The Iowa Boys Basketball tournament is over and the All-State Teams were announced yesterday. We thought it would be interesting to look at the All-State Teams in Class 4A to see where the best players in the State are headed next year to play basketball.
The Waterfall Effect of the Portal is Real
The Portal as it evolves, is reducing the number of Division One opportunities for Iowa High School Boys Basketball players. The negative is high schoolers who dreamed of that D1 offer out of high schooll who a decade ago would have gotten that scholarship, will have to take a different path.
The positive is the level of basketball at the NAIA, D2, and D3 level is at an all-time high as better players are being driven to each level. e.g. former D1 high school offers that have evaporated, that great player now goes to D2, and that former D2 player whose spot got taken now may have to start at NAIA or D3.
(Editor’s Note – The Portal also affects the Women’s game of course, but the number of high school D1 offers for women is significantly higher than the men’s game currently)
Iowa Boys Basketball 4A All-State Analysis
On March 15th, SI announced the Iowa All-State and Player of the Year teams for all classes.
Iowa Boys High School Basketball All-State Teams, Player Of Year Revealed – Excellent Article by Iowa Writer Dana Becker
For this portal effect article, we dove into where the young men who made the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd teams are headed next year to play college basketball.
First Team
- Colin Rice, Waukee Northwest, Senior – 4A Player of the year – Nebraska
- Will Gerdes, Cedar Falls, Senior – UNI
- Tevin Schultz, Dubuque Senior, Senior – Division 2
- Landon Davis, Waukee Northwest, Senior – Illinois
Second and Third Team
- T’Angello Bush, Des Moines North – Unknown
- Jaydon Kimbrough, Cedar Falls, – Currently Uncommitted – Decommit from D2 recently
- Tyler Hilton, Linn-Mar, – Currently Uncommitted
- Amario Aguirre, Ankeny, – Division 2 – Sioux Falls
- Evan Jacobson, Waukee, – Texas A&M Football
- Will Thomas, Ames, Senior – Unknown
- Ethan Headings, Iowa City West, – Unknown
- Charlie Crane, Dowling Catholic, Senior – Division 1 – Navy
- Christopher Watkins, Iowa City High – Unknown
- Kyle Smith, Marshalltown, – Unknown
Please note : the following players made the All State teams in 4A but are underclassmen (only Josiah Harrington Iowa State has committed to our knowledge for college) – (2) Charlie King, Des Moines Roosevelt, Junior, (1) Jerimah Washpun, Iowa City Liberty, Junior, (1) Roman Henry, Sioux City West, Freshman, (1) Josiah Harrington, North Scott, Junior, (2) Tillman Papcun, Norwalk, Junior, (3) Michael Gordon, Bettendorf, Junior (3) Pete Craig, Waukee, Sophomore
The Total Power 5 Commits in the State for seniors is 2, Jaidyn Coon is headed to Big East Creighton (3A) so depending how you look at it, let’s say 3 Power 5 D1 Commits this year.
Has the level of High School ball dropped (in our opinion NO), but the Portal has greatly limited the offers and will continue to limit D1 Offers for Iowa Boys as freshmen.
In looking ahead to 2027 it appears that outside of Josiah Harrington 4A Iowa may not produce another D1 Signee. The times as Bob Dylan would say are a changing.
There are Portal Positives for Iowa High School Players
In the good old days, if you were overlooked or a late developer and did not get a Division One offer you went to D2, NAIA, and D3 and stayed there. If you by some miracle got the opportunity to transfer up, you had to sit out a year for transfer rules. So, that great player at D2 becoming a D1 player was rare, but the portal has changed that for those hidden gems (Look no further than Bennett Stirtz and many of his Iowa Teammates this year).
That opportunity to excel at a perceived lower level and then go chase that D1 dream is every day becoming more and more common. For example: take a look at Lucas Lorenzen – Men’s Basketball – Western Illinois University Athletics from Okoboji, IA who starred at NAIA Dordt and this year had a great year at D1 Western Illinois. The stories of players moving their way up is becoming almost an everyday occurrence – UNI Star Tristan Smith moved from NAIA last year and is playing in the NCAA tourney this week.
Junior College Basketball at all the Iowa Colleges (Southeastern, DMACC, Indian Hills, etc.) is becoming a clear path to the next level. JUCO always was a path to the next level but today is even more so (Thanks to Diego Pavia’s court case) as now those years in JUCO do not count against the NCAA years you are eligible.
This SGI Podcast with Cole Dewey from Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa has some great insight on how JUCO has changed because of the portal and court rulings.
Now that move up is not without its challenges and frustrations for the NAIA, D2, and D3 coaches, but they are adjusting to the fact that if they find that hidden gem and help them develop, they may move schools for a better perceived opportunity.
This week the NAIA Sweet Sixteen is being played in Kansas City and Northwestern College is playing there for a chance to reach the Final Four. Graceland, William Penn, and Morningside also made the final 64 teams but did not advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
The reality of this tourney is many college coaches at the D2 and D1 levels will be scouting this NAIA tourney looking for that Lucas Lorensen type player. P.S. We are not advocating players to leave their situations just being real with the new realities of college basketball.
Coaches are adapting and succeeding with the portal changes, I love the comments below from legendary coach John Henry from William Penn on our SGI show earlier this year.
The Level of Great Basketball at NAIA, D2, D3 has never been higher and will keep climbing
For the 20+ Smaller Iowa Colleges (NAIA, D2, and D3) in the state and the Junior Colleges the level of talent and play has never been higher. This creates great opportunities for fans to see great basketball players from Storm Lake (Buena Vista) to Dubuque (Clarke, Loras, U of Dubuque).
Plus, the streaming opportunities on UEN TV (NAIA), D2 and D3 create the opportunity for you to catch those games you can’t make in person on your screen at home.
This year has been a banner year for former Iowa High School players playing at the next level all across the state. The Portal taketh some, but it Giveth all of us some great basketball at the NAIA, D2, and D3 level across the state this year to follow.
Next winter, the opportunity to see great Iowa High School players at an Iowa College or Junior College is going to be better than ever. Get out and catch these great young men and women in 2026-2027.
Thank you for your comments and support.
