Conference Preview: River Valley North
The Teams
Anamosa (3-18): The Raiders are making the move over to the River Valley this season from the WaMaC. They bring back four of their top six from last year, including leading scorer Matthew Walton (12.0), and they got better late in the year last season, playing a good Dyersville Beckman team to a one-point game, losing by just two to 16-8 Solon, and taking 4A Western Dubuque (15-7) to double overtime before falling. They struggled at times to put the ball in the bucket, but that should improve with a good amount of experience back. Maverick Tjaden (5.5) shot 45% from behind the arc last season and should become a bigger scorer, and look for a bigger impact from 6-6 senior Lazarius Bland (2.0), who blocked 22 shots off the bench last year. The move into a smaller school league should help the Raiders compete on a more consistent basis, starting this season.
Bellevue (9-14, 5-13): The Comets have a big hole to fill with the graduation of Cade Daugherty, who averaged just under 23 points a game last season. But look for this team to become a bit more balanced as a result. Scorers 2-4 from last year return in Trey Daugherty (7.7), Paxton Felderman (7.4) and Trevor Hager (6.3), each filling in different areas of the floor. Daugherty should be relied on more as a slasher this season, Felderman is the shooter and Hager provides some size and efficiency in the paint. They lost a huge scoring threat, but this team could become more difficult to defend as a balanced team.
Camanche (16-7, 14-5): Head coach Josh Davis has brought a highly entertaining style of play to Camanche, and the Indians have turned into a consistent power in this division as a result. They topped 80 points six times last season and finished the year ranked fifth in Class 2A in scoring at 68.6 points a game. They have a big hole to fill in the form of point guard Dev Patel, the straw who stirred the drink for them last year, leading them in assists (114 more than the next player), but bring back six of their top seven scorers. Expect to see this team average over 70 a night this year. They’re led by Cameron Soenksen (16.5), a hyper athletic junior guard who plays above the rim and has as green a light from the arc as any player in the state. He’ll have poor shooting nights on occasion, but with his “in the gym” range, teams will have to pick him up at midcourt, opening up plenty of space for the rest of the returnees. Caleb Delzell (9.3) is a long, 6-6 junior wing who can stroke it (38.1% from 3 last year), as can 6-3 senior Carson Seeser (6.7). Look for sophomore guard Jordan Lawrence (7.1) to take over primary ball handling responsibilities for this group, looking to push the tempo as much as possible. Jaxon White (4.7) should be a key piece, likely off the bench, while 6-8 senior Calvin Ottens (4.9) doesn’t really fit the up-tempo style, but will be a valuable piece when teams try to slow the Indians down. This is one of the most exciting teams in the state to watch, and they’ll battle with perennial power Cascade for supremacy in the division this winter. The Indians will start the season ranked No. 6 in our 2A poll.
Cascade (26-1, 18-1): The defending champions in Class 2A have become one of the most consistent programs in the state, regardless of class. The Cougars are always going to be good, and we won’t expect anything less until they prove us wrong. That title winning team was built on the strength of the five starters having played together for FOREVER, acting as one on the floor, and each being highly skilled across the board. They didn’t have overwhelming size or speed, but they shared the ball, were similarly sized and each could handle it and shoot it. The good news is that leading scorer, and defending captain of the 2A All-Tournament team, Haris Hoffman (12.3) returns to lead the way. He led a balanced Cougars team in scoring and rebounding last year, and shot 48.9% from the arc on limited (47) attempts. Reid Rausch (4.6), a valuable piece off the bench last season, is the only other returnee with significant experience. Only 88 points return outside of Hoffman and Rausch from last year’s team. But we know that Cascade is filled with kids who grow up playing their vaunted 2-3 zone, developing their skills and playing unselfish basketball. We may not know who the pieces are going to be yet, but you can bet they’ll be heard from again this winter. They start the year ranked No. 7 in our 2A poll.
