Conference Preview: CIML Central
The Teams Ames (17-5, 17-4): A young Ames team rebounded from a mid-season three game losing streak by rattling off 10 consecutive wins heading into State last year, before losing handily to North Scott. And the Little Cyclones looked primed…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe Teams
Ames (17-5, 17-4): A young Ames team rebounded from a mid-season three game losing streak by rattling off 10 consecutive wins heading into State last year, before losing handily to North Scott. And the Little Cyclones looked primed to open this year as a top-five team in 4A. But then star point guard Tamin Lipsey, coming off of one of the best freshman seasons we’ve seen in a long time, tore his ACL over the summer, and there went Ames’ title hopes in 2020. Instead, this is a group that will be building towards the 2020-21 season, and pinning state title aspirations there. There is some serious talent coming back, with two returning starters in Casey Mumm (5.9) and Cooper Downs (4.2), and key bench player Corey Phillips (6.9) coming back after a strong freshman season. Mumm and Downs will each have the ball in their hands a lot this winter, and will be asked to be the team’s primary scoring options on the perimeter, while Phillips is a big bodied 6-5 combo forward capable of scoring from anywhere. Mumm and Phillips will both be back for the 2020-21 season, when Lipsey returns, and will be key pieces for that group. Ames is always a disciplined, well-coached, defensive minded team, and they’re going to win plenty of games again this season with the talent they still have in their program. But the loss of Lipsey certainly put a damper on this upcoming season for the Little Cyclones.
Braxton Bayless
Ankeny (13-8, 13-8): Seven of the Hawks’ eight losses last year came by single digits, and with four starters returning for that group, they should be able to turn some of those losses into wins and make a state tournament run for the first time since 2012. They’ll have one of the quickest backcourts in 4A with Braxton Bayless (15.2) and Jaxon Smith (13.5) both returning. Each of them use their quickness and athleticism to their advantage, routinely getting into the paint and scoring, and each shot over 50% from the floor last year, great numbers for guards, especially at the 4A level. In addition to his scoring prowess, Bayless led the Hawks in every other major category, and the duo combined to come away with 97 steals last season, making them quality two-way players. Jordan Kumm (7.4) will be the team’s go-to perimeter shooter, and he should get plenty of open looks playing alongside Bayless and Smith, as their dribble penetration should cause defenses to collapse, leaving Kumm open for 3s. The other returning starter is Nolan Otten (4.8), a 6-3 forward who does most of his damage around the rim but is capable of stepping out and knocking down an occasional jumper. The Hawks were dealt a bit of a blow with the transfer of Jeron Crews, who was an effective bench player for them last year and would’ve been a starter this season, but he is now across town at Centennial. Brecken Manus (1.7) is the only bench player returning who saw significant playing time last year, so they’ll have some depth pieces they’ll need to fill in, but the Bayless-Smith tandem is a great place to start when you’re putting together a high school basketball team. This group was great offensively last year, averaging 65.7 points a game, which ranked 5th in 4A, but they struggled on the defensive end, ranking 35th at 60.2 points allowed. Get that number down to 54-55 a night, and this team could be not only State good, but title good. A name to keep an eye on on the defensive end is Des Moines East transfer Bentor Neyail. He’s an athletic, 6-6 big man who can protect the rim. While he’s raw on both ends of the floor, the size and athleticism he provides could add another dimension to this team on the defensive end of the floor.
Ankeny Centennial (9-13, 9-13): While crosstown rival Ankeny excelled on the offensive end and struggled a bit on defense, the Jaguars were on the other end of the spectrum. They were really strong on the defensive end, ranking 12th in 4A, allowing just 52.9 points a game. And they had some struggles offensively, ranking 33rd at just 54.0 points a night. Part of that can be attributed to the personnel, and the fact that Centennial has a taller roster, and likes to play a bit slower. But another, more significant part of that, is that the Jags were really bad from the arc last year. As a team, they shot just 22.3% from 3 last season. Only eight teams in the state, all tiny 1A schools, were worse than that. That number needs to drastically improve if this team is going to live up to their potential. And there is potential here. Their top three scorers return in wing Preston Kelling (9.2) and 6-7 big men Cody McCullough (11.9) and Micah Johnson (10.2). McCullough and Johnson are both really talented big man who should be able to control the paint on both ends of the floor, while Kelling is an explosive athlete who thrives getting out in transition or playing downhill and getting to the rim. This group will be boosted by the addition of Ankeny transfer Jeron Crews, who averaged 7.0 a game for the Hawks, mostly coming off the bench, and gives them a primary ball handler who can also shoot it a bit (37.5% from the arc last year). 6-6 Brady Petersen (4.5) also returns for this group, so Centennial should have plenty of size and they should control the glass on most nights. If Crews can become a lead scoring option on the perimeter and help open up some space or take pressure off of McCullough and Johnson on the interior, this group can become better offensively and win more games. If they improve their shooting, this could be a team that makes it to State for the first time in school history (opened in 2013). If not, they’ll be solid again on the defensive end and play quite a few ugly games, winning their fair share of them.
