Iowa’s April Stock Risers
April is a busy time for Iowa high school hoopsters, and grassroots teams from the state have been traveling all over the country making names for their programs and their players. We’ve been out plenty, too (Ames, Madison, Omaha, Minneapolis), seeing guys light it up for ourselves. Below, we’ll examine eight guys who have bolstered their stock with big springs.
Noah Carter, 6’5 F (Iowa Barnstormers 17U)
After having serious leg surgery last winter, we were unsure if Carter’s increasingly developing bounce would remain intact. The Dubuque, Senior junior came back before the regular season was finished, and made it clear that his athleticism was not compromised by the surgery. Able to rise and up and jam from a standstill, or step out and make himself an efficient 3-point shooter, Carter has the tools to be a D1 ball player, and Lehigh became the first D1 to offer him last weekend. And why not? Carter has been lighting up the adidas Gauntlet competition so far this spring.
Derek Emilifeonwu, 6’3 G/F (Kingdom Hoops-Mosley 17U)
This Valley Tigers wing will likely be in high demand soon, and has used a big spring showcasing his athleticism, skill and cool demeanor to make college coaches fancy him. His numbers were modest last season for Valley — one of 4A’s best teams — but that’s usually the case with Valley guys, even the most standout ones. We expect D2 offers to be rolling in anytime now for cool, calm Australian.
DJ Carton, 6’2 PG (Quad City Elite 17U)
After blowing up last summer, Carton’s star continues to brighten as he heads in to the teeth of his 17U season. Already with 11 offers in tow coming into the spring, Carton has added offers from Iowa State, Indiana, Michigan, USC and St. John’s. That’s now 16 Division I offers and counting for the explosive junior. Will the blue bloods come next (UNC, UK, KU, Duke)? We’ll see this summer.
DaQuavian Walker, 6’1 PG (All Iowa Attack 17U Black)
the only un-ranked player on this list. Walker was a starter for Waterloo East last season as a sophomore, but didn’t quite make the cut when we recently updated our 2020 rankings (90 players). We updated those before we saw him at Midwest Live! in Omaha, and he was utterly impressive, dominant at times, at that event. He’ll certainly be making a high debut in the next installment of 2020 rankings.
Logan Peters, 6’2 G (Iowa Cornsharks Select 17U)
Currently checking in at No. 74 in the 2019 prospect rankings, Peters — who has been a key player on back-to-back South Hamilton squads — has the chance now to showcase what he can do as the main-man on a team. He passed that test with flying colors in Omaha last month. A combo-guard who excels mostly from the point guard spot, he’s an underrated passer with some serious length who can make life miserable for opponents as a defender.
Adam Jackson, 5’10 G (Kingdom Hoops-Stinson 17U)
We recently debuted Jackson in the top-60 of the 2019 class. He was a bit of a latee-bloomer for Hoover — a program where guys often have to wait their turn to become starters. He started and thrived, though, last season for the Huskies as a junior, and has carried that momentum into his 17U offseason. Jackson plays for former Iowa State standout Curtis Stinson, and is the best player on that team. He’s learning how to be a go-to guy, and has an ability to score at will, whether that be from taking to the rack, or getting red-hot from deep.
Karson Sharar, 6′ G (All Iowa Attack Red 15U)
The youngest guy on this list, Sharar is only a freshman, and technically we don’t even have those 2021 rankings yet (just a Watch List). Sharar, though, will certainly make a top-10 debut when the official rankings are released after the summer. We knew he could light it up, that was evident by the 21 points per game he scored as a freshman at Iowa Falls-Alden, but we saw his butter stoke and ability to knife into the paint first-hand in Ames a month ago. And it was splendid.
Cole Henry, 6’9 F (Martin Brothers 17U)
Two weeks ago, Furman became the second Division I program to offer this very diverse and increasingly skilled combo-forward (North Dakota the other). And he seems like a good candidate to blow-up this summer. With great passing instincts — aided by his ability to see over and scan defenses — paired with his ability to play above the rim and a penchant for canning deep balls, we won’t be surprised is the Oskaloosa junior has a slew of D1 offers come August.
Cover photo credit: Cole Cooper Photography