Wells Fargo Advisors Shootout Session I Preview
Iowa Mavericks program director Tyler Cleveland has partnered with Wells Fargo Advisors to bring a pair of all-day shootouts to Cedar Rapids. The first of the two sessions will be this Saturday, January 13th, at the US Cellular Center in downtown Cedar Rapids, with the first game scheduled to tip off at 10:15 am, and games expected to run until about 9:00 pm. Below, we preview what you can expect to see from this first session of games, which will feature nine players ranked in the top 50 of their respective classes.
Schedule
10:15 am: Tipton vs. Northeast Goose Lake
12:00 pm: Maquoketa Valley vs. North Linn
1:45 pm: Benton Community vs. Center Point-Urbana
3:30 pm: Iowa City High vs. Muscatine
5:15 pm: Cedar Rapids Xavier vs. Perry
7:00 pm: Cedar Rapids Jefferson vs. Marion
Ranking the games
6. Maquoketa Valley vs. 1A No. 2 North Linn
It’ll be fun to get a look at North Linn’s high powered attack, led by record setting junior point guard Jake Hilmer, but this one won’t stay competitive for very long. The Lynx are sitting at 13-0 and are beating teams by an average of 58 points a game, while Maquoketa Valley is just 3-9. This one will get ugly quick.
Players to watch
Maquoketa Valley: Tyson Tucker (2018; 14.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg), Trevor Elgin (2018; 10.5 ppg)
North Linn: Jake Hilmer (9th in 2019; 25.8 ppg, 12.6 apg, 7.2 spg), Ryan Miller (2018; 25.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 44 3PM), David Seber (11.2 ppg)
Our pick: North Linn 88, Maquoketa Valley 34
5. Cedar Rapids Xavier vs. Perry
Going through the MVC meatgrinder has been a bit of an up-and-down affair so far this season for the two-time defending 3A champion Saints, and they’ll get a break from that on Saturday evening when up-tempo Perry comes to Cedar Rapids. The Bluejays are allowing 66.5 points a game, which ranks 63rd (out of 64) in 3A, so the Saints should have no issues scoring. Look for a big day from South Dakota State signee Matthew Mims and Upper Iowa signee Jackson Joens. The point guard matchup between Mims and Perry’s Rashon Ivory (20.0 points per game) should be entertaining, but at the end of the day, Xavier is accustomed to much stiffer competition and should win comfortably.
Players to watch
Cedar Rapids Xavier: Matthew Mims (9th in 2018; 21.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 5.0 apg), Jackson Joens (11th in 2018; 15.8 ppg, 47.8 3P%)
Perry: Rashon Ivory (2018; 20.0 ppg), Connor Nielsen (2018; 13.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg), Drew Levan (2018; 11.9 ppg)
Our pick: Cedar Rapids Xavier 72, Perry 54
4. Cedar Rapids Jefferson vs. Marion
This should be a great opportunity for a really young J-Hawks team to play in a different environment and come away with a win. Jefferson, despite having (arguably) their three best players be two sophomores and a junior, have been really competitive this season, losing by one to Kennedy, seven against Xavier, five at West Des Moines Valley and seven to Cedar Falls. The J-Hawks are 3-6, but could easily be above .500. They draw a Marion team that has used a methodical pace to slow games down, and they’ll be looking to do so against against an athletically superior team. If Jefferson is able to dictate the tempo here, they should win handily.
