STATE: 4A Tournament Preview
CLICK HERE TO SEE 4A BRACKET No. 1 Seed – Waukee (20-2) About: The Waukee hoops program has come on strong of late, the Warriors have been to state six times since 2000. This is their third trip to Wells…
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No. 1 Seed – Waukee (20-2)
About: The Waukee hoops program has come on strong of late, the Warriors have been to state six times since 2000. This is their third trip to Wells Fargo Arena for the 4A tourney in the last five years. Star point guard Noah Hart went out with an ACL injury midway through the season, but Waukee has managed to keep winning big despite that.
Why They Win it All? Senior big-man Dylan Jones was controlling the glass last season at state, he led the 4A field in rebounding. He’s been one of Iowa’s most efficient and overall best players this season. A trio of tall and lengthy sharpshooters, Michael Vicente, Payton Sandfort and Tucker DeVries could shoot the lights out in any given game.
Chances They Win It All? 16% If Hart was able to lead this team into the tourney, their chances would increase significantly, but as it is, they are going into battle without him. Still a very good team (obviously, they got the top seed), but not necessarily a big favorite to win it all.
No. 2 Seed – North Scott (22-1)
About: The Lancers stayed undefeated longer than any team in the 4A field this season. It wasn’t until Bettendorf beat them 43-41 in mid-February that North Scott took an L. They have Northern Iowa commit Ty Anderson as a versatile threat in the post, and star point guard Cortaviaus Seales as the team’s catalyst.
Why They Win it All? Anderson and Seales make up one of the better duos in the 4A field, but guys like Carson Rollinger, Sam Kilburg and Reece Sommers are seriously solid role players.
Chances They Win It All? 12% The Lancers have the best record in the field, but some would argue that’s because they played by far the weakest schedule of any other team in the 4A tourney. But Again, with Anderson and Seales ready to show out, the Lancers are certainly capable of making a run.
No. 3 Seed – Cedar Falls (18-3)
About: The defending 4A state champs are back in the state tourney after getting by Linn-Mar 58-45 in a Substate final. There’s not as much hype surrounding the Tigers this season because superstar point guard AJ Green is no longer playing with them. But this squad is every bit as deep as last year’s unit.
Why They Win it All? Here’s how talented the Tigers are, our top-ranked 2021 prospect, Chase Courbat, comes off the bench for this squad. Logan Wolf was sensational in last season’s state tourney, the UNI football and basketball recruit will lead the Tigers this season, too.
Chances They Win It All? 14% AJ Green will not be there, so a Tigers run to a state title might not be quite as dominant as it was a season ago. But with Wolf leading the way, and Iowa football signee Jack Campbell throwing some weight around, this group certainly has what it takes to make another title run.
No. 4 Seed – Iowa City West (17-4)
About: Death, taxes and Iowa City West in the state tourney. This is the fifth state tourney we at Prep Hoops Iowa will be covering, the Trojans have been there each and every one of those years. In fact, this is their ninth-straight trip to the tourney. They’ve been in the 4A state tourney 14 times since 2000.
Why They Win it All? Patrick McCaffery, Iowa’s 2nd-ranked 2019, is the highest-ranked player in the field. He goes 6’8 and has been his normal extraordinarily efficient self this season. Even Brauns, Iowa 3rd-ranked 2020 prospect has come on strong of late. Marcus Morgan is Iowa’s 5th-ranked 2021 prospect. The Trojans certainly don’t lack high-level talent.
Chances They Win It All? 16% It could easily be argued that the Trojans have the most talented team in the field. If they don’t win it all, it would be slightly disappointing. They’ve been pitted against Dubuque , Senior in an opening round match, which diminishes their chances to win it all a bit.
No. 5 Seed – Dubuque, Senior (17-3)
About: Here’s a group that’s had state title aspirations since 2016. Noah Carter and Nick Timmerman were freshman starters on that team, which was ousted in the first round of the state tourney by Pleasant Valley. Now, those guys are seniors, and came into the season as favorites to win it all. They stumbled out the gate this season, starting 1-2, but have been utterly dominant since.
Why They Win it All? Noah Carter is perhaps the most dynamic player in the field. He’s a big-bodied, explosive forward with some serious skill from long-range. The Northern Iowa recruit could single-handedly take over games for the Rams.
Chances They Win It All? 20% We have identified the Rams as slight favorites to win this thing. There is no overwhelming favorite in this field, but the Rams are rolling right now. And Noah Carter is that good.
No. 6 Seed – Sioux City East (18-3)
About: A program with a great basketball tradition, 2019 marks the 20th-ever trip to the state tourney for the Black Raiders. East has just one loss this season, to 3A power Sergant Bluff-Luton, and has elite shooter Aidan Vanderloo poised to lead a deep run.
Why They Win it All? Vanderloo has been long-known for his ability to shoot the ball, if he can get hot, that would be a game-changer. But then there are guys like Jaleque Dunson and Javonte Keck who bring some size and athleticism to the mix. This is a very dangerous Black Raiders squad.
Chances They Win It All? 11% We think this East squad has as a better chance than any in recent history to make a deep run in the tourney; a couple of our staffers have them picked to play in a state title game. Is this the year they capture their first state title since 2002?
No. 7 Seed – Ames (17-4)
About: The Little Cyclones had to get through ultra-tough Des Moines North in a Substate final to get here, that just goes to show what they’re capable of. Tamin Lispey is a superstar in the making, the freshman point guard leads Ames in scoring. Japannah Kellogg is a senior small forward who can do damage from inside and out.
Why They Win it All? The D1 duo of Lispey and Kellogg is certainly one of the more intriguing in the field. After that, the depth may not be as a strong as other teams in the tourney. The Little Cyclones will go as far as the star combo can take them.
Chances They Win It All? 8% As usual, the 4A fiield is stacked, and although Ames is a deserving state tourney team, there’s certainly a group of elite squads that we feel are more equipped to bring home a state title. There’s always a Cinderella at these tourneys, though, and Ames is a squad that we wouldn’t be shocked to see wear the slipper.
No. 8 Seed – Dowling Catholic (13-10)
About: Here’s the team that few people expected to advance this far, especially before the season started. The Maroons had a new-look squad this season, and guys like Ryan Riggs and Matthew Stilwill took the reins and made them a heavyweight by season’s end.
Why They Win it All? They got some momentum right now, and the confidence it takes to make a Cinderella run. Dowling got by Des Moines Roosevelt (7-15) and Southeast Polk (8-15) to get here, now they get 20-2 Waukee in the quarterfinals; the Warriors beat Dowling by 25 during the regular season.
Chances They Win It All? 3% The Maroons have some quality underclassmen, and have come on strong the second half the season, but they are not in the same tier as Waukee. It’d take a big upset for the Maroons to get by the Warriors, then two more big upsets for them to win it all.
Staff Picks
Tony Roe
Quarterfinals: Waukee, Dubuque Senior, North Scott, Cedar Falls
Semifinals: Dubuque Senior, Cedar Falls
Champion: Dubuque Senior
TJ Rushing
Quarterfinals: Waukee, Dubuque Senior, Ames, Sioux City East
Semifinals: Dubuque Senior, Sioux City East
Champion: Dubuque Senior
Travis Hines
Quarterfinals: Waukee, Dubuque Senior, North Scott, Sioux City East
Semifinals: Waukee, Sioux City East
Champion: Waukee