Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

For most teams in the state of Iowa the boys basketball season is just getting started.

Sure, the holiday break feels like a halfway point but most teams in the Your Prep Sports area are not even a third of the way through their regular season schedule.

Regardless of where teams sit in the schedule we take a look at an early observation from each of the seven teams in the Your Prep Sports area as the 2023 section of the schedule approaches.

West High Looks More Like West High

The consecutive nine-loss seasons of the past two years seemed like an anomaly for perennial power West High.

With every game West High plays this season that seems to be more and more the case.

West High is off to a 5-1 start following consecutive wins over Linn-Mar and Cedar Rapids Jefferson to close out 2022.

The Trojans have a solid nucleus of experienced players in sophomore standout Jack McCaffery (17 ppg, 8.2 rpg) and juniors Kareem Earl (13.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and Jacob Koch (9.3 ppg).

That group along with junior TaeVeon Stevens (7.5 ppg, 2.8 apg) and freshman JuJu Manson (6.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg) give West High its most balanced roster in the past several seasons.

It’s early but No. 10 West High looks like it is back to being a major contender in Class 4A.

Jake Benzing Enjoying a Breakout

Throughout last season Jake Benzing emerged as the go-to player for Solon as a sophomore helping the Spartans advance all the way to the 3A substate final.

Benzing has continued his ascent this season blossoming into one of the best in Class 3A.

The 6-foot-3 Benzing is bigger and strong this season as a junior and has shown the ability to score from all three levels.

Benzing has scored double figures in all six games, scoring 26 or more three times while averaging 20.2 points per game.

Through six games Benzing is shooting 52 percent from the field including 41 percent from 3-point range and 80 percent from the free throw line (16-of-20).

Benzing already has a pair of double-doubles and is averaging 6.5 rebounds per game, more than double his average from a year ago.

West Branch Will Be Just Fine

On the surface one of the bigger surprises among area teams this season was an 0-3 start to the season for West Branch.

The Bears have been regulars in the River Valley Conference South Division race under Jason Kern and have won double figures games eight consecutive seasons.

An uncharacteristic 0-3 start featured road losses to Dyersville Beckman and Monticello and a loss to 3A Solon and came after a semifinal football season resulted in an abbreviated preseason.

Before Christmas the Bears are already rounding into shape.

West Branch has won four of its last five and enters 2023 on a three-game winning streak.

Junior point guard Holden Arnaman (19.1 ppg, 5.8 apg) is averaged 17.7 points and 8 assists per game during the three-game winning streak and West High has found balance with seniors Andy Henson (3.6 ppg) and Jack McCullough (13.6 ppg) and junior Reese Trepanier (15.5 ppg, 9.9 rpg).

Regina is Rapidly Improving

If the 0-3 start by West Branch was among the biggest early season surprises in the Your Prep Sports area the biggest may be the strong start from its RVC South Rival Regina.

It isn’t even January and Regina (5-3) is closing in on its win total from a year ago when it went 6-16.

The Regals have won three in a row, including a 59-52 victory over West Branch that snapped a six-game losing skid to the Bears and are 4-1 in River Valley Conference South Division games.

Juniors Michael Martin (13.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and Drew Streb (9.9 ppg, 7 rpg) have taken huge steps forward this season as have juniors Eddie Petersen (6.9 ppg) and John Devery (6.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg).

Liberty High is No One Man Show

The takeaway from last season as Liberty High matched a single season program record with 10 wins was the star power possessed by Da’Shon Fisher.

Fisher is still a nightly highlight reel averaging 17.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4 assists per game.

The observation from the Lightning early during its 3-2 start is everyone around Fisher is stepping up.

A year ago Fisher was the only Liberty High player averaging better than eight points per game.

This season three Lightning players are averaging in double figures.

Senior sharpshooter Luke Ramsey is averaging a career-best 13.8 points per game and is shooting 43 percent from 3-point range.

Junior Trey Hughes has had the biggest breakthrough averaging 12.6 points while shooting 42 percent from beyond the arc.

Don’t discount the progress of junior bigs Gage Kampman, Cooper Webb and Cael Schramm who combined are averaging 16.8 points, 18 rebounds and 5.7 blocked shots per game.

City High Is Finding It’s Footing

Entering the season there were a lot of new players, or players in spots, for City High.

The result was a 1-3 start in which City High allowed 63 points per game in its losses.

Five games into the season City High seems to be settling into its roles entering January.

The Little Hawks got a 35-33 win over Cedar Rapids Prairie in its final game of 2022.

City High has pieces to be a dangerous team going forward.

Senior Shamar Benton (10.3 ppg) leads the way along with sophomore Trey Wright (8.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg) who is improved from a season ago.

6-foot-10 freshman Samuel Mbingazo is the x factor for the Little Hawks and gets better with every game.

Mbingazo is averaging 8 points, 6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game in his first five games.

It’s a Young Movement at CCA

After winning 54 games the previous three seasons combined a 1-5 start to the season isn’t what anyone at Clear Creek Amana wanted this season.

However, there is plenty of reason for optimism for the Clippers entering 2023 and well beyond.

The top eight players in the CCA rotation are underclassmen with sophomore Cale Berry (14.3 ppg) and freshman Ethan Vice (10 ppg, 5 rpg) leading the way.

With four games remaining against teams currently with one or two wins there are plenty of winnable games remaining for the Clippers.

A youthful roster that also features sophomores Andrew Rotzoll (8.7 ppg), Brody Clubb (8.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and Brock Hilsman (6.8 ppg) offers excitement beyond the rest of this season.

We’ve seen this pattern before at CCA.

Remember the Clear Creek Amana team that won 21 games and finished third at the state tournament in 2020?

That team was filled with upperclassmen in Christian Withrow, Tyler Schrepfer, Nick O’Connor, Mike Potter and TJ Bollers that all played extensive roles early in their careers during consecutive seasons of six and nine wins.

As the young players on the roster get experience Clear Creek Amana could be among the most improved teams in the state in the 2023 portion of this season and beyond.

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