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Renaissance season for Linn-Mar represented in Gazette all-area boys’ basketball team
The Lions’ Chris Robertson is Coach of the Year, senior center Davis Kern the Player of the Year
Mar. 30, 2025 5:48 pm, Updated: Mar. 31, 2025 7:49 am
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CEDAR RAPIDS — Chris Robertson went to Milwaukee with his family over spring break last week to watch the Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder play a NBA game.
He was able to catch up with Thunder assistant coach Grant Gibbs, who played for Robertson back in the day at Linn-Mar. Gibbs told his old high school coach that he’d watched the Lions’ Class 4A state tournament quarterfinal game against Waukee online.
That really resonated with Robertson, made him appreciate even more, if that was possible, how Linn-Mar was able to make it to Des Moines for the first time since in 13 years. Linn-Mar went nine years in a row from 2004 to 2012.
“The biggest thing for me in going back to the state tournament, it brought back a lot of memories of a lot of teams and guys that have been through,” said Robertson, who just finished his 20th season as the program’s head coach.
Like Gibbs. Like the Bohannon brothers. Like Marcus Paige.
Senior center Davis Kern broke Paige’s school and Metro record for most career points in Linn-Mar’s substate opening-game. Paige - the former college All-American, NBA player and current North Carolina assistant coach - sent Kern a congratulatory video on X.
“With Davis breaking Marcus’ record, I’ve probably talked with Marcus more in the last month than I had in the past couple of years. So that was cool to kind of reconnect with him,” Robertson said. “I’m sure it’s this way everywhere, but I just think it was cool how our former players still follow the program.
“You’ve got a guy who is coaching at North Carolina, but he’s in tune to how we’re doing. Grant Gibbs is coaching with the Thunder, but he’s in tune with our season ... Those are special things, kind of cool to see former players are still connected to the program.”
Robertson has been named The Gazette-area’s coach of the year, Kern its player of the year. That’s two years in a row for Kern, who was the linchpin in a season that saw Linn-Mar go 22-3, having a 16-game win streak snapped via a crushing 60-58 overtime semifinal loss to West Des Moines Valley.
The Tigers went on to win their third consecutive 4A championship.
“I was honestly sad right after the game. It took a couple of days to get over,” Kern said. “Then I was just so grateful for what a great season we had. It was probably the favorite year of basketball I’ve had in my life. Such a fun time with a great team. I’m just so tight with all of my teammates, my coaches. Just to even get as far as we did was really big.”
Kern was beyond big for Linn-Mar. He averaged 22.7 points per game this season, weirdly the exact scoring average he had last season.
The versatile 6-foot-9 player also averaged 9.7 rebounds, 3.2 blocked shots and 3.4 assists. That last number is an indication of his willingness to get the basketball to his teammates when they were open and when he was facing multiple defenders, which was often.
“I think I definitely improved a lot this season,” said Kern, who has signed with South Dakota State. “I averaged the same amount of points as last season, which is crazy, but we were a lot better team this year, and it’s harder to average a lot on a better team, in my opinion. I think one of my best improvements was passing. That comes with trusting my teammates so much, and that’s what I did.”
Kern finished with 1,778 career points, and that’s with not scoring at all in his first varsity game, against Bettendorf back in 2021. He’d end that season with 223 of them, well on his way to breaking a scoring record Robertson thought was untouchable.
“I do remember we had a Hall of Pride scrimmage before the season against Marion in Davis’ freshman year,” Robertson said. “We obviously brought him up (to varsity) and knew he was going to play. We were talking as coaches about do we start him or not start him?
“We threw him out there for that scrimmage, and I think he had, like 12 points and nine rebounds. We were like ‘OK, this kid can play.’”
Below is the entire 2024-25 all-area team.