Monticello (11-12, 8-11): There are going to be a lot of question marks when the Panthers take the floor this winter, with Justin Recker (9.7) the only returnee who scored more than 79 points last season. He’ll be the focal point of a youth movement, as five sophomores should see plenty of time this year with Recker being joined by Ty Kehoe (1.0), Luke Lambert (2.2), Connor Lambert (2.2) and Tyler Luensman (0.9). Luensman and Recker both found themselves in the staring lineup quite often last season. Avery Martensen (3.8) returns as well, a senior to provide some experience. This is going to be a really young group that will be looking at this as a building year to potentially put together something special in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
North Cedar (6-16, 5-14): The Knights were rarely competitive last season, with only four of their 16 losses coming by single digits, but there is some reason for optimism this winter with leading scorer Ethan Sahr (15.2) returning. He’s joined by Keon McCullough (5.7) and Alex Woodward (3.0), who combined to shoot 46% from behind the arc last year, albeit on limited attempts. They ranked 80th in 2A (out of 96 teams) in scoring last year, averaging just 49 points a game, but with the trio of shooters they have back, they could take a step up on the offensive end of the floor.
Northeast Goose Lake (19-6, 15-4): The Rebels had a great season, starting out 10-0, handing 2A champion Cascade their only loss, and having six of their six losses come by single digits. They’ve established themselves as one of the best defensive teams in 2A year after year, ranking 12th last year, allowing just 46.5 points a game. They should be really strong on that end of the floor again this winter, anchored by hyper athletic forward Braeden Hoyer (11.4). Hoyer is a long, athletic, 6-5 forward with springs in his legs, and he should average a double-double this year while blocking over a shot a game. His presence around the rim will allow for guards Dawson Stoll (12.7), Trey McAleer (4.9) and Dakota Stevenson (4.0) to take some risks on the perimeter. Stoll will likely be asked to be the team’s go-to scorer and should have the ball in his hands a ton following the graduation of Collin Swanton, who far and away led the team in assists last year. McAleer is a solid defender, while Stevenson should provide some shooting. The Rebels should be an efficient offensive team that frustrates teams on the defensive end of the floor. They’ll be right in the mix with Camanche and Cascade at the top of the division again this winter.
Projected Order of Finish
1. Camanche
2. Cascade
3. Northeast
4. Bellevue
5. Anamosa
6. Monticello
7. North Cedar
Analysis: There are two very distinct tiers in this division this year, as the top three could pretty much be put in any order, as could the bottom four. Camanche has the most returning firepower, and we consider them the favorite, but it’s tough to go against the defending champion Cascade, and the always solid Northeast. This should be a really fun race to watch unfold.
Preseason Player of the Year
2020 Cameron Soenksen, Camanche: 16.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 steals
A hyper athletic guard who plays above the rim, Soenksen has a green light for the Indians, who play one of the most up-tempo systems in the state. As a result, look for some eye-popping numbers from Soenksen this year, as Camanche cements themselves among the best teams in Class 2A.
Biggest Sleeper
2020 Caleb Delzell, Camanche: He’s not a sleeper to the opposing coaches in this league, but he may be around the state. That won’t be the case much longer. A big, athletic 6-6 wing who can stroke it, he’ll have some huge nights this winter for an Indians team that will be among the best, and most explosive, in Class 2A.
Players to Watch
2020 Cameron Soenksen, Camanche
2020 Caleb Delzell, Camanche
2021 Jordan Lawrence, Camanche
2019 Carson Seeser, Camanche
2019 Calvin Ottens, Camanche
2019 Haris Hoffman, Cascade
2019 Reid Rausch, Cascade
2019 Dawson Stoll, Northeast Goose Lake
2019 Braeden Hoyer, Northeast Goose Lake
2020 Trey McAleer, Northeast Goose Lake
2020 Ethan Sahr, North Cedar
2020 Keon McCullough, North Cedar
2021 Justin Recker, Monticello
2019 Matthew Walton, Anamosa
2019 Trey Daugherty, Bellevue
2020 Paxton Felderman, Bellevue
2019 Trevor Hager, Bellevue