Stark repeats as coach, Weaton easy choice as captain

Since the change from the All-Golden Triangle News Service to the All-Union, selecting a team from the coverage area by the sports staff has been fairly easy when it comes to the large school boys basketball team.

The reason for that is Washington has won back-to-back Southeast Conference championships. The second year of the All-Union teams is the second year Washington coach Collin Stark is the All-Union coach.

Washington did not have the captain of the team last year, nor this season. Mt. Pleasant senior Clayton Lowery's role as captain last year goes to a Class 3A All-State Third Team selection playing for Fairfield in just his sophomore season, Max Weaton.

Weaton is one of two sophomores on the 2020-21 All-Union squad. Two juniors are also represented on the team, along with two sophomores.

Coach

Collin Stark, Washington

The previous year saw Washington rise to the top of the league for the first time in 13 years, making it through the league with a single loss by two points on the road. Now the Demons have a run going with consecutive titles, although this season was a co-championship as Burlington and the Demons each had three league losses.

Stark had a personal achievement with a win over Clear Creek-Amana, which had been ranked at times in Class 3A during the 2020-21 season.

'In my tenure, I think this is our biggest win,” Stark said of the win over the Clippers. The previous biggest win was the 2019-20 SEC regular season finale against Keokuk. Both teams had a chance at the title and the game went overtime before the Demons prevailed. Stark said it was the most memorable moment of his coaching career with the victory and the environment was the best 'since I've been at Washington.” The Demons were 14-7 last year, 15-7 this season. Stark has a 51-54 record for the Demons in five years and has a 59-71 overall record,

Captain

Max Weaton, sophomore, Fairfield

The 2021 All-Union big school boys basketball captain is the man in the middle for the Fairfield Trojans. Just a sophomore, Max Weaton was a huge problem inside for opposing defenses as the clear go-to guy for a sophomore-led Trojan team.

Wheaton scored 19.6 points per game this year, which was sixth in Class 3A. He also pulled down 9.2 rebounds per game, fifth best in the class.

Wheaton was the only underclassmen in the Top-6 in Class 3A points, and the only underclassmen in the Top-5 in rebounds. Only he and Clear Lake senior Andrew Formanek finished Top-6 in both categories.

Weaton dished out more assists than anyone above him on the Class 3A rebounding leader boards, giving out 2.4 helpers per game. He was also a menace on defense, going for one steal a game and 0.7 blocks per game.

Weaton is just one piece of a young but talented Fairfield core, which will be a forced to be reckoned with when the 2021-22 season opens up this winter.

Ethan Patterson, sophomore, Washington

Patterson was first in Class 3A in free throw percentage at 89.7, making 61-of-68. He was 13th in the state regardless of class, but fourth of those with a minimum of 50 made free throws.

Nobody in the conference attempted or made more 3-pointers than Patterson, who was second behind Weaton in total points. He was fifth in the SEC in both attempted field goals and made field goals (112-for-239).

Patterson was ninth in Class 3A in successful 3-pointers and only two players who made more treys had less attempts. He tied Keota's Luke Hammen for 31st in the state with 61 successful 3-pointers and was 60th in number of attempts at 151.

Last year as a freshman, Patterson shot 45 percent from the field, 36 percent on threes and 74 percent at the foul line in averaging 10.1 points. This year, his percentages were at 47 on field goals (11th in the SEC) and 40.4 on threes (third) for his average of 15.7 points a game (fourth). He also averaged about three assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals.

Trashaun Willis, senior, Washington

An absolute athlete at his core, Willis has played varsity all four years. After he was named Class 3A All-State captain for football his senior year, Willis averaged 10.4 points a game (10th in SEC), 7.0 rebounds (fourth), 1.7 assists (22nd), 1.2 steals (15th) and 1.8 blocks (first).

He played in 12 games as a freshman and averaged 3.2 rebounds, a block and 4.7 points a game. He led the Demons with an average of 5.6 rebounds when he started 17 games as a sophomore. He also had averages of 8.8 points, an assist and a steal per game after being a third team all-state linebacker during football season. After football ended with honors as a second team all-state linebacker as a junior, Willis started 15 basketball games with averages of 9.3 points (14th in SEC), 5.3 rebounds (fifth), 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals and a block a game (third).

Willis knew when he had to turn it on. In a crucial road game at Burlington, Willis had gathered 10 rebounds and had season highs of 20 points, five blocks and seven assists. In the overtime win against Keokuk last season, he had a career-high 22 points. He had 15 points and 13 rebounds in his final game. He finished his career with 399 rebounds, 628 points and 75 blocked shots.

Dunks are not recorded but Willis would have led that category if a stuff was an official statistic.

Dewon Trent, junior, Mt. Pleasant

The Mt. Pleasant boys basketball team needed a player to step up and be the main scorer this year and Trent, a junior post, stepped up in a big way.

Trent led the Panthers in scoring with 15.8 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game in his first year as a starter. He was one of the most efficient scorers in Southeast Iowa, shooting 52.1 percent on the season.

Trent had a great year on the defensive end as well. He led the Panthers with 1.4 steals per game, and helped protect the rim with 0.6 blocks per game.

Trent will be one of the leading returnings in the SEC next season as he becomes a senior leader for a Panther squad that looks to continue to battle in a competitive SEC field.

Brevin Wilson, senior, Mt. Pleasant

There was a lot of pressure on the shoulders of senior forward Brevin Wilson, who was the lone returner from the Panthers' starting lineup last year. He responded to the pressure by becoming one of the most complete players in the Panthers' lineup.

Wilson finished second on the team with 10.2 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game. He was second in assists, with 2.1 helpers per game. He was third in steals, with 1.1 take-aways per game, and he blocked 1.2 shots per game, more than anyone else in a Panther uniform.

Wilson was just one member of a senior class who helped the Pantehrs finish the year above .500 in both 2019-20 and 2020-21. In both years, Mt. Pleasant scored upset wins in the district quarterfinals and ended their seasons with nail-biter losses in the district semis.

Lance Sobaski, junior, Washington

Sobaski wasn't a starter at the beginning of the season, but hard work from the Southeast Conference cross-country champion put him and his rebounding skills on the floor quickly. Especially after a 15-rebound performance against Fairfield in December, Sobaski became a force on the boards, averaging 6.8 rebounds a game, fifth in the conference.

Sobaski collected 85 defensive rebounds for a total of 143, good for seventh in the SEC.

Sobaski was the No. 3 offensive rebounder in the league. Of his 15 total against Fairfield, eight were off the offensive glass. Getting 58 offensive boards, an average of almost three a game, put him in good position to score.

Sobaski shot 60.3 percent, which was third best in the conference. His average of 7.9 points a game was 18th.

Sobaski hit his career high in points, dropping in 7-of-9 field goals and two free throws for a total of 16 at Burlington to help fuel a critical win. He bettered that with another 7-for-9 performance with three free throws and 17 points against Williamsburg. His value was evident when an injury caused him to miss the final game of the season.