Who wins Mr. Basketball?

[LukeFeddersen]

Can anyone get it away from Pemsl?

 

[EastIowaHawk]

The way Cordell Pemsl has started out the season, averaging 21.0 with all games on the road, and two against pretty darned good teams, and shooting over 70% while being double and triple-teamed-- I think he's made a good case to be at or near the top of the list. I know it's early, and there are some excellent players in the state, and maybe they will really start to shine, but my vote would go with Cordell. He's also a good kid, a kid who has lived in Dubuque his whole life and played in the same school system. The expectations on this kid have been unimaginable during his four years as a starter, and he's handled things well, especially last year when he was hurting because he couldn't run or jump like he wanted with his twice-torn knee cartilage. He will be Wahlert's all-time leading scorer if he keeps up his pace. No candidate has worked harder through more pain than Cordell. There are other excellent players, such as Ryan Kriener, Jordan Bohannon , Van Lingen and others who are apparently also great kids, so it will be interesting to watch. It should be about the best high school player who has helped his team have success.

 

[WhiteShadowHoops]

The way Cordell Pemsl has started out the season, averaging 21.0 with all games on the road, and two against pretty darned good teams, and shooting over 70% while being double and triple-teamed-- I think he's made a good case to be at or near the top of the list. I know it's early, and there are some excellent players in the state, and maybe they will really start to shine, but my vote would go with Cordell. He's also a good kid, a kid who has lived in Dubuque his whole life and played in the same school system. The expectations on this kid have been unimaginable during his four years as a starter, and he's handled things well, especially last year when he was hurting because he couldn't run or jump like he wanted with his twice-torn knee cartilage. He will be Wahlert's all-time leading scorer if he keeps up his pace. No candidate has worked harder through more pain than Cordell. There are other excellent players, such as Ryan Kriener, Jordan Bohannon , Van Lingen and others who are apparently also great kids, so it will be interesting to watch. It should be about the best high school player who has helped his team have success.

Pemsl will win going away. No one else is really an interesting case against him.

 

[nwibball]

Pemsl is the clear cut favorite, and if he keeps his play at the level it has been to start the year he'll run away with it, but I'll try to make a case for Kriener and Van Lingen since I've seen those two play.

Kriener - I think if Spirit Lake wins the conference and makes it to the 3A championship game then Kriener has a great argument for Mr. Basketball. He was a key player as a sophmore on a deep postseason run for New Hampton, and is the key player for a Spirit Lake team that doesn't have a lot of depth outside of Brown. Averaged nearly 20 pts a game on 71% shooting as a junior, and lost to eventual runner up Lemars in the postseason. Watching teams play against Spirit lake, Ryan gets so much defensive attention that it opens up a lot of his teammates.

Van Lingen - I also think that if Hull Western wins the conference and wins the 2A state championship then Van Lingen would be a strong candidate. He was the teams leading scorer as a sophmore on an undefeated state championship team, which is extremely impressive. Seems to always show up in big games (6-3 as Junior/Sr in games vs Spirit Lake x3, Lemars x2, MOC, Heelan, Pella Christian, Sioux Falls Christian, averaging 21.9 pts, 14.1 rbs, 2.8 blocks). Similar to Kriener in the defensive attention he gets, but has a better supporting cast.