Conference Preview: Northeast Iowa
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The Teams Charles City (14-8, 7-5): There should be a lot more shots available for other players this year following the graduation of dynamic scorer Jackson Molstead, who averaged 28.8 points a game. He was a dominant player who also…
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Charles City (14-8, 7-5): There should be a lot more shots available for other players this year following the graduation of dynamic scorer Jackson Molstead, who averaged 28.8 points a game. He was a dominant player who also dished out 150 assists and broke Greg Brunner’s school scoring record. He accounted for 42% of the scoring, and 40% of the team’s shot attempts last season, and while they’ll definitely miss that explosive ability, this year’s team should be difficult to defend because of the balance they’ll have. The next four scorers from last year’s team return, led by Bradley Andrews (12.8), a versatile combo forward who led the team in rebounding and blocked 25 shots last season. He can score inside and out, and should have a big year as the team’s go-to scorer. JJ Ritter (8.7) gives them another solid shooting wing, while Marcus Cranshaw (6.1) gives them some athleticism on the perimeter. Tait Arndt (6.5), a 6-5 senior forward, gives them some size and rebounding alongside Andrews. The other returnee with experience is DeOntaye Hoefer (1.6). While they’ll miss Molstead, there is still some talent here, and they should battle it out with Decorah for league supremacy.
Crestwood (14-8, 10-3): The Cadets put together a strong year last season, winning 10 league games and taking down the conference. It’ll be difficult to replicate that type of season as only three of their top eight scorers from last year return. Carter Henry (7.2) is the top returnee, and he’s a nice player to start building around. He dished out 72 assists, finished second in rebounding and led the team with 28 steals. The junior should have a lot on his shoulders now. Garrett Ollendieck (3.6) and Andy Osmonson (3.8) are the only other returnees with significant experience, and that trio combined to make just 19 3-pointers last year, so they’ll need to find some shooting. They held teams under 50 points a night last year, so they’ll need to rely on that defense again this season if they want to remain competitive in this conference.
Decorah (9-13, 5-7): Few teams in the state played as many close games as the Vikings did last year, as they had 14 games decided by single digits. They went just 4-10 in those games last season, but with all five starters returning and only 35 points gone from last year’s roster, that number should improve this year. This is a balanced group that brings back their top eight scorers, and nobody averaged more than 10 points a game, so teams aren’t able to just key in on one player to slow down. They share the ball and anyone is capable of being the go-to guy on a given night. Patrick Bockman (10.0), Matthew Franzen (9.9), Logan Halverson (9.2), Samuel Robinson (6.2) and Andrew Magner (3.5) are the returning starters, while Charles Robinson (7.7), Keaton Solberg (5.9) and Seth Shindelar (2.1) provided some punch off the bench. All of them are back. There are two key areas where this group will need to improve if they want to make the most of this season and punch their first ticket to Des Moines since 1977. First, they have to take better care of the basketball. They had 248 assists against 257 turnovers last season. That number needs to be positive, and if the turnover number can go from 11.6 a game down to the 6.5-7 range, this offense will become much more efficient. Secondly, they need someone to step up as a shooter from deep. They shot just 29.2% from the arc as a team. That needs to be better. But the pieces are in place for this to be a special year for Decorah.
New Hampton (12-12, 6-8): The Chickasaws lost a lot of talent and experience from last year’s team, but bring back one of the league’s best players in sophomore Drake Wemark (12.7), who shot 55% from the floor last season and finished second on the team in rebounding and steals. The 6-4 sophomore can score inside and out, impact the game on the defensive end, and should have a huge year following the graduation of Tristan Sweitzer, who averaged over 18 points a game last year. Connor Rochford (4.5) is the only other returnee with significant experience. He’ll be asked to be the team’s primary scoring threat from the perimeter after making 27 3s at a 35.1% clip last year. Expect to see New Hampton struggle a bit early on, but they should keep improving over the course of the year as the new pieces get acclimated to bigger roles. Wemark will win this team some games, and they should hover right around .500 by the end of the season.
