MVC- Mississippi Valley Conference

[EastIowaHawk]

I guess that most of the interest on this board is 3A and below, but I'd like to start a thread about the (predominantly) 4A Mississippi Valley Conference this year. There is much drama this year among the 14 teams that make up the two divisions (Valley and Mississippi), and I'd like to hear more about the various teams from the posters interested in this league. Early on, I thought this was going to be the toughest conference in the state by far, not because of powerhouse teams, but because of balance. Turns out that the MAC and CIML are having similar bloodbath match-ups because their conferences are so deep with strong teams. Some early MVC interesting stories start with the (how long?) loss of post man Noah Carter of Dubuque Senior, which soon embarks on the toughest part of their schedule. Were there some defections at CR Kennedy, or is this rumor? How are the twins doing at CR Prairie? Are Xavier's losses really meaningful, or just part of slogging through a tough schedule? What happened to the Dub. Hempstead guard that lit up the first half of last year's tournament game against CR Kennedy? How does IC West stack up against its recent powerhouse teams? Etc., etc. I'll add my two cents later.

 

[Bulldog198240]

Carter is done for the year and Dub Sr. will struggle as Carter Stevens will need to carry the majority of the scoring load.

CR Kennedy had 2 starters quit, not sure why?

IC West...tough team and not because of McCaffery...the name to remember is Seybian Sims, he's a monster and as he goes that team goes. Depth will be an issue if they get in foul trouble.

Dub Hempstead guard that you are referencing..Duax?...They are playing a slower game so his numbers will not be eye popping.

CR Prairie has some injuries, notably to Mason Hook that has affected their record and the twins scoring. Once he is back I believe they will rebound nicely.

I still believe Xavier will be tough in 3A but they have to find a consistent 3rd scorer to compliment Mims and Joens..

 

[La_Fleur]

How good is Wahlert, EastIowaHawk? It can be hard to judge Wahlert and Xavier's status in 3A after their record can get beat up in conference play

 

[EastIowaHawk]

I personally think that Wahlert is a fairly dangerous 3A team, much better than last year. They've been killed so far by playing so many top-ranked 4A teams, and they've had more turnovers than they should. And a returning starter, Will Leytem, missed the first six games.They play at Iowa City West Friday night, then have two winnable games at home against West Waterloo and Cedar Rapids Kennedy, before meeting Oskaloosa at Loras College on Saturday, January 13. That should be an interesting game, as both haven't lost a 3A game. Wahlert has three outstanding shooting guards and if Coach English would feature them more instead of trying to always pound the ball inside, creating turnovers, they might start to make noise. Threes were the reason Wahlert led Cedar Falls late in that game two weeks ago. I think they could make state this year if they don't get paired with Xavier, like they so often do in the substate. It is really hard to judge a 3A team with a 2-5 record, when the five losses are all against good 4A teams (at Linn-Mar, Senior with Carter, at Hempstead, at CR Kennedy before the starters quit, and Cedar Falls...and an almost sure loss at Iowa City West tomorrow).

Bulldog- are you absolutely sure that Noah Carter is done for the year? If so, that is tragic. Senior's toughest games are all ahead of them in the next month.The Hempstead player I was thinking about was then junior Curtis Martin who last year had most of Hempstead's first half points at state. He must have left the team this year or moved. Couple years in a row that Hempstead lost a very high scoring guard- Martell Wilson before Martin.

 

[Bulldog198240]

I personally think that Wahlert is a fairly dangerous 3A team, much better than last year. They've been killed so far by playing so many top-ranked 4A teams, and they've had more turnovers than they should. And a returning starter, Will Leytem, missed the first six games.They play at Iowa City West Friday night, then have two winnable games at home against West Waterloo and Cedar Rapids Kennedy, before meeting Oskaloosa at Loras College on Saturday, January 13. That should be an interesting game, as both haven't lost a 3A game. Wahlert has three outstanding shooting guards and if Coach English would feature them more instead of trying to always pound the ball inside, creating turnovers, they might start to make noise. Threes were the reason Wahlert led Cedar Falls late in that game two weeks ago. I think they could make state this year if they don't get paired with Xavier, like they so often do in the substate. It is really hard to judge a 3A team with a 2-5 record, when the five losses are all against good 4A teams (at Linn-Mar, Senior with Carter, at Hempstead, at CR Kennedy before the starters quit, and Cedar Falls...and an almost sure loss at Iowa City West tomorrow).

