Conference Preview: SEISC South
The Teams Cardinal (3-18, 2-15): The Comets really struggled last year, but there is some reason for optimism this season given the fact that they return seven of their top eight scorers, and the top two scorers last season were…
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Cardinal (3-18, 2-15): The Comets really struggled last year, but there is some reason for optimism this season given the fact that they return seven of their top eight scorers, and the top two scorers last season were freshmen – Griffin Greiner (11.7) and Landon Becker (7.7). Greiner led the team with 70 assists and 57 steals in addition to his scoring. Becker led the team with 36 made 3s, and Ben Clark (5.1) made 26 3s as well and returns. This group was bad on the defensive end last year, allowing 66.3 points a game, which ranked 137th in 1A. If they can get that number down into the high 50s, they should win many more games this year. With the youth movement going on, showing some upward trajectory heading into next season should be the goal.
Central Lee (2-18, 2-15): The Hawks struggled last year, losing games by an average of 23 points a game and giving up 68.2 points a night. If they can improve on that end, they should be much more competitive this season. Leading scorer Bronson Sargent (10.3) returns, as do Dylan Stuecker (6.2), TJ Stutes (4.5) and Jadon Hawk (3.7), giving them some experience. That said, unless they can improve defensively, they won’t win many more games than last season.
Danville (13-10, 13-7): Danville has long been an offensive juggernaut, and last year was no exception, as they averaged 66.1 points a game, which ranked 13th in 2A. The issue was on the defensive end, as they allowed 57.9 a night, and that number jumped to 68.1 a night in their 10 losses. The Bears only bring back one key player from last year’s team in senior forward Taylor Kennsett (10.8), a talented combo forward who can score inside (51.6 FG%) or out (43.8 3P%), and led the team in rebounding. The unfortunate news is that no other player who scored more than eight points total last year returns, so it’ll be Kennsett and a bunch of new faces. Expect to see the Bears putting up plenty of points again this season, but they’ll likely float around the .500 mark again.
Holy Trinity Catholic (5-15, 4-15): The Crusaders enjoyed a bit of a mid-season renaissance last year, as they won four of five games between December 21 and January 14, including a win over 3A Fort Madison. Then the bottom fell out and they stumbled down the stretch, giving up 66.6 points a game in the final seven games of the season. The good news is that the top three scorers from last year’s team return in Matt Hellige (11.5), Reed Fehseke (10.2) and Quentin Schneider (9.4). Hellige is an efficient scorer in the post, Schneider led the team in rebounding and Fehseke made a team-high 43 3s last season, so that trio should give them a balanced attack. Blake Crabtree (4.2) is the only other returnee who saw much time last season. If they can improve on the defensive end, they could push for a near .500 mark this winter.
Blaise Porter
New London (20-2, 18-2): The Tigers have been one of the best 1A teams in southeast Iowa for the last five years or so now, and while they don’t return much from last year’s 20-win team, they should be strong again. Grant Swanson (12.0), a versatile combo forward who can score inside and out as well as protect the rim, is the leading returnee. He’s been a tertiary option the last few years alongside Mason Porter and Keontae Luckett, and he’ll step into the primary role this year. He’s been a bit passive at times before, but he’s really skilled and if he plays strong and hard all the time, he’ll put up huge numbers. The real reason for hope here comes from a pair of incoming freshmen, Blaise Porter and Kade Benjamin, who should both make an immediate impact in a big way. Porter has the looks of a potential Division I guard down the line. He’s a quick, physical guard who handles it really well, finishes at the rim and gets after it on the defensive end. Benjamin is a young combo forward who can stretch the floor a bit and should serve as a rim protector down the line. Already 6-5 with plenty of room to grow still, he and Porter are going to help the Tigers win a ton of games over the next four years. Just how successful this team can be this year will depend on how quickly Porter and Benjamin adjust to high school play. We believe in their abilities, and this group should battle it out with Notre Dame and WACO at the top of the division.
Notre Dame (17-6, 15-5): The good news for the Nikes is that they bring back all but two players from last year’s 17-win team. The bad news is that those two that they lost combined to average 32.1 points a game last season, and one of them (Gavin Kies) shot over 54% from the arc last season while dishing out 109 assists (against just 21 turnovers). Ryle Koenig averaged 15.0 pints and led the team in rebounding and also graduated. The leading returnee is 6-4 forward Axel Tjaden (11.3) who shot 50.5% from the floor. He also dished out 57 assists against just 27 turnovers, and should have the ball in his hands a fair amount as a playmaking forward. Mitchell Brent (7.3) blocked a team-high 21 shots last season, while Nick Skerik (5.6) was second on the team with 31 made 3s (at a 41.9% clip). Sam Brueck (4.5) and Jeron Conner (4.5) each saw a lot of action last season and should provide even more production this year. While Kies and Koenig are huge losses, Notre Dame returns a lot of experience, and should be a very balanced team with the ability to score inside and out. Expect to see them battling WACO for the division crown.
