Preseason All-Conference Teams: River Valley South
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Preseason Player of the Year: 2023 Caden Kirkman Caden Kirkman 6'8" | PF Wilton | 2023 State IA (Wilton) The future Augustana (SD) big man was absolutely dominant as a junior, showing his ability to impact the game across the…
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Continue ReadingPreseason Player of the Year: 2023 Caden Kirkman Caden Kirkman 6'8" | PF Wilton | 2023 State IA (Wilton)
The future Augustana (SD) big man was absolutely dominant as a junior, showing his ability to impact the game across the board. We expect Wilton to be the best team in the division this season, and Kirkman is far and away the most dominant player.
First Team
2023 Caden Kirkman Caden Kirkman 6'8" | PF Wilton | 2023 State IA (Wilton): 20.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.4 steals, 3.9 blocks, 62.2 FG%
A 6-8 big man with elite footwork and touch around the rim, Kirkman was fantastic as a junior for the Beavers, leading the team in every major statistical category. He’s a mobile big with great timing and instincts on the defensive end.
2024 Holden Arnaman Holden Arnaman 6'3" | PG West Branch | 2024 State IA (West Branch): 15.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.5 steals
A talented, high-IQ guard, Arnaman had a huge sophomore year for the Bears, leading the division in assists and emerging as a dominant scorer as well. He’s quick and shifty, and a really good finisher around the rim.
2023 Aidan Walker Aidan Walker 6'3" | SF Wilton | 2023 State IA (Wilton): 11.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.8 steals
An athletic, slashing wing who is a good complement to Kirkman’s interior presence, Walker emerged as a strong secondary scoring option for the Beavers last season. He does a good job using his length to impact the game defensively as well.
2024 Landyn Putman Landyn Putman 6'3" | SG Wilton | 2024 State IA (Wilton): 11.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.1 steals, 49.7 FG%, 50.4 3P%
One of the state’s elite shooting threats, Putman buried over 50% of his shots from deep last season. He benefits from playing alongside Kirkman who draws a ton of attention, freeing him up to get shots off.
2023 Nolan DeLong Nolan DeLong 6'0" | SG Durant | 2023 State IA (Durant): 15.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 steals
DeLong is a standout on the gridiron and uses a lot of those skills to dominate on the hardwood as well. He’s a great athlete who uses his athleticism and physicality to bully his way to the rim routinely for finishes. He also uses that athleticism to outleap opposing players for rebounds, pulling down over eight boards a game despite being just 6-1.
Second Team
2024 Jayce McHugh (West Liberty)
2023 Garrett Hollenback Garrett Hollenback 6'2" | SF Durant | 2023 State IA (Durant)
2024 Reece Trepanier (West Branch)
2023 Alex Bean Alex Bean 6'1" | PG Mid-Prairie | 2023 State IA (Mid-Prairie)
2023 Davis Webb (Tipton)
Honorable Mentions
2023 Ty Jones (West Liberty)
2024 Nolan Mcdonald (Regina)
2023 Andy Henson (West Branch)
2023 Xander Schuett (Tipton)
2023 Landis Pietrzak (Regina)
2024
Michael Martin
Michael
Martin
6'2" | SG
Regina | 2024
State
IA
(Regina)
2023 Caden Schmidt (Tipton)
2023 Ty Nichols (Tipton)
2023 Clayton Guyer (Wilton)