Ten Things I’ve Seen in the Past Ten Days
Over the course of the past ten days, I’ve had the opportunity to see a number of games, but haven’t had the time to write about what I’ve seen. So here are ten things that I’ve observed from the games I’ve seen in the last ten days.
Pella at Newton (Jan. 6)
1. Newton junior guard Garrett Sturtz is a player. The comparison is going to sound a bit odd, but he reminds me some of former Dubuque Senior big man Josh Weeber. They both have a crafty, old man style game, but it’s highly effective and Sturtz is a scoring machine. He has remarkable footwork, great touch at the rim and the ability to stretch the floor. With his length, change of pace, ball handling and footwork, he’s really tough to defend. He scored 31 points in this game (12-23 FG) to go with five rebounds and three assists.
Blair (NE) at Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln (Jan. 7)
2. CBAL has a chance to be pretty good and could give Sioux City East a run for their money in a likely substate final matchup. The Lynx have all sorts of defensive versatility with junior wing Troy Houghton, who is long, athletic and can defend a number of spots. Guard Preston Fant comes off the bench to give them a nice spark on both ends of the floor, and they’ve got some nice size with Trey Nixon on the interior and Landon Torneten and Houghton on the wings. If Blake Elam is knocking down 3s the way he did in this game (5-9), they become a dangerous offensive team as well. They’ve got an interesting blend of pieces that could cause some problems down the stretch.
3. Speaking of Troy Houghton, the 50th ranked player in the 2018 class is due for a big rise up the rankings. The 6-3 wing is still quite raw offensively, but his athleticism, length and defensive versatility make him a coach’s dream. As he continues to refine his offensive skill set, watch out.
Pella Christian at Norwalk (Jan. 7)
4. Pella Christian is going to be really tough to beat at the 2A level. The return of David Kacmarynski, who missed last season with a knee injury suffered during the football season, is huge for the Eagles, giving them some physicality on the glass. He’s also become solid with the dribble drive, showing off some impressive footwork and touch around the rim. The ability to penetrate was not there when he was a sophomore, but it’s certainly there now. Levi Jungling is a great floor general, Graham Howerzyl plays really good defense on whoever the best guard on the other team is and if Kenden Veenstra can contribute on both ends of the floor like he did in this game, they’ll be nearly impossible to beat. And there is no doubt they’ll be battle tested after going through the grind of the Little Hawkeye Conference.
Iowa City West at Linn-Mar (Jan. 10)
5. Devontae Lane shot the ball as well as he ever has in the Trojans win over Linn-Mar, going 6-7 from behind the arc after entering the game just 3-16 from deep. If he’s able to connect on 35-40% of his 3s during the rest of the season, West is going to be extremely tough to beat. Already considered one of the favorites to win the 4A title, some added perimeter shooting would be a nice addition to help open up space for Patrick McCaffery and Seybian Sims to operate inside, less pressure on Connor McCaffery to carry them from the arc, and of course help open up space to allow Lane to do what he does best, which is get to the rim.
Lynnville-Sully at Keota (Jan. 12)
6. Lynnville-Sully is now 11-1, and I’m not sure we’ve seen them play their best basketball yet. Jesse Van Wyk was the star in this game, scoring 26 points for the Hawks, but this is a group that has five different players who could legitimately lead them in scoring any given night. If they’re ever able to pick up the perimeter shooting (27.8 3P%), they’ll be tough to beat come playoff time in 1A. They’ve got a nice blend of length, scoring and defensive players that plays well as a team and values possessions.
Cedar Falls at Dubuque Senior (Jan. 13)
7. Isaiah Johnson is a much more important piece for Cedar Falls than most people realize. He got into early foul trouble in this game and only ended up playing about six minutes throughout the contest. Having him on the floor helps take some of the pressure off of A.J. Green, and he may be their best defensive player as well. In a game where the Tigers struggled to score, having him on the court would’ve helped in a big way.
8. Dubuque Senior has been playing for a while now without star guard Carter Stevens, who is out with a foot injury. In this game, they proved they can win in different ways, as Stevens was out and leading scorer Noah Carter was held to four points. The Rams defend at a high level, keep teams off the glass, and have some role players who stepped up in a big way in this game in Louis Psihoyos (16 points) and Nick Timmerman (14). A very encouraging sign for one of 4A’s best teams to beat another top-notch team without production out of their top two players.
Knoxville at Cedar Rapids Xavier (Jan. 14)
9. Xavier has been looking for another player to step up alongside their “Big Three” of Matt Mims, Jackson Joens and Max Techau. They may have found a spark in sophomore Kyle Moeder, a long and athletic wing who gave the Saints some really good minutes on both ends of the floor off the bench. He does a little bit of everything, has the ability to make an impact on the defensive end and showed off some good court vision and passing ability. He doesn’t need to be a star, he just needs to provide some energy and be a threat when he’s on the court.
Cascade at Iowa City Regina (Jan. 14)
10. Cascade seems to be playing faster this year following the retirement of legendary coach Al Marshall and the graduation of star big man Devin Green. The Cougars still use the 2-3 zone they’ve used for generations, but the ball gets pushed up the floor quicker now and they’ve got some nice athletes and some length. Those expecting Cascade to drop off after the retirement and loss of last year’s seniors look foolish now with the Cougars sitting at 11-0 halfway through the regular season.