AAU Preseason Preview: Kingdom Hoops 16U
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It’s that time of the year again. It’s AAU Season! This time of the year is always an interesting and excited one. It’s the time where we see new faces in new places, new groups joining together, and a whole…
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Continue ReadingIt’s that time of the year again. It’s AAU Season! This time of the year is always an interesting and excited one. It’s the time where we see new faces in new places, new groups joining together, and a whole lot of action as it pertains to high-level basketball throughout the country.
In this article we highlight a program that has been a staple these past few seasons out of Iowa on the AAU travel circuit. They are a group that has solid coaching, unique prospects, and a lot of positivity. This season their teams have a mix of 16U and 17U players competing up on some impressive teams. If you have the chance to step in and watch any of this program’s teams compete over these next few months, do it. They bring a lot of the table and I’m sure they are going to put together a memorable Spring season across the Midwest.
Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!
Schedule –
April 6-7: Spring Tune Up – Ames, Iowa
April 13-14: Heartland Hoops Showcase – Des Moines, Iowa
April 19-21: Windy City Classic – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
May 3-5: Kc Classic – Kansas City, Missouri
May 11-12: Queens Of The Court – Des Moines, Iowa
May 18-19: Battle Of The Best – Des Moines, Iowa
June 1-2: G.O.A.T. – Des Moines, Iowa
June 21-23: North Tartan Summer Jam – Minneapolis, Minnesota
July 12-15: March To The Arch – St. Louis, Missouri
July 19-22: Nike: Tournament Of The Champions – Chicago, Illinois
As a Freshman this past season, Avery Banks Avery Banks 5’5″ | PG Van Meter | 2027 State IA showed some promise on the basketball court and I’m excited to see where she can take that moving forward. Banks is a smaller PG, who holds her own in every aspect of the game. She has a nice handle, solid shooting stroke, and some impressive knowledge of the game when it comes to creating and facilitating. On this team, she is going to be a Guard that can lead by example. She is going to get her moments to shine and if she can seize those moments, she should have a really nice Spring/Summer season while playing up with this 16U team.
Presley Zeutenhorst Presley Zeutenhorst 5’6″ | SG Southeast Polk | 2027 IA is someone to know moving forward throughout the state of Iowa and the 2027 Class. Zeutenhorst is a Guard, that can be moved between the 1, 2, or 3 spot on the floor at the moment. She is good enough to bring up the ball as the point with her handle or she can move to the SG position and knock down some shots at a high rate. She is in a position right now where she could be upset about her playing time this past Varsity season or she can work to become better and I’m happy to say, she is working relentlessly. This is someone that lives in the gym in her off-time and that’s going to pay out big as she gets older. On this Kingdom team she is going to be playing up an age level and that could definitely help her in the long run. She has demonstrated that she has some skill. she just needs to continue to expend her efficiency. If she does that over these next few months, everyone better watch out come the Winter high school season.
Highlights
Mariah Dixon
Mariah Dixon
One of the prospects that this roster holds, that could make strides over the next few seasons is Mariah Dixon of Urbandale High School. Dixon is an extremely fast and savvy PG. She has the ability to score the ball at a high rate from behind the three point line or she can handle and take her defender off of the dribble. Most of time, she has to have the ball in her hands to be dominant but she isn’t afraid to move to the 2 position in attempts to make some things happen. She understands not to force any action or shots but she also is aggressive once she touches the ball, knowing that many opponents can’t stop her off of the dribble because of her mixture of speed and ability.
Reese Devooght
Reese Devooght
Reese Devooght is a prospect that is fundamental, coordinated, balanced in her attack, and smart. This past season for Urbandale High School, Devooght saw the floor at a steady rate. She moved between her team’s 1 and 2 positions, while displaying that she can facilitate at a high rate. Defensively, she was someone that was good for atleast 1 or 2 steals per game throughout a contest. Her active hands and feet made for a tough matchup against any opponent that tried to attack her in the open court. We are starting to see a theme that this team is going to be filled with Guards. Whoever can make their mark within this program, is going to stay on the floor at a consistent pace. They will have 9-10 players of roster. When the time comes, they will have to pick some players to stay on the floor in clutch time and Devooght might be one of those prospects but we will just have to see how things play out moving forward.
