With the Cap City League starting on June 16, several Iowa State players have the opportunity to earn prestigious awards and the league’s championship trophy.

Moving into league play, there are numerous players gone from last year and plenty of new faces suiting up in the league from Iowa State, who will contend for those uncontested awards and honors.

Iowa State no longer will have Nick Weiler-Babb, Marial Shayok and Zoran Talley Jr. due to graduation while Talen Horton-Tucker, Lindell Wigginton and Cameron Lard entered the NBA Draft.

Tyrese Haliburton will be missing the league after earning an invite to the USA U20 World Cup tryouts.

In their place, Iowa State will have several transfers and young players filling in to their spots.

Last years award winners

After leading the league in total blocks, assists and shooting percentage, Haliburton won the league MVP award and his team won the championship game. His shooting percentage of 72.4% from the floor was a league record.

The Cap City scoring champ was Horton-Tucker last summer and Drake’s Nick McGlynn was the Defensive MVP after leading the league in rebounds and finishing third overall in blocks. McGlynn isn’t competing in the league this year.

Team Championship contenders

MRG International:

Terrence Lewis – Iowa State

Javan Johnson – Iowa State

Issa Samake – Drake

Connor Gholson – Drake

Reed Mells – ex Truman State (overseas)

Conor Riordan – Simpson

Ryan Schmitt DMACC

Al Campbell Iowa Central

Andrew Gibb St. Edmund Catholic HS

Jeremiah Chandler New Mexico JC

What makes them contenders? Despite not being able to carve out a role for Iowa State last season, Lewis was one of the leagues top scorers last season. Johnson, who stands at six-foot-seven-inches, is an experienced sit-out transfer from Troy who will be able to pair well with the six-foot-six-inch Lewis with both players being able to knock down threes.

Fore the Veterans:

Solomon Young – Iowa State

Zion Griffin – Iowa State

Trenell Murphy – Drake

Samm Jones – Drake

Kourtlin Jackson – Former ISU

Jordan Johnson – Mount Mary

Nate Gerhing – William Penn

Adam Jackson – Hoover HS (unsigned)

Daniel Geistler – St. Cloud

Kenny Quinn – Hoover HS (unsigned)

What makes them contenders? Coming off of an injury which forced him to miss most of the last NCAA season and the Cap City League, Young is an all around big man with the ability to knock down mid range jumpers, score down on the block and be stout defensively. The addition of Griffin is gravy for Fore the Veterans with his athletic ability to score as a secondary scorer to Young.

MVP contenders

Michael Jacobson

Jacobson averaged 11.1 points and 5.9 rebounds last season for Iowa State and is the only Iowa State player in the league to play significant minutes during NCAA play last year. Jacobson’s ability to score from all over the court and rebounding ability will pop on the box score.

Prentiss Nixon

Nixon sat out last season after transferring from Colorado State. In his last season with the Rams he averaged 16.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 steals a game and drew 55 offensive fouls. He also shot 33% from three.

Nixon’s experience and all around ability will be hard to miss on the court.

Defensive MVP contenders

George Conditt IV

Conditt is six-foot-ten-inches tall and will be able to use his height to defend the rim. In his limited playing time last year he averaged two points, 1.7 rebounds, but one block in 26 games played for the Cyclones.

Solomon Young

While Conditt has the height, the six-foot-eight-inch Young has nearly 30 pounds on Conditt and will be a force in the paint and has much more experience.

Scoring champs contenders

Rasir Bolton

Bolton — a transfer from Penn State — averaged 11.9 points, three rebounds and 1.5 assists a game and shot 38.3% from the floor (36.1% from three). Bolton was a three star recruit out of high school and was the second highest scorer on the Nittany Lions despite serving in a bench role.

Terrence Lewis

Using his length and athleticism to score on his opponents, will be Lewis’ greatest tool when scoring the ball in the Cap City League. He was the third highest scorer in the league the previous season and with Horton-Tucker gone, Lewis has the chance to steal the scoring crown.