Summer Preview: Dubuque County Basketball Academy 2025
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The Dubuque County Basketball Academy (DBCA) is a newer program entering their third year of existence. They’ve focused on building up their youth development program (third through eighth grade) and this summer will be their first with a high school level team. DBCA will be joining the Prep Hoops Circuit this year with their 15U program and will continue to graduate their youth program kids into high school level grassroots programs in the coming years. This year’s 15U team is comprised of players from Dubuque Senior, Cascade, and East Dubuque (IL), with many of them contributing on their school’s varsity teams as freshmen and giving them a solid group that should compete on the Circuit this summer. Program director Haris Takes helped us preview his squad below.
15U
Head coach: Jarrett Knepper
Number | Player | Height | School |
2 | Jackson Lieurance | 6-1 | Cascade |
11 | Ben Potts | 6-3 | Dubuque Senior |
13 | Lucas Eastman Lucas Eastman 6'2" | SG Senior | 2025 State IA | 6-4 | Dubuque Senior |
15 | Nate Schockemoehl | 6-4 | Cascade |
20 | Jalen Johnson Jalen Johnson 6'2" | SF Senior | 2025 State IA | 6-3 | Dubuque Senior |
21 | Mekyael Hall Mekyael Hall 6'1" | PG Senior | 2025 State IA | 6-1 | Dubuque Senior |
22 | Aiden Colin | 5-9 | East Dubuque (IL) |
23 | Brody Culbertson | 5-8 | East Dubuque (IL) |
52 | Will Keeney | 6-7 | Cascade |
Takes on Brody Culbertson and Aiden Colin (East Dubuque): “Brody Culbertson and Aiden Colin are both quick guards who took on a major role this winter for the JV East Dubuque squad. After recovering from injury, Aiden took on an advanced role getting varsity minutes and helping contribute to another great season for the Warriors.”
Takes on Mekyael Hall Mekyael Hall 6'1" | PG Senior | 2025 State IA (Dubuque Senior): “ Mekyael Hall Mekyael Hall 6'1" | PG Senior | 2025 State IA has a bright future ahead of him at Senior where he’ll be expected to take more of a role on the varsity team in the coming years. He’s a strong guard with tremendous athleticism and finishing capabilities near the rim.”
Takes on Nate Schockemoehl (Cascade): “We’re very excited about Nate and his future at Cascade. This spring and summer season will be great for the 6-4 sharpshooter to continue to develop more on the physicality end. Definitely expect him to have a standout summer for us and be a contributing presence next year for the Cougars.”
Takes on Jalen Johnson Jalen Johnson 6'2" | SF Senior | 2025 State IA (Dubuque Senior): “Jalen is another Senior kid we are excited to see progress and continue to develop. Great basketball IQ, court vision, finishing capabilities. A prolific rebounder and dominant presence on the court. He started on Senior’s varsity this winter as a freshman and has three years of very exciting basketball ahead of him. Expecting him to be our leader all spring and summer.”
Takes on Ben Potts and Lucas Eastman Lucas Eastman 6'2" | SG Senior | 2025 State IA (Dubuque Senior): “Ben and Lucas are another pair of Senior kids who helped lead the Rams sophomore and JV teams to successful seasons. Both have great length, and Ben is a strong athlete who can guard any position 1-4 and has many offensive capabilities as a shooter and slasher. Definitely a young man to keep an eye on this spring and summer to make great strides. Lucas is another long sharpshooter with consistent deep-range capabilities. A complete gym rat, he puts in so much work for the love of the game.”
Takes on Jackson Lieurance (Cascade): “Jackson is another player bringing varsity experience to our 15U squad. Great handles, knockdown shooter, excellent court vision. He’ll be manning the PG position for us all season and is another Cougar looking to make some noise next season.”
Takes on Will Keeney (Cascade): “Will is a traditional big man with very good back-to-the-basket control. Partner that with a wide frame and a soft touch, he’s definitely a gem coming up through the ranks at Cascade and we’re thrilled to work with this big man all summer. We’re going to rely on him to play a big part in our post defense.”
Tony’s take: This is an exciting, up-start program with some really solid players on the roster. This is a roster filled with kids that I really liked when I saw them play in the winter and they should be very competitive on the Prep Hoops Circuit this year. They’ll have some versatility and athleticism on both ends of the floor, and I’m excited to get a look at the 6-7 Keeney, who Takes is very high on.
Takes on the program: “After getting our feet wet last weekend in Dubuque at Roundball Buckus, we’re looking forward to competing with some solid programs at our tournament and on the Prep Circuit. We played team basketball and displayed some of that high-level experience by taking care of business going 4-0 (at Roundball Ruckus), a great event to get our teams ready for the season. This group has tremendous potential and we’re looking forward to pushing them towards their best selves and giving them the opportunity to gain exposure throughout their high school careers.”
Schedule
Dates | Event | Location |
March 26-27 | Roundball Ruckus | Dubuque, IA |
April 1-3 | The ROCK Classic | Stoughton, WI |
April 15-17 | Prep Hoops Chi-Town Tip-Off | Chicago, IL |
May 6-8 | Prep Hoops Battle at the Lakes | Minneapolis, MN |
May 28-29 | Midwest Memorial | Des Moines, IA |
June 4-5 | Mississippi River Classic | Dubuque, IA |
July 1-3 | Prep Hoops Summer Challenge | Chicago, IL |
July 8-10 | Prep Hoops 2K22 | Atlanta, GA |
July 15-17 | Prep Hoops Region Finals | Minneapolis, MN |