Conference Preview: South Central
THE TEAMS Albia (13-9): The Blue Demons lose a lot of scoring punch with the losses of Blake Bayer, Lee Curran and Cameron Stocker, who combined to average 37.7 points a game last year. Junior guard Cade Crall (9.9) returns,…
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Continue ReadingTHE TEAMS
Albia (13-9): The Blue Demons lose a lot of scoring punch with the losses of Blake Bayer, Lee Curran and Cameron Stocker, who combined to average 37.7 points a game last year. Junior guard Cade Crall (9.9) returns, as does Tony Leshen (6.0), giving them a solid backcourt, but they’ll need to find a lot of other production from guys like Trent Garver (2.6), Landon Hermson (1.6) and Nick Maddison (1.5). There are lots of question marks on this roster, but Crall should be one of the better players in the league and will give them a chance to compete in every game.
Centerville (11-10): Brett Kauzlarich and his 17.2 points a game return for the Big Reds, which will give them a chance to contend for the conference title. Kauzlarich is arguably the best player in the conference, with the ability to score from anywhere and facilitate for his teammates. Colton Belloma (10.3) is also back after a year in which he shot better than 50% from the floor and hit 45.5% from the arc. If Nathan Grothe (4.3), Dan Hargrave (2.0) and Logan Strickler (1.4) can step up and help replace some of the production they lost with the graduations of Tate Felton and Hunter Cowan (combined for 22 points a game), they’ll have a chance to win the league, which is much more open than last year following all of Chariton’s departures.
Chariton (24-3): The Chargers are tasked with replacing perhaps the two best players in the school’s history in T.J. Hockensen and Daric Laing (not to mention a number of other key contributors). Luckily for them, they bring back a very talented wing in Lim Chuol (10.8 points, 11.0 rebounds) who showcased his all-around talent during a three-game stretch last season in which he posted three straight triple-doubles. He’ll be asked to take on a much larger scoring role this season, with Chariton losing 77% of their scoring from last year. Players like Dylan Stites (2.5), Kobey Riechmann (2.0) and Trevor Mark (1.1) will have to play big roles for this year’s group. It’ll be tough for them to defend their title, especially with teams ready to take shots at them after getting beat up on for the last few years. But with a player like Chuol on the roster, they’ve got a chance every night.
Clarke, Osceola (4-17): Nearly 90% of the scoring returns for the Indians, headlined by a trio of double figure scorers in Troy Morgan (15.8), Grant Wishon (11.5) and Brandyne Olin (10.9). Morgan is capable of lighting it up from deep if he gets rolling and Wishon blocked over four shots a game, giving them some talent both inside and out. Nine of their 17 losses were by single digits, and if they can improve in those games, they should elevate their win total substantially.
Davis County (4-19): The top four scorers return for Mustangs, a group that likes to play fast, attempting more shots than any other team in the conference. That speed could lead to more wins if they’re able to become more efficient with it (they shot just 34.2% from the floor). Bryce Vinyard (15.0), Nick Slayton (13.9) and Zach Houf (11.2) lead what could be a potent attack. They also need to improve greatly on the defensive end after allowing 73.4 points a game, worst in 2A. If they can improve their efficiency on both ends of the floor, they can add five or six wins to last year’s total, but we can’t see them contending for the league title.
Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (6-16): The top nine scorers are back for the Rockets, led by Peyton Walker (14.0), a versatile scoring threat who can fill it up in a number of ways. K.J. McCrea (9.9 points, 8.2 rebounds) is one of the conference’s top returning rebounders, despite being listed at just 5-11, providing some toughness to this backcourt. Jaden Scott (8.3), Trey Moore (6.6) and Gabe Larkin (6.2) fill out the starting five that returns in tact, with Moore and Larkin putting together solid freshmen seasons last year. A group that started two juniors, a sophomore and two freshmen a year ago, the Rockets should be much improved with the gained experience. They probably won’t challenge Knoxville at the top, but they’ll be competitive every night and could find themselves in the top four of the league.
Knoxville (12-11): The preseason favorite to win the league, the Panthers return their top six scorers to a team that lost just four times to conference foes (three of them to Chariton). This is a balanced group, with three double figure scorers back in Chase Larson (11.9), Trent Davis (10.4) and Blake McClung (10.3), along with three other important pieces in Cade McNeill (8.2), Ben Wallace (6.5) and Justin Little (5.0). They’ve got some shooting, with Larson (36.8 3P%), McClung (41.8) and Wallace (50.0) and they share the ball. With all of the experience returning, and the losses to graduation for some of the other teams, this looks like a fairly clear cut pick to win the league.
PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH
1. Knoxville
2. Centerville
3. Chariton
4. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont
5. Albia
6. Clarke, Osceola
7. Davis County
Analysis: After Chariton ran through this conference last season, this year figures to be much more competitive. Knoxville should be considered the favorite entering the year with all they bring back, but don’t count out Brett Kauzlarich and Centerville. This looks like a much more balanced league than in previous years, with lots of scoring punch returning to the teams that finished near the bottom a year ago.
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Lim Chuol, Chariton, 2017: 10.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 blocks, 51.1 FG%
This is a tight race between Chuol and Brett Kauzlarich, but we give the slight edge to Chuol, who had a three-game stretch last year in which he produced three straight triple-doubles. He fills up the stat sheet, and his scoring numbers should skyrocket following the graudation of T.J. Hockensen and Daric Laing. Kauzlarich is 1B to Chuol’s box score stuffing 1A.
BIGGEST SLEEPER
Grant Wishon, Clarke, Osceola, 2017: It may seem odd to call an 11.5-point-a-game scorer a “sleeper”, but due to Clarke’s lack of success, Wishon doesn’t garner much attention. An efficient scorer (51.0 FG%), he also makes a big impact on the defensive end, blocking 4.4 shots a game last year and pulling down nearly eight rebounds. Look for him to have another huge year for the Indians, and if more wins come, some more attention should follow.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Lim Chuol, Chariton, 2017
Brett Kauzlarich, Centerville, 2017
Chase Larson, Knoxville, 2017
Trent Davis, Knoxville, 2017
Blake McClung, Knoxville, 2017
Troy Morgan, Clarke, Osceola, 2017
Grant Wishon, Clarke, Osceola, 2017
Peyton Walker, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, 2017
Bryce Vinyard, Davis County, 2017
Nick Slayton, Davis County, 2017
Cade Crall, Albia, 2018