Substate Preview: 4A-7
[player_tooltip player_id="956868" first="Pryce" last="Sandfort"] Photo: Sean Bock 247Sports The favorite: In its first year as a school, Waukee Northwest has put itself in a position to win the state championship. Junior wing Pryce Sandfort Pryce Sandfort 6'7" | SF Waukee…
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Continue ReadingThe favorite: In its first year as a school, Waukee Northwest has put itself in a position to win the state championship. Junior wing Pryce Sandfort Pryce Sandfort 6'7" | SF Waukee Northwest | 2023 State #123 Nation IA (27.5, 10.7 rebounds, 3.0 blocks) has been the best player in 4A this season, a 6-7 sharpshooter who is posting incredible 53-41-90 shooting splits on high volume. A remarkably gifted shot maker, he has the size and length to get his shot off whenever he wants, and he’s been a fantastic defender both on the ball and as a help defender all year. Junior point guard Cade Kelderman Cade Kelderman 6'0" | PG Waukee Northwest | 2023 State IA (16.3, 5.6 assists, 44.0 3P%) has provided some additional scoring and excellent floor leadership as a distributor, while junior wing Henry Manning Henry Manning 6'1" | SG Waukee | 2023 State IA (11.7, 38.7 3P%) and sophomore combo forward Grant Tigges Grant Tigges 6'4" | SG Waukee Northwest | 2024 State IA (8.0, 44.0 3P%) is another really good shooter who can score inside and out. The Wolves have the highest-scoring offense in the class, putting up 71.6 points a game, and they have the best player in the state in Sandfort. The scary thing is that only one senior on the roster sees significant playing time, so they’ll be even better next year.
The biggest threat: Another high-powered offensive team that is playing excellent ball down the stretch is Indianola, who is averaging 70.0 points a game, 5th in the class. The Indians have a deep and balanced group of scoring threats led by junior wing Drew Kingery Drew Kingery 6'4" | SF Indianola | 2023 State IA (18.9, 7.6 rebounds), a long and bouncy three-level scorer with defensive versatility. Junior point guard Brayden Drea Brayden Drea 5'10" | PG Indianola | 2023 State IA (12.2), an Ankeny transfer, has given them excellent perimeter shooting and has paired well with senior lead guard Cooper Nailor Cooper Nailor 5'11" | PG Indianola | 2022 State IA (8.1, 5.1 assists) to give them a pair of reliable ball-handling options. Junior forward Charlie Willmott Charlie Willmott 6'4" | PF Indianola | 2023 State IA (9.5) is an efficient interior scorer, and Casey Glascock Casey Glascock 6'0" | PG Indianola | 2023 State IA (7.1) provides a lot of athleticism and quickness on the wing. Like Northwest, this is a young team with only Nailor seeing much playing time as a senior. They play primarily 3A schools during the year as members of the Little Hawkeye Conference, but that is the best 3A league in the state, and this team knows that they can play with just about anyone with their explosiveness on the offensive end.
The dark horse: Urbandale has been one of the most improved teams in the class this year, putting together an 11-10 season that included a good win over Hoover and six losses by single digits. The J-Hawks are led by sophomore point guard Grant Uecker Grant Uecker 6'3" | PG Urbandale | 2024 State IA (11.3, 46.4 3P%), who has been excellent in his first varsity season, leading the team ins coring, rebounding, and assists. Junior guard Brice Lange Brice Lange 5'10" | SG Urbandale | 2023 State IA (10.9, 37.4 3P%) is another solid shooting option, while Greysn Schmitz Greysn Schmitz 6'0" | SG Urbandale | 2022 State IA (9.7), Jack Craig (6.3), and Kirby Schmitz Kirby Schmitz 6'6" | C Charlotte | 2023 State FL (6.1) are experienced pieces who provide some toughness and athleticism.
Players to watch
2023
Pryce Sandfort
Pryce
Sandfort
6'7" | SF
Waukee Northwest | 2023
State
#123
Nation
IA
, Northwest
2023
Cade Kelderman
Cade
Kelderman
6'0" | PG
Waukee Northwest | 2023
State
IA
, Northwest
2023
Henry Manning
Henry
Manning
6'1" | SG
Waukee | 2023
State
IA
, Northwest
2023
Drew Kingery
Drew
Kingery
6'4" | SF
Indianola | 2023
State
IA
, Indianola
2023
Brayden Drea
Brayden
Drea
5'10" | PG
Indianola | 2023
State
IA
, Indianola
2024
Grant Uecker
Grant
Uecker
6'3" | PG
Urbandale | 2024
State
IA
, Urbandale
2023
Brice Lange
Brice
Lange
5'10" | SG
Urbandale | 2023
State
IA
, Urbandale
2022
Adam Greiner
Adam
Greiner
6'2" | SF
Ottumwa | 2022
State
IA
, Ottumwa
2023
Riley Edwards
Riley
Edwards
6'3" | SG
Southeast Polk | 2023
State
IA
, Southeast Polk
2024
Tyron Wright
Tyron
Wright
6'6" | PF
Roosevelt | 2024
State
IA
, East
SUBSTATE FINAL PREDICTION
Waukee Northwest vs. Indianola
Sign me up for this one. Two of the top-5 offenses in the state, two of the top-4 juniors (Sandfort and Kingery), and a pair of teams that are actually pretty familiar with each other, as Northwest coach Brett Watson was at Indianola before taking over the head job in Waukee. Northwest has the best player in the state, and Sandfort carries the Wolves to the state tournament with a huge game.