Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The boys basketball season officially came to a close last Friday when four state champions were crowned at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

The 2023-2024 season was exciting one in the Your Prep Sports area.

West High and Regina both advanced to substate title games with the Regals advancing to the Class 2A state tournament.

Solon started the season 18-0, Liberty High set a program record with 11 wins in the first winning season in program history and West Branch won 17 games, the most for the Bears since 2021.

To put a final bow on another memorable basketball season in the area we take a look back at some of the best moments and performances from the season.

Best individual performance: Holden Arnaman against Durant. In a career filled with impressive performances Arnaman was never better than when the West Branch senior point guard poured in a school-record 48 points in an 83-34 win over Durant. Arnaman made 19-of-27 field goals, including 8-of-11 from 3-point range and added six rebounds, six assists and five steals.

Best individual performance part 2: Vince Steinbrech against Mount Vernon. In a road rematch against an arch rival Solon needed a boost to stay unbeaten and got a huge one from its senior guard. Steinbrech scored 19 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to go with four steals and three assists as the Spartans rallied from a halftime deficit for a 56-46 win.

Best team performance: West High vs. Davenport North. It is difficult to imagine a much better performance than the one West High produced in a 90-50 substate semifinal victory over a 12-win Davenport North team. West High shot 67 percent from the floor, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range, had six players score at least seven points and held a 30-10 rebounding edge.

Coach of the year: Paul Rundquist at Regina. Rudquist took over a Regina program coming off three consecutive sub-.500 seasons and led the Regals to a 17-7 record and its first trip to the state tournament since 2019.

Biggest upset: Regina over Pella Christian. Honorable mention in this category likely goes to the Regals as well with a 58-55 win over previously unbeaten Monticello but the biggest stunner of the year was Regina’s 64-59 win over fifth-ranked and 2023 state semifinalist Pella Christian in the 2A, Substate 5 title game.

Best game: Liberty High against City High. Of the 12 all-time meetings between these two cross-town rivals seven have been decided by single digits and four by three points or less. The most recent meeting was another thriller as Liberty High completed the season sweep of City High with a down-to-the-wire 59-58 win in North Liberty on January 19 in a game in which neither team led by more than six points.

Breakthrough performer: Regina senior Michael Martin. Martin made a big jump last season going from averaging 5.2 points as a part time starter to the Regals’ second leading scorer at 12.6 per game. This season Martin climbed even higher, emerging as one of the top guards in 2A averaging 17.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 43 percent from 3-point range.

Emerging star: Clear Creek Amana junior Andrew Rotzoll. Rotzoll might already be a star after averaging a team-high 16.5 points per game this season but it seems like just the start for the sharp-shooting junior who shot 43 percent from beyond the 3-point line while leading Clear Creek Amana with 59 made 3-pointers.

Unheralded star: Liberty High senior Trey Hughes. It’s tough to be a first-team conference player in a league as good as the Mississippi Valley and still fly under the radar but that’s what Hughes did for a majority of his three-year career. The top scorer for the Lightning Hughes earned first-team MVC all-division honors after averaging 11.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.

Player that wasn’t talked about enough: City High senior Jameer James. James quietly put together a strong senior season averaging 9.2 points per game while shooting 33 percent from 3-point range and leading the Little Hawks with 46 made 3-pointers.

Best clutch performance: Drew Streb vs. Pella Christian. A senior playing to keep his career alive Streb came up with perhaps his best game in the biggest moment. Streb scored 16 points, grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and added two assists in a 64-59 win over Pella Christian in the substate title game.

Most fitting performance: Haiden Hardy against Fairfield. The lone senior on the Clear Creek Amana roster, Hardy had a typical Hardy performance in a 75-59 senior night win putting up a 13-point, 12-assist double-double with six rebounds.

Most improved player: City High senior AJ Wright. Wright was among the most improved players in 4A this season going from 2 points per game last season to the leading scorer and a backcourt stalwart for City High this season. Wright averaged 10.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.5 steals per game in a stellar senior season.

Biggest shot: Michael Martin against Pella Christian. It wasn’t a buzzer beater or technically a game-winner but the 3-pointer by Martin with 2:02 left that gave Regina a 62-56 lead all but stamped the Regals’ first trip to the state tournament since 2019.

