Badgers get wake up call

Well all the Badger hype has been calmed, after Wisconsin's embarrassing lost by Duke. Duke was far more athletic and used their pressure defense to force Wisconsin to turn the ball over and settle for the three point shot which wasn't falling for the Badgers.

Trevon Hughes has come down to earth as he struggled to find his shot and turned the ball over. Marcus Landry and Jason Bahannon were basically non existent. Stiemsma was unable to effectively rebound or block shots.

The couple players that really looked good were Brian Butch and Michael Flowers. Both players were very pumped for this game and really gave it their all. Butch was the only Badger scoring the first half as he had ten points all from the inside and had a nice dunk. In the second half Butch was saddled with foul trouble and didn't play much. Flowers didn't score a ton but, did a pretty good job of handling the pressure of Duke and was one of the few Badgers crashing the glass. Flowers is also gonna be that high energy guy that does alittle of everything. Another high energy guy is Joe Krabbenhoft who was his usually self, pounding the glass and scoring when the opportunity arose and that wasn't much. Jon Leuer had a pretty good game hitting a three, finishing with a dunk, and hitting some mid range jumpers, most of which came in the second half.

Overall the Badgers really played bad this game, most of the positives that i mentioned occurred in the second half when Duke had pretty much let up the intensity. This game just gave the Badger fans and players the realization that they are not a top tier yet in the country and have a long way to go. Hopefully they can make some improvements by the time the Marquette game comes around.

First Round of Player Rankings

Today I bring you the first round of my player rankings. Once again I will only be ranking the players that I have seen play. I will rank players as a whole and then break them down into classes. Since I have only seen one weekend of play there will be a lot of guys ranked initially that probably shouldn't be ranked but, since I haven't seen many guys they will be there. I have to start somewhere. If I've already talked about the player in over all rankings I will not be making any comments about the player in the class rankings.


Player Rankings
1. Marquis Mason 6'5 forward sophomore Madison East-As I said yesterday this kid can do it all and was the most impressive player of the weekend. He can jump out of the gym, can post up, shoot the jumper out to the three point line and is typically stronger then the guy defending him.
2. Cashton Craig 6'1 guard senior Madison Lafollette- When Craig is hot from the outside he's unstoppable. Handles the ball very well and can get his shot off at any time. Moves very well without the ball whether that be coming off of a screen or cutting to the hoop.
3. Lucas Burns 6'6 forward senior Janesville Craig- I've said it many times one of the smoothest players I've seen. Can shoot the three or go inside and score using a variety of moves.
4. Johnnie Lacy 5'11 guard junior Milwaukee Bay View- Has a very very good shot from the outside that he can take off the dribble or spotting up. Has the ability to get inside at any time and finish with a layup or a pass to an open teammate.
5. Jimmy Whitehead 6'1 guard junior Lacrosse Aquinas- Handles the ball very well and does a great job of handling pressure. Best part of his game is the ability to stop on a dime and pull up for the midrange jumper, can also get to the hoop and finish strong.
6. Derek Braucht 6'6 forward junior Madison Edgewood- Very good shooter. At 6'6 and a high release can get his shot off at anytime. A very unselfish player that can penetrate and find an open teammate or just as easily score himself.
7. Charles Lee 5'7 guard freshmen Milwaukee Bay View- The ultimate point guard. Can get by anyone and get into the lane and is always looking to set his teammates up for the layup. If anyone besides Lacy scores on the team it is because of Lee.
8. Jojo Pregont 6'6 center junior Janesville Craig- Very strong player on the inside. Really takes the ball strong to the hoop and does a great job of rebounding on the defensive and offensive ends.
9. Lucas Morrissey 6'3 forward senior Lacrosse Aquinas- Really is a guard but, does a good job of rebounding and playing like a big man. Has the ability to step out and hit the three and help bring the ball up the court if needed.
10. Corvonn Gaines 6'5 forward senior Madison West- Runs the floor very well and can knock down the open three pointer if given the shot.
11. Mike Hanson 6'6 forward junior Lacrosse Aquinas- Very soft touch for a big man. Has the ability to shoot the three and go inside and score also.
12. Keegan Meier 6'3 forward junior Eau Claire Memorial- Kid that is a very good shooter that when hot can hit from anywhere on the court and be able to drive to the hoop and finish.
13. Casey Balczewski 6'4 forward senior Madion Edgewood- Floor general on the court that always gives 110% and is not afraid to go inside and bang with bigger players.
14. Michael Collins 6'3 guard senior Madison West- Real good shooter from three point range and is strong enough to get inside and finish or get fouled.
15. Deon Johnson 6'4 guard senior Madison West- Another kid that can jump outta the gym and really pounds the glass.
HM
Zach Rickaway 6'3 forward senior Lacrosse Aquinas
Collin Cooper 6'3 forward senior Eau Claire Memorial
Michael Horton 6'2 guard senior Madison West
Kyle Goike 6'3 forward junior Janesville Craig