Bulldog- are you absolutely sure that Noah Carter is done for the year? If so, that is tragic. Senior's toughest games are all ahead of them in the next month.The Hempstead player I was thinking about was then junior Curtis Martin who last year had most of Hempstead's first half points at state. He must have left the team this year or moved. Couple years in a row that Hempstead lost a very high scoring guard- Martell Wilson before Martin.

What I’ve heard is that Noah Carter is out until March, but who knows with an injury...maybe someone else has heard more???

 

[Hawki45]

IMO the MVC is the best conference in Iowa. Always going to get a challenge and any team is capable of beating anybody. I still think it’s IC West, and then everyone else but the gap is closing. Dubuque Hempstead and Senior are close, CF is capable of being there as well.

Will be interested to see how districts look in 3 weeks when they are released. Would love to see Hempstead and Senior split up, as I think both are top 8 teams in the state....even withoit Carter, Senior is a very well coached team with a deep roster.

 

[makelovenotwar]

Regarding IC West simply not as dominant of team as I have seen the past few years. Still the best team I have seen this year, but I have NOT seen the Des Moines area teams at all. So I will leave my guesses on 4A in my pocket.

I agree that DBQ Senior looks strong without Carter. Not state champ strong, but strong. Even with Carter they are in trouble with deep front lines as there is not a lot of depth after Carter at center/power forward. The games I saw of Carter prior to the injury impressed me much, much more than last year as he could play without picking up stupid fouls. The lack of size back-up is ironic as their is more size than Senior can use in the underclasses there the long-term problem is a lack of good guard talent in the system.

Regarding DBQ Hempstead I asked about this just prior to the season and my post was deleted by the mods. I am hearing that there were off court issues. Just a rumor and, yes, I am repeating it. But the rumor I asked about seems to be accurate. The lack of a big man will end Hempstead's season. Solid well coached team, but they can't play low post D with anyone on the roster and a well coached big man with a good picking forward or off guard will score 100 points against them. Another Duax in the system but not much moving up beyond that. Talent seems to be drifting towards Senior.

DBQ Wahlert is an odd team to watch. EastIowaHalk comment that they have way too many turnovers is spot-on. I disagree about cause. That team really should be using a 2 point guard set with the little 5 ft 5 inch guard starting and one of shooting guards not playing so much.

CR Kennedy is something that no one seems to know the answer to.

 

[EastIowaHawk]

Some interesting games tonight:
CR Jeff at CR Wash; Jefferson prevails.
Dub. Hempstead at Dub. Senior; Hempstead wins, leading all the way, 59- 50.
CR Kennedy at Linn-Mar; Linn-Mar pulls away.
CR Prairie at Xavier; Prairie Hawks win in a close comeback game.
Cedar Falls at Wat. East; CF wins easily.
DW at IC West; West going for 79th or 80th straight home win to break state streak held by little Palmer years ago. Trojans crush Eagles.
Wat. West vs. Iowa City; West triumphs.

Five games should be close, although Iowa City West and Cedar Falls should roll in the other two. (And that's how it turned out.)

 

[EastIowaHawk]

Down 26 points at the half, CR Prairie outscores Xavier 43-14 in the second half to win by a nose.

 

[Bulldog198240]

Down 26 points at the half, CR Prairie outscores Xavier 43-14 in the second half to win by a nose.

What the heck happened?

 

[EastIowaHawk]

According to the CR Gazette article, Prairie just got aggressive and was hitting their threes and before you knew it, the game was close, according to Xavier Coach Ryan Luersmann, a former Iowa Hawkeye starting guard. The next night when Xavier played 2A IC Regina, Xavier got up on the Regals by a huge score at halftime, 41-24 as Jackson Joens and Matt Mimms combined for eight three pointers.

In other MVC news, I see that Dub. Senior has dropped out of Luke's 4A rankings after the loss to Hempstead, possibly in view of the fact that Senior has six very difficult games coming up right in a row, and without the dominance of Noah Carter in the middle, it would seem that more losses could occur. However, Carter is such a determined kid, that I would not be shocked to see him playing before March.

 

[Bulldog198240]

Are you aware of the severity of his injury?...any news on recovery?

