Boys basketball notebook: Conley Schauf becomes go-to guy on, off court for Monticello

CEDAR RAPIDS - It’s one of the spoils of being a coach’s kid.

Conley Schauf’s father, Nick, is the principal at Monticello High School. Before that, he was the head boys basketball coach at Oelwein.

Which meant Conley always has had access to a hoop.

“I’ve been in the gym ever since I was little,” Conley Schauf said. “I would always go to his practices and be shooting all the time. During COVID, I would always find a way to get into the gym, and that’s when I really started working hard in basketball. Always just got tons of shots up all the time.”

The 6-foot-2 senior guard leads Monticello in scoring at 23.7 points a game. A four-year varsity player, he recently went over the 1,000-point mark for his career.

He is playing his best basketball.

“He just keeps getting better,” said Monticello Coach Tim Lambert. “These last couple of years he kind of shared the scoring lead with Carson (Lambert), but he has taken a massive step this year. I could see it coming. Last summer at team camps, he was really good.

“He has always been a scorer, and he might be the best shooter I have ever coached. He is an incredible shooter. Now his complete game has (emerged). He had 38 points against Northeast (Goose Lake) the other night. He’s rebounding, has had to play the point some for us. He is just really, really playing well right now.”

Conley is one of three senior starters for Monticello, which takes a 7-2 record into its game Friday against Maquoketa. Lincoln Schneiter and Alex Jamison are the others.

The rest of the guys who play on a nightly basis are freshmen or sophomores. It’s a unique mix.

“I think my game keeps getting better,” Schauf said. “I have a bigger role on this team this year, especially with leadership. I’m just trying to lead these young guys to make sure that we are a team, as much of a team as possible. Bonding with them on and off the court, just overall trying to bring us closer together so we can make another state run like my freshman year.”

Monticello qualified for the Class 2A portion of the state tournament in 2023. Schauf averaged five points per game for that team, fitting in well with a group that had Tate Petersen and Preston Ries, two of the best player the school ever has had.

Things have progressed to the point Schauf is having the season he is having and will play college basketball somewhere. He has become a go-to guy on and off the court.

“Was just trying to get the young guys up to speed early in the season,” he said. “We had a few hiccups there before break, but us three seniors are just trying to teach them the ropes and get them going, especially for the second half of the season. It’s been going well.”

Around the hoop

– It really was an incredible streak when you think about it.

Class 1A No. 7 Bellevue Marquette beat North Linn, 76-53, Tuesday night. That broke North Linn’s streak of 134 consecutive wins at home.

The Lynx hadn’t lost in their own gym since Dec. 15, 2014 to Elkader Central. That’s just over 12 years.

In a rebuilding season, considering it graduated nearly 70 points per game, North Linn still has an 8-4 record. And that’s with no seniors on the roster.

– Cascade’s Mick Hoffman recently went over the 1,000-point mark for his career. The senior guard is averaging 27.1 points per game this season for the Cougars, which ranks seventh in the state.

– Turkey Valley and Crestwood played an Upper Iowa Conference game Saturday on a neutral court. A really nice neutral court.

The teams played at Target Center in Minneapolis. Crestwood won 77-38.

The Cadets are 10-2 overall and unbeaten in conference play.

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