Conference Preview: Southeast
The Teams
Fairfield (14-9, 7-2): The Trojans should dominate this small, five-team league this season, with seven of their top eight scorers returning to a team that only lost conference games to Mount Pleasant last season. They’ll have a balanced starting five, as the four returning starters all averaged between 8.2 and 11.3 points a game in Austin Simpson (11.3), Carson Crile (9.7), Tristin Waugh (9.4) and Collin Breen (8.2). Simpson is an efficient forward who can dominate the glass on either end of the floor, while Crile is a versatile forward who can score inside and out, and hang on the glass as well. This balanced team is going to roll through a league in which they’re the only team returning their top scorer from last season.
Fort Madison (14-10, 4-5): The Bloodhounds lose a pair of big scorers in Treavor Kokjohn and Kaleb Cresswell, who combined to average 28.9 points a game last season. They’ll be led by Logan Rashid (9.5) and Brandon Keester (7.3), a solid guard tandem. Keester is a good shooter (39.4 3P%) while Rashid does more of his damage by getting to the rim. Jayden Fedler (4.3) and Sheymouhr Redd-Donald (3.6) also return after seeing plenty of action last year. The Hounds are probably the second best team in the conference this winter.
Keokuk (4-18, 1-7): The Chiefs were one of the worst offensive teams in Class 3A last season, ranking 63rd (out of 64) at just 41.1 points a game. But they bring six of their top seven scorers back from last year’s group, so they’ll have experience. The name to watch here will be 6-11 senior Alex Wolter (4.1). He’s huge and raw, but there are some things to like about his game. If guys like Tyjai Mueller (7.8), Isaiah Seay (5.1) and Anthony Potratz (7.2) can put him in positions to succeed, he could have a big senior year. This team turned the ball over more than twice as often as they had assists (418 to 200) last year, so that needs to be cleaned up if they want to compete.
Mount Pleasant (21-4, 9-0): There have been an awful lot of changes in Mount Pleasant, as the top five scorers have graduated, and head coach Paul Rundquist is now an assistant at Iowa City West. The Panthers put together a really strong run over the last three years behind a talented group that started together since they were freshmen. Rhett Zeglen (3.4), a role player on last year’s team, is now the team’s go-to player. A 6-4 combo forward, he shot 62.7% from the floor and 60% from the arc, on limited attempts. He has a good looking shot, but it remains to be seen how he plays as a go-to player. Tucker Johnson (2.2) is the only other returnee with significant experience. After dominating this league for the past few years, it could be a long winter in Mount Pleasant.
Washington (6-16, 1-8): The Demons will be led by Luke Turner (6.0), Caleb Hennigan (5.0) and Trashaun Willis (4.7) after losing their top three scorers from last year’s team. Willis is the potential headliner here. A 6-5 sophomore who became nationally known following his dunk in eighth grade, the forward born with just one full arm can actually hoop a bit too. He’s a great athlete who could become a focal point of this team defensively. They’ll win a handful of games this year, but they can’t compete with Fairfield at the top.
Projected Order of Finish
1. Fairfield
2. Fort Madison
3. Mount Pleasant
4. Washington
5. Keokuk
Analysis: It’s Fairfield, then everyone else here. The Trojans are the only team that brought back their leading scorer, and they bring back more talent than anyone else in the league from a team that only lost games to a special Mount Pleasant team. It’ll be a surprise if they lose a conference game this year.
Preseason Player of the Year
2019 Austin Simpson, Fairfield: 11.3 points, 8.0 rebounds
This small, five-team league was decimated by graduation, and Simpson is the only returnee who averaged double figures last year. He’ll pace a Fairfield team that should far and away be the best team in the conference this winter.
Biggest Sleeper
2019 Alex Wolter, Keokuk: I was able to check out the 6-11 senior at the Soukup twins skills clinic near the end of September, and was pleasantly surprised. He’s got good hands and decent footwork. There are tools here for some college coach to mold.
Players to Watch
2019 Austin Simpson, Fairfield
2019 Tristin Waugh, Fairfield
2019 Carson Crile, Fairfield
2019 Collin Breen, Fairfield
2019 Cole Engle, Fairfield
2019 Logan Rashid, Fort Madison
2019 Brandon Keester, Fort Madison
2020 Jayden Fedler, Fort Madison
2019 Sheymouhr Redd-Donald, Fort Madison
2020 Tyjai Mueller, Keokuk
2021 Anthony Potratz, Keokuk
2019 Alex Wolter, Keokuk
2021 Isaiah Seay, Keokuk
2020 Luke Turner, Washington
2019 Cade Hennigan, Washington
2021 Trashaun Willis, Washington
2019 Rhett Zeglen, Mount Pleasant