Senior Rankings
1. Cashton Craig 6'1 guard Madison Lafollette
2. Lucas Burns 6'6 forward Janesville Craig
3. Lucas Morrissey 6'3 forward Lacrosse Aquinas
4. Corvonn Gaines 6'5 forward Madison West
5. Casey Balczewski 6'4 forward Madison Lafollette
6. Michael Collins 6'3 guard Madison West
7. Deon Johnson 6'4 guard Madison West
8. Zach Rickaway 6'3 forward Lacrosse Aquinas- Helps bring the ball up, can shoot the three, gets assists, and pounds the the glass on both ends.
9. Collin Cooper 6'3 forward Eau Claire Memorial- High energy player that always gives his all has a very good running floater.
10. Michael Horton 6'2 guard Madison West- Handles the ball very well and can hit the three point shot when left open.

Junior Rankings
1. Johnnie Lacy 5'11 guard Milwaukee Bay View
2. Jimmy Whitehead 6'1 guard Lacrosse Aquinas
3. Derek Braucht 6'6 forward Madison Edgewood
4. Jojo Pregont 6'6 center Janesville Craig
5. Mike Hanson 6'6 forward Lacrosse Aquinas
6. Keegan Meier 6'3 forward Eau Claire Memorial
7. Kyle Goike 6'3 forward Janesville Craig- Big kid who can play inside or step outside and shoot the three, and plays some pretty good defense.
8. Joey Kennedy 5'11 guard Janesville Craig- Does a pretty good job of running the point and can shoot the three pointers when open.
9. Stephan Thompson 6'3 forward Milwaukee Bay View- Kid that really likes to go inside and bang with the bigger guys.
10. Antoine Howard 6'3 forward Milwaukee Bay View- High energy player, that can play D, and crashes the boards.

Sophomore Rankings
1. Marquis Mason 6'5 forward Madison East
2. Jon Dybevik 6'0 guard Madison Lafollette- Handles the ball really well against the pressure and has the ability to go inside and finish strong.
3. Robery Littleton 6'1 guard Milwaukee Bay View- Athletic player that really likes to run the court, also is willing to crash the boards.
4. Demetrius Turner 6'4 forward Milwaukee Bay View- Another athletic player that likes to run the court and does a good job of battling in the post.
5. Jeff Hull 6'3 forward Madison East- Big strong post player that scores well with his back to the basket.

Freshmen Rankings
1. Charles Lee 5'7 guard Milwaukee Bay View
2. Samar Powell 5'6 guard Milwaukee Bay View- Little guy with a nice outside shot and not afraid to go inside and mix it up.
3. Darnell Harris 6'6 forward Milwaukee Bay View- Big athletic guy that can jump outta the gym.
4. Elgin Cook 6'3 forward Milwaukee Bay View- Another athletic kid that likes to get out and run and will go inside and battle for rebounds.

First week of Rankings

My personal rankings will only consists of teams that I have actually seen play in person. This is because I just feel that it is unfair to rank teams that I have never seen play. So far the Big Eight shootout is the only play I have seen so I will only be ranking the eight teams that I saw play this weekend. Throughout the year I will have a ranking of all teams and then having a break down into each division.

