Iowa Prep Workout Notebook
Each Sunday this fall, TNT5/Iowa Prep is holding workouts and running 5-on-5 at their new facility in Cedar Rapids. This past Sunday, I made my way up to their facility to watch their workout and runs. Below are a few takeaways from October 14th’s workout.
Tim Schuring is a really good coach, player developer
The owner and director of TNT5/Iowa Prep, Schuring is the one who runs the workouts and extended the invite to check everything out. And he does a really nice job running their workouts. He informs the players why they’re doing each drill, why it will help them in a game. Not everyone who runs workouts does that. It seems like a simple thing, but telling kids why it’s important to work on a certain skill, where it will come in handy, is a big deal, and Schuring does a great job at it. Additionally, there were some times during the 5-on-5 portion in which he’d stop the action on a court to point something out. Always teaching.
The new facility is beautiful
The new facility on the northwest side of Cedar Rapids is a beautiful, three court facility that they have a lot of things planned for. As far as I’m concerned, you can never have too many basketball courts, so adding three more pristine ones to the area is a big plus.
And now, on to the standout players
–The biggest standout during the drill portion of the workout was 2020 Sumner-Fredericksburg guard James Stimson, and his strong play continued into the 5-on-5 portion. A skilled lefty, Stimson is a high-level shooter who showcased the ability to shoot both off the dribble and the catch, although he was significantly better off the dribble. He does a nice job utilizing ball fakes to create space, and he has really good footwork on his stepback jumper.
-Dike-New Hartford is already loaded for this season, with everyone returning, but they have another nice piece coming through in 2021 guard AJ Wegener. An athletic 5-10 guard, he applies constant pressure on opposing ball handlers, really getting into them and making them work hard just to bring the ball up the floor. He’s a good shooter, especially off the catch, and when the ball is in his hands, he does a nice job changing speeds to get by defenders and to the rim. He’s a solid passer with good court vision, although he tends to get a bit flashy at times rather than just making the easy pass. He may have a tough time breaking into a loaded rotation this year, but he’s talented and a name to keep an eye on.
-Cedar Falls has another talented player coming through their system in 2020 wing Gil Taiber, a long, 6-5 playmaking wing. His length allows him to defend multiple positions, and he’s a quality team defender. His most notable attribute on the offensive end, at least on Sunday, was his passing. His ball handling still needs to improve to make him a true point-forward, but he’s a really good passer who sees the floor well. He has a decent jump shot that will continue improving with repetition; the form and release look good.
-A huge 21-point, 15-rebound effort against Don Bosco put 2020 Jesup forward Landon Borrett on the map last season, and he played at a high level in Cedar Rapids on Sunday afternoon. He runs the floor really well, has good hands and does a nice job carving out early position on the block. Capable of finishing with either hand, he has a few go-to moves. The next step in his development will be developing some counter moves to go to once the defense starts taking his go-to moves away. He rebounds well on both ends of the floor.
-It was a busy day for 2019 Center Point-Urbana forward Cody Westcott, who was also among the standouts at the Iowa Dynasty Fall League on Sunday morning. A 6-5 forward, he runs the floor and competes hard on every possession, finishes at the rim with either hand, crashes the glass on both ends of the floor and has the ability and length to switch on the defensive end and cause some issues. He can knock down an occasional jumper, but he needs to keep extending his range. He’s a high effort forward who is going to compete on both ends of the floor on a nightly basis.