The Gazette’s 2024-25 all-area boys’ basketball team
Mason Bechen, 6-2, senior, North Linn — Second-leading career scorer in North Linn history, behind only former Mr. Basketball Jake Hilmer, who is playing professionally in Europe now. Set school record for most points in a season, leading the state with 779. That comes out to an even 30 per game. Played in state tournament all four years of his career, including three times in a championship game. Two-time first-team all-state in 1A.
Brady Boulton, 5-10, junior, Montezuma — IPSWA Class 1A first-team all-state guard. Averaged 28.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. Shot 42.9 percent from 3-point range, making 99 of them.
Joseph Briesemeister, 6-6, senior, Mount Vernon— Third-team all-stater in 3A. Wamac Conference MVP. Averaged 16.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Headed to play football at Northern Iowa.
Jordan Cota, 6-5, senior, Lansing Kee — Set school record for most points in a season, averaging 24.9 per game. Also averaged 8.1 rebounds. Finished with 1,499 career points, which is sixth all time in Upper Iowa Conference history.
Zach Driscoll, 6-2, senior, Decorah — IPSWA Class 3A first-team all-stater. Averaged 20.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game. Three-time all-stater, four-year starter: two years at Decorah and two at MFL MarMac.
Davis Kern, 6-9, senior, Linn-Mar — Four-year starter for the Lions, leading them to the semifinals of the Class 4A state tournament this season. Two-time first-team all-stater. Averaged 22.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.2 blocked shots per game. The Metro’s all-time career leading scorer with 1,778 points. Has signed with South Dakota State.
Cael LaFrentz, 6-10, junior, Decorah — First-team all-state pick in Class 3A. Son of former NBA player Raef averaged 29.2 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shots per game for a Decorah team that lost just twice, including in overtime in substate final.
Jackson Lieurance, 6-1, senior, Cascade — First-team all-stater in 2A. Cascade’s all-time leading career scorer. Averaged 22.9 points per game this season, shooting 43 percent from 3-point range.
Will Litton, 6-4, sophomore, Iowa City Regina — The River Valley Conference South Division MVP as just a sophomore. Second-team all-stater in Class 2A. Averaged 16.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Shot 60.3 percent from the field.
Jack McCaffery, 6-8 senior, Iowa City West — First-team all-state pick in 4A, Gatorade Player of the Year in Iowa. Averaged 21.2 points, 7.3 rebounds per game and 3.3 assists per game. Started for three and a half seasons. Has signed with Butler University.
Trey McKowen, 5-11, senior, Cedar Rapids Kennedy — Two-time IPSWA Class 4A all-stater, this season a first-teamer. Did everything for Kennedy, averaging 22.7 points, 4.8 assists and 3.6 steals per game. Had signed with Upper Iowa, but entered the transfer portal this week after his uncle, Brooks, left the school to be head coach at Missouri Western.
Cael Reichter, 6-8, senior, North Fayette Valley — Amazing season and career, leading NFV to an undefeated regular season for the first time in school history. Averaged 29.4 points, 15.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Set virtually every single-season and career school record. Has signed with Upper Iowa. First-team all-state in 2A.
Andrew Rotzoll, 6-3, senior, Clear Creek Amana — Led the Clippers to the Wamac Conference overall championship. The guard averaged 6.2 points per game and shot 43 percent from 3-point range. West Division MVP. Third-team all-state in 3A.
Ryan Treptow, 6-2, senior, Jesup — Helped Jesup to a Cinderella appearance in the Class 2A portion of the state tournament. Averaged 20.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Second-team all-stater. Surpassed 1,000 points in his varsity career.
Kaleb Wilgenbusch, 6-0, senior, Cedar Rapids Xavier — Just a ball player. Not the biggest kid around, but still shot 54.4 percent from the field with an array of lane drives and mid-range jumpers. Averaged 13.5 points and 4.7 rebounds for Saints, who advanced to semifinals of state tournament in 3A. Second-team all-stater headed to Coe College.
Player of the Year — Davis Kern, senior, Linn-Mar
Coach of the Year — Chris Robertson, Linn-Mar
Comments: jeff.johnson@thegazette.com
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