 

[maxstabs13]

I think the balance in the conference after IC West is very impressive. I think you have a lower tier in CRJ, WE, CRW, ICH, and DW but as well have seen those teams can still beat a mid/high tier team on a given night. Looks like CRK has 3 players off the team, but with Diggins being the important piece I don't think that hurts them much.

The big thing this year in my eyes is the important big name players. A lot of the teams would be in big trouble if they lost one particular player...
Nickelson for Waterloo East
Harris-Anderson for Waterloo West
Diggins for CR Kennedy
Green for Cedar Falls
Stevens(Since Carter is already out) for Senior
Mims for Xavier
Guy for Jefferson
Hutcheson for Linn Mar

The teams to me that are best built for a run are Prairie, ICW, and Hempstead. Senior if Carter returns will obviously be on the list.

Being someone that follows the MAC closely as well we have already seen the affects of teams missing the one main guy. Bettendorf played without DJ Carton losing by 23 and 36 in those games. Muscatine played without Weiskamp against Davenport West and they came out hot to start with a 4 point halftime lead. They got overpowered inside the second half thought and lost 51-37.

 

[Hawki45]

I think the balance in the conference after IC West is very impressive. I think you have a lower tier in CRJ, WE, CRW, ICH, and DW but as well have seen those teams can still beat a mid/high tier team on a given night. Looks like CRK has 3 players off the team, but with Diggins being the important piece I don't think that hurts them much.

The big thing this year in my eyes is the important big name players. A lot of the teams would be in big trouble if they lost one particular player...
Nickelson for Waterloo East
Harris-Anderson for Waterloo West
Diggins for CR Kennedy
Green for Cedar Falls
Stevens(Since Carter is already out) for Senior
Mims for Xavier
Guy for Jefferson
Hutcheson for Linn Mar

The teams to me that are best built for a run are Prairie, ICW, and Hempstead. Senior if Carter returns will obviously be on the list.

Being someone that follows the MAC closely as well we have already seen the affects of teams missing the one main guy. Bettendorf played without DJ Carton losing by 23 and 36 in those games. Muscatine played without Weiskamp against Davenport West and they came out hot to start with a 4 point halftime lead. They got overpowered inside the second half thought and lost 51-37.

Why was Muscatine without Wieskamp? Hopefully nothing serious. Was hoping to go see him this weekend in Cedar Rapids at the Cell Center

 

[Bulldog198240]

According to Twitter it was the flu

 

[EastIowaHawk]

Games Tues. Night: Comments, scores welcome.

East Waterloo at CR Xavier- Saints by 11, 74-63
Linn-Mar at IC West; West prevails to set new state record for 80 consecutive home wins, formerly held by Palmer at 79.
Iowa City at CR Washington; IC wins
Dub. Hempstead at CR Kennedy; Hempstead wins by 8
Dub. Senior at CR Prairie. Senior pulls it out in OT
West Waterloo at Dub. Wahlert; Huge game by West's Harris- Anderson (26), but Wahlert wins 64- 58. Wahlert was down three key players last game with injuries, and tonight the second-leading scorer was still in street clothes. Well-played game.
CF and CR Jeff- CF wins by about 7

 

[maxstabs13]

Flu, Weiskamp is back tonight against assumption. Assumption will then be the first team to play Davenport North with Lacey Watson on Friday...

 

[maxstabs13]

Also Assumption just got Dylan Peters back which was a huge benefit. They were a fortunate 3-2 without him. They likely win all 5 with him which was a 1pt loss to Davenport West and 5pt to United Township. He was out 5 games with a back injury after getting hurt against North Scott. He scored 20 in the win over Bettendorf and was another long body to defend Weiskamp in the win tonight.

 

[EastIowaHawk]

What was the Assumption- Muscatine score?
Senior won in two OTs, not one, at CR Prairie. Little guard Carter Stevens is a warrior. He hit the long shot that forced the OT.
Happy to have the MAC people on board on this thread, since the MAC and MVC play each other so often.
Is Justin Blackmon from Hempstead a transfer from Senior?
Saw Dylan Peeters play in Assumption's early loss to Wahlert. He certainly is good. Genes from his Mom.
Hope some college picks up CaRondis Harris- Anderson from West Waterloo. He is a scoring machine. Also, one of the best sophs I've seen this year is West's Visilije Novakovik.

