State tournament preview: D1 Talent to Watch, Part II
The state tournament opens next week at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, and some of the state’s top talent will be playing on the state’s top stage. This is Part II of two that highlights the players that have signed, committed or project as possible to join Division I programs.
See now the Class of 2017 and the Class of 2018.
2017
Quinton Curry, WDM Valley, 6’6, G/F: A great combination of size, skill and quickness, Curry is our fifth-ranked in his class who is garnering looks from high-majors and the Ivy League. This season, he’s averaging 14 ppg on an eye-popping 63.7 field goal percentage. He’s also got a team-best 8.8 rebounds per game.
Douglas Wilson, DM Hoover, 6’5, F: Wilson is one of the state’s top forwards and has been hearing from the likes of South Dakota, North Dakota and LeHigh. He’s a long and athletic player that has the ability to be a defensive force.
Connor McCaffery, IC West, 6’6, PG: The son of Iowa coach Fran McCaffery, Connor is a Hawkeyes commit who averaged a team-best 16.5 ppg for the Trojans while also being their top assist man. He’s a nationally ranked player.
Devontae Lane, IC West, 6′, PG: West’s “other” point guard, Lane was offered by Iowa State’s previous staff and has gotten lots of interest from some of the midwest’s top programs, including Iowa, Creighton, Northern Iowa and Wisconsin.
Matt Dentlinger, Kumper Catholic, 6’7, PF: The big man has put up even bigger numbers during his junior campaign with 18.6 ppg on 58.0 percent mark from the floor while also grabbing 258 rebounds and blocking 65 shots.
Joe Smoldt, Gladbrook-Reinbeck, 5’11, PG: The Rebels’ point guard has drawn interest from a number of different level college programs, including South Dakota and Western Illinois.
2018
Sam Ingoli, Dowling Catholic, Dowling Catholic, 6’4, G: Our second-ranked player in his class, Ingoli is already drawing plenty of Division I interest, already with an offer from North Dakota along with interest from Iowa State, Nebraska and Creighton. He’s averaging 9.3 points per game on 48.1 shooting from the floor and 35.1 percent from 3-point range while dishing out a team-best 66 assists.
AJ Green, Cedar Falls, 6’1, PG: Green has established himself as one of the state’s premier players with a monster sophomore season in which he averaged 17.5 ppg while grabbing 88 rebounds and dishing out 71 assists. He shot 44.1 percent from distance and 46.7 percent overall from the floor.
Jackson Joens, CR Xavier, 6’4, F: As a sophomore, Joens averaged 9.8 ppg and shot 43 percent on 100 3-point attempts while also being a solid rebounder and passer.