Iowa Playoffs: Class 4A, Substate 6 Preview
Connor McCaffery leads West’s attack The favorite: Iowa City West entered the season as the overwhelming favorite in 4A. They haven’t really played like it, in part due to injuries, in part just not playing particularly well, but this is…
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Continue ReadingConnor McCaffery leads West’s attack
The favorite: Iowa City West entered the season as the overwhelming favorite in 4A. They haven’t really played like it, in part due to injuries, in part just not playing particularly well, but this is still the team to beat in this substate, and one of the favorites should they make it to Des Moines. Connor McCaffery (16.6) paces the Trojans attack, with Devontae Lane (13.3) and Wali Parks (13.0) providing additional scoring pop. Tanner Lohaus (8.7), a Northern Iowa commit, missed a big chunk of the season with an ankle injury but he’s back in the lineup and playing well. The big concern here is that they don’t shoot the ball very well from the perimeter, so teams could pack it in and prevent penetration.
The biggest threat: Iowa City High has already beaten their crosstown rivals once this year, and with their 2-3 zone defense, they can pack it in and make West beat them from the perimeter. The Little Hawks are very well coached and have an (at times) dominant big man in Micah Martin, and a few players who can get hot from deep in Henry Mulligan and Nile Ringen. Point guard Naeem Smith has been the biggest revelation of the season for City High, with a very impressive 110-43 assist-to-turnover ratio. The Little Hawks have a ton of confidence and know that they can beat West.
The dark horse: Max Smith-Drahos (14.9) has been playing at a high level late in the season for Cedar Rapids Prairie, and the Hawks lost an earlier season meeting to City High by just one. If they’re able to get Smith-Drahos going, and get some help from guys like Jalen Rima and Cal Clark, they could make their way to the substate final, where anything can happen.
Players to watch
Connor McCaffery, Iowa City West, 2017
Devontae Lane, Iowa City West, 2017
Wali Parks, Iowa City West, 2016
Tanner Lohaus, Iowa City West, 2016
Micah Martin, Iowa City High, 2016
Henry Mulligan, Iowa City High, 2016
Naeem Smith, Iowa City High, 2017
Adam Van Oort, Cedar Rapids Jefferson, 2016
Dennis McKinney, Cedar Rapids Jefferson, 2016
Royshawn Webb, Cedar Rapids Jefferson, 2017
Max Smith-Drahos, Cedar Rapids Prairie, 2017
Jalen Rima, Cedar Rapids Prairie, 2016
Cal Clark, Cedar Rapids Prairie, 2016
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
Iowa City West vs. Iowa City High
While City High has already beaten the Trojans, it’s tough to beat a team that talented twice. I think the loss to City has gotten West re-focused, and they won’t take the Little Hawks lightly this time around. At a neutral site it will be harder for City to feed off the crowd. West returns to state for the sixth straight season.