Maiah Murphy Maiah Murphy 5'4" | PG GVC | 2026 IA
Maiah Murphy Maiah Murphy 5'4" | PG GVC | 2026 IA
I was unfamiliar with Maiah Murphy Maiah Murphy 5’4″ | PG GVC | 2026 IA ‘s game up until this point and that was mistake. Murphy is a 2026 prospect, that does several positive things for whatever team she is lacing up with. From the looks of it, she is a seasoned veteran in the departments of Scoring and transition buckets. She understands situational basketball to a T and is very skilled in open space with the basketball in her hands. She can produce from all three levels offensively, while being a quick moving Guard. The past two high school seasons for Murphy have been impressive. She has scored in ever which way possible, she has defended at a high rate in both the full and half courts, and she isn’t afraid of contact of physical play. At this point she is checking off a lot of boxes that college recruiters might have. If she can stay locked in these next few months, she is going to thrive within this program.
Adalyn Hauser
Adalyn Hauser
From everything that I have seen up until this point Adalyn Hauser is a multi-sport athlete, that really embodies what it means to be an athlete. She is someone with long strides when she runs, while having a physical demeanor to her play-style. During the high school season, Hauser is within the powerhouse program that is the Johnston Dragons. Which means that she didn’t see any Varsity time as a Freshman but it makes sense as to why. Moving forward if she were to expand her game to be able to handle a little better she might be able to move to the Shooting Guard position but for now I have her down as a 3-Guard with her mixture of athleticism and length.
Keena Ledinsky
Keena Ledinsky
I have a feeling that Keena Ledinsky is going to be the “do-it-all” type Guard for this 16U team this season. Ledinsky is inevitable throughout a contest. She moves really well for her size and position, while displaying active hands that cause a lot of chaos for her opponents. This past season at Roosevelt, she did a solid job of continuously showing up. She isn’t the player that is going to score 20-30 on you during a game but more-so hit you with an even stat line across the board. When taking a deep dive into this roster, Ledinsky may be their “glue”. She seems to bring her teammates together when things get tough and she doesn’t care if she is scoring the ball at a high rate, as long as she is making a difference, she seems happy. It’ll be interesting to see how these prospects mold together. If everyone plays with a chip on their shoulder like Ledinsky does, they are going to be really well off these next few months leading into their next Varsity season this upcoming Winter.
Alivia Brown
Alivia Brown
Alivia Brown śaw the Varsity floor this past few months as a Freshman within her Waukee NW program and I expect her role in that system to only grow bigger, as she gets more experience and becomes older. Brown is a prospect that is very good at making things happen without the ball in her hands. When she catches on the perimeter, she is knowledgeable about when she should cut to the hoop for a layup or when she should step back out and set up her team’s offense. With the players that will be around her on this floor, Brown should move between the 2 and the 3 position, more-so sitting at the 3 spot if I had to guess. This program is going to run a lot of dribble drive or pass-and-cut like sets, so as long as she can continue to recognize a situation that is unfolding in front of her, she is going to do really well with the others on this squad.
Madelyn Roundcount
Madelyn Roundcount
The most interesting prospect on this team while looking toward the future is Madelyn Roundcount of ADM High School. Roundcount has size and some natural ability that is better than most. She is the definition of a beast on defense because of her length combined with her discipline to stay down on shot attempts of pump fakes. Offensively, she has size but seems to sit outside the three point line a good amount, looking for a shot. Don’t get it twisted, she is someone that understands to keep it simple a majority of the time. I just think that she needs to work on her confidence. When she is confident in what she is doing, she is a very good basketball player with a high ceiling. When she questions herself is when she starts to get in trouble but that applies to almost anyone in life, attempting to be successful at anything. Roundcount is going to be one of the taller players on this team so I’m sure they will look at her to score in the paint. If they set her up for success and put her in positions where she can be confident in what she is attempting, she is going to kill it this AAU season from a production stand point.
From an evaluation stand point, Hackley is one of the best passers throughout the State of Iowa, regardless of Class or Age group. She is a shorter player, that understands her role within her team and she is always willing to help out a fellow teammate. Hackley is elite in her knowledge of the game. She understands that she has to do certain things, that others don’t because of her size and she doesn’t let that get to her. I was very confused as to why she didn’t receive a jersey last season on her Varsity roster as she was clearly better then some of the other prospects that were put in front of her but she didn’t let that impact her. She stayed positive and kept on working. With whatever team she is on within this program, she should have some really nice moments. This is a prospect that I would personally recommend to any college coach at the D3 level right now. She makes the most with the chances she see’s the floor and I hope that she continues to keep this positive outlook on things. If she can keep that up, she is going to be in winner in life and that’s all that matters.