Ryan Riggs
Dowling Catholic (13-11, 13-10): The Maroons were last year’s surprise state tournament qualifier, taking advantage of the Southeast Polk upset over Valley to reach Wells Fargo Arena, perhaps a year ahead of schedule. And this year could be the year everything falls into place for Dowling, and they add a basketball title (it would be their first since 1979) to the trophy case that is filled with 4A football championships. The top three scorers return to that state tournament team in Matt Stilwill (13.3), Ryan Riggs (12.2) and Drew Daniel (8.1), and in all, five of the top six from last season are back. Stilwill should have the ball in his hands quite a bit this season after dishing out 61 assists last season, and if he can improve on his assist-to-turnover ratio (61-56), the Maroons offense could really click this year. Riggs is an ultra-talented, 6-9 junior big man who can do a bit of everything on the court. He finishes above the rim, runs the floor well and protects the paint, and he has worked on extending his range. Daniel is the team’s top perimeter shooter, having made 30 more 3s than anyone else on the roster last year at a 41.8% clip. Also back are Jack Keough (4.9) and Andrew Lentsch (4.3). Those five key returnees are nice, but the piece that may put this group over the edge is freshman phenom Omaha Biliew, a 6-8 wing who is regarded as one of the best players in the 2023 class nationally. A unique blend of athleticism, skill and size, Biliew has the ability to score from anywhere, handle the ball, pass it and defend, and should be a major impact player from the second he laces up his sneakers for the first time. If he is as good as advertised, Dowling Catholic needs to be on everyone’s short list of state title contenders. And there’s no reason to believe he won’t be. This team is going to have size with Riggs and Biliew, shooting with Daniel, and the Maroons are always great defensively, disciplined on the offensive end and tough as hell. This is a physical team that just got more imposing.
Reid Grant
Johnston (15-7, 15-6): A young Johnston team did pretty much what they were supposed to do last year – they beat the teams that they were more talented than, and they lost to the teams that had more experience, and (maybe) more talent. This year, they’re going to have to adjust to being one of the hunted teams, with four starters returning in a 4A class that lost a lot of talent. Leading scorer and rebounder Peyton Williams graduated, but this was a balanced team that saw nine players average at least 2.5 points a game, and outside of Williams, those other eight are back, meaning the Dragons are going to be one of the most experienced, and deepest, teams in 4A. They’ll be playing for a new head coach, as the school’s handling of former coach Bobby Sandquist raised some eyebrows, but new coach Brian Frick was an assistant in the Johnston system for years and knows this group of talent. They’re led by junior wing Reid Grant (9.9), a tough, physical guard who does a great job getting to the rim and who should thrive in a more up-tempo system under Frick and without big man Peyton Williams in the middle. Grant should have the ball in his hands quite a bit after leading the team in assists last year, but he’ll be joined in the backcourt by a pair of diminutive, but talented, sophomores in Jacob Runyan (8.2) and Trey Lewis (4.3). Both were starters late in the season as freshmen last year, and despite being each listed at just 5-8 last year, are competitive, talented players who can handle the ball and shoot it (each shot about 37% from the arc last year). The last returning starter is 6-5 junior big man Max Roquet (8.3), an efficient big man who runs the floor well, and who, like Grant, should thrive in a more up-tempo system. Key bench players from last year returning are Lute Woodley (4.4), Garrett Miller (4.0), Jonathan Leth (2.5) and Brees Proctor (2.5), and they should also get a boost from sophomore guard Steven Kramer, who at 6-4, has developed into a good perimeter shooter and has the size to get his shot off whenever. Another key addition will be junior sharpshooter Karter Kriegel, who played with the sophomore team last year. His shooting ability is something that the Dragons really needed to add after they shot just 31.2% from the arc as a team last season. This is a team that liked to play slower under Sandquist, especially with Williams controlling the paint. But this year’s group looks to be better suited to play a faster style, and we anticipate that happening. This is going to be one of the most talented teams in the state this year, and the scary thing is that Lewis, Runyan, Grant, Roquet and Kramer are all going to be either sophomores or juniors this year, so they’ll be really good again in the 2020-21 season.