Rankings
1. Janesville Craig- Will have the height advantage over most teams they play, combined with their 2-3 zone they will be tough for anyone to beat. Offensively Lucas Burns is one of the smoothest shooters around and Jojo Pregont is a force inside.
2. Madison Lafollette- Team that really likes to push the ball for an easy layup or spot up for the open three point shot. If they have an off shooting night they may struggle and against bigger teams they will struggle for sure. They do have one of the best shooters in the state in Cashton Craig, who can get his shot off at anytime.
3. Milwaukee Bay View- A very young team that likes to run. They will pressure many teams into turning the ball over, which will relate into easy buckets on the offensive end. Will rely heavily on star Johnnie Lacy in the half court set and the penetration of freshmen Charles Lee.
4. Lacrosse Aquinas- One of the most disciplined and well coached teams out there. Have the ability to run'n'gun or slow the tempo in a half court set. Lucas Morrissey holds the team together by doing all the little things and junior Jimmy Whitehead is a star in the making.
5. Madison Edgewood- Very similar to Aquinas in that they are very disciplined and very well coached. They have a true star in Derek Braucht and everyone else knows their roll on the team and don't try to do too much. Height may be a concern but, as always Edgewood will put forth a 110% effort into rebounding.
6. Madison East- Marquis Mason may be the most athletic player in the state but, as of right now he's a one man team. Unless Mason can score 50 a game East will probably remain around a 500 team.
7. Madison West- A very athletic team that lacks discipline and will struggle against teams that are patient, particularly on the defensive end. They will win games based on their athleticism alone but, in the long run they will find themselves towards the bottom of the Big Eight conference.
8. Eau Claire Memorial- Lack the athletic ability to compete with teams from bigger conferences but, should be alright in the Big Rivers conference. As of right now they really lack a go to player that is willing to put the scoring load on their shoulders and have the ability to do so.

My player rankings will be coming within the next few days. As always anyone out there that would like to comment on my thoughts or anything else feel free to comment or send me an email.

Big Eight Shootout Day 2

Well the second day of the Big Eight Shootout was even better then the first day, at least for me. I was able to watch three of the four boys games that were played and two of the three games were very exciting close games and the third game I witnessed one of the best performances I have ever seen by a single player.

Madison East 60 Eau Claire Memorial 43
East jumped to an early lead and never looked back as this game was never really in question. There was one single reason for the outcome of this game, Marquis Mason. As I had predicted Memorial had no one that could guard Mason but, I never expected him to do what he did. Mason went off to score 37 of his teams 60 points and did it in many different ways, scoring on dunks, with his back to the basket, from the free throw line, pulling up for 15 footers, and even went 3 for 4 from the three point line. The game was highlighted by a trio of dunks from Mason, a power two handed dunk on the break, a drop step dunk in traffic, and finalized with a reverse dunk on the break.

Madison East will probably not have as easy a time as they did today the majority of the Big Eight season. Mason is the only really true scoring threat and if a team can focus on him and slow him down (I don't think he can be completely stopped) East will probably get blown out. I still see East as a 500 team being able to beat the lower teams in the conference but, not being able to hang with the top guys.

EC Memorial will also probably be a middle of the pack team in the Big Rivers conference. The won't see a lot of guys like Mason in conference but, will probably struggle against Eau Claire North and Rice Lake who have some pretty good big men.

Top Scorers
Madison East- Marquis Mason 37 Devin Murray 6 Al Mayne 5
Eau Claire Memorial- Keegan Meier 18 Collin Cooper 15 Andrew Kasmarek 4

Lacrosse Aquinas 86 Madison West 77
West caught Aquinas off guard with the uptempo style play and took the early lead. In the second quarter was able to match the Regents fast break style and take the lead and by the time the game ended it was the Blugolds who ran the athletic West team out of the gym. Not a big surprised that Aquinas was able to run because that is all they did last year but, this years team only returns two of those players from that team. This was a coming out party for Aquinas point guard Jimmy Whitehead who coming into this game was pretty much unheard of and had not played a varsity game. Whitehead finished with 26 points and did a great job of breaking West's press and running the Aquinas offense.

Aquinas will once again be a state champion threat in Division three. They have a very solid top six players that are as good as anyone in division three and should be in the top three in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

West is one of the most undisciplined team I've seen in awhile. They have a lot of athletes but, just take a lot of bad shots and do way too much one on one play. Will once again probably find themselves in the bottom third of the Big Eight.

