Coach’s Take: Iowa Prep 17U Red (Part II)
It’s August, that means live action on the hardwood slows down, but our coverage of Iowa high schools hoops remains active. The grassroots season recently wrapped up, and we’re going to spend the month re-capping what went down by talking to some of the most successful team’s coaches, and getting their take on players that suited up for them all spring and summer.
We continue our “Coach’s Take” series with Tim Schuring, owner/director of TNT 5 and Iowa Prep Basketball. Schuring coached one of Iowa’s most successful teams, Iowa Prep 17U Red. Featuring talented mainstays and newcomers alike, this was — top to bottom — one of the more intriguing teams in the state. With guys like Carter Duwa, Zach Martinek and Carter Cuvelier headlining, it’s no wonder they were one of Iowa’s best units.
Iowa Prep 17U Red coach Tim Schuring talks…
Sean Geertsema, 6’1 PG (Independence)
“He’s an outstanding 3-point shooter, has a great awareness on the floor. He’s the kind of young man that will score it from the point guard position, but doesn’t need to score it from the point guard position. Defensively, he’s excellent on the ball, and has a very high IQ. He’s a really solid player. For us, he would get overshadowed by the other guys, and there were some games where he’d be more assertive and he really stood out. He’s getting interest from all over the board, mostly NAIA and Division III.”
Hunter Snyder, 6’2 SF (Pleasant Valley)
“Very, very aggressive on both ends of the floor. He’s very diverse, he can rebound and score it inside and out. He’s one of our best defenders. He’s going to be a nice college player for someone. Like most of our guys, he’s seeing NAIA and Division III interest coming in.”
Cody Hicks, 6’4 F (Janesville)
“Cody pulled his hamstring in the state track meet while running hurdles, so he was out through June and July, he tried to come back but he tweaked it again. This is our second year with him, he’s an undersized post, but an outstanding rebounder and really bouncy. He defends extremely well and can score it from out to about 10-11 feet. He wants to play basketball, and he had a good season for Janesville last year. He’s one of those kids that when he played against really good competition and kids that are bigger and a little better than he’s used to, he responded very well. So, I think he’s going to play somewhere in college, but I don’t know if he’s gotten much attention because of his being out in June and July.”
Josh Ollendieck
Josh Ollendieck, 6’2 G (Cedar Falls)
“Josh is a year younger, so he was a 16U but has always played up for us, and he came on when we had pour point guard leave in May. Josh came aboard and played in three tourneys in July. He’s really, really skilled from Cedar Falls. He’s very skilled, long arms, can really shoot it and get to the rim. And the great thing about Josh is that he’s growing, he’s about 6’2 now.”