Kings of the Court: Top Snipers
Snipers are always abound in the state of Iowa, and whatever tournament we’re covering in the Midwest, the Hawkeye State is always well-represented from beyond the arc. Kings of the Court in Des Moines was predominantly Iowa teams, needless to say, there was no shortage of sharpshooters. Below, we’ll highlight eight of the best we saw.
Ben Sernett, 6′ SG (Iowa Mavericks-Schlabaugh 16U)
Nobody sniped more triples in a single game that we saw than Bernett. The Cedar Falls rising-junior canned six total 3-balls in a blowout win over Central Iowa Young Guns last Sunday. Maybe the Tigers’ 3-point production won’t slip as much as people think next season without AJ Green.
Trey Hutcheson, 6’5 SG (Martin Brothers 17U)
A pure stoke, great length and precision accuracy are all possessed by this Linn-Mar Division I prospect. He’s always a threat to get red-hot from deep, and can hit a mid-range J with consistency, too. If he’s left open, chances are he’s nailing the shot.
John Steffen, 6′ SG (Iowa Mavericks-Cleveland)
Another Linn-Mar guy, the Lions stand to make a ton of 3s next season with the Hutcheson/Steffen duo. Steffen is a guy that can do a bit of everything offensively, he’s not exclusively a shooter, but he’s always a threat to make several 3-balls any given game.
Nathaniel Mueller, 5’6 PG (Kingdom Hoops Elite 15U)
The dynamic ADM floor general headlined the best ball-handlers list, and he’s making an appearance here, too. His first instinct is to attack and distribute, but when left open, or if his team is in need of a bucket, Mueller will line one up and fire away with uncanny precision.
Payton Sandfort, 6’4 G/F (Kingdom Hoops Elite 15U)
For the second straight weekend this Waukee rising-junior was utterly impressive. He’s made 100 percent of the 3s he’s tried at the varsity level (2-2), and we feel confident saying that he’s one already one of the state’s best shooters. Had he played with a less-stacked program than Waukee last season, he would have been playing big minutes with varsity, canning 3 after 3.
Hosea Treadwell, 6’2 G (Kingdom Hoops-Mosley)
No stranger to letting them fly from deep, Treadwell might be the most confident shooter in the state, and when you’re as accurate as he is from long-range, that’s certainly not a bad thing. Sometimes his coach has to rein him in a bit, but for the most part, Treadwell has the green light and is learning when and where to shoot his pretty shot.
Dylan Ihle, 5’8 SG (All Iowa Attack White 16U)
He was shooting early and often when we saw him, and his shot wasn’t falling, but he’s one of the guys with the pinpoint passing and nice stroke where you could tell he’s got the skills. He kept shooting — as shooters do — and by the second half of the game shots were falling regularly for the Roland-Story rising-junior.
Willie Guy, 5’9 G (Iowa Mavericks-Gosnell)
What a tremendous weekend this Cedar Rapids Jefferson combo-guard had, and he’s a guy who makes the snipers list after making the slashers list, too. With an ability to hit both off the bounce and from a set shot, plus his ability to breeze by opponents and finish through contact at the rim, Guy has made himself a very dangerous offensive threat.