Iowa all-state boys' basketball 2020: Smaller Linn County schools represented well

DES MOINES — There was a lot of very good boys' basketball played in Linn County this season, especially at its smaller schools.

Check out the 2020 all-state teams for complete proof of that.

Seven players from the county have been named to the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association's all-state teams, including five first-teamers. Six of the seven all-staters are from schools outside the Metro.

The Gazette area has 18 all-staters total.

Norwalk's Bowen Born is the 2020 Iowa Mr. Basketball. The 5-foot-11 senior guard is headed to the University of Northern Iowa after a brilliant prep career climaxed last Friday when his team beat Sergeant Bluff-Luton for the Class 3A state championship.

Born led the state by averaging 36.4 points per game this season, coming just 17 points shy of scoring 1,000. He shot 55.4 percent from the field, 41.6 percent from 3-point range and 86.6 percent from the free-throw line.

Born, whose father, Mike, played collegiately at Iowa State, finished sixth on Iowa's career scoring list.

Now back to Linn County's prowess. The first all-state team in Class 1A included Central City senior wing Nick Reid and Springville junior guard Alex Koppes.

Reid became just the seventh player in state history this season to score at least 2,000 career points and pull down at least 1,000 career rebounds. Headed to Division II Emporia State in Kansas, Reid averaged 27.9 points per game this season and 20.0 rebounds, believed to be the first prep in Iowa history to average a 20-20 double-double.

Koppes helped Springville to the state tournament for the first time since 1975. He led the Orioles in scoring at 19.8 points per game, playing alongside his brother, Kyle, who was a senior.

Springville returns its top three scorers, four of its five starters and six of seven in its main playing rotation next season.

Another 1A team that should be really good again next season is Montezuma, in large part because of the return of junior Trey Shearer. Already a two-time first-team pick, Shearer led the Braves to a third-place state tournament finish this season, 25.2 points per game.

The lightning-quick guard shot 61.6 percent from the field and averaged five assists per game on top of his scoring prowess. Montezuma returns its top four scorers next season.

Montezuma's South Iowa Cedar League rival Keota also had a terrific season, in large part due to the play of senior guard J.D. Stout. The first-team pick was the state's second-leading scorer this season (between Born and Reid), averaging 29.2 points per game.

Keota went 20-4, with two of its losses to Montezuma.

Lone Tree senior Keegan Edwards and BGM senior Noah Beck were named to the 1A second team. The third team included Meskwaki junior Taurice Grant.

Class 2A was incredibly strong in Eastern Iowa this season, and that was reflected with five of the eight first-team all-staters being from this part of the state. The first-teamers are Camanche's Caleb Delzell, Iowa City Regina's Masen Miller, Dyersville Beckman's Michael Keegan and North Linn's Austin Miller and Austin Hilmer.

All are seniors, sans Hilmer, who is a sophomore.

Masen Miller will play college basketball for former Iowa Hawkeyes guard Jeff Horner at Division II Truman State in Missouri. The senior guard finished sixth in the state in scoring at 26.2 points per game, bearing much bigger offensive responsibilities after Ashton Cook suffered a lower-leg injury in mid-January that kept him out the rest of the season.

Keegan was named the Wamac Conference's East Division Player of the Year after averaging 19.4 points per game and shooting 57 percent from the field. The 6-foot-5 forward is headed to Division II Washburn University in Kansas.

North Linn finished runner-up to Boyden-Hull at last week's state tournament, seeing a 52-game win streak snapped. The Lynx made it to a state title game for a third year in a row.

The only two guys who played much on North Linn's 2019 2A state championship team were Miller and Hilmer, and they were both great this season.

Despite being just 6-2, Miller averaged a double-double of 23 points and 10.8 rebounds. He had a double-double in all three of his team's state tournament games and was named captain of the Class 2A All-Tournament Team.

Hilmer did a pretty spot-on imitation of his older brother, Jake (a Co-Mr. Basketball last year) by leading the state in assists with 214 in 27 games (7.9 per game). He also averaged 17.7 points per game was joined Miller on the 2A All-Tournament Team.

The 2A all-state second team included Monticello junior Justin Recker, who helped lead his school to the state tournament for the first time since 1960.

Joining Born on the 3A first team was Oskaloosa's Xavier Foster, the 4-star recruit of the Iowa State Cyclones. Going in, the 7-footer also was considered one of the main frontrunners for this year's Mr. Basketball.

Mount Vernon junior wing Keaton Kutcher also made the top team. He averaged 20 points per game as the Mustangs won the Wamac Conference overall and West Division crowns.

Junior wing Christian Withrow was a second-teamer, the leading scorer for a Clear Creek Amana team that reached state for the first time since 1993 and finished third in 3A. Senior Kole Tupa made the third team, the Wamac's West Division player of the year a main cog in Center Point-Urbana's trip to state.

The lone area player on the first team in 4A was Iowa City West center Even Brauns. The Division I recruit to Belmont University averaged 15.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game as the Trojans qualified for the state tournament for a record 10th consecutive year.

