Grassroots Preview: Iowa Dynasty
Program directors: Nate Meints and Kevin Gaster 17U Head coach: Nate Meints Roster 6-1 Royshawn Webb, Cedar Rapids Jefferson 6-7 Donovan Beard, Cedar Rapids Washington 5-9 Ian Thomas, Cedar Rapids Washington 6-2 Max Smith-Drahos, Cedar Rapids Prairie 6-5 Chuck Johnson,…
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Continue ReadingProgram directors: Nate Meints and Kevin Gaster
17U
Head coach: Nate Meints
Roster
6-1 Royshawn Webb, Cedar Rapids Jefferson
6-7 Donovan Beard, Cedar Rapids Washington
5-9 Ian Thomas, Cedar Rapids Washington
6-2 Max Smith-Drahos, Cedar Rapids Prairie
6-5 Chuck Johnson, Iowa City High
6-2 Marshawn Yarbrough, Iowa City West
6-0 Vance Dillon, Iowa City High
6-5 Josh Van Roekel, Iowa City West
6-1 Naeem Smith, Iowa City High
6-4 Jake Eilers, Cedar Rapids Prairie
6-2 Homy Nasr, Iowa City West
6-5 Jacquese Parks, Iowa City West
Notes: The roster is littered with solid MVC players, headlined by the guard trio of Naeem Smith, Royshawn Webb and Max Smith-Drahos. That group all saw loads of playing time with their respective high school teams, with Smith and Webb both serving as their team’s point guards. Smith-Drahos is a talented scoring guard who should be in for a big summer with Dynasty. A pair of players from Cedar Rapids Washington who have been mainstays during Dynasty’s time on the circuit, Donovan Beard and Ian Thomas, should also play big roles with this group. Thomas is a physical off-guard, and Beard a skilled combo forward who can also make plays with the ball in his hands.
Schedule
April 16-17: Midwest Live (Ankeny, IA)
April 23-24: Best of the Midwest (Stoughton, WI)
May 13-15: Prep Hoops Battle at the Lakes (Minneapolis, MN)
May 21-22: Prep Hoops Midwest Cup (Ames, IA)
May 27-29: Midwest Basketball Showcase (Omaha, NE)
July 8-10: Chicago Summer Jam (Chicago, IL)
July 15-17: TBD
July 22-24: Sunflower Showcase (Lawrence, KS)
16U
Head coach: Nate Meints
Roster
6-3 Paul McGee, Iowa City West
6-3 Derrick Diggins, Cedar Rapids Kennedy
6-7 Seybian Sims, Iowa City West
6-0 Kyler Bell, Cedar Rapids Jefferson
6-0 Evan Flitz, Iowa City West
6-0 Drew Adams, Mount Vernon
6-2 Jayson Barnes, Iowa City West
6-5 Hakeem Odunsi, Iowa City West
6-7 Max Campbell, Cedar Rapids Washington
Notes: This figures to be an interesting group to watch, loaded with solid guard play. Derrick Diggins is a dynamic scoring guard who led his Kennedy team in scoring as a sophomore. Drew Adams was the only other player on this roster to see varsity playing time, starting for a very good Mount Vernon team and showcasing his shooting ability, shooting 44.2% from the arc. The rest of this roster is made up of (primarily) the top players from a very good Iowa City West sophomore team that went undefeated. Paul McGee is a solid lead guard with ball handling ability and the ability to get to the rim. Seybian Sims is a long, athletic forward who may just be scratching the surface of his talents. Evan Flitz is a very good point guard who can really shoot the ball, and Hakeem Odunsi is a dynamic, playmaking combo wing who excels with the ball in his hands. This group should be a lot of fun to watch.
Schedule
April 16-17: Midwest Live (Ankeny, IA)
April 23-24: Best of the Midwest (Stoughton, WI)
May 13-15: Prep Hoops Battle at the Lakes (Minneapolis, MN)
May 21-22: Prep Hoops Midwest Cup (Ames, IA)
May 27-29: Midwest Basketball Showcase (Omaha, NE)
July 8-10: Chicago Summer Jam (Chicago, IL)
July 15-17: TBD
July 22-24: Sunflower Showcase (Lawrence, KS)
15U
Head coach: Kevin Gaster
Roster
5-9 Jacob Klein, Iowa City West
6-1 Beau Cornwell, West Branch
6-0 Grant Anderson, Iowa City West
6-2 Zach Albright, Iowa City West
6-3 Jalen Gaudet, Iowa City West
5-8 Dae Dae Hickman, Iowa City High
6-3 Cole Mabry, Iowa City West
5-10 Antonio Turner, Iowa City High
6-3 Ry Threlkeld-Wiegand, Iowa City High
6-3 Josh Halvorson, Iowa City West
Notes: This is a group that lacks size, but has a very good trio of guards that should lead it in Beau Cornwell, Dae Dae Hickman and Antonio Turner. Hickman and Turner each dazzled at times during the Dynasty Fall League back in October, and Cornwell had a 46-point game with West Branch. The rest of the roster is made up of players that we don’t know too much about yet, but that we’re looking forward to getting a look at.
Schedule
April 16-17: Midwest Live (Ankeny, IA)
April 23-24: Best of the Midwest (Stoughton, WI)
May 13-15: Prep Hoops Battle at the Lakes (Minneapolis, MN)
May 21-22: Prep Hoops Midwest Cup (Ames, IA)
May 27-29: Midwest Basketball Showcase (Omaha, NE)
July 8-10: Chicago Summer Jam (Chicago, IL)
July 15-17: TBD
July 22-24: Sunflower Showcase (Lawrence, KS)