Top Scorers
Lacrosse Aquinas- Jimmy Whitehead 26 Zach Rickaway 15 Mike Hanson 14 Lucas Morrissey 13
Madison West- Michael Collins 29 Corvonn Gaine 17 Deon Johnson 14 Michael Horton 11

Janesville Craig 63 Madison Edgewood 52
This game was won by Craig simply because they were the bigger team. Craig was bigger at every position and sat back in a zone the entire game. Craig's height and zone kept Edgewood from being able to get inside, forcing Edgewood to really have to earn every bucket that they scored. On the offensive end Craig was able to get second and third chances which allowed for a lot of easy layups. As every Edgewood team though they played their hearts out the entire game and kept the game close until half way through the fourth quarter when Edgewood just ran out of energy.

With Craig's height and zone they should be able to beat anyone in the conference and the state but, they will probably run into a team that will be hot from the outside and loose a game or two in conference. Craig is easily the pick of the Big Eight and should be looking at a trip to state.

Edgewood is a very good team that plays very very hard. As usual they do lack height which will give them trouble at times but, they should be able to combat that with high energy play and good teamwork. Edgewood will once again battle with Verona and Monroe for the Badger South title.

Top Scorers
Janesville Craig- Lucas Burns 24 Jojo Pregont 17 Joey Kennedy 10
Madison Edgewood- Derek Braucht 17 Garrie Fox 9 Casey Balczewski 8

Top Players from Day 2
Marquis Mason 6'5 sophomore forward Madison East- Said it all earlier, really is an amazing player and has really improved his outside game. Improves his right hand he may be impossible to stop.
Keegan Meier 6'3 junior forward Eau Claire Memorial- Very good shooter from 15 foot to three point range. Did his best to keep this game respectable.
Collin Cooper 6'3 senior forward Eau Claire Memorial- Hustle player that scores most of his points that way. Has a very good running floater.
Jimmy Whitehead 6'1 junior guard Lacrosse Aquinas- Handles the ball very very well. Has a very good pull up jumper that he uses in transition and is able to finish in the lane with acrobatic shots.
Lucas Morrissey 6'3 senior guard Lacrosse Aquinas- Does all the little things to help his team out. Rebounds well. always sets his teammates up for open shots, and will also score when it is necessary. Really helped Aquinas bring the ball up against the pressure defense.
Zach Rickaway 6'3 senior forward Lacrosse Aquinas- Another guy that really helped bring the ball up against the press and can score with his back to the basket or from the three point line.
Mike Hanson 6'6 junior forward Lacrosse Aquinas- Has a very nice touch for a big man out to the three point line, also runs the floor really well.
Michael Collins 6'3 senior guard Madison West- Has an awkward looking shot but, shoots the three really well and does a good job of getting inside and drawing fouls.
Corvonn Gaines 6'5 senior forward Madison West- Can hit the three when open and runs the court really well.
Deon Johnson 6'4 senior guard Madison West- Can jump out of the gym and does a nice jump crashing the boards. Had a nice put back dunk.
Michael Horton 6'2 senior guard Madison West- Handles the ball very well and can hit the three if left open.
Lucas Burns 6'6 senior forward Janesville Craig- Very smooth player that can hit anything from anywhere on the court. Went 12 for 12 from the free throw line.
Jojo Pregont 6'6 junior center Janesville Craig- Really strong with the ball inside and is able to score in a variety of ways from the inside.
Derek Braucht 6'6 junior forward Madison Edgewood- Very good shooter from the outside and was able to penetrate to score or find the open teammate.
Casey Balcewski 6'4 senior forward Madison Edgewood- Edgewood's leader on the floor, did a good job of battling the taller Craig players and really got the offense going from the high post finding open teammates or scoring.

In the other game I missed Janesville Parker beat Clinton and yesterday Sun Praire beat Stoughton which ran the Big Eights record to a respectable record of 5-3 in the shootout which is opposite of the 3-5 I predicted. So for the season I am 3-5 on my predictions, not so good but, hope to do better in the following weeks. Rankings of these teams to follow in the next few days and rankings of top players from the shootout.

Lafollette upends Bay View

If I were to just look at just the score of this game I would really be surprised, being that Bay View just beat a very good Oshkosh West team, I thought they would handle a Madison Lafollette team. Being at the game though it was clear Lafollette was the better team as they held the lead from beginning to finish except for a couple minutes in the third quarter. My only explaination in the two different Bay View teams showing up in the same week is that Bay View is a very young team and this season will be a roller coaster ride for them. The Redcats go nine deep and in those nine players they play four freshmen, two sophomores, and three juniors. The thing that hurt Bay View the most was too much one on one basketball and not getting it to their star player Johnnie Lacy late in the game.