 

[maxstabs13]

Assumption 69 Muscatine 47
20 points 12 rebounds for Weiskamp on 7-17 shooting and 0 3ptrs. Anthony Valainas was the main defender. With routine double and triple teams from Peeters' brothers, Thrapp, and company.
Trent Fitzpatrick had 19, Dylan Peeters 17, Thrapp and Valianas with 11. They shot 58% from the field and 21-26 from FT.

That was a last of 7 straight road games for Muscatine to start conference play. Pretty brutal draw for them, but come out 5-3 so far.

All these stats are from Matt Coss who did the QC Times article.

-----------------------------------------

The MAC needs someone to get over the hump against North Scott. I think they have earned the ranking they have, but they are a beatable team. They've just been there before and know how to win tight games. So far they have staved off multiple losses. Similar to Pleasant Valley who has escaped with some tight wins as well. I still think 3-4 losses can win the conference. With healthy teams starting to come around you can start to see some upsets.

 

[La_Fleur]

Anyone have any insight on how good Cedar Falls is this year? Have yet to see them play

 

[EastIowaHawk]

Cedar Falls is an upper-tier MVC team with a current 6-3 record. I saw them play Wahlert and they won by a few points in a tied game with a few seconds to go. One of their losses is to De LaSalle of Minneapolis, MN. Talented 6-3 guard A.J. Green is the real deal and is their main man. I think he'll be a three or four year starter at UNI. They play Senior tomorrow night and that should be a grueling affair. They are getting into the meat of their schedule and have some very tough games coming up. They play a great horizontal game with their passing and quickness and I think they can win maybe 13 or 14 games this year and possibly make the state tourney.

 

[La_Fleur]

Cedar Falls is an upper-tier MVC team with a current 6-3 record. I saw them play Wahlert and they won by a few points in a tied game with a few seconds to go. One of their losses is to De LaSalle of Minneapolis, MN. Talented 6-3 guard A.J. Green is the real deal and is their main man. I think he'll be a three or four year starter at UNI. They play Senior tomorrow night and that should be a grueling affair. They are getting into the meat of their schedule and have some very tough games coming up. They play a great horizontal game with their passing and quickness and I think they can win maybe 13 or 14 games this year and possibly make the state tourney.

Interesting, thank you. It seems like every time I've seen them play in previous years Green has had big games, which certainly isn't surprising. Was wondering if the supporting cast was better this year.

 

[EastIowaHawk]

CF supporting cast seems better this year than last year when I saw them. I think this team on any given night is capable of beating any opponent remaining on the schedule except Iowa City West. That said, because of parity, they should win 13 or 14 games.

 

[maxstabs13]

From the 2 times I've seen them they had decent wings and not much offense in the post but football players who will rough you up if you're soft. Logan Wolf is the second best players.

 

[maxstabs13]

We have some cross conference games coming up tat should be interesting.

Muscatine vs Iowa City High
Davenport Central vs CR Washington
Davenport North vs CR Prairie

City High needs to be physical with Weiskamp to have a chance. 36 of 50 for Muscatine last night against Pleasant Valley along with 16 rebounds.

Davenport Central has lost close games to North Scott, Davenport North, and Bettendorf recently. The defense and speed are there, but shooting and strength are lacking. Washington needs to play ball control and hit the boards. Central needs to force turnovers and run. Whichever team does that better will win.

Davenport North is with its full lineup for the 2nd time of the season. Lacey Watson arrived off the bench last night with 11 points in a complete team effort with 4 in double figures in 58-55 win over Assumption. CR Prairie is getting better as the season progresses and with a win today both teams would be 7-4 coming into the matchup. North last year caught Prairie shooting lights out. This year they need to go M2M and work defensively around screens. They need to push when they can and not turn it over. Prairie needs to force Tos, be patient, and hit shots. Should be a great midseason matchup.

 

[CF_93]

CF supporting cast seems better this year than last year when I saw them. I think this team on any given night is capable of beating any opponent remaining on the schedule except Iowa City West. That said, because of parity, they should win 13 or 14 games.

Ooops! lol

Ok, I'll admit, I never saw that upset coming either. Kudos to CF on the huge upset! A.J. Green just put the team on his back!