10 Unranked Sophomores on the Move-Part 2
Taking a look into the upcoming class rankings updates and who could make their first appearances on Prep Hoops Iowa’s list. The Sophomore class is going to be in two parts because the pandemic has shortened our window of scouting…
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Continue ReadingTaking a look into the upcoming class rankings updates and who could make their first appearances on Prep Hoops Iowa’s list. The Sophomore class is going to be in two parts because the pandemic has shortened our window of scouting this class and our rankings are not as in depth as they would be in a normal year.
Koleson Evans, West Harrison High School- Sophomore Wing/Forward
One of two players last name Evans on this Hawkeye team, but one with good potential. At 6’5, Evans plays a lot of minutes on the perimeter for this team and long-term that could be very beneficial to him and the West Harrison program. He shoots it efficiently from the perimeter (44.7% 3pt) and also makes 51% of his buckets from the floor. He’s a fluid athlete and is able to guard smaller players on the other end as well which makes him all the more intriguing. Koleson averaged 15.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.1 assist and 1.2 blocks per game this past season for the Hawkeyes. West Harrison was bounced in the substate semifinal by St. Albert but Koleson had 17 points and 9 rebounds for his team.
Sage Evans, West Harrison High School- Sophomore Forward
The shorter of the Evans’ on this Hawkeye team, Sage plays more of a interior role for his team but can step out and shoot the 3 ball as well. The most impressive feat in Evans’ stat line is his 16.7 points per game and 14.5 rebounds per game, finishing the season with a double-double average while shooting 49.2% from the field and 41.9% from 3. Sage also is mobile and will guard perimeter players on the opposing teams and does a nice job of doing so. In the season ending loss to St. Albert Evans would see 13 points and 13 rebounds for his team.
Caden Kirkman, Wilton High School- Sophomore Wing/Forward
The 11th best scorer in the Sophomore throughout the entire state of Iowa is Caden Kirkman (18.6) out of Wilton. The rangy 6’6 forward does a little bit of everything for his team as he’s a focal point of the offense and getting him the ball is important. He’s a nice passer of the ball, and is able to finish above the defense with his length inside. He has a developing jumpshot, and doesn’t take too many perimeter shots as he looks to get inside. This season he did average a double-double as he pulled down 11 rebounds per game to go with his points outage and he was a force inside defensively with 4.3 blocks per game. Wilton fell to Camanche in the substate second round game Kirkman led his team in scoring with 19 points and 16 rebounds.
Kyle Sternberg, AHSTW High School- Sophomore Wing/Forward
Sternberg starts off another duo from the same high school on this list, this time from AHSTW who fell one game short of Wells Fargo. Sternberg does a little inside and a little outside for his team and shows a good knowledge of where to go with the ball. Sternberg pounds the glass on both ends of the floor and has good touch inside around the rim to pair with a nice looking perimeter jumpshot. On the season, Sternberg averaged 16.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1.5 blocks per contest for the Vikings. In a matchup that wasn’t as close as their regular season matchups, AHSTW fell to Treynor in the substate semifinal where Sternberg put in 10 points and 9 rebounds for his team.
Brayden Lund, AHSTW High School- Sophomore Wing/Forward
Though Lund and Sternberg aren’t twins, their games are very similar to each other. Like Sternberg, Lund has a solid inside-outside combination, but is maybe more assertive in his shot hunting. Lund is very efficient from the floor ending the season with a 64.6% FG and 43.8% 3pt. As you can imagine, he too likes to pound the glass on both ends to create opportunities for his team, and both make impacts on the defensive end with their length. On the season, Lund gave the Vikings 17.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block per game. In their loss to Treynor, Lund had 13 points and 4 boards.
Tate Haughenberry, North Linn High School- Sophomore Wing/Forward
North Linn plays a very up-tempo style throughout the game and if you’re not ready for it it can wreak havoc on opposing teams. Haughenberry and his 6’3 frame are a big part of that as he can cloud passing vision of opposing players and effects shots around the rim. Haughenberry is a high-energy player in his own right as well as he thrives off of open games that go in transition a lot and likes to get into the lane and can finish out to 15 feet consistently. Haughenberry, can hit the 3 point shot, shooting 40% but only on 10 attempts, so he’s efficient. On the season, Haughenberry posted 16 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game for the Lynx. North Linn is the #1 overall seed in Class 1A and will need every ounce of production from Haughenberry to get to the championship game.
Max Wheaton, Fairfield High School- Sophomore Forward
The state’s 7th highest point scorer in the Sophomore class, Wheaton is a mobile 6’4 forward who likes to move around the offensive side of the ball. Wheaton has a good build to him as he can effect the defensive side of the ball as a presence inside. He doesn’t shoot it from the perimeter many times, as he looks to go inside and post up defenders or slash to the basket with off-ball movement. Wheaton does good work on the boards as well as he looks to crash offensive boards and corral defensive clearances. Against tough competition in the Southeast conference Wheaton averaged 19.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and a steal per contest. Fairfield ended their season against Assumption in the substate first round where Wheaton contributed 9 points and 14 rebounds.
Drew Chance, Albia High School- Sophomore Forward
The leading scorer for a top Class 2A team, Drew Chance plays a really nice role for his team inside. At 6’2, he’s not the tallest, but what he lacks in height he brings in interior presence and soft touch around the rim. I was impressed with the way Chance deals with taller defenders and the way he maneuvers putting the ball in the basket despite. The Blue Demons, at times, would lean on Chance to score in the low post, but he is also capable in the pick-n-roll game as he gets to his spots fluidly. Chance, as has been said, led Albia in scoring (15), but also pulled in 6 rebounds for his team. They would end up losing to Des Moines Christian in the substate final where Drew would score 12 points and grab 5 rebounds.
Luke Keitges, Knoxville High School- Sophomore Wing/Forward
With Knoxville losing their top two scorers to graduation, Keitges will have the torch passed onto him to score the ball for the Panthers. He pairs good perimeter shooting with some soft touch around the rim, and is good in spot up shooting spots or off the pick-n-pop. His season percentage of only 31.3% from 3 doesn’t tell the full story on Keitges’ ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter, as I watched a few times this season he seemed to always be hitting big shots, including the game winner over Bondurant-Farrar down the stretch of the season. Keitges, on the season, averaged 13.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1 steal and 1 block per game on 52% FG. Knoxville dropped a nail-biter to Newton in the substate first round where Keitges had 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 blocks.
Lance Berends, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School- Sophomore Forward/Center
Lance Berends provides a nice interior presence and post game to the Hawks’ offense. He likes to get to his strong right hand and go at the defense on the block. He rarely shoots from the perimeter, but did post a 66% 3pt percentage off of 3 total shots from the outside. In all seriousness, Berends nearly averaged a double-double as he paired 15.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game throughout the season. He shows a good passing ability and can find the open man when forced to give the ball up as he had 2.4 assists per contest. The last place he really impacts the game is on the inside on the defensive end as he rejected 2 shots per game. The Hawks fell to Newell-Fonda in the second round of substate as Berends had 8 points and 5 rebounds.