Substate Preview: 4A-3
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The favorite: Two of the three hottest teams in 4A reside in this substate in Valley and Cedar Falls. A lot of people thought that Valley’s season might be done when they lost Eli Raridon Eli Raridon 6'7" | PF…
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Continue ReadingThe favorite: Two of the three hottest teams in 4A reside in this substate in Valley and Cedar Falls. A lot of people thought that Valley’s season might be done when they lost Eli Raridon Eli Raridon 6'7" | PF Valley | 2022 State IA to an ACL injury, taking away their leading scorer and a dominant inside-out threat and intimidating presence in the paint. But they’ve won 12 straight games and are one of just three teams to rank within the top-10 in 4A in scoring offense (66.9, 6th) and defense (49.9, 4th). A long, athletic, and physical team, they’ve been led by senior forward Ruot Bijiek Ruot Bijiek 6'8" | PF Valley | 2022 State IA (16.2), who has been playing at an exceptional level since Raridon’s injury. A rangy 6-9 forward who can score inside and out, run the floor, and protect the rim, he’s the type of big, long athlete who could give Cedar Falls some trouble. Curtis Stinson Jr Curtis Stinson Jr 6'5" | PG Valley | 2025 State #157 Nation IA (9.8) and Kiki Deng Kiki Deng 6'4" | SG Valley | 2025 State IA (6.4), a pair of freshmen contributors, have been excellent on the perimeter, and the Tigers are getting great production out of role players like Cade Grevengoed Cade Grevengoed 6'1" | SG Valley | 2022 State IA (6.8), Mason Morrow Mason Morrow 5'11" | CG Valley | 2022 State IA (6.2), and Trevian Carson (5.3), while they also have defensive weapon Kir Diew Kir Diew 6'8" | PF Valley | 2022 State IA (2.4) coming off the bench, another rangy 6-7/6-8 forward who can switch. The Tigers physical and athletic guards can give Cedar Falls trouble, and Valley’s trip through the CIML has been a bit more difficult than Cedar Falls going through an MVC that is slightly down this year.
The biggest threat: Cedar Falls has won 14 straight games heading into the postseason, and is one of the three aforementioned teams that rank within the top-10 in both scoring offense (62.3, 9th) and defense (52.2, 9th). Northern Iowa signee Trey Campbell Trey Campbell 6'4" | PG Cedar Falls | 2022 State IA (24.8, 4.1 assists) leads the team in nearly every major category and has been absolutely dynamic on both ends of the floor for the Tigers. He’s long, lightning-quick, and playing with remarkable efficiency, posting 56-41-86 shooting splits. Junior wing Dallas Bear Dallas Bear 6'8" | SF Cedar Falls | 2023 State #276 Nation IA (14.0, 6.2 rebounds) is a long sharp-shooting wing who can get hot in a hurry, and sophomore forward Cade Courbat Cade Courbat 6'8" | PF Cedar Falls | 2024 State IA (6.6, 2.3 blocks) has been excellent as a rim protector. The Tigers got off to a bit of a slow start (by their standards at least) as they broke in a number of new faces, but they’re peaking at the right time and are a viable state championship contender.
The dark horse: Trivia time! Which team played juggernaut Waukee the closest in postseason play last year? The answer is Marshalltown, who lost to the Warriors by just six last season, while no other team came within single digits. The Bobcats brought back a lot from that roster, and while they’re had an up-and-down year, they know that they can compete with really good teams. Senior guard Armonniey Thomas Armonniey Thomas 6'2" | PG Marshalltown | 2022 State IA (21.4, 4.0 assists) is a lightning-quick lead guard who can get to the bucket at will, and they’re able to flank him with a pair of sharpshooting guards in Drake Kapayou Drake Kapayou 6'0" | PG Marshalltown | 2023 State IA (10.9, 36.9 3P%) and Jaxson Eisenbarth (5.6, 49.1 3P%). Junior wing Prince Jallah Prince Jallah 6'1" | SG Marshalltown | 2023 State IA (14.0) has taken his game to another level, showing increased playmaking skills and he has the length and athleticism to cause issues on the defensive end.
Players to watch
2022
Ruot Bijiek
Ruot
Bijiek
6'8" | PF
Valley | 2022
State
IA
, Valley
2025
Curtis Stinson Jr
Curtis
Stinson Jr
6'5" | PG
Valley | 2025
State
#157
Nation
IA
, Valley
2022
Trey Campbell
Trey
Campbell
6'4" | PG
Cedar Falls | 2022
State
IA
, Cedar Falls
2023
Dallas Bear
Dallas
Bear
6'8" | SF
Cedar Falls | 2023
State
#276
Nation
IA
, Cedar Falls
2022
Armonniey Thomas
Armonniey
Thomas
6'2" | PG
Marshalltown | 2022
State
IA
, Marshalltown
2023
Prince Jallah
Prince
Jallah
6'1" | SG
Marshalltown | 2023
State
IA
, Marshalltown
2023
Si’Marion Anderson
Si’Marion
Anderson
6'2" | SG
Waterloo West | 2023
State
IA
, Waterloo West
2023
Keishaun Pendleton
Keishaun
Pendleton
6'0" | SG
Waterloo West | 2023
State
IA
, Waterloo West
2022
Ayrondus Hodges
Ayrondus
Hodges
5'10" | SG
Cedar Rapids Jefferson | 2022
State
IA
, Cedar Rapids Jefferson
2022
Andreas Williams
Andreas
Williams
6'1" | SG
Cedar Rapids Jefferson | 2022
State
IA
, Cedar Rapids Jefferson
2023
Kewone Jones
Kewone
Jones
6'2" | SF
Waterloo East | 2023
State
IA
, Waterloo East
2023
Martez Wiggley
Martez
Wiggley
6'4" | PF
Aplington-Parkersburg | 2023
State
IA
, Waterloo East
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
Valley vs. Cedar Falls
If this is the substate final that we get, it may be the best of the bunch in 4A. We’ll side with Valley here, as the Tigers in orange and black have the tough, athletic, and physical guards that can give the Tigers in red and white some issues, and they have a big man in Ruot Bijiek Ruot Bijiek 6'8" | PF Valley | 2022 State IA who can create some major issues on both ends of the floor.