What to Watch for in the YMCA Capital City League

Donovan Jackson celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer late in overtime at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas. Iowa State beat Kansas 92-89 in overtime, the Cyclones’ first win in Lawrence since 2005.

Connor Ferguson

The weather is starting to warm up in central Iowa, which means it’s almost time for YMCA Capital City League (YCCL) basketball.

The draft will take place this Friday, where six teams will select their allotted two Iowa State players, along with a pair of Drake athletes. The rest is filled with small college and local high school talent.

With that being said, here are some storylines to look for during the summer.

Highly Touted Lindell Wigginton makes his debut

Standing at 6’1” 165 pounds, a five-star recruit out of Nova Scotia, Canada, for the first time live in front of Cyclone fans: Lindell Wigginton.

Wigginton, rated a five-star recruit by rivals.com, will be the first top-tier prospect the Cyclones have had since Craig Brackins played in Ames from 2008-2010.

The soon-to-be freshman played his high school ball at Oak Hill Academy – a prep school in Virginia that has turned into a basketball powerhouse.

Wigginton averaged 20.1 points per game, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists during his senior year.

Busy offseason comes to life

It was a busy offseason for the Iowa State men’s basketball coaching staff. The Cyclones were coming into the summer with just seven players left on their roster, after a seven-player senior class that departed in March.

This offseason, coach Steve Prohm and company have added graduate transfers Jeff Beverly and Hans Brase, and sit-out transfers Michael Jacobson and Marial Shayok. Except for Brase, all of the incoming transfers will be playing in the league.

Beverly is coming from Texas-San Antonio where he averaged 15.8 points per game and only failed to reach double figures five times last season.

Shayok, on the other hand, only grabbed 8.9 points per game, but he did it on a Virginia team that averaged 55 points and was centered around defense.

As for Jacobson, he is probably the Cyclone most connected to Central Iowa and the YCCL. Jacobson, who comes to Iowa State from Nebraska, hails from Waukee, Iowa.

Who gets drafted first?

This Friday marks draft day for the league where six coaches will pick their players for the upcoming season.

The draft is split up into three parts: small school/high school players, Drake players and Iowa State players.

In the past, the number one pick in the Iowa State grouping was an easy pick to predict.

Last year, big-time dunker Deonte Burton took the top spot. The year before, and even the year before that, it was fan-favorite Georges Niang.

This year, it is a bit harder to figure out.

That first pick could be Donovan Jackson, who shot 58.5% from the three-point line in the final two months of the season for the Cyclones.

Or they could go for a plus-minus superstar in Solomon Young. While Young doesn’t light up the scoreboard, he makes his presence felt on the floor.

Maybe they pick the high-scoring, former football player graduate transfer in Jeff Beverly.

Or it could go to one of the other guys.

The other guys

You’ve got your freshman, your grad-transfers, your vets, and the other guys.

The incoming freshman who haven’t been mentioned yet are both ranked in top 150 players of their class.

Terrence Lewis and Cameron Lard are ranked 112th and 143rd nationally respectively by Rivals.com. Lard, who was a member of the 2016 recruiting class for Iowa State, should be good to go after arriving on campus during the middle of the 2016-17 season.

Not to mention Nick Weiler-Babb, who debuted last season for the Cyclones, following in his brother’s foot-steps in Ames.

All of this kicks off this Friday evening with the YCCL draft.