Players to watch
Cedar Rapids Jefferson: Willie Guy (2019; 20.1 ppg), Kyler Bell (2018; 11.8 ppg), Reajzuan Shockley (26th in 2020; 2.4 ppg), Ozzie Meiborg (35th in 2020; 12.8 ppg)
Marion: Chase Zielke (2018; 16.1 ppg), Trevor Paulsen (2019; 11.9 ppg)
Our pick: Cedar Rapids Jefferson 66, Marion 56
3. Benton Community vs. Center Point-Urbana
This pair of WaMaC West rivals generally play exciting games against each other, and while having CP-U star forward Grant Dirks sidelined hurts, Benton guard Spencer Touro will put on a show for the crowd with his ball handling and shot making abilities. Touro is averaging 21.3 points a game and shooting better than 50% from behind the arc. He has emerged in the last few seasons as one of the most exciting guards in eastern Iowa, and he paces an offense that ranks third in 3A in scoring at 73.9 points a game. The ‘Stormin Pointers have been led in Dirks’ absence by Dylan Harris, who is averaging 15.6 points and shooting 41.2% from the arc. They have a deep rotation and will throw a number of different players at Touro in hopes of slowing him and the potent Benton offense down.
Players to watch
Benton Community: Spencer Touro (33rd in 2018; 21.3 ppg, 50.9 3P%), Nathan Michels (2019; 13.0 ppg), Dylan Spina (2019; 10.0 ppg, 62.2 FG%)
Center Point-Urbana: Dylan Harris (2018; 15.6 ppg), Grant Dirks (2018; 19.0 ppg)*
Our pick: Benton Community 75, Center Point-Urbana 62
2. Tipton vs. Northeast Goose Lake
The event opens with a high-level cross-divisional River Valley Conference game between a pair of standout teams. Tipton is currently sitting at 9-4, led by one of the league’s most potent offensive threats in 6-4 forward Logan Hoffman. The big man is averaging 21.6 points a game and is a threat to score from anywhere on the floor. Andrew Stewart adds 14.5 a game from the backcourt, and 6-5 sophomore Frank Bierman has emerged as one of the better rebounders in the conference. He’ll have his hands full with Northeast big man Luke Empen, averaging 16.4 points and 10.9 rebounds. He leads a Rebel team that just lost their first game of the season on Tuesday night, a three-point loss to fellow unbeaten and 2A No. 3 Cascade. Dawson Stoll (15.2) has emerged as a top-notch shooter, and Braeden Hoyer (12.0) gives the Rebels some additional size in the paint. Hopefully these teams wake up early and play an entertaining game, because it should be one of the best of the day.
Players to watch
Tipton: Logan Hoffman (2018; 21.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg), Andrew Stewart (2019; 14.5 ppg), Frank Bierman (2020; 6.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg)
Northeast Goose Lake: Luke Empen (47th in 2018; 16.4 ppg, 10.9 rpg), Dawson Stoll (2019; 15.2 ppg, 29 3PM), Braeden Hoyer (2019; 12.0 ppg)
Our pick: Northeast, Goose Lake 62, Tipton 55
1. Iowa City High vs. Muscatine
I would assume the US Cellular Center will be at it’s peak in terms of attendance for the 3:30 game, as people will be clamoring to get a look at Iowa signee Joe Wieskamp. This is an MVC vs. MAC battle featuring the state’s best player in Muscatine’s Joe Wieskamp, who leads the state in scoring at 35.5 points per game (on 60-37-87 shooting splits), and has been absolutely dominant for the Muskies. The Little Hawks are just 3-6, but they’ve proven how dangerous they can be by beating Cedar Falls early in the year and playing Dubuque Senior to a two-point game a week later. An argument could be made for Muscatine being the third best team in the MAC, while City High is at best probably the eighth or ninth best team in the MVC. A win from the Little Hawks would go a long way in showcasing just how strong the MVC is this season, but slowing down Wieskamp is going to be a lot to ask for. Look for the Little Hawks to throw plenty of different defensive looks at the Mr. Basketball frontrunner, including standout sophomore Keshawn Christian.
Players to watch
Iowa City High: Keshawn Christian (11th in 2020; 11.8 ppg), Antonio Turner (2019; 13.1 ppg), Jeremy Kambomba (2018; 7.0 ppg, 8.4 rpg)
Muscatine: Joe Wieskamp (1st in 2018; 35.5 ppg, 15.3 rpg), Jackson Foulk (2018; 11.3 ppg)
Our pick: Muscatine 65, Iowa City High 59
*Stats are from QuikStats on 1/10/18.