2023 Iowa high school all-state boys’ basketball teams announced

It was a good year for guards in the Metro, as 5 of them have been selected to first teams in their respective classes

Mar. 14, 2023 12:03 am

Kennedy Cougars guard Colby Dolphin (3) and Kennedy Cougars guard Kenzie Reed (1) react after winning against Waukee Northwest 61-55 during the Class 4A boys quarterfinals state basketball tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa on Wednesday, March 9, 2022. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

CEDAR RAPIDS — Turns out it was a pretty good year for guards in the Metro.

Five of them have been named first-team all-state in boys’ basketball. The Iowa Print Sports Writers Association released its entire all-state teams Tuesday.

Colby Dolphin and Kenzie Reed of Cedar Rapids Kennedy are two of eight players on the first team in Class 4A. Brayson Laube of Marion and Aidan Yamilkoski and Joe Bean of Cedar Rapids Xavier are first-team picks in Class 3A.

The all-state teams were selected by sportswriters and coaches present at a meeting over the weekend in Des Moines.

Dolphin and Reed led Kennedy to a perfect regular season for the first time in school history and to the state tournament for a second consecutive year. Dolphin was the Mississippi Valley Conference’s Valley Division Player of the Year and set a school record for most 3-pointers in a season.

Reed was a four-year regular for the Cougars who set the school record for most career assists. He is a two-time first-team all-stater.

“We’ve just got great chemistry together,” Reed said. “He’s the ideal off guard you could ask for. He doesn’t miss open shots. He can play defense, he’s consistent. Nothing but praise for him.”

“They are on the same page, which is always a good start,” said Kennedy Coach Jon McKowen. “And they complement each other. Kenzie can get to the rim as good as anybody, and Colby can space the floor. So their strengths are different, but they need each other to be as successful as they are.”

Yamiloski, a wing player, was named the captain of the all-tournament team in 3A. Bean, just a junior, joined Yamilkoski on the All-MVC Valley Division First Team.

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Xavier made it to the 3A state championship game, where it lost a heartbreaker late to Bondurant-Farrar. It was still a great season for the Saints, who were ranked No. 1 at one point for the first time in school history.

“We have great guys with great effort and great mindsets,” Yamilkoski said. “They want to win. They come to win, and they do.”

Laube is a first-team all-state selection for the second straight year. He helped Marion reach the state tournament two straight years, breaking the school’s all-time scoring record, one originally set way back in 1952 by Hugh Leffingwell.

Other first-team selections in 3A included Williamsburg junior forward Derek Weisskopf. He led the Raiders to division and overall championships in the Wamac Conference this season.

Padraig Gallagher of Dyersville Beckman and Preston Ries of Monticello were among the first-team picks in Class 2A. Gallagher moved up from second team last season, a forward who scored 45 points in a game this season.

Ries helped guide Monticello to the state tournament for a fourth consecutive year. The University of Iowa football recruit was joined as an all-stater by teammate Tate Petersen, named to the second team.

Tate Haughenbury was selected to the Class 1A first team. The senior forward-center helped North Linn reach a championship game for a record sixth consecutive year.

Second-team all-state picks include Traijan Sain of Cedar Rapids Washington (4A), Ben Bockman of Decorah (3A), Jake Benzing of Solon (3A), Holden Arnaman of West Branch (2A), Zach Driscoll of MFL MarMac (2A) and Ty Pflughaupt of North Linn (1A).

Third-team picks include Masin Shearer of Montezuma (1A), Avery Holtz of Maquoketa Valley (1A), Jack Miller of Jesup (2A), Alex Mota of Marion (3A) and Davis Kern of Linn-Mar (4A).

The all-state teams are positionless.

The 2023 Iowa Mr. Basketball is Pryce Sandfort of Waukee Northwest. The University of Iowa-bound senior guard averaged 24.9 points per game for a Wolves team that lost to West Des Moines Valley in the Class 4A state championship game.

He also averaged 11 rebounds a game, making 90 3-pointers and shooting 42.7 percent from beyond the arc. He also had an efficient field-goal percentage of 64.4 percent.

Here are the entire all-state teams.