Conference Preview: Siouxland
The Teams
Boyden-Hull (8-15, 5-13): If you’re looking for a team in the league to take a major leap up the standings this winter, it may be the Comets, who were extremely young last season and bring back eight of their top nine from last year’s team. This is a group that showed what they were capable of with impressive wins over George-Little Rock and Unity Christian during the year, but they struggled with consistency and turnovers (310 turnovers to 218 assists). That will be an area they’ll need to clean up this season. They’ll be led by Beau De Jongh (15.3), a skilled forward who does almost all of his damage around the rim and at the free throw line. He’ll be joined in the paint by Beau Solberg (5.6), another efficient scoring forward. That duo will be flanked by a stable of solid guards. Spencer Te Slaa (10.1) will be the headliner on the perimeter, but he’s far from alone. He’ll be joined by Brett Van Der Wilt (6.2), Carter Francis (5.3), Sam Te Slaa (3.0), Josh Heitritter (2.7), Keyton Moser (5.0) and Andrew Frick (2.6), giving B-H a remarkably deep rotation. They’re also expecting to get some quality production out of freshman guard Spencer Te Slaa, who could emerge as one of the best players in the Siouxland fairly soon. This group has a go-to scorer in De Jongh, and loads of depth. They’ll be really solid and should push for a top 3-4 finish in the conference.
Central Lyon (2-21, 0-19): The Lions had a rough season, going winless against conference teams, and winning just two games last year (against teams with a combined 7-37 record). They bring back leading scorer Zed Heimensen (13.8), who led the team in rebounding and was second in assists last year. Also returning is Addison Metzger (5.3), Carter Krull (4.4), Jay Wagmeester (3.9) and Cole Hoogendoom (3.2), so they have some experience, but until they prove they can compete with the quality teams in this league, it’s hard to see them anywhere other than back in the basement again this winter.
George-Little Rock (19-7, 13-6): One of the top teams in the conference last season, the Mustangs are coming off a Class 1A State Tournament appearance, and they bring back their top three scorers from that group, so expectations are pretty high. They’re paced by point guard Lucas Nagel (12.4), who led the team in scoring and assists, while finishing second in rebounding. He’s a rare guard who doesn’t shoot it from deep (just 0-2 last year from 3), but he’s under complete control of this offense at all times. Caleb Terhark (10.2) does a majority of his scoring around the rim as well, a 6-4 forward who is remarkably efficient (61.4 FG%), rebounds really well on both ends of the floor and can step out and knock down an occasional 3. Landon Jumbeck (9.7) is the other big returnee in terms of scoring, a versatile wing who can score inside and out. Blake Johnson (6.2) will be called upon to be the team’s knockdown shooter after making 26 3s at a 44.1% clip last season. Matt Haken (5.6) and Payton Mauldin (3.5) each saw plenty of time last season as well, giving G-LR six returnees who saw lots of time. This league likely comes down to G-LR and Rock Valley this year, and while the ‘Stangs have their sights set on a league crown, they also have much bigger aspirations as well. They’ll start the season ranked No. 3 in Class 1A.
MOC-Floyd Valley (10-11, 10-8): The Dutchmen lost a huge piece with the graduation of Trenton De Haan, who averaged 17.6 points and 8.1 rebounds last season. They also lost second leading scorer Roman De Jong, who chipped in nine a game. But five of their top eight from last season return, so they have some experienced players coming back, and this could become a more balanced unit as a result. Alex Van Kalsbeek (8.4) will man the interior, while Josiah Jansen (8.3) and Austin Jeltema (6.6) are the top options on the perimeter. Each shot 43% from the arc last season. Graham Mayrose (4.0) will serve as the team’s primary ball handler after leading them in assists last year, and if he can improve the assist-to-turnover ratio (65-77), this offense could click. MOC-FV is always a solid unit, and this year shouldn’t be any different. They may not have a star returning, but they’ll be balanced and win plenty of games. They should be a second tier team in the league.
Okoboji, Milford (5-17, 3-15): Only four of the Pioneers’ 17 losses came by single digits last year, but they bring back a fair amount of production from that group and should be improved. They’ll be led by the inside-out tandem of Cris Halbur (11.2) and Jamison Helmers (10.2). Helmers is an athletic wing who looks primed for a big senior year. Kyle Martin (5.7), Tyler Adams (3.0) and Blake Peter (1.8) also return with experience. This group needs to take better care of the ball (323 turnovers, 235 assists) if they want to win more games this year.
Rock Valley (16-7, 13-5): The Rockets lose a huge piece in Jason Taylor, who averaged 12.5 points and 8.8 rebounds. Oh, and he was a 6-11 force on the defensive end who blocked 72 shots. They also lose leading scorer Cade Moser, who averaged 12.6 a game. So why do we expect this group to compete with G-LR at the top of the league? They brign back three others who averaged between 9.1 and 11.7 points a game in Brayton Van Kekerix (11.7), JT Van’t Hul (9.9) and Elliot Van Kekerix (9.1). Each of them made at least 29 3-pointers last season, and as a result, this group should become much more perimeter oriented this year. They lost a lot of size, but this will be a skilled group of guards that Rock Valley can put on the floor. The Rockets are always strong and will be one of the top teams in the conference this season.
