Justin Sharp Shootout Preview
The 13th annual Justin Sharp Memorial Shootout will take place in Rock Island this Friday and Saturday, with 13 teams from Iowa making the trip across the Mississippi River to participate. The bracket can be found here. Top 50-ranked players to…
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Continue ReadingThe 13th annual Justin Sharp Memorial Shootout will take place in Rock Island this Friday and Saturday, with 13 teams from Iowa making the trip across the Mississippi River to participate. The bracket can be found here.
Top 50-ranked players to watch
Joe Wieskamp, GF, Muscatine (No. 1 in 2018)
Hunter Strait, PG, Cedar Rapids Washington (No. 5 in 2018)
Bailey Basala, SF, North Scott (No. 8 in 2017)
Noah Hart, G, Waukee (No. 8 in 2019)
Noah Carter, PF, Dubuque Senior (No. 11 in 2019)
Nathan Johnson, SF, Waukee (No. 15 in 2018)
Carter Stevens, G, Dubuque Senior (No. 16 in 2018)
Corvon Seales, G, North Scott (No. 17 in 2018)
Nick Timmerman, SF, Dubuque Senior (No. 20 in 2019)
Nathan Nelson, G, Waukee (No. 27 in 2018)
Reece Sommers, SG, North Scott (No. 30 in 2019)
Jacob Rau, PF, Waukee (No. 34 in 2017)
V.J. Wilmington, PG, Davenport North (No. 34 in 2018)
Dylan Jones, F, Waukee (No. 36 in 2019)
Tirique Randolph, G, Davenport Central (No. 37 in 2017)
Gary Morgan, PG, North Scott (No. 38 in 2018)
Kelvin Miller, PG, Davenport Central (No. 40 in 2017)
Kenny Clay, PG, Davenport West (No. 47 in 2018)
Atticus Taylor, F, Davenport North (No. 50 in 2017)
Storylines to follow
-As the list of top-50 ranked players above shows, there will be a ton of talent on hand from Iowa, with perhaps no more impressive group than the guards that will be on the court. Hunter Strait has been fantastic during the spring with Iowa Elite, Carter Stevens is one of the top scoring guards in the state and the Davenport Central duo of Tirique Randolph and Kelvin Miller bring all sorts of excitement to the game with Randolph a powerful scoring guard and Miller a high-flier. Of course, there will be a number of other talented guards on display, but those four are the group that we’re really looking forward to seeing.
-Two of the top wing players, and Mississippi Athletic Conference rivals, will take the floor in Joe Wieskamp and Bailey Basala. Unfortunately, Muscatine and North Scott are on opposite sides of the bracket, so it’s unlikely they’ll end up meeting each other, but these are two of the best scorers in the state and they should each put on a show whenever they’re on the floor.
-Three of the top contenders in Class 4A next season will be on display with Dubuque Senior, Waukee and North Scott. Each features a lineup filled with talent and versatility and should be considered amongst the favorites to take home the crown over the weekend. We’ll have a much better grasp on just how good these teams will be in the winter after seeing them in this setting.
-This will be our first opportunity to see Iowa City High take the floor under the guidance of new coach Derek Roberts. A young, energetic coach who takes over the Little Hawks after a season at Maquoketa, look for City High to play an up-tempo style with a nice amount of young talent. Point guard Naeem Smith will be a player to keep an eye on in the Mississippi Valley Conference this winter.
The favorites
Among the Iowa teams, the four favorites would probably have to be the aforementioned trio of Dubuque Senior, Waukee and North Scott, as well as Davenport Central. The possible second round matchup between Senior and Central could be highly entertaining, with Central’s dynamic backcourt trying to get past a versatile Senior group.
As far as teams from Illinois are concerned, the host Rock Island will have to be considered amongst the favorites. The Rocks always play an in-your-face style on the defensive end of the court, and they’ve got a big-time wing scorer in Lacey Watson (No. 18 in Prep Hoops Illinois’ 2018 rankings). Evanston is led by one of the country’s better point guard prospects in Nojel Eastern (No. 5 in Prep Hoops Illinois’ 2017 rankings).
A final four of Rock Island, Dubuque Senior, Evanston and Waukee could provide for some highly entertaining basketball.