STATE TOURNAMENT: Class 3A Breakout Candidates
Over the course of the next two weeks, the Prep Hoops Iowa team will be flooding you with content previewing and covering the State Tournament. Here we take a look at eight potential breakout players to keep an eye on during the Class 3A tournament.
2019 Kyle Moeder, Cedar Rapids Xavier
A 6-3 combo forward, Moeder has been the guy who has stepped up late in the season to give the Saints another quality option outside of Matt Mims and Jackson Joens. He’s averaging 7.5 points a game and shooting nearly 56% from the floor. With the ability to score inside and out, he’s a long wing who finishes well around the rim, can provide some defensive versatility and he competes on the glass. If the Saints are going to 3-peat, Moeder will need to be really good this week.
2019 Quinn Schulte, Cedar Rapids Xavier
Schulte is a really steady contributor who does a nice job taking what is given to him. He handles the ball well and has done a great job of penetrating the defense then finding easy buckets for his teammates. Mims is going to have the ball in his hands a majority of the time, but it’s helpful for the Saints to have another ball handler they trust that can make plays for others, and allow Mims to play off the ball a bit. He’s a winner who makes big plays on both ends of the floor.
2019 Matthew Brase, Marion
The junior guard is just 5-9, but if the Indians are going to pull the first round upset, expect Brase to be one of the primary contributors to that. He’s one of the most dangerous perimeter shooters in the state, knocking down 55.3% of his attempts from the arc.
2020 Zach Carr, Glenwood
A 6-0 guard, Carr moved to Glenwood last year from West Des Moines, where he likely would’ve been a contributor on the varsity roster at Valley this season. He’s an efficient scoring guard who can do so at all three levels and handles it well. He gets overshadowed by the Rams “Big Three” of Christian Stanislav, Nate Mohr and Andrew Blum, but if someone else is going to have a big week for Glenwood, it’s probably Carr.
2018 Daniel Geistler, Norwalk
A 6-6 forward who is shooting 58% from the floor and 43% from the arc, Geistler has a chance to play himself into some lower-level offers with a big week. He’s an intriguing two-way prospect who blocked 37 shots this season and can stretch the floor. He’s a possible stretch-four at an NAIA-type level, and he’s a key piece for the Warriors who gets overshadowed by Luke Vaske and Bowen Born.
2019 Mosai Newsom, Waverly-Shell Rock
Newsom’s future is on the football field, but he’s a solid basketball player as well. At 6-6, he’s a huge body in the paint, but he moves really well for a young man his size. He can protect the rim, rebound and score around the bucket. His hands and footwork for a young big man are really good.
2020 Daniel Wright, Sergeant Bluff-Luton
There may not be a player in the 3A field I’m more excited to check out than Wright. A 6-6 sophomore, he leads the Warriors in assists (98) with just 46 turnovers, and he has shooting splits of 54-44-89. With three other players on the SB-L roster averaging more than his 10.7, he’s somewhat of a role player, but he has a chance to really make a name for himself this week.
2019 Rian Yates, Oskaloosa
A 6-3 sharpshooter who comes off the bench for the Indians, it’s easy for Yates to get overlooked on a roster that includes Xavier Foster, Cole Henry and Jarad Kruse. But he’s capable of getting red hot from the arc, as we witnessed in person during the Indians blowout win over Norwalk in January, when he scored 20 points and was 6-7 from behind the arc. If he has another similar game this week, his name will be flying around the Iowa basketball world.