nolan McKenzie (CB Lewis Central) | 6-7 | Long and athletic, started for LC. Runs well and great shot blocker, averaged 5 ppg, 4.5 reb, 1 blk as a junior. |
Mason Mower (CB Abraham Lincoln) | 6-3 | Started for AL, good low post moves. Averaged 5 ppg as a junior. |
Jared Gast (CB St. Albert) | 6-6 | Strong, physical post who runs the floor well. Will have a big spring. Averaged 5 ppg and 3 reb as a junior. |
Reed Miller (CB St. Albert) | 6-3 | 6-3 forward is a great shooter. |
Tyler Reiss (CB Abraham Lincoln) | 5-8 | Great shooter, shot 48% as a junior and averaged 5 ppg. |
Robby DeArmon (Millard South, NE) | 5-9 | Super quick PG who gets to the rack at will and is a great on-ball defender. Started for Millard South, averaged 4 ppg, 1.5 ast, 1 stl. |
Nolan Benak (Millard South, NE) | 6-2 | Great shooter and physical guard. Started and averaged 5 ppg, shot 40% from 3. |
Niko Spire (Papillion-La Vista South, NE) | 5-8 | Quick PG with great vision and unselfishness. Great on-ball defender. Started, averaged 4 ppg, 2 ast. |
Phillip Cude (Burke, NE) | 6-3 | Good shooter, deceptive athlete attacking the basket. |
Straihanja Lazicic (Millard South, NE) | 6-2 | Athletic, good shooting wing. |
Overview: “I really like this team’s unselfishness so far in practices and scrimmages. We have a bunch of guys with experience but (guys) who need to take the next step for their high school teams so this will be a good experience for them. Hunter, Robby and Niko are doing a great job creating and kicking to teammates. Tyler, Phillips, Strah and Reed are great shooters for us. Our bigs (Jared, Mason, Nolan) are physical and doing a good job inside early on. I’m looking forward to seeing these guys get better and compete this season!” – Coach Shawn Darrington
16U Gold
Name/School | Height | Notes |
Kaden Baxter (CB Abraham Lincoln) | 6-2 | Great shooting wing. |
Noah Rigatuso (CB Lewis Central) | 6-3 | Long, athletic wing. |
Ryan Hughes (CB St. Albert) | 6-1 | Quick guard, great defender. |
Andrew Christensen (CB Abraham Lincoln) | 5-11 | Strong, physical guard with a good shot. |
Cole Drummond (CB Lewis Central) | 5-9 | Quick, shifty PG with great vision. |
Dylan Hopp (Glenwood) | 6-2 | Thick, strong post who seals well. |
Caleb Mattox (CB Abraham Lincoln) | 6-7 | Long, active wing who rebounds and runs great. Sat out last year with a rare disease and had a rib removed, but he’s back and healthy and will be a good player. |
Sam Narmi (CB St. Albert) | 5-11 | Great shooter. |
Matt Evans (CB Abraham Lincoln) | 6-2 | Active, physical post who crashes the glass extremely well. |
Christian Williams (Bellevue East, NE) | 5-9 | Quick PG with great vision, unselfishness. |
Devin Nichols (CB Abraham Lincoln) | 6-1 | Physical and athletic defender with a high motor. |
Overview: “We have some guys with varsity experience in Baxter and Evans who we will rely on for leadership. This is our second year together, so I really like our chemistry so far. Rigatuso, Drummond and Christensen have played well in early practices, and Caleb Mattox has been a great addition with some length. We will compete and get better I’m sure this season.” – Coach Thad Perry
16U Black
Name/School | Height | Notes |
Ben Waugh (CB Abraham Lincoln) | 6-1 | Athletic, strong forward who gets to the rim well. |
Drake Woods (Riverside) | 5-10 | Averaged 5 ppg and shot 35% from 3 on varsity as a freshman. |
