Conference Preview: South Central
The Teams
Albia (9-13): Both double figure scorers from last season return for the Blue Devils, and three starters return overall, giving them a good amount of experience coming back. They’ll be led by the duo of Nick Maddison (12.1) and Cade Crall (10.3), a solid backcourt tandem that finished second and first on the team in assists, respectively. Maddison is a quality shooter (36 3s at 36.4% clip) while Crall does more of his damage via dribble penetration and is a solid on-ball defender. Trent Garver (7.8, 40.7 3P%) is also back, giving them another talented guard who can really shoot the ball. They’ll need to find production out of the rest of the roster, as no other returnee scored more than 28 points last year, so depth could be a question. But with the trio of returning guards Albia has in the backcourt, they should win plenty of games in a league with a lot of talent being lost.
Centerville (11-11): The top three scorers from last year have graduated for the Big Reds, players who accounted for 69.0% of the team’s scoring last season, leaving this year’s roster in a little bit of flux. Logan Stickler (6.4) is the leading returnee, a capable scorer inside and out who shot 50.5% from the floor and 47.5% from the arc (19-40) last year. Tyson Belloma (5.0) and Dan Hargrave (5.1) are the other returnees who saw significant playing time, and Hargrave may be the player who benefits most from additional playing time. He finished fourth on the team in rebounding and blocked 13 shots coming off the bench last year. The 6-4 senior forward could be in for a big season in a much more expanded role. There is still enough talent on the roster to be competitive, but it’s hard to imagine them contending for a league title.
Chariton (14-8): One of the best players in Chargers history is gone with the graduation of Lim Chuol, a nightly triple-double threat. And in all, three of the top six scorers from last year must be replaced. But there is still a fair amount of talent in Chariton, led by talented guard Dylan Stites (11.5), a capable shooter from distance who finished second on the team in assists last year with 83, and he’ll have the ball in his hands a lot this winter. Also returning is big man Nathan Weaver (7.5), who shot nearly 54% from the floor last year and blocked 15 shots, as well as wing Isaiah Tuigong (6.3), a versatile scorer who can knock down jumpers or get to the rim. Skylar Trusty (3.3) will give the Chargers a bit more size on the interior to pair with Weaver and Brodey Johnson (1.5) could be the final missing piece to the backcourt, another capable shooter. This group has lost a lot of talent in the last few years, but they bring a fair amount back and should be a contender again this year.
Clarke, Osceola (10-12): The Indians, like Centerville, are going to have a lot of work to do after losing their top three scorers to graduation. Brandyne Olin, Grant Wishon and Troy Morgan combined for nearly 63% of the team’s scoring last year and much be replaced, not to mention the 89 blocks that Wishon threw in on the other end of the floor. Fortunately, they have a double figure scorer returning in Cobey Robins (10.4), a 5-10 junior guard who will have the ball in his hands a lot this season. Lenny Peavy (4.6), Conner Deutsch (3.6), Byron Rivera (2.9) and Gabe Crawford (4.0) are all back after seeing time last year, but this will almost certainly be Robins’ team.
Davis County, Bloomfield (3-19): The Mustangs struggled to a three win season a year ago, and now lose six of their top seven scorers. Only fifth leading scorer Reegan Warning (5.2) returns with more than 17 points under his belt, so it could be another long season for Davis County. Warning did lead the team in rebounding and was far and away the most efficient regular last year, shooting 49.5% from the floor, but with everyone else gone, he’ll have a hard type replicating that efficiency. This team finished far and away in last place last year, and they’ll do so again this winter.
Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (13-11): Buoyed by our preseason POY, the Rockets return five of their top seven from last season, giving them the most experienced team in the league. They’re headlined by Gabe Larkin (10.6), a 6-4 forward who led the team in rebounding and blocks last year, while shooting nearly 54% from the field. Trey Moore (8.6) and KJ McCrea (8.2) will be the primary ball handlers for E-B-F after combining for 157 assists last year (to just 69 turnovers). That backcourt tandem will be perhaps the best in the conference. Wyatt Klyn (5.3) gives them some more size with Larkin on the inside and Derek Walker gives them another shooter on the perimeter. This group is going to be very balanced, and they can beat you inside and out. They look like the favorite in the league.
Knoxville (16-8): One of the deepest and most balanced teams the league has seen, last year’s Panthers had eight players average at least 3.2 points a game. Unfortunately for them, only two of those players return this year. Ben Wallace (9.6) and Patrick Crawford (8.6) were second and fourth on the team in scoring last year. Both are versatile players who are capable of scoring inside and out, but neither are great ball handlers, and they’ll need to find a few point guard to take over for the departed Chase Larson, who was a steadying force for years. With so little else coming back outside of Wallace and Crawford, it’s difficult to pinpoint how this group will perform.
Projected Order of Finish
1. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont
2. Chariton
3. Albia
4. Centerville
5. Knoxville
6. Clarke, Osceola
7. Davis County, Bloomfield
Analysis: Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont is a team that we’re comfortable naming as the favorite, given the talent and experience they have coming back from a winning team. And Davis County is a team that we feel comfortable putting at the bottom. But spots two through six could go in almost any order, as each team has a lot of talent that needs to be replaced, but some intriguing pieces back as well. It could be a very interesting race to monitor.
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
2019 Gabe Larkin, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont: 10.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 53.6 FG%
The 6-4 junior forward is as safe a bet as anyone in the league to record a double-double on any given night. A highly efficient forward, he knows where he excels and doesn’t stray away from that.
BIGGEST SLEEPER
2018 Dan Hargrave, Centerville: The 6-4 senior forward will benefit more from the Big Reds’ roster losses than anyone. He averaged five points and four rebounds off the bench last season, in addition to blocking 13 shots in 18 games. In a much more expanded, starting role, he could have a huge senior season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
2019 Gabe Larkin, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont
2019 Trey Moore, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont
2018 KJ McCrea, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont
2019 Wyatt Klyn, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont
2018 Nick Maddison, Albia
2018 Cade Crall, Albia
2018 Trent Garver, Albia
2018 Dylan Stites, Chariton
2019 Nathan Weaver, Chariton
2018 Isaiah Tuigong, Chariton
2018 Ben Wallace, Knoxville
2018 Patrick Crawford, Knoxville
2019 Cobey Robins, Clarke, Osceola
2019 Lenny Peavy, Clarke, Osceola
2018 Tyson Belloma, Centerville
2018 Logan Stickler, Centerville
2019 Reegan Warning, Davis County