Making the third team were Caleb Schlaak of Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Keshawn Christian of Iowa City High. Schlaak is a junior, Christian a senior.

Below are the entire all-state teams:

Class 1A

FIRST TEAM

Trey Shearer, jr., Montezuma

Nick Reid, sr., Central City

Angelo Winkel, jr., Algona Garrigan

J.D. Stout, sr., Keota

Kiks Rosengarten, sr., Wapsie Valley

Kaleb Cornielsen, jr., Easton Valley

Braden Gibbons, sr., Madrid

Alex Koppes, jr., Springville

SECOND TEAM

Brennan Sefrit, sr., Bedford

Jackson Louscher, sr., South O'Brien

Nik Coble, sr., Wayland WACO

Zach Huff, sr., Don Bosco

Keegan Edwards, sr., Lone Tree

Noah Beck, sr., BGM

Kayden Ames, jr., West Fork

Trey Baker, jr., Martensdale-St. Marys

THIRD TEAM

Spencer Schorg, sr., Remsen St. Mary's

Jessen Weber, sr., Easton Valley

Taurice Grant, jr., Meskwaki

Cole Damman, sr., Baxter

Nathan Moeller, sr., Clinton Prince of Peace

Gage Fry, sr., Grand View Christian

Creighton Nelson, sr., Exira-EHK

Chett Helming, sr., Lake Mills

Class 2A

FIRST TEAM

Cooper DeJean, jr., Ida Grove OABCIG

Masen Miller, sr., Iowa City Regina

Caleb Delzell, sr., Camanche

Austin Miller, sr., North Linn

Austin Hilmer, soph., North Linn

Tanner Te Slaa, soph., Boyden-Hull

Michael Keegan, sr., Dyersville Beckman

Bryce Coppock, sr., West Sioux

SECOND TEAM

Jack Tiarks, sr., Treynor

Zane Neubaum, sr., South Central Calhoun

Hunter Dekkers, sr., West Sioux

Justin Recker, jr., Monticello

Anthony Potthoff, sr., Van Meter

Lucas Lorenzen, sr., Okoboji

Bryce Achenbach, sr., Woodward-Granger

Keyton Moser, sr., Boyden-Hull

THIRD TEAM

Blake Chance, jr., Albia

Curren Ingram, sr., Des Moines Christian

Dane Fuller, jr., Dike-New Hartford

L.J. Henderson, sr., Camanche

Cameron Soenksen, sr., Camanche

Jack Stogdill, sr., Treynor

Josh Van Gorp, sr., Pella Christian

Dan Jungling, sr., Pella Christian

Class 3A

FIRST TEAM

Bowen Born, sr., Norwalk — Mr. Iowa Basketball

Xavier Foster, sr., Oskaloosa

Kiren Nichols, jr., Knoxville

Alex Van Kalsbeek, sr., MOC-Floyd Valley

Easton Darling, sr., Winterset

Sean Peeters, sr., Davenport Assumption

Karson Sharar, jr., Iowa Falls-Alden

Keaton Kutcher, jr., Mount Vernon

SECOND TEAM

Daniel Wright, sr., Sergeant Bluff-Luton

Logan Shetterly, sr., Pella

Wyatt Wegener, sr., Algona

Connor Drew, jr., Ballard

Luke Rankin, jr., Dallas Center-Grimes

Ryan Blum, jr., Glenwood

Tyler Johnson, sr., Norwalk

Christian Withrow, jr., Clear Creek Amana

THIRD TEAM

Tucker Kinney, sr., DeWitt Central

Kole Tupa, sr., Center Point-Urbana

Cole Glasgow, soph., Dallas Center-Grimes

Andrew Formanek, jr., Clear Lake

Karter Lein, sr., Carroll

Connor Bruck, sr., Harlan

Cael Schmitt, sr., Dubuque Wahlert

Matthew McDonald, sr., Centerville

Class 4A

FIRST TEAM

Braxton Bayless, sr., Ankeny

Ty Anderson, sr., North Scott

Tucker DeVries, jr., Waukee

Payton Sandfort, jr., Waukee

Even Brauns, sr., Iowa City West

Michael Duax, jr., Dubuque Hempstead

Daquavian Walker, sr., Waterloo West

Cody McCullough, sr., Ankeny Centennial

SECOND TEAM

Josh Ollendieck, sr., Cedar Falls

Jaleque Dunson, sr., Sioux City East

Jayden Houston, jr., Davenport North

Jaron Crews, jr., Ankeny Centennial

Jake Auer, sr., West Des Moines Valley

Sam Kilburg, sr., North Scott

Matt Stilwell, sr., West Des Moines Dowling

Trae Swartz, jr., Ottumwa

THIRD TEAM

Landon Wolf, jr., Cedar Falls

Emarion Ellis, jr., Davenport Central

Caleb Schlaak, jr., Cedar Rapids Kennedy

Keshawn Christian, sr., Iowa City High

Josh Dix, soph., Council Bluffs Lincoln

A.J. Tiogo, sr., Indianola

Micah Johnson, sr., Ankeny Centennial

Ryan Riggs, jr., West Des Moines Dowling

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