Best shot: Brock Hilsman against Williamsburg. On degree of difficulty alone the 18-foot, buzzer-beating jumper by Hilsman over a double team earns the nod here but add the fact it was against an arch rival to seal a WAMAC West Division title and Hilsman’s game-winner in a 56-55 Clipper win was one for the ages.

Best dunk: Shea Sanders against Dubuque Wahlert. An electric dunker, the biggest and best slam for the 6-foot-4 Liberty High senior this season was a two-hander in traffic against Dubuque Wahlert that cut the Golden Eagle lead to 53-51 with under 90 seconds to play in what ended as a 68-63 Liberty High win.

Most consistent player: Solon senior Jake Benzing. Truthfully, Benzing could fit into several of these categories after a stellar season for the senior guard. However, a big part of what made Benzing one of the best in 3A this season was his consistency. The 6-foot-3 senior was just consistent, he was consistently exceptional scoring in double figures in 21 of 23 games, putting up 16 or more points 18 times and scoring 20 or more in eight games while leading the Spartans with 17.4 points per game.

Most versatile player: Clear Creek Amana senior Haiden Hardy. The stats tell part of the story as Hardy ranked in the top two on the team in points (14.3), rebounds (5.8), assists (4.7), steals (1.7) and blocked shots (.4) but what the stats don’t tell is that on both ends of the court Hardy could play in just about any area of the court and make an impact.

Unsung hero: Regina senior Eddie Petersen. While Martin and Wallace scored a lot of the points and garnered a lot of the attention Petersen was one of the big reasons for Regina’s turnaround this season. The senior point guard averaged 8.1 points, 4.9 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals and had better than twice as many assists (117) as turnovers (56).

Hardest worker: West Branch senior Reese Trepanier. There are certainly taller and more athletic post players than Trepanier but you will be hard pressed to find a player that works harder than Trepanier in the paint. The 6-foot, Trepanier used hard work and hustle to average 14.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

Best under the radar player: West High senior Jacob Koch. Overshadowed for much of his career by star players on the West High roster Koch did nothing but produce at a high level for the past two seasons. Koch had his best season this year averaging 12.4 points per game while shooting 46 percent from the floor including 39 from 3-point range.

Defensive player of the year: Liberty High senior Gage Kampman. The 6-foot-8 Kampman was a defensive game changer for the Lightning ranking 13^th in the state and second in Class 4A with 2.7 blocked shots per game to go with 5.6 rebounds per contest.

Newcomer of the year: Liberty High senior Stephen Cain. The stat line is modest (4.7 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists per game) but the impact Cain brought to the court in his only season at Liberty High was robust. The 6-foot-1 guard was a jolt of energy on both ends of the court off the bench and did his best work on the defensive end.

Comeback player of the year: Clear Creek Amana junior Brody Clubb. A division I football prospect Clubb could have called it quits on hoops this season after sustaining a shoulder injury during the fall that required surgery. Instead, he came back and averaged 7.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game down the stretch helping the Clippers go 8-2 in their final 10 games and claim a WAMAC West Division title.

Freshman of the year: Tate Wallace was among the most productive freshman in the state this season providing an immediate impact while helping Regina reach the Class 2A state tournament. Wallace ranked 13^th in the state in scoring among freshman with 11.7 points per game on 54 percent shooting to go with 4.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1 steal per game.

Freshman of the year part 2: Jerimiah Washpun flashed incredible upside during his debut season at Liberty High ranking third on the team with 7.6 points per game and tying for the team lead with 2.2 assists per game. A smooth point guard, Washpun shot 42 percent from the floor, including 34 percent from the 3-point line during an impressive freshman season.

Bench player of the year: West High senior TaeVeon Stevens. The senior point guard provided a boost off the bench this season averaging 8.7 points, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 50 percent from the field including 42 percent from 3-point range.

Most valuable player: West Branch senior Holden Arnaman. Few players in the state played a larger role in the success of their team than Arnaman who led the Bears in scoring (23.7) and assists (4.5) and ranked second on the team in rebounds (6.2) and steals (1.8) while helping West Branch to a 17-7 record and a RVC South Division title.

Most valuable player part 2: West High junior Jack McCaffery. One of the best overall players in the state McCaffery continued his outstanding prep career with a strong junior season in which he led West High in scoring (16.2), rebounding (6.7), assists (3.5) and blocked shots (1.9) while shooting 49 percent from the floor and 81 percent from the free throw line.

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