Van Buren (8-12, 8-9): The Warriors were streaky last season, putting together a five game losing streak, followed by a four game winning streak, followed by a four game losing streak to end the year. They lose the top three scorers from that group. Tony Davidson (7.5) is the top returning scorer, and he led the team in rebounding last season, giving them some toughness to build around. The other key returnee is JT Metcalf (6.5), who likely takes over some of the ball handling duties. With not much experience returning, this group may fall a little bit.
Nik Coble
WACO (17-5, 15-4): The Warriors made a semi-surprising run to the substate final last year before falling to eventual state runner-up Alburnett in overtime. They bring back four starters from that group, including one of the most dominant players in the class in 6-6 senior forward Nik Coble (17.9, 14.1 rebounds). Coble shot 59.4% from the floor, 40.4% from 3, pulled down nearly four times as many rebounds as anyone else on the team, ranked second in assists (83) and steals (54) and blocked 80 shots. Simply put, he was dominant and will be the focal point for this group. Drew Kissell (11.4), Gabe Reichenbach (8.2) and Elijah McGohan (6.3) are other returning starters, and Braden Hammond (6.3) was a solid contributor off the bench last season who will likely step into a starting role this year. He led the team in made 3s last season and his shooting will be needed to help stretch the floor and try to take some pressure off of Coble. Kissell will step into the primary ball handling role following the graduation of Colton Horak, and don’t be surprised to see Coble doing some playmaking as well, as we noted his passing ability. This team will go as far as Coble can take them, and if last postseason is any indication, that could be Des Moines for the first time since 2006.
West Burlington (11-10, 10-8): Three of the top five scorers return for the Falcons, including leading scorer Colten Sherwood (11.4), who led the team with 32 made 3s last season. Marvion Jackson (9.2), a 6-5 junior forward who led the team in rebounding, also returns, as does 5-10 junior guard Darian Johnson (7.5). Johnson led the team with 63 assists last season. The Falcons bring back a solid trio to build around, with a quality lead guard, a shooter and a big man who can control the paint. They should win plenty of games, and they’ll really give WACO, Notre Dame and New London tests in those matchups.
Projected Order of Finish
1. WACO
2. Notre Dame
3. New London
4. West Burlington
5. Danville
6. Holy Trinity
7. Cardinal
8. Van Buren
9. Central Lee
Analysis: For a small school conference, there is a lot of talent at the top four schools in this division. We have WACO as the favorite with Nik Colbe leading the charge, but it certainly wouldn’t surprise us to see Notre Dame jump up there with all the experience they have back, or New London’s youth movement making a run if they adjust to the high school game quickly.
Preseason Player of the Year
2020 Nik Coble, WACO: 17.9 points, 14.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.5 steals, 3.6 blocks, 59.4 FG%
One of the most productive players in the state last year, Coble put up an outstanding stat line of 18-14-4-3-4 last year for the Warriors, and he should be dominant on a nightly basis for a WACO team that looks like the best in the division. He’s the state’s leading returning rebounder.
Biggest Sleeper
2020 Mitchell Brent, Notre Dame: The 6-3 senior forward should have a chance to shine this year following the graduations of Gavin Kies and Ryle Koenig, which will open up plenty of scoring opportunities. He blocked a team-high 21 shots last season.
Players to Watch
2020 Nik Coble, WACO
2020 Drew Kissell, WACO
2020 Gabe Reichenbach, WACO
2020 Elijah McGohan, WACO
2020 Braden Hammond, WACO
2020 Grant Swanson, New London
2023 Blaise Porter, New London
2023 Kade Benjamin, New London
2020 Matt Hellige, Holy Trinity
2020 Reed Fehseke, Holy Trinity
2020 Quentin Schneider, Holy Trinity
2020 Axel Tjaden, Notre Dame
2020 Mitchell Brent, Notre Dame
2022 Griffin Greiner, Cardinal
2022 Landon Becker, Cardinal
2021 Colten Sherwood, West Burlington
2021 Marvion Jackson, West Burlington
2021 Darian Johnson, West Burlington
2020 Taylor Kennsett, Danville
2021 Bronson Sargent, Central Lee
2020 Tony Davidson, Van Buren
2020 JT Metcalf, Van Buren