Strait on the Move

One of Iowa's best point guards, Hunter Strait, has transferred out of Cedar Rapids Washington and into Ankeny Centennial -- adding a boost to a program that was already off to a hot start this season. Strait is Iowa's 6th-ranked 2018, and a Division I prospect who has seen interest come in from schools like DePaul, Drake and North Dakota. A candid advocate for Cedar Rapids Washington hoops in the past, Strait did imply that it's tough to leave. But he feels the move to Ankeny's north side will help him better in his mission to achieve his goals. The Warriors were 1-1 this season prior to the Strait transfer, with their one win coming against 2A New Hampton “It sucks because I loved Wash, I mean obviously, I've been a diehard Wash ever since I was a little kid,” said Strait. “But I just didn't feel that I could accomplish what I wanted to accomplish for my future there.” He added: “I feel like at Centennial we can really make it far, and we have a good shot of making it to state and maybe even winning state. I feel like Coach (Bob) Fontana is a great coach and he's putting us in a position to do that and accomplish that.” The savvy 6-foot-2 floor general will live with his father in Ankeny, and was quick to mention that as a pro of making the move from Cedar Rapids the the Des Moines metro. “First off it's a good opportunity for me to be with my dad and his family here. I don't really get to see these guys very often, and I never would have been able to have this experience if this wouldn't have happened,” said Strait. Centennial was thrown a bit of a curve-ball earlier this month when projected starting guard Chance Gibbons decided to leave the team. The Jags have raced out to a 2-1 start without Gibbons though, including an overtime win over Des Moines North, and a 39-point thrashing of Marshalltown. “Centennial's a great school and a great community, and they have a lot of great classes, it will be great for me for my academics,” said Strait. “And for basketball, I felt like this was going to be a place where I could fulfill what I wanted to from my high school career, and get me ready for college and basketball beyond high school.” Strait will be able to play immediately with the Jaguars, and the plan is for him to start practice with the team tonight (Wednesday), and to be playing by next Tuesday's game at Ottumwa. "It''s a lot of stuff to learn in a short amount of time, but Fontana does want me to be playing by next Tuesday,” said Strait. “I don't know exactly what that role will be, but I completely trust in Coach Fontana.” An Ankeny native, Fontana came to Centennial from Cedar Rapids Kennedy to be the Jaguars' first-ever coach in 2014. Strait expressed great ardor for the coach. “He coaches his program like a mini-college, and it's going to be a great experience for me to get ready for college basketball and what I want to accomplish. He's going to help so much with recruiting and getting my name out there,” said Strait. “I just feel like it's a great opportunity for me to have a great last two years.”   A big reason why Centennial has been so successful this season is the stellar play of Iowa's 19th-ranked 2017 and Truman State-commit Connor Kasperbauer. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard is averaging 25 points and four made 3s per game so far this season. “Having a player like Connor -- and me and him talked about this -- I feel like we can both complement each other with what we do well,” said Strait. “I feel like I'll get a lot more assists, I mean the dude barely ever misses any shots. So opponents can't really key on him, or at Wash they could key on me and now teams can't really do that.” “So I feel like this is really going to help us both in the long run.”