Back at boys’ state hoops tournament for first time since 2012, Linn-Mar seeks to make some noise

MARION - There was a time when it was just assumed the Linn-Mar boys’ basketball team would make the state tournament.

The Lions qualified nine straight years from 2004 to 2012, after all. The fan base made plans to head to Des Moines in early March before the postseason ever began.

“I remember those years,” Linn-Mar Coach Chris Robertson said with a smile. “Everybody was making reservations and all that stuff.”

Then a funny thing happened. That streak was broken and another one began.

Linn-Mar continued to regularly win games, just not in the postseason. The Lions missed out on qualifying for state 12 years in a row, losing seven times in substate finals.

Not even the great Jordan Bohannon played in Des Moines. The whole thing was almost baffling for this program.

But Linn-Mar is back, a 62-50 substate final win over West Des Moines Dowling this past Tuesday night sending it to Wells Fargo Arena, what used to be its home away from home. The Lions (21-2) are the second seed in the Class 4A portion of the state tournament, getting seventh-ranked/seventh-seeded Waukee (18-6) in a quarterfinal Monday afternoon at 2.

“I grew up, came here all the time as a kid,” said senior guard Mason Matson. “So I know what it means, what it means for all the little kids watching us. They’ll be just like us when they’re older. That keeps pushing us, whenever they’re cheering us, because I know I was doing the same when I was their age. I know it means a lot for them.”

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And a ton for the players and coaches on this team.

“Thirteen years, that’s a long time,” said Linn-Mar star Davis Kern. “I knew we had the team to do it. It feels amazing, honestly. Just shows the work we did.”

“Hopefully now you can just relax and go after it,” said Robertson, who has directed Linn-Mar to now eight state tournaments, including 4A championships in 2007 and 2011. “(A substate final) is a hard game to win. Looking back over I don’t know how many years, how many times we lost in (that) game by one possession, two possessions. I told them (Monday) night to just play hard, just fight and leave it all out there. They did.”

Kern is the special player most state tournament champs at the big-school level need. The 6-foot-9 senior is a serious contender for 2025 Iowa Mr. Basketball, averaging 22.9 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.

The South Dakota State signee has an array of interior power moves to rely upon, can float out and hit the 3-pointer and is a willing passer to teammates who get open when he is double and triple teamed. In a substate semifinal victory over Marshalltown, Kern surpassed iconic Linn-Mar grad and NBA player Marcus Paige for most career points in Metro history.

He has 1,738 going into the state tournament. Paige, now an assistant coach at his alma mater North Carolina, sent Kern a congratulatory video that Linn-Mar posted on ‘X.’

“The video he sent me was so cool. I was not expecting that at all,” said Kern, a four-year starter. “That was really cool. He’s a legend ... We’ve had so many studs over the years at Linn-Mar. Since I was young, I always wanted to be (considered) like them.”

Linn-Mar is an experienced team beyond Kern.

Seniors Payson Nietert (11.0 points per game) and Matson (10.7 ppg, team-best 4.3 assists per game) are three-year varsity regulars. Senior guard Trey Wright, who transferred in from Iowa City High this school year and fit in perfectly as a starter, has played varsity ball parts of four years.

Six-foot-seven junior forward Tyler Hilton (11.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg) has made steady progress throughout the season and gives Linn-Mar another big body inside. Robertson’s son Max had five big points against Dowling and usually gives his team a jolt of energy off the bench.

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“Yeah, that means a lot,” Chris Robertson said about getting to state with his son. “I never got to do it with my other boys (Jacob and Jack), so to do it with Max, I’m just super happy.”

Coach Robertson was asked why this team was the one that finally was able to break though.

“I just think it’s a special group,” he said. “Davis has played since he was a freshman. I think he’s the best player in the state. You know, Jordan Bohannan didn’t get to the state tournament, a lot of great players don’t. I just wanted Davis to get there. This whole group, the seniors have been awesome. Just great kids, great leaders. Not that anybody deserves anything, but I think this group deserves a chance to go play (at state).”

Linn-Mar takes a 15-game win streak to Des Moines. It was blown out very early in the season at Cedar Falls (though the Lions beat CF at home later) and lost a close game on a neutral court to Ankeny, a game in which Wright did not play because of illness.

“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs, especially that first loss at Cedar Falls,” Hilton said. “We went through it, and Rob (Robertson) told us that’s the best thing that could happen to us. It was. That made us play harder, made us want it more.”

Linn-Mar beat Waukee early in the season at home, 68-60, but it knows there are zero guarantees once you get on the big stage. The top-seven ranked teams and eight of the top nine in the final Iowa High School Athletic Association poll qualified for state.

The Class 4A field is stacked.

“This is a great group of guys who believe in each other,” Matson said. “Every single day, we come in here, we sacrifice our time. We just trust each other. Each and every single one of us.”

“I think we’re good enough to win it, no doubt about it,” Chris Robertson said. “Obviously, you can lose the first one easily, too. But we’re just going to savor (being there), enjoy it. We’ll be ready to play Monday.”

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