Brogan Allensworth (Riverside) | 6-2 | Averaged 6 ppg, 6 reb as freshman on varsity. |
Bradon Scott (CB St. Albert) | 5-10 | Great shooter from 3. |
Sage Stabler (CB Abraham Lincoln) | 5-9 | Great ball handler and shooter. |
Eli Ryun (Riverside) | 5-11 | Great shooter, shot 42% from 3 as a freshman on varsity. |
Braydon Fustos (Glenwood) | 6-0 | Strong, physical forward. |
Alexander Reyes (CB St. Albert) | 5-11 | Quick guard who attacks the basket well. |
Wes Harvey (CB Abraham Lincoln) | 6-1 | Strong, physical forward with great mid-range shot. |
Overview: “We’ve got some kids with varsity experience, which will help us in tough games. All of our kids are working hard and bring different skills to our team. I’m excited to compete in our tournaments and see the kids get better throughout the season.” – Coach Rick Ryun
15U
Name/School | Height | Notes |
Alex Stogdill (CB Abraham Lincoln) | 5-10 | Great shooter. |
Kai Caldwell (CB Abraham Lincoln) | 5-5 | Quick PG with excellent vision, good shooter. |
Greg Fagan (CB St. Albert) | 6-0 | Younger brother of Matt Fagan. Strong, physical forward. |
Noah Sandbothe (CB Abraham Lincoln) | 6-2 | Shoots it well and is a great scorer inside. |
Christian Tidiane (CB Abraham Lincoln) | 6-2 | Shoots it great, has great vision for a big. |
Greg Chinowith (CB Thomas Jefferson) | 5-10 | Athletic guard with great handle, great shooter. |
Jaden Reiss (CB Abraham Lincoln) | 5-7 | Brother Tyler is a shooter for AL, and Jaden is a great shooter as well. |
Tim Zimmerman (CB Abraham Lincoln) | 6-1 | Long, athletic guard who gets to the paint very well. |
Cameron Milhouse (Harlan) | 6-0 | Physical forward, rebounds well and is a great defender. |
Lennox Brown (CB Abraham Lincoln) | 6-2 | Great shooter, physical defender. |
Chase Riche (CB Abraham Lincoln) | 5-11 | Injured for the spring, but is very athletic and gets to the basket well. |
Overview: “We are a dynamic team. We are going to spread people out and use our great guards and our bigs’ ability to drive to get into the paint. Stogdill and Chinowith are strong, athletic guards who both shoot it very well. Caldwell is our leader at PG – he has great vision and unselfishness along with his shooting ability. Tidiane and Sandbothe will have to step up inside for us and on the boards. We have a fun group of kids who are working hard and will develop and improve as we keep playing against great competition.” – Coach Diamontae McKinley
Schedule (Gold Teams)
Dates | Event | Location | Teams |
April 13-15 | All-Iowa Attack Battle in the Bluffs | Council Bluffs, IA | ALL |
April 20-22 | Midwest Live I | Omaha, NE | ALL |
April 27-29 | Midwest Live II | Lawrence, KS | ALL |
May 11-13 | Sanford Pentagon Open | Omaha, NE | ALL |
July 6-8 | River City Tipoff | Omaha, NE | ALL |
July 13-15 | OSA Summer Slame | Omaha, NE | 15U, 16U |
July 14-15 | College Development Weekend | Bellevue, NE | 17U |
July 19-22 | KC Hardwood Classic I | Lawrence, KS | ALL |
July 26-29 | KC Hardwood Classic II | Lawrence, KS | 17U |
July 27-29 | OSA End of Summer Shootout | Omaha, NE | 15U, 16U |
Schedule (16U Black)
Dates | Event | Location |
April 14-15 | OSA Spring Tipoff | Omaha, NE |
April 21-22 | Lincoln Shootout | Lincoln, NE |
April 29-30 | MAYB Spring Fling | Omaha, NE |
May 18-20 | OSA ONE Tournament | Omaha, NE |
July 13-15 | OSA Summer Slam | Omaha, NE |
July 21-22 | Sunflower State Games | Topeka, KS |
July 27-29 | MAYB End of Summer Shootout | Omaha, NE |