Conference Preview: West Central
The Teams Des Moines Christian: With undoubtedly the best player in the conference, Ben Juhl and the Lions will look to repeat as conference champs and get back to the state tournament behind a strong returning core. Bouncy wing Keaton…
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Continue ReadingThe Teams
Des Moines Christian: With undoubtedly the best player in the conference, Ben Juhl and the Lions will look to repeat as conference champs and get back to the state tournament behind a strong returning core. Bouncy wing Keaton Van Soelen is at Air Force now, but Juhl is a more-than-capable leading man. Isaac Prewitt, Nathan Herbers and Austin Mona are a fantastic supporting cast.
Earlham: Canyon “Moose” Hopkins is gone, and it’s not just him, all five starters from last season’s 17-win squad have moved on. That’s not to say the Cardinals won’t be competitive. A new batch of guys with plenty of varsity experience is ready to take the reins, led by one of 2019’s best, 6-foot-2 guard Trent Williamson.
Guthrie Center: The bad news: the Tigers’ top two scorers are gone from last season’s 7-win squad, that’s 28 points per game graduated. The good news: Three of the Tigers’ regular starters last season were sophomores, and they’ll look to take some momentum from last season’s late success into this season.
Madrid: All five regular starters from last winter graduated, including shot-blocker extraordinaire Luke Hudnutt. Senior guard Michael Santi got some starts last year and will the most experienced guy coming back from a 14-win team – he averaged 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
Ogden: Its top two scores are gone, but there’s a talented corps of guys ready to take control of this upstart Bulldogs squad. Noah Snedden was a regular starter last season as sophomore, he’ll knock down plenty of shots, and Ben Heeren is one of the conference’s most promising young players. Nathan Kennedy will lead the charge — he’s a preseason second team all-conference pick. This team seems poised to improve upon its 8-win total from last season.
Panorama: It’s Levi Leiferman’s team now after a slew of seniors graduated. Look for the 6-foot-1 guard to be among the conference’s leaders in assists and steals, and he could average close to 20 points per game. It will be interesting to see how some of the young talent of the Panthers reacts to much larger roles.
Van Meter: The Bulldogs should continue as one of the conference’s best squads this season, with a steady hand a point guard and a up-and-coming post presence. Blake Fryar was impressive this summer playing Kingdom Hoops X, he averaged 8.7 points last season and is a sharpshooter. Grant Johnson is a 6-foot-7 power forward that was one of the standout performers at our Prep Hoops Expo in September.
West Central Valley: They won just three games last season (two against 2-win Woodward-Granger), and there’s seemingly nowhere but up to go this winter for the Wildcats. Three regular starters return, and though this squad likely won’t compete for a conference title, they could certainly eclipse the 3-win mark.
Woodward-Granger: After winning just two games last season, Bodie Harrison and Co. — like WCV — have nowhere but up to go. Leading scorer Nick Squires has graduated, but four regular starters return, all four are seniors now. Will the veterans be able to lead the Hawks to more wins? It seems likely.
Woodward Academy: After making a state tournament appearance in 2015, the Knights managed just six wins last season. It’s tough to know exactly what to expect from any team this time of the year, but especially with this program, a residential center for delinquent boys, with a revolving door of players. What we do know is Ammari Johnson (2018), Demarcus Riley (2017) and Delonquay Richardson (2017) were three of the best players in the conference last season.
Projected Order of Finish
- Des Moines Christian
- Van Meter
- Panorama
- Ogden
- Earlham
- Guthrie Center
- Madrid
- Woodward Academy
- Woodward-Granger
- West Central Valley
Analysis
Almost any team with a talent like Ben Juhl would be considered a conference title contender. Throw in one of the best supporting casts in the league and this Lions squad could win 20 games this season. Van Meter has a a tough inside-out combo. And Panorama is always tough, and has one of the league’s best players returning.
Preseason Player of the Year
Ben Juhl, 2017, Des Moines Christian
This was an easy choice. And that’s no knock to the rest of the conference, but more a compliment to just how good Juhl is. He was sensational last season as junior, putting together one of the best shooting seasons of the last several years in Iowa. He also spent his offseason playing with one of Iowa’s best grassroots teams, Kingdom Hoops Elite 17U, and was a key contributor on the squad.
Biggest Sleeper
Grant Johnson, 2018, Van Meter
Here’s what our Tony Roe wrote about the up-and-coming big-man after our Expo in Septmeber: “Johnson may have been the most impressive big with his post touches during game play. He establishes good position, has solid footwork and showed great touch with little baby hooks going over either shoulder. He does a nice job feeling out the defender and making a counter move. He’s got very good hands, a decent array of post moves and runs the floor well.”
Players to Watch
Ben Juhl, 2017, Des Moines Christian
Ammari Johnson, 2018, Woodward Academy
Levi Leiferman, 2017, Panorama
Trent Williamson, 2019, Earlham
Blake Fryar, 2018, Van Meter
Delonquay Richardson, 2017, Woodward Academy
Nathan Kennedy, 2017, Ogden
DeMarcus Riley, 2017, Woodward Academy
Issac Prewitt, 2017 Des Moines Christian
Bodie Harrison, 2017, Woodward-Granger