Boys Basketball: Brutal schedule for metro area teams

Harrison Barnes is gone now. The legendary (at least in Central Iowa) Ames grad is at North Carolina, with an NBA career not far away.So focus your attention, if you would, this boys' basketball season toward these parts. The Metro is stacked with talent, maybe the most that's been around the Cedar Rapids-Marion area at one time.That's not hyperbole. Look at all the players.“It's going to be a brutal schedule for all the teams and players around here,” said Linn-Mar Coach Chris Robertson. “I'd be surprised if anyone goes unbeaten. This reminds me of 2006 when you had guys like Grant Gibbs and Matt Gatens. It's that kind of a league (Mississippi Valley Conference). But probably the difference is it seems it's more concentrated in the Metro this season.”It starts with Robertson's Lions, who have three Division I college players in guards Marcus Paige, Matt Bohannon and Shane Benton. Bohannon and Benton have signed with Northern Iowa and North Dakota, respectively, while Paige is a junior point guard considered a top-50 recruit nationally.Kansas has offered him a scholarship, and North Carolina's Roy Williams has sniffed around the Linn-Mar gym as well.Then there's Cedar Rapids Washington, where Josh Oglesby has signed with the Iowa Hawkeyes and guard court mate Wes Washpun is being recruited by D-I schools like Western Illinois, Eastern Kentucky and North Dakota State. At Cedar Rapids Jefferson, 6-foot-8 forward Jarrod Uthoff seemingly came out of nowhere last season to become a big-time college player, signing last spring with the Wisconsin Badgers.“It's really crazy how many D-I players are in the area,” Uthoff said. “This has to be one of the best basketball areas in the state. No doubt.”“I don't have a long, historical perspective here,” said Washington Coach Brad Metzger. “But it's easy to tell there's an abundance of high quality basketball players on all teams.”And it doesn't just stop with the above-mentioned guys. Linn-Mar has 6-foot-7 Josh Montague and Ian McBrayer, who could field college offers in basketball and football. Cedar Rapids Kennedy's Christian French will play big-time football at either Iowa, Oregon or Notre Dame and is a basketball presence as well at 6-foot-6.Senior forward Kyle Lamaak likewise is a terrific basketball-football player. Marion's Kasey Semler kind of gets lost in the shuffle, and he was a third-team all-stater in Class 3A last season.“I think a lot of it has to do with kids spending more time on the sport,” said Kennedy Coach Bob Fontana. “Obviously, working in the summer with their school stuff and then with AAU … Then I think there's a lot of good coaches in our league, too. Guys that are willing to put the time in.”Linn-Mar, Jefferson and Washington all made it to the 4A state tournament last season. The Iowa High School Athletic Association won't release its substate pairings until midseason, and it'll be interesting to see if it's possible for another Metro trifecta in Des Moines.Or maybe even more than three.“It's going to be hard (to win),” Oglesby said. “Kennedy, day in and day out, is going to be good. Jeff's going to be good with Uthoff and (Taylor) Olson. Linn-Mar's going to be the No. 1 team in the state. They could have four Division I players on their team. It's going to be incredible.“It's going to be fun. It's always fun to play against the best competition.”