Oelwein (12-8, 7-5): The Huskies put together one of the best seasons the school has had in a long time last year, winning one less game (12) than they had in the previous four seasons (13) combined, led by Dom Robertson, who was a 2A all-state player. Unfortunately, it was a one-year burst, as they bring back just 10.7% of their scoring from that team. Junior guard Jacob King (4.0) is the leading returnee, and the only player who scored more than 1.7 points a game last year. After a strong year last season, it’s likely we see Oelwein drop down to the bottom of the league this year.
Waukon (5-15, 1-12): The Indians won just five games last season, and just one against league competition. And they lose a 23-point a game scorer in Michael Sweeney. But there is still some reason for optimism this year, as five of the top seven return, giving this group plenty of experience. Creed Welch (12.4) is the leading returnee. He led the team in assists (76) and 3-point percentage (40.4%) last season, giving them a quality guard to build around. Braden Hemann (6.2) and Asher Fahey (5.2) also return. They do most of their work inside the arc, but Fahey is capable of stepping out and stretching the defense a bit. Hemann is coming off a strong freshman season in which he led the team in rebounding. Ethan O’Neill (4.0) is another interior piece, while Reed Kelly (3.4) can do a bit of damage either inside or out. Welch will need to do a lot for this team, and they’ll need to improve on the defensive end after allowing 63.3 points a game last year. But despite the loss of Michael Sweeney, we expect this team to be more competitive and probably win a few more league games this season.
Waverly-Shell Rock (9-12, 8-4): The Go-Hawks were the opposite of Oelwein last year, putting together the worst season they’ve had in a long time. But they still won 66% of their league games, which is a testament to how strong this program is on a yearly basis. This year will be a youth movement for them, with their top three returnees either sophomores or juniors. They’ll be led by sophomore wing Hogan Hansen (14.0), who led the team in scoring, rebounding and assists last season, while also knocking down 50 3-pointers. The other sophomore returnee is Keaton Farmer (2.7), a 6-0 guard who should have the ball in his hands a fair amount this year. Caleb Burks (2.5) could be the next in a long line of talented W-SR big men to shine. The 6-7 junior ranked third in rebounding last year, pulling down 30 offensive and 28 defensive boards, and he also blocked 26 shots. A long big man who runs the floor, he looks like he’s primed to have a big season as a key piece of this roster. Coach Nate Steege is among the best in the state, and he’s going to get as much out of this roster as he possibly can. There is some talent here to work with, and we can’t pick against the Go-Hawks finishing among the top 2-3 in the league until proven wrong.
Projected Order of Finish
1. Decorah
2. Charles City
3. Waverly-Shell Rock
4. Crestwood
5. New Hampton
6. Waukon
7. Oelwein
Analysis: Decorah and Charles City split their season series last year, and with the Vikings returning (nearly) everyone from that roster, they’re the pick to win the conference this season. Charles City should be very competitive, and W-SR’s youth movement should win a fair amount of games this year as well. Oelwein drops back down to the bottom of the league following a great year last season. Graduation just hit them way too hard.
Preseason Player of the Year
2022 Hogan Hansen, Waverly-Shell Rock: 14.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 50 3PM
Hansen was a highly productive freshman last season, ranking fifth among all freshmen in scoring. He’s the league’s leading returning scorer, and will be looking to help the Go-Hawks return to the top of the conference.
Biggest Sleeper
2021 Caleb Burks, Waverly-Shell Rock: The 6-7 junior forward should have his chance to shine this year for the Go-Hawks. He blocked 26 shots last season and was great on the offensive glass. He runs the floor well, rebounds and protects the rim. With a lot of production to replace, Burks should see a heavy role and should put up some impressive numbers on both ends of the floor.
Players to Watch
2022 Hogan Hansen, Waverly-Shell Rock
2020 Bradly Andrews, Charles City
2020 Tait Arndt, Charles City
2021 JJ Ritter, Charles City
2020 Marcus Cranshaw, Charles City
2022 Drake Wemark, New Hampton
2021 Connor Rochford, New Hampton
2021 Creed Welch, Waukon
2022 Braden Hemann, Waukon
2020 Asher Fahey, Waukon
2020 Logan Halverson, Decorah
2020 Matthew Franzen, Decorah
2020 Patrick Bockman, Decorah
2021 Charles Robinson, Decorah
2020 Samuel Robinson, Decorah
2020 Keaton Solberg, Decorah
2021 Carter Henry, Crestwood