Preseason All-Conference: Iowa Star South
Player of the Year: 2018 Matthew Hill, Colo-NESCO
Like their counterparts in the North Division, you could go a number of different directions with the POY here. Meskwaki has a pair of big-time scorers, while Don Bosco figures to be the best team, but has a more balanced attack. We’ll split the difference and take Colo-NESCO’s standout Matthew Hill, a gifted scoring forward who can also protect the rim for a Royals team that will be Don Bosco’s biggest threat in the division.
First Team
2018 Matthew Hill, Colo-NESCO (18.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.5 blocks, 57.2 FG%)
A highly effective forward who does almost all of his damage around the rim, Hill shot an incredibly efficient 57.2% from the floor en route to his 18 point average. Blocking 2.5 shots a game as well shows that he’s a dominant two-way player capable of taking over games on either end.
2019 Tate Bear, Meskwaki Settlement (20.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 2.0 blocks)
The leading returning scorer in the division, Bear averaged over 20 points a game and shot more free throws than any other returnee. His aggressive style gets him to the rim, and he’s also an effective offensive rebounder. He scored nearly 38% of his team’s points last year, while leading them in scoring, rebounding and blocks.
2018 Jarius Bear, Meskwai Settlement (19.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.3 steals, 53.1 FG%, 44.9 3P%)
The other big scorer for Meskwaki, the older Bear is the most effective 3-point threat in the division, knocking down 45% of his shots from the arc en route to averaging just under 20 a game.
2019 Will Clapper, Baxter (15.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 57.1 FG%)
The 6-4 junior will be the focal point of the new Baxter Bolts, and a real threat to average a double-double nightly. He’s an efficient scorer with the ability to dominate in the paint.
2018 Phillip Bower, Colo-NESCO (9.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists)
The lead guard for the Royals, Bower is the best distributor in the division and a safe bet to lead the league in assists this year.
Second Team
2020 Cole Damman, Baxter
2019 Brayden Peterson, GMG, Garwin
2018 Jacob Clatt, Colo-NESCO
2018 Travis Lindemoen, Baxter
2019 Aaron Fleming, GMG, Garwin
Honorable Mentions
2020 Emmett Roberts, Meskwaki Settlement
2019 Hale Hulme, North Tama
2018 Nicholas Sierra, North Tama
2018 Sean Cutler, Colo-NESCO