The Final Countdown: 2017’s 40-31
40. Solomon Clayton (Fort Dodge)
Last summer, Solomon Clayton was dominant every time we saw him play. It was then when he made his major leap in the rankings. And despite having a somewhat underwhelming senior season (14.1 points, 5.3 rebounds), what we saw last summer can not be undone. The 6’3 wing will play JuCo at Iowa Lakes alongside former Dodger Kyle Beisch.
39. Landon Torneton (Council Bluffs Lincon)
Two season’s ago Council Bluffs Lincoln had one of the best senior classes in Iowa, consequently, we didn’t know a lot about the then junior Landon Torneton. Thanks to grassroots ball, we saw him early that next spring playing for SW Iowa Select, and instantly knew he was a player. At 6’5 with some nice reach, Torneton was very good his senior season with the Lynx, and earned a spot Briar Cliff because of it.
38. Ryan VanWyk (Pella)
Always one of our favorites, VanWyk played in three state tournaments for Pella, and was critical to the team’s success each season; he led the Dutch in scoring the last two seasons. He’s tall, rangy and versatile, and we thought him to be a solid D2 prospect. He never got those D2 offers though, which is a mystery to us. He’s the only guy in the top-50 not playing college ball.
37. JMichael Young (Bettendorf)
We were blown away at this kid’s physique and ability during the state tournament last March. He never posted gaudy numbers on a Bulldogs team that’s known for defense and slow-paced offense. But make no mistake, if Young wasn’t playing football at the next level, he would have been, at the very least, a D2 basketball prospect.
36. Chad Moran (Lewis Central)
He was one of the standouts at our 2016 Expo in Ames, showcasing his high-rising ability more than anything else. He then went on to have a magnificent senior season with the Titans, one of the best senior seasons in the state. The 6-foot-3 guard will hone his skills for one season at Hillcrest Prep in Arizona, and then land at a D2 or D1 school, we presume.
35. Brady Elder (Pleantville)
Simply one of the best scorers in Iowa, Elder uses a high degree of skill, some savvy and a dash of quickness to piece together one of the better scoring seasons in the state last winter. In addition to his 22.5 points per game, the 5-foot-10 guard also led his team in assists and steals. He played some with the Iowa Barnstormers in the spring of 2016, and excelled at times when we saw him. Elder will play with NAIA Dakota State next season.
34. Levi Jungling (Pella Christian)
Even though he’s playing football at Dordt next season, for us Jungling will always be synonymous with the state basketball tournament. He’s been there each of the last three years we’ve been covering it wire-to-wire, and he’s had some Herculean efforts seemingly each time down there. Small, but very bouncy, and with some handles and sharpshooting ability, Jungling was certainly one of 2017’s most dynamic talents.
33. Etahn Wyant (Jesup)
If length and precision shooting are important in the game of basketball, then Ethan Wyant was the quintessential hoopster at Jesup. Well, yes, those two things are critical to success on the hardwood, and Ethan Wyant spent the last two seasons absolutely torching teams with his lethal combo of both. The 6-foot-1 guard is playing at Morningside next season.
32. Kelvin Miller (Davenport Central)
There’s a lot of prospects in the state of Iowa, and a handful of them are elite jumpers, but we’re going to say that Miller was the best leaper in the state last season — well, at least a top three (we see you Suni Lane). But he was more than just that, he honed his offensive skill-set with the Iowa Barnstormers in the offseason, and finished his senior season with averages of 15.5 points on 50 percent shooting, 2.5 steals, 1.2 blocks and 5.1 rebounds per game. He’s playing JuCo at DMACC next season.
31. Connor Gholson (Newton)
We got to see plenty of this sharpshooting scoring guard last March while he was willing his team to a state tournament berth with a win over Johnston, and then nearly pulling the upset of upsets against Iowa City West in the quarterfinals of the state tournament. The year before we saw him notch six first half 3s against Chariton in a substate final, nearly willing his team to state then too. He’s a solid, solid off-guard and will walk-on a Drake next season.