All season, the Panthers have relied on a trio of starters to lead the team, and now the three have all been named to the Hawkeye 10 All-Conference teams.
First team
Earning first team honors is senior Cael Turner. Turner was only one vote away from a first-team spot last season, but clinched it after a successful senior year.
“Cael Turner is such a great individual and someone who I believe has grown so much throughout his career in this program,” Creston coach Bryce Schafer said. “He took on a lot of leadership this past season and really helped a lot of guys mature throughout the year. He will be the first to tell you that he made a lot of relationships that he wouldn’t have had he not been with this group this year and we would have never been the team we were without him.”
Turner led the Panthers in scoring with 322 points. He averaged 14 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Against conference opponents, he averaged nearly 16 points per game.
Turner has committed to continue his football career at Northwest Missouri State University.
Second team
Junior Jake Hoyt was electric this season for the Panthers, consistently putting up points and rebounds. His efforts this year earned him a spot on second team all-conference.
“Jake Hoyt is questionably the most improved player on this roster,” Schafer said. “He went from eight points per game to nearly 15. Had it not been for a few games, I think that number could have been greater.”
Hoyt led the team in rebounds with 146, averaging seven per game. He scored 308 points, the second highest on the team, even after missing a game early on.
“I was really impressed with the way he opened up toward the back end of the season and communicated things with teammates, coaches and myself,” Schafer said. “His knowledge of the game was great to have, and I am so happy to have him back on the roster next year to anchor what will be a young group.”
Honorable Mention
After a season spent at Des Moines-Lincoln, the Panthers were happy to have senior Tony Davidson back in their lineup.
He was named to honorable mention after his performance this season.
“Tony Davidson really gave us great athleticism, physicality on the offensive end, dynamic defensive switching ability and a lot of positive energy throughout the year,” Schafer said. “I really thought he could be a second team kind of guy, and had it not been for a few games I really thought he could have been a 15-16 point per game guy.”
Davidson finished the season with 292 points and 102 rebounds, his points average just over 13 per game.
The team’s most consistent shooter, Davidson made 67% from the field.
“With coming back to Creston he could have easily been aloof to what we were doing but he bought in and did a great job of developing his game around the principles of what we were trying to do as a program, which isn’t easy,” Schafer said. “I really appreciated everything he gave to our team this year.”
The Panthers season ended Feb. 22 in postseason action against Bondurant-Farrar.
The team graduates five seniors, but will bring back a host of juniors with varsity experience.