By Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Your Prep Sports honors the top area boys basketball players for their effort on the hardwood this season with the all-Your Prep Sports area team.

The inaugural five-member squad features four all-state performers, a trio of 1,000-point scorers and several Division I recruits.

This year’s team consists of four seniors and three players that were members of West High’s Class 4A state title team.

Connor McCaffery (Captain)

6-6, Sr., West High

A three-time all-state selection the Iowa recruit turned in the best season of his career as a senior.

McCaffery averaged career-highs of 19.6 points and 4.8 rebounds while leading West High to a 23-3 record and its second state title in four seasons.

The senior point guard shot a career-best 52 percent from the floor, including 41 percent from 3-point range and ranked second on the team in assists (3.7) and steals (1.8).

McCaffery was named the Mississippi Valley Conference Mississippi Division player of the year, McCaffery and was a first-team all-state selection in Class 4A for the second straight season.

A four-year starter, McCaffery directed West High to four straight 20-win seasons and a 92-12 record during his career.

West High reached the state semifinals each of the past four seasons with McCaffery as its starting point guard going 10-2 in state tournament games including title wins over West Des Moines Valley in 2014 and 2017.

McCaffery averaged 18.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in three state tournament wins this season on his way to being named captain of the Class 4A all-tournament team.

Devontae Lane

6-2, Sr., West High

Another multi-year all-stater at West High that took his game to another level this season, Lane posted his best season as a senior.

Lane averaged a career-high 14.9 points while shooting a career-best 51 percent from the field to help West High to the Class 4A state title.

The second West High athlete to earn first-team all-state honors in football and basketball in the same school year, Lane ranked second in class 4A in steals (3.1) and ninth in assists (4.1).

Like his backcourt mate McCaffery, Lane was at his best at the state tournament.

Lane played in the maximum 12 state tournament games in his career helping West High go 10-2 during that span.

In three state tournament wins, Lane averaged 15.3 points to earn a spot on the 4A all-tournament team.

Cooper Kabela

6-4, Sr., West Branch

One of the best individual seasons in program history by Kabela paved the way for one of the most successful seasons ever at West Branch.

Kabela averaged 23.8 points and set a single-season school record with 572 points while leading West Branch to a 18-6 record, its first River Valley Conference South Division title and a spot in the sub-state final.

The 572 points broke the previous single-season record set by Rylan Murry in 2013 and moved Kabela into second on the all-time scoring list with 1,245 career points.

Kabela shot 57 percent from the field, including 57 percent (27-of-47) from behind the 3-point arc while ranking 10th in the state and fourth in Class 2A with 23.8 points per game.

He scored at least 13 points in every game this season, had 20 or more points 16 times and had five games with at least 30 points, including a career-high 33 in a district semifinal win over Wapello.

Kabela led the Bears with 7.9 rebounds per game and had eight double-doubles on the season and also had a team-high 23 blocked shots.

Patrick McCaffery

6-8, Soph., West High

McCaffery flourished in an expanded role as a sophomore earning first team all-conference and second-team all-state honors.

An explosive forward, McCaffery averaged a career-high 13.8 points per game while shooting an impressive 61 percent from the floor.

McCaffery displayed a wide array of offensive skills in his second season, shooting 34 percent from 3-point range while showing a knack for getting to the rim for acrobatic dunks.

The 6-foot-8 sophomore ranked fourth on the team with 2.2 assists per game and had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.5.

McCaffery was equally versatile on the defensive end where he guarded everything from opposing centers to all-state point guard AJ Green of Cedar Falls.

Even with his wide range of defensive assignments McCaffery ranked second on the team with 4.3 rebounds per game and led West High with 1.8 blocks per game.

Jacob Coons

6-4, Sr., Solon

Iowa football signee had the best season of his hoops career as a senior helping the Spartans to a 13-9 record.

Coons led Solon with 13.5 points per game, shooting a team-best 51 percent from the floor in the process.

A unanimous All-WAMAC East Division selection, Coons averaged 5.0 rebounds per game and shot 73 percent from the free throw line (103-141).

The senior forward was playing the best basketball of his career over the final weeks of the season.

Coons scored in double figures in seven of his final eight games and averaged 18.8 points per game during that stretch that included a 28-point performance in the district semifinals against Dubuque Wahlert.