Tourney Preview: Midwest Live! (Omaha)
This Friday through Sunday marks the first of consecutive April NCAA live period weekends, and though there’s many certified events taking place around the country, Prep Hoops Iowa will be in the Omaha area checking out the slew of Iowa squads that will make the short trip west to Nebraska. We’ll break down a little bit of what to expect this weekend on the Iowa/Nebraska border.
17U Iowa Teams
Red Division: Iowa Cornsharks Select, Iowa Dynasty, Iowa Prep Red, Iowa Pump N Run Black, Kingdom Hoops Elite-Stinson, Kingdom Hoops Elite-Mosley, Showtime Hoopers Black, Southwest Iowa Select.
Black Division: Sioux City Bombers, Team Iowa Red, Iowa Cornsharks Regional, Iowa Mavericks-Huisman, Iowa Pump N Run Gold.
Guys like Trayvon Williams, Agueck Deng, Cliff McCray, Trey Hinote, Ben Obert, Daniel Wright, Conner Groves and Dante Eldridge will be taking the court this weekend, and the Hawkeye State will certainly be well-represented in the 17U division. Any of the mentioned guys could leave with offers, whether that’s NAIA, D1 or something in between. We expect Kingdom Hoops Elite-Mosley to contend for a title, they’ll have a showdown with SW Iowa Select to get things started Friday night. And don’t sleep on Showtime Hoopers Black, with McCray, Wright and Groves leading the charge, they could do a lot of damage.
16U Iowa Teams
Red Division: Iowa Dynasty, Iowa Mavericks-Schlabaugh, Kingdom Hoops Elite I, Kingdom Hoops Elite II, Southwest Iowa Select, Team Iowa White.
Black Division: Showtime Hoopers Black, All Iowa Attack White, Iowa Cornsharks Select, Team Iowa Silver, Iowa Mavericks-Aldridge, Iowa Pump N Run Black, All Iowa Attack Black.
The All Iowa Attack Black unit has a plenty of talent — Tyler Johnson and Vasko Navakovic come to mind — and could be a real threat to challenge for a black division title, they’ll kick off the week against Pump N Run Black Friday night at 6:15. We’re interested in getting a look at Iowa City Liberty wing Andre Brandon from Iowa Dynasty, he made a recent jump in the 2020 prospect rankings after a strong sophomore season. We’ll be interested to see the Kingdom Hoops Elite I and Elite II teams; the Des Moines-based program always boasts loads of talent.
15U Iowa Teams
Red Division: Iowa Dynasty, Kingdom Hoops Elite II, Iowa Intensity 2021, Kingdom Hoops Elite I
Black Division: All Iowa Attack Black, Iowa Pump N Run Black, Iowa Mavericks-Fisher, Iowa Mavericks-Packard. Showtime Hoopers Black, Southwest Iowa Select.
With the 2021 Watch List set to be released next week, we’ll certainly be keeping a close eye on these freshman ballers. And though it’s still a tad early for scholarships to be rolling in for most 15U guys, it’s not too early to at least start catching the eyes of college coaches that will be in attendance. Like with the other age groups, Kingdom Hoops Elite I is certainly a contender for a title, and we’re looking forward to getting a look at their guys Reid Grant, Payton Sandfort, Nathaniel Mueller and Diondre Taylor — all 2021 watch list hopefuls. Another potential watch list candidate is Iowa Dynasty’s Bowen Gyrp, he averaged 7.6 points per game as a freshman at Liberty last season.