Sheldon (22-5, 16-3): All of the pieces were in place last year for the Orabs to have a special year, and they delivered, finishing fourth at the Class 2A State TOurnament and constantly being among the top five or so teams in the state throughout the course of the regular season. Good luck repeating that success this year. They lose the top six scorers from that group, and 87% of their scoring output overall has graduated. The leading returnee is Tyler Lode (3.4), who will likely be the top perimeter option, while Luke Van Beek (2.8) is a solid combo forward who can score inside and out and blocked 13 shots last year. Outside of that duo, there are a lot of question marks. Sheldon is generally pretty strong, and they’ll certainly have plenty of pieces to fit into the numerous holes. But don’t expect to see them competing for a trip to State or at the top of the league.
Sibley-Ocheyedan (9-13, 6-12): The Generals pretty much did what was expected of them last year, beating up on the lower tier teams in the league, and not being competitive against the bigger, better teams. They bring back one of the league’s best scoring threats in Grant Brouwer (17.4), a dangerous perimeter shooter and slasher who looks primed for a huge senior year. He’ll be asked to carry a heavy scoring load again this year, with Caleb Mayer (5.0) the next leading returnee. He’ll control the paint for the Generals, while Lane Tangeman (4.3), Keegan Douma (4.0), Rylan Marco (3.0) and Thomas Doeden (3.0) will join Brouwer in the backcourt. This group should rack up some wins against the Central Lyons and Okobojis of the league, but they’ll likely struggle to compete with the upper echelon teams again this year.
Sioux Center (18-5, 16-3): The Warriors rode one of the state’s most explosive offenses to a 9-0 start and a No. 1 ranking in our Class 2A poll last year. They faded a bit down the stretch, falling to conference rival Sheldon in the district final. They lose a lot of production off a team that averaged 70 points a game last year, but bring back a major piece in Cade Bleeker (15.3), who tied for the team lead in scoring last season and led them in rebounding. He’s a versatile wing who can score inside and out, and is one of the most dangerous shooters in the league (40.6 3P%). He’ll be joined by a fairly inexperienced group, although Kayden Glade (3.4) and Charlie Dykshorn (2.9) saw a fair amount of time last year. Glade shot 17-31 (54.8%) from the arc last year, and could pair with Bleeker to give this group another explosive offense. With so many question marks on the rest of the roster, it’ll be difficult to peg this group early on.
West Lyon (14-9, 10-8): No team in the conference lost as much production as the Wildcats, who lost 92.5% of last year’s scoring output to graduation. The leading returnee is Jalyn Gramstad (3.2), who scored just 60 points on the year, but showed himself to be a capable 3-point shooter. Logan Meyer (2.6) is the only other returnee who scored more than two points last year. The ‘Cats generally have a strong athletic program across the board, and they’ll almost certainly find some new pieces, but with so many holes to fill, it could be a long winter in Inwood.
Projected Order of Finish
1. George-Little Rock
2. Rock Valley
3. Boyden-Hull
4. Sioux Center
5. MOC-Floyd Valley
6. Sheldon
7. Sibley-Ocheyedan
8. Okoboji
9. West Lyon
10. Central Lyon
Analysis: The Siouxland is always one of the best small school conferences in the state, and while there are a lot of question marks on teams all over the league, that will likely prove to be true again. The northwest corner of the state always produces talent. George-Little Rock, despite being the smallest school in the league, looks like the favorite. They’re a legitimate 1A state title threat.
Preseason Player of the Year
2019 Lucas Nagel, George-Little Rock: 12.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists
The 6-3 lead guard knows what he does well and doesn’t sway from that. He’s a guard who led his team in assists (by a wide margin), but only attempted two 3s last season. He thrives on getting into the paint and scoring or distributing, and he’ll pace a Mustangs team that should be the best in the conference, and one of the best in 1A.
Biggest Sleeper
2019 Kayden Glade, Sioux Center: The 5-10 senior guard didn’t get a ton of playing time last year for a loaded Warriors team, but it appears as though he may be stepping into the secondary scoring role for Sioux Center this year. He shot 54.8% from behind the arc last year and posted a better than 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (29-13). Look for him to have a big senior year alongside Cade Bleeker.
Players to Watch
2019 Lucas Nagel, George-Little Rock
2019 Caleb Terhark, George-Little Rock
2019 Landon Jumbeck, George-Little Rock
2019 Blake Johnson, George-Little Rock
2019 Cade Bleeker, Sioux Center
2019 Beau De Jongh, Boyden-Hull
2020 Spencer Te Slaa, Boyden-Hull
2022 Tanner De Slaa, Boyden-Hull
2019 Brett Van Der Wilt, Boyden-Hull
2019 Grant Brouwer, Sibley-Ocheyedan
2019 Brayton Van Kekerix, Rock Valley
2019 JT Van’t Hul, Rock Valley
2019 Elliot Van Kekerix, Rock Valley
2019 Zed Heimensen, Central Lyon
2019 Cris Halbur, Okoboji
2020 Jamison Helmers, Okoboji
2020 Alex Van Kalsbeek, MOC-Floyd Valley
2019 Josiah Hansen, MOC-Floyd Valley