It’s going to be a challenge for the Ankeny Centennial boys’ basketball team to win a third consecutive conference title.
The Jaguars posted a 14-5 record a year ago and captured the CIML Iowa Conference crown, but all-state guard Jaron Crews and three other starters have graduated.
Ames, which posted a 57-37 victory over Centennial in a Class 4A substate final, will be the heavy favorite to win the league crown. The Little Cyclones return all of their key pieces, led by all-state guard and Iowa State recruit Tamin Lipsey.
Still, Centennial coach Bob Fontana is optimistic about his team’s potential.
“I do think we have a high ceiling,” Fontana said. “We have a lot of options as far as personnel.”
Senior guards Caden Kelling, Chris Louis and Jackson Snyder are the team’s top returnees. They all started a few games last season.
Louis averaged 9.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game while dishing out 23 assists. He shot 39.1 percent from 3-point range (18-of-46).
Louis, who earned all-conference honorable mention, became more of a scoring threat toward the end of last season. He scored a career-high 24 points in a win at Mason City.
Kelling averaged 7.9 points and 2.0 rebounds. He also had 27 steals.
Kelling shot 61.5 percent from the field (40-of-65), including 53.3 percent from behind the arc (8-of-15). He poured in a career-high 18 points in a victory over Marshalltown–16 of them in the second quarter.
Snyder averaged 4.7 points as a junior. He scored his biggest basket of the season in a game at Ames, when he made a layup with 6 seconds left to give the Jaguars a 55-53 victory.
“Our seniors need to step up and lead,” Fontana said. “We had some great leaders the last two seasons off our back-to-back conference championship teams.”
Fontana said several other players are battling for playing time. Senior center Kellen Nielsen, senior guard Ethan King, junior guard Drew Schreurs and junior forwards Evan Bryan, Jack Kerby and Easton Pratt are among those fighting for starting positions.
Four sophomores–center Reece Robinson, forwards Chase Schutty and Nick Vaske, and guard Luke Winkel–are also expected to contribute.
“The practices have been very competitive,” Fontana said. “We have been doing a lot of teaching, introducing and reviewing our base concepts.”
Fontana is trying to build on the program’s past success. The Jaguars have posted a 123-59 record in their eight-year history, giving them the 11th-most wins in Class 4A during that stretch.
“Our guys should be proud to be part of something that has laid the foundation and will continue to build on what has been established in a short time period,” Fontana said. “It isn’t easy to do in the league we are in, playing the teams we do and trying to compete against some of the schools in the area that recruit kids to their programs.”
Centennial defeated Ballard in the Hall of Pride scrimmage on Tuesday, giving Fontana a chance to try some different combinations. The Jaguars will host Southeast Polk in their season opener on Tuesday.
“There are a lot of keys to our growth,” Fontana said. “We have to make the defensive end of the floor and rebounding a priority, along with taking care of the ball. Our schedule is one of the toughest in the state, so we have to understand the importance of taking one day at a time, trusting the process and to strive for continuous improvement.”
