Prep Hoops’ Midwest Cup: Take Five
Martin Brothers Select
After traveling around the much of the Midwest for the first part of the spring, the Martin Brothers are spending their second (and last) weekend in a row in Iowa. Last weekend the renowned program had its 15s, 16s and 17s at Kingdom Courts in Des Moines, where they had moderate success against some teams from Iowa and Missouri. None of those three teams won their division last weekend, despite all of them — particularly the 17U unit — having some of the more stacked rosters in Iowa. Will those 17s take the title? Can the Martin Brothers sweep? We will see.
Team Iowa 17U
One of the many teams that could lock horns with the Martin Brothers 17s this weekend is a very intriguing Team Iowa squad. Already with one of the better backcourts in Iowa, Hunter Strait and Derrick Diggins, Team Iowa is adding recent Upper Iowa offeree Keith Johnson this weekend. Those three make up a terrific trio, certainly one of the best in the tournament, and the rest of the Team Iowa squad is no slouch either. If nothing else, they will be fun to watch, with plenty of scholarship-worthy talent to keep an eye on.
515 Elite
This team is new to the high school spectrum of grassroots ball, and they have made some noise during the spring session. Featuring an assembly of Central Iowa guys, they went 2-1 last weekend at Kings of the Court, including an impressive win over a very talented — and eventual champion — Attack Red squad in pool play 68-55. They also destroyed KC Crusaders 66-38. Headlined by a pair of 6-foot-3 sharpshooters, Preston Keller (whose dad is the coach), and Jackson Waring, this team could make a lot of noise not just this weekend, but over the next three offseasons.
Top Talent
17s: Matthew Mims (Martin Bros), Jackson Joens (Martin Bros), Hunter Strait (Team Iowa), Keith Johnson (Team Iowa), Zaine Leedom (Iowa Intensity), Garrett Sturtz (Iowa Intensity), Seybian Sims (Iowa Dynasty), Grant Johnson (Kingdom Hoops X), Joe Weber (Tryon Gym), Kaleb Cresswell (Pump ‘N Run)
16s: Cole Henry (Martin Brothers), Mason Porter (Pump ‘N Run), Jackson Molstead (Martin Bros), Trey Hinote (Cornsharks Select), Trent Williamson (Cornsharks), Beau Cornwell (Iowa Mavericks), Dillon Carlson (Martin Brothers), Keegan Murray (Team Iowa), Kris Murray (Team Iowa), Hayden Passemore (Team Iowa), Jack Peterson (Sioux City Bombers), Lino Malual (Beyond Ball), Gatdoar Bijiek (Beyond Ball)
15s: Zach Lasek (Martin Brothers), Isaiah Johnson (Martin Brothers), Easton Darling (Martin Brothers), Andre Brandon (Iowa City West), Preston Kelling (515 Elite), Jackson Waring (515 Elite)
Possible Winners
17s: There’s a couple Minnesota teams that could challenge top Iowa squads for a title; D1 MN Rise and Crossfire Schmidt, ranked 24th and 22nd in Northstar Hoops Report’s 17U rankings, respectively. And though the Martin Brothers will be considered favorites, Iowa Intensity and Team Iowa Blue will be right there to challenge them.
16s: This is a wide-open division, with top program, Martin Brothers, without its top two players, Owen Coburn (family obligations) and Aidan Vanderloo (injury). Still, Martin Brothers will be formidable, but other Iowa programs Pump ‘N Run Black and Cornsharks Select have especially strong 16U squads. Team Iowa Red and Beyond Ball have some top-level Iowa talent, and could each make a deep run this weekend as well.
15s: Watch out for Minnesota Heat-Fox, they are 12-3 this spring, and the 8th-ranked team in Northstar Hoops Report’s 15U grassroots rankings. The aforementioned 515 Elite brings an upstart team to Ames, and could come out of Pool B unscathed. And, of course, Martin Brothers have a very strong group of 15s, headlined by possible No.2 in 2020, 6’8 PF Zach Lasek