Iowa Western loaded again
Jim Morris knows a little something about sending players on to the Division One level. Last year, Morris' Iowa Western Community College program saw seven players go DI.
"The [schools] that were in here last year are all in here this year,” Morris said. “They know you're going to have some players and they make this a regular stop. I had 24 schools that came in during the early period. Some of them were just coming in just to take a look and see what we have.”
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What Morris has is a team with seven sophomores. He said every one of them could be a Division I player next year. We got a quick rundown on a handful of the sophomores that have helped Iowa Western to a 4-and-0 start in which the team has averaged nearly 100 points a game.
Quentin Gonzalez: A 6-foot-7 forward from Galveston, Texas, Gonzalez transferred to Iowa Western after averaging eight points and five boards as a freshman for West Arkansas Community College.
“Quentin has very good skills. He can handle it and can shoot it,” Morris said. “He is not going to sign early. He won't visit anywhere and we'll wait and see what happens at the end. Quentin is probably our most heavily recruited player.”
Morris said about 15 schools have been in to see Gonzalez. He listed Loyola-Chicago, Utah State, Charlotte, Southern Miss, Purdue and Nebraska as the teams showing a lot of interest.
Matt O'Connor: O'Connor is a native of Council Bluffs. At 6-foot-9, he's a little bit of an oddity in that he's a perimeter player.
“He's a 6-9 kid that can really shoot it and handle it,” Morris said. “He's not a block player.”
O'Connor was one of Iowa Western's top three-point shooters as a freshman for a 25-and-8 team. He has gotten interest from Rice and some Ivy League schools, in addition to an early offer from Birmingham Southern.
Jazz Ross: Ross is a 6-foot-5 swingman who has improved his strength and his outside shot since a solid freshman campaign.
“Jazz is one of those players that just helps you win,” Morris said. “He has a high level of competitiveness and loves to win games. He will g et on the floor after a loose ball or dish out an assist to another player, whatever it takes to win the game.”
Ross just returned from a visit to Southern University. He is also getting looks from Southeast Missouri, Creighton, Pan American and Western Kentucky.
Kyle Prochaska: Prochaska, a 6-foot-6 forward, doesn't yet have the name recognition of the other players. However, Morris thinks it will come.
“He's just a blue collar kid, not real flashy, but he can really play,” Morris said. “Everybody that came in really liked him...He's not real flashy, but he's a kid who wins you games.”
Prochaska led the conference in rebounding as a freshman and posted a double-double with 13 points and 13 boards in Western's most recent win. Loyola-Chicago and Cal-State Fullerton are among the schools showing the most interest.
Larry Sheppard: A stocky point guard at 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, Sheppard is the floor general for Morris' team.
“He really handles it well,” Morris said. “He's real strong, a real physical kid. Not many people have been in to see him yet.”
Morris said that may have something to do with people not knowing where Sheppard is at. He transferred in from Kilgore College where he averaged seven points, five assists and two steals as a freshman.
JucoJunction.com will continue to keep in touch with Coach Morris and follow the progress of all the prospects at Iowa Western.