Kirkpatrick picks up league MVP
T-R FILE PHOTO - Grundy Center junior forward Jalen Kirkpatrick (23) goes up to defend against a shot by East Marshall’s Leland Hamilton-Youngbird (54) during their NICL West Division matchup Jan. 23 in Le Grand. Kirkpatrick has been named the NICL West’s Most Outstanding Player.
The North Iowa Cedar League’s West Division thrives on Highway 175, and it looks to stay that way for the forseeable future.
Grundy Center junior swingman Jalen Kirkpatrick was named the NICL West’s Outstanding Player and Brent Thoren was voted Coach of the Year in leading the Spartan boys’ basketball team to an unbeaten conference title and eventually the program’s first state tournament appearance since 2003.
Kirkpatrick is one of five juniors named to this season’s all-NICL West Division first team, including two Spartans and two from conference runner-up Gladbrook-Reinbeck.
Kirkpatrick and Tiernan Vokes both received all-conference first-team honors for the second year in a row, while G-R juniors Michael Boyd and Drew Eilers were first-team selections for the first time in their careers.
All four were unanimous selections, the second such honor for Kirkpatrick, who was an all-conference second-teamer as a freshman. He’s Grundy Center’s first conference MVP since Trevor Hook in 2010.
Kirkpatrick, a 6-foot-6 guard/forward, averaged 16.9 points per conference contest to rank second in the NICL West, and his 6.7 rebounds per game were good for fourth in the league. He shot 56.6 percent from the field and a league-leading 45.9 percent from 3-point range.
Vokes, a 6-3 swingman, averaged 9.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. His 4.1 assists per contests rank him third in the West.
Boyd garnered his first all-conference honor of any kind after averaging 14.9 points and 6.5 rebounds in league play. He added 3.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.1 blocks per game as well in helping the Rebels return to state for the second year in a row.
Eilers, a second-team pick as a sophomore, earned his promotion to the first team after averaging 13.4 points and a league-leading 9.4 rebounds per game. He shot a conference-high 65.8 percent from the field in NICL West contests.
East Marshall senior Landen Neuroth also was promoted from second-team honors to a first-team selection this season. Neuroth averaged 9.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in NICL West play, adding 3.6 assists per game for the Mustangs.
Grundy Center had three more second-team selections in seniors Tate Jirovsky and Colin Gordin and junior Brayden Wallis. Jirovsky averaged 9.6 points and 6.0 boards per game and earned his second consecutive second-team honor. Gordon got 10 points per game and his first all-conference honor of any kind, while Wallis moved up from the honorable mention squad after leading the league in assists per game (5.1). He put up 7.3 points and 3.3 boards in league play.
Gladbrook-Reinbeck senior point guard Isaac Clark earned second-team selection after twice gaining honorable mention. Clark averaged 8.9 points and 4.6 assists in leading the Rebels.
East Marshall senior Alex Jacobson got his first all-conference honor with his second-team selection. He averaged 8.8 points and 1.5 steals per game.
Honorable mention selection went to Grundy Center sophomore guard Judd Jirovsky, Gladbrook-Reinbeck sophomore guard Hudson Clark, and East Marshall sophomore guard Jackson Bidwell.
NICL West Division All-Conference Boys Basketball Teams
Outstanding Player — Jalen Kirkpatrick, jr., Grundy Center
Coach of the Year — Brent Thoren, Grundy Center
(* — denotes unanimous selection)
FIRST TEAM
*Jalen Kirkpatrick, jr., G/F, Grundy Center
*Tiernan Vokes, jr., G/F, Grundy Center
*Michael Boyd, jr., F, Glad-Rein
*Drew Eilers, jr., F, Glad-Rein
*Lane Luiken, sr., G/F, South Hardin
Traven Wheeler, jr., F/C, South Hardin
Landen Neuroth, sr., F, East Marshall
SECOND TEAM
Tate Jirovsky, sr., F, Grundy Center
Gabe Nederhoff, sr., F, AGWSR
Colin Gordon, sr., G, Grundy Center
Brayden Wallis, jr., G, Grundy Center
Isaac Clark, sr., G, Glad-Rein
Jaxson Drury, jr., F/C, South Hardin
Alex Jacobson, sr., G, East Marshall
HONORABLE MENTION
Jackson Bidwell, so., G, East Marshall
Hudson Clark, so., G, Glad-Rein
Jake Balvanz, so., G, South Hardin
Talan Mutschler, sr., G, AGWSR
Judd Jirovsky, so., G, Grundy Center
Final Conference Standings
Grundy Center 8-0
Gladbrook-Reinbeck 5-3
South Hardin 5-3
East Marshall 2-6
AGWSR 0-8
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- T-R FILE PHOTO – Grundy Center junior forward Jalen Kirkpatrick (23) goes up to defend against a shot by East Marshall’s Leland Hamilton-Youngbird (54) during their NICL West Division matchup Jan. 23 in Le Grand. Kirkpatrick has been named the NICL West’s Most Outstanding Player.
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