All-state boys' basketball 2018: Xavier's Matt Mims a repeat 1st-teamer in Class 3A

CEDAR RAPIDS — As any good point guard would do, Matt Mims dished off.

The Cedar Rapids Xavier senior was regaled with all of his career accomplishments. They are considerable.

The school's all-time leading scorer, he was a three-year starter who helped the Saints win back-to-back Class 3A championships in 2016 and 2017. He was selected for the 3A all-state tournament team those two years and this year, when Xavier finished third.

He was named the Mississippi Valley Conference Mississippi Division player of the year this season and the Metro player of the year. Now the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association has named him a first-team all-stater in 3A, the second year in a row for that honor.

Mims was asked what goes through his mind when he hears all those things, and the point guard in him immediately comes out. Pass the credit on to others.

'The great teams that I've been on,' he said. 'Without these teams, I'd never have been put into these situations. They have made me so much better. As a younger player in the program, I just remember going at it with Mitch Burger. Always working out with guys like him, my brother (Michael), Adam McDermott.

'They just all made me better. I can't thank the teams I have been on enough. Because if they wouldn't have pushed me, I wouldn't be in the positions I'm in right now.'

Mims averaged 21 points a game for Xavier this season, a bump of six from a year ago. He shot better, he had more steals and just about as many assists.

The 6-footer's game improved.

'I think I got a lot better from junior year to senior year,' he said. 'I really wanted to work on my jumpshot, my 3-pointer, and Coach (Ryan) Luehrsmann really helped me a lot with that. And just controlling the game more, I think I got a lot better. Just getting my team into stuff, I feel like I did a lot better job of that my senior year.'

Mims will play next season at South Dakota State, which is in this year's NCAA tournament. He said the plan is for him to redshirt, in order to get physically stronger and acclimated to the Division I college game.

He'll leave about a week after graduation at Xavier for college, take a couple of classes and prep for what he hopes will be an outstanding career. It'll take a lot to top what he did in high school.

The Iowa Print Sports Writers Association selected Muscatine's Joe Wieskamp as 2018 Iowa Mr. Basketball. The Iowa Hawkeyes signee led his team to the Class 4A state tournament with a 33.7 scoring average and finished as 4A's all-time career leading scorer.

Joining him on 4A's all-state first team are Iowa City West junior Patrick McCaffery (also an Iowa commit) and Cedar Falls senior A.J. Green, who led his team to the 4A state championship. He is a Northern Iowa signee.

Other first-teamers are Cascade forward Haris Hoffman. His Cougars won the Class 2A state championship, and he was named 2A all-tournament captain.

The dynamic North Linn guard duo of Jake Hilmer and Ryan Miller are first-team picks in Class 1A. It is the second first-team honor for Hilmer, who set state records for single-season and career assists.

Class 4A

First Team 

Joe Wieskamp (Muscatine), senior

A.J. Green (Cedar Falls), senior

Patrick McCaffery (Iowa City West), junior

Tyreke Locure (Des Moines North), junior

D.J. Carton (Bettendorf), junior

Garrett Sturtz (Newton), senior

Corvon Seales (North Scott), senior

Devonte Thedford (Des Moines Hoover), senior

Second Team 

Nathan Johnson (Waukee), senior

CaRondis Harris-Anderson (Waterloo West), senior

Carter Stevens (Dubuque Senior), senior

Lucas Duax (Dubuque Hempstead), senior

Luke Appel (Marshalltown), senior

Trey Hutcheson (Linn-Mar), junior

Sam Ingoli (West Des Moines Dowling), senior

Boston Grimes (Johnston), senior

Third Team 

Aidan Vanderloo (Sioux City East), junior

Seybian Sims (Iowa City West), senior

Malcolm Clayton (Fort Dodge), senior

Dylan Jones (Waukee), junior

Hunter Strait (Ankeny Centennial), senior

Troy Houghton (Council Bluffs Lincoln), senior

Van Rees (Sioux City East), senior

Brian Dayman (Pleasant Valley), senior

Class 3A

First Team 

Brady Sartorius (Mount Pleasant), senior

Luke Vaske (Norwalk), senior

Zach Lester (Clear Lake), senior

Matt Mims (Cedar Rapids Xavier), senior

Elijah Hazekamp (Sioux City Heelan), senior

Jared Kruse (Oskaloosa), senior

Nate Mohr (Glenwood), senior

Andrew Blum (Glenwood), senior

Second Team 

Cole Henry (Oskaloosa), junior

Derek Krogmann (West Delaware), junior

Jack Molstead (Charles City), junior

Cooper Ross (Carroll), senior

Xavier Foster (Oskaloosa), sophomore

Bowen Born (Norwalk), sophomore

Steve Borneman (Dallas Center-Grimes), senior

Owen Coburn (Spirit Lake), junior

Third Team 

Connor Groves (Sergeant Bluff-Luton), junior

Spencer Touro (Benton Community), senior

Scott Leonard (Atlantic), senior

Chase Zielke (Marion), senior

Luke Velky (Waverly-Shell Rock), junior

Jackson Joens (Cedar Rapids Xavier), senior

Gabe Shields (South Tama), senior

Shane Chamberlain (Harlan), senior

Class 2A

First Team

Trenton Massner (Wapello), senior

Parker Badding (Carroll Kuemper), senior

Alec Oberhauser (Aplington-Parkersburg), senior

Jacob Vis (Western Christian), junior

Dillon Faubel (Treynor), senior

Isaac Prewitt (Des Moines Christian), senior

Carter Cuvelier (Aplington-Parkersburg), junior

Haris Hoffman (Cascade), junior

Second Team 

Marco Balderas (South Hamilton), senior

Zaine Leedom (East Marshall), senior

Luke Empen (Northeast), senior

Tyus Arends (Sioux Center), senior

Jared Nicholls (Colfax-Mingo), senior

Ryan Schmitt (Van Meter), junior

Luke Clausen (Treynor), senior

James Betz (Garner GHV), junior

Third Team 

Dev Patel (Camache), senior

Beau Cornwell (West Branch), junior

Sam Snyder (Forest City), senior

R.J. Harris (Avoca AHSTW), senior

Mitch Gehling (Dyersville Beckman), senior

Jace Davidson (Pocahontas Area), junior

Drew Olson (Osage), senior

Kyle Boerhave (Sheldon), senior

Class 1A

First Team 

Jake Hilmer (North Linn), junior

Nicholas Ruden (Remsen St. Mary's), senior

Brady Gavin (Martensdale-St. Marys), senior

Grant DeMeulenaere (Grand View Christian), senior

Ryan Miller (North Linn), senior

Jake Carley (Council Bluffs St. Albert), senior

Zach Martinek (West Fork), junior

Jesse VanWyk (Lynnville-Sully), senior

Second Team

Paul Rundquist (Wapsie Valley), junior

T.J. Schnurr (Algona Garrigan), junior

Peyton Brasser (South O'Brien), senior

Joe Weber (Boyer Valley), senior

Carter Booth (Central Decatur), senior

Caleb Terhark (George-Little Rock), junior

Brett Givens (Lisbon), senior

Brady Happel (Dunkerton), junior

Third Team 

Caden Kickbush (Gladbrook-Reinbeck), senior

Codey Hicks (Janesville), junior

Brennan Sefrit (Bedford), sophomore

Keonte Luckett (New London), junior

Andrew Gibb (Fort Dodge St. Edmond), junior

Thomas Hensley (Anita CAM), senior

Jack Kelley (Don Bosco), junior

Bryce Coppock (Newell-Fonda), sophomore

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com