Decorah’s Jonathan Carlson, Linn-Mar’s Davis Kern headline The Gazette’s 2023-24 all-area boys’ basketball team

CEDAR RAPIDS — Commiserating as a staff following Decorah’s overtime loss to Davenport Assumption in the Class 3A state basketball tournament semifinals last week, Vikings assistant coach Raef LaFrentz turned to head coach Jonathan Carlson.

“He goes ‘You called it,’” Carlson said. “I was like ‘What are you talking about?’”

LaFrentz reminded Carlson that as they were driving to LaCrosse, Wis., over the summer for a team camp and discussing the potential Decorah had for the 2023-24 season, Carlson had apparently and randomly said Decorah was going to get to the state tournament and lose in the semifinals ... to Assumption.

He clairvoyantly nailed it. Unfortunately.

“I don’t remember that,” Carlson said. “He had said ‘What do you think?’ because you always do that in the summer. The type of thing where you talk about what we can be. I don’t remember it, but he’s got a mind where he can remember a lot of things.”

Assumption ended one heck of a special season for Decorah, 61-53. The Vikings had the last shot in the game in regulation and missed, with the Knights dominating the extra period, then getting past Decorah’s Northeast Iowa Conference rival Waverly-Shell Rock by a point in the title game.

Decorah finished with a 23-3 record. It was ranked No. 1 in 3A most of the season, including going into the postseason.

“With our group, I think obviously it was record setting. Best team in school history,” Carlson said. “Obviously we wanted to play one more game, but it wasn’t in the cards.

“But looking back at it as a whole, I think it was a heck of a season. If you had told them they’d have been in the semifinals with the ball and a chance to go to the state championship game, I think everybody would have loved that opportunity. So I don’t think looking back on it there was anything we would have done differently or anything along those lines.”

Carlson has been named The Gazette’s area boys’ basketball coach of the year. Linn-Mar junior Davis Kern is the player of the year.

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A definite Division I college player in a year and a half, the 6-foot-8 Kern was named a first-team all-state player in Class 4A by the Iowa Professional Sports Writers Association. He averaged 22.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game for the Lions, numbers that ranked third and fourth, respectively, in the class.

Kern, the player of the year in the Mississippi Division of the Mississippi Valley Conference, surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career this season and said in early February he wanted to be considered the next great player in a program that has had a ton of them: from the Bohannon brothers to Grant Gibbs to Jordan Printy to Marcus Paige.

“I know definitely I’m a better player than I was a year ago,” Kern said. “I’ve been working a lot out of season on handling and shooting it more. The main thing, though, is mentally. I know I’m a lot better mentally, just confidence wise. Sometimes in the past I wouldn’t take shots I take this year. Some of the shots I missed last year I’m making this year. My percentages and stuff are way better. All around, I’m trying to be a better passer, a better ballhandler. And defensively also, trying to be a better perimeter defender.

“I know I’ll get to where I want to go college wise. I just know I want to go somewhere that will fit me as a player and also somewhere where I’m going to enjoy playing.”

For Decorah, this was the second state tournament appearance in three years. The Vikings hadn’t been to state prior to 2021 since all the way back in 1977.

Decorah lost to Central DeWitt in the 3A quarterfinals in ’21. It took one step forward this time around and almost two.

As he ends his 12th season running the program, Carlson, a Decorah grad and former basketball player at the school, is confident in the future.

“I think a lot of it boils down to we have a lot of great people in place,” Carlson said.

Carlson mentioned guys like Gunnar Rollins, a volunteer assistant. Guys like Kevin McCain, the father of senior point guard Trey McCain. Guys like LaFrentz, the former college All-American at Kansas and NBA player whose son, Cael, was a sophomore center on this Vikings team.

“I think that’s the biggest thing. Having the right people in place at the underneath levels,” Carlson said. “I think we’ve got some great middle-school coaches that definitely echo our sentiments at the varsity level. That’s been a big part of our success. And you’ve got to have players, too. These guys have put in a lot of time, and basketball has been important to them.”

Decorah surely will miss its five seniors: all-stater Ben Bockman, Kaiden Quandahl, Matthew Bockman, Trey McCain and Andrew Rhodes. But it does have some pieces returning for next season, the biggest being 6-foot-10 Cael LaFrentz, who averaged a double-double of 15.4 points and 10.6 rebounds.

In other words, this will not be a one-off, as they say. Or two-off, in this case.

“We talked as a coaching staff that our schedule this season was top notch, as far as playing teams across the state: Winterset, North Polk, Cascade, playing a bunch of teams that way,” Carlson said. “Then obviously the five seniors that we had, they had a great run and there’s nothing to hang their heads about. They should feel proud of it. Just feel blessed to be part of the group this year.”

The Gazette’s 2023-24 all-area boys’ basketball team

Holden Arnaman (West Branch), senior — The 6-3 guard averaged 23.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game for West Branch, which won the South Division of the River Valley Conference. Will play college basketball at D-II Minnesota State.

Joe Bean (Cedar Rapids Kennedy), senior — Followed up first-team all-state season in Class 3A with Cedar Rapids Xavier with a second-team all-state season in 4A with Cedar Rapids Kennedy. The 6-3 guard averaged 13.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists. Will play at Upper Iowa.

Mason Bechen (North Linn), junior — The 6-1 guard averaged 21.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 3.0 steals this season for Class 1A’s state champion. Captain of the 1A All-Tournament Team, averaging 27 points and 7.7 rebounds in North Linn’s three state tournament games.

Jake Benzing (Solon), senior — The 6-foot-4 wing averaged 17.4 points and 4.7 rebounds for a Solon team that finished ranked in the top 10 in 3A. Second-team all-stater.

Ben Bockman (Decorah), senior — The 6-5 wing averaged 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists, helping Decorah to the Class 3A state tournament semifinals. First-team all-stater.

Davis Kern (Linn-Mar), junior — Averaged 22.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game for the Lions, which ranked third and fourth, respectively, in Class 4A. Shot 56.6 percent from the field, 44 percent from 3-point range. Will play D-I college basketball somewhere in a couple of years.

Jack McCaffery (Iowa City West), junior — The 6-8 forward averaged 16.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Has multiple Division I college offers.

Trey McKowen (Cedar Rapids Kennedy), junior — Point guard for a Kennedy team that lost in the Class 4A championship game to West Des Moines Valley. Had 17 points in that game. Averaged 13.3 points, 4.2 assists and 2.7 steals per game this season.

Lance McShane (Maquoketa Valley), senior — All-stater in football, an all-stater this winter in basketball. The 6-3 forward led Maquoketa Valley to a 19-5 season, averaging 18.0 points and 9.4 rebounds this season.

Jack Miller (Jesup), senior — Upper Iowa signee. Second-team all-state in 2A. The 6-1 guard is Jesup’s all-time career scoring leader. Averaged 26 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

Ty Pflughaupt (North Linn), senior — The 6-foot-5 forward averaged 19.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 steals per game for the 1A champion. Will play college basketball at Upper Iowa.

Cael Reichter (North Fayette Valley), junior — The 6-foot-7 forward led NFV to a 2A substate final game. Averaged a double-double of 22.1 points and 13.6 rebounds, shooting 55.6 percent from the field.

Preston Ries (Monticello), senior — Two-time first-team all-state selection in 2A. The 6-foot-2 senior, who has signed to play football at the University of Iowa, averaged 26.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

Derek Weisskopf (Williamsburg), senior — Two-time first-team all-stater, three-time West Division MVP in the Wamac Conference. The 6-4 forward, headed to Iowa to play football, averaged 20.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists this season.

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