Urbandale (5-17, 4-16): The J-Hawks have the unfortunate position of being in a division that has four teams that we have ranked inside the top 10 to open the year in 4A, and another (Ames) that would’ve been ranked had it not been for the Lipsey injury. Urbandale lost their ten games against division foes by an average of 13.1 points a game last year, and each of those teams returns a lot. Still, expect to see a more competitive Urbandale team this year, with five of their top seven scorers returning. They’ll be led by Chance Knox (8.9), but Drew Dykstra (7.3), Cal Watson (6.4), Seth Anderson (8.2), Sterling Short (5.8) and Alex McConkey (3.1) all saw significant playing time last season. Look for Knox to take over primary ball handling duties following the graduation of Will Pattison, who led the team in every major category last year. Knox, Dykstra, Anderson and Short are all decent 3-point shooters, so the J-Hawks should be able to stretch the floor a bit. The key for them being more competitive will be limiting their turnovers this year. They had 250 turnovers (against 258 assists) last year. Clean that up, the offense becomes more efficient, and they can stay in games longer. It’s hard to see them finishing anywhere other than the bottom of the division, but they can be a dangerous postseason team after cutting their teeth in this strong league.
Projected Order of Finish
1. Johnston
2. Dowling Catholic
3. Ankeny
4. Ankeny Centennial
5. Ames
6. Urbandale
Analysis: With four teams ranked inside the top 10 to open the season in 4A (Johnston 2, Dowling 3, Ankeny 7, Centennial 8), and another team who would’ve been inside the top five (Ames) without the Lipsey injury, this is perhaps the most loaded league in the state. It wouldn’t surprise us to see any of those top four claim the division crown, but we’re giving the edge to a Johnston team that is filled with young talent.
Preseason Player of the Year
2021 Ryan Riggs, Dowling Catholic: 12.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 58.5 FG%
A 6-9 junior big man drawing plenty of Division I interest, Riggs looks primed to have a huge year for the Maroons, who open the year #3 in our 4A rankings. Look for this long, athletic forward to turn into one of the state’s dominant two-way players this year.
Biggest Sleeper
2021 Karter Kriegel, Johnston: Johnston could’ve been a great team as early as last year, and the shooting component that Kriegel will bring was the biggest thing that was missing. With his shooting on the floor now alongside all the other talented guards the Dragons bring back, this is going to be a really tough team to defend. He’s a 6-0 knockdown shooter who should get plenty of open looks with this team’s willingness to share the ball and make the right plays.
Players to Watch
2021 Ryan Riggs, Dowling Catholic
2020 Matt Stilwill, Dowling Catholic
2023 Omaha Biliew, Dowling Catholic
2020 Drew Daniel, Dowling Catholic
2020 Braxton Bayless, Ankeny
2020 Jaxon Smith, Ankeny
2020 Jordan Kumm, Ankeny
2020 Cody McCullough, Ankeny Centennial
2020 Micah Johnson, Ankeny Centennial
2020 Preston Kelling, Ankeny Centennial
2021 Jeron Crews, Ankeny Centennial
2021 Reid Grant, Johnston
2021 Max Roquet, Johnston
2022 Jacob Runyan, Johnston
2022 Trey Lewis, Johnston
2021 Karter Kriegel, Johnston
2022 Corey Phillips, Ames
2021 Casey Mumm, Ames
2020 Chance Knox, Urbandale
2021 Drew Dykstra, Urbandale
2020 Cal Watson, Urbandale
2022 Dillon Kuehl, Urbandale