The game started as I expected a fast pace up and down the court game with the two stars, Lacy and Lafollette star Cashton Craig going back and forth. At half time Lacy had 19 points, while Craig had 16. In the third quarter they defense of both teams really stepped up as both players went scoreless through the period. While Craig was able to manage eight points in the final period, Lacy did not score the rest of the game and finished with 19. Despite the struggles of their star, Bay View was able to grab the lead for a short time in the third by crashing the offensive boards and getting second and third opportunities down the court. In the end Bay View just seemed to run out of energy and Lafollette was able to get those second and third offensive opportunities to secure the game.

Final Score 61-53

Top Scorers
Lafollette- Cashton Craig 24 Steve Chapiewsky 10 Caleb Kreuger 7
Bay View- Johnnie Lacy 19 Stephan Thompson 8 Robert Littleton 6

Standout Players
Cashton Craig 6'1 senior guard Lafollette- Was hitting everything in the first half. When Craig gets hot he's tough to stop. Besides hitting from outside was able to take the smaller defender inside and was able to score in the post.
Javonte Walters 6'1 senior guard Lafollette- Was able to get into the lane and score on some acrobatic layups but, really made his presence felt on defense holding Lacy scoreless in the second half.
Jon Dybevik 6'0 sophomore guard Lafollette- Came off the bench and really did a nice job bring the ball up the court against the pressure and had a couple big baskets towards the end of the game.
Steve Chapiewsky 6'2 senior forward Lafollette- Does all the little things and when the opportunity arises to score he takes it.
Darnell Small 6'4 senior forward Lafollette- Is really a football player playing basketball but, as long as he doesn't shoot or dribble he should be good. Really is a beast on the defensive boards and had a nice block.
Johnnie Lacy 5'11 junior guard Bay View- Has a very nice outside shot and when he's hot his range is unlimited. Can also get by defenders at will and pull up for 10-15 footers.
Charles Lee 5'7 freshmen guard Bay View- Didn't score a lot but, he was the reason anyone other then Lacy scored. Lee was able to get into the lane every time down the court and find an open teammate for the layup, that is if they could catch the lighting quick passes.


Saw the end of the Lake Geneva Badger vs Beloit game which was a very fast paced game that Bager won 82-72. Also heard that Verona beat Middleton not sure of the score. Therefore I am 2-1 on my predictions so far. I'll be keeping a running tally just to see how I come out on the predictions I've made.

Big Eight Shootout Preview

I really like the idea of the Big Eight shootout. Having all the teams in a conference playing at one location is really a great idea. Only thing that may be better is having a conference vs conference battle where teams from one conference are playing teams all from another conference. Since a conference battle isn't happening having everyone in the conference play at one location against an evenly matched opponent is the next best thing. So here are my predictions from the shootout.....

Day 1

Sun Praire over Stoughton
Two lower level teams from each of their conferences. I'll take Sun Praire as they come from the tougher conference and Stoughton lost their top two players from last years team.

Verona over Middleton
Verona returns four players from a state team from a year ago and Middleton lost all five starters. Verona should cruise to a win pounding it inside to big man Jason Ziemer.

Badger over Beloit
Beloit lost a lot from last years team and is in a rebuilding year so I'll go with Badger who only lost one player from last years team.

Milwaukee Bay View over Madison Lafollette
This should be the best game of the two day shootout and the most entertaining. Both teams are very much guard oriented, which should lead to a very fast paced high scoring game. Both teams are fairly young but, Bay View showed they are a very good team after beating two time defending state champs Oshkosh West, so I will go with Bay View.



Day 2

Clinton over Janesville Parker
Don't know much about either of these teams but, I'm gonna go with Clinton for the simple fact that Parker never wins.

Madison East over Eau Claire Memorial
East comes from a much better conference then EC Memorial and Marquis Mason should have a huge game in leading East to victory.

Lacrosse Aquinas over Madison West
West probably has more talent but, Aquinas is the more disciplined team and will win this game in the end.

Janesville Craig over Madison Edgewood
Edgewood is a pretty good team but, Craig is taller, more talented, and have the senior experience. Would not be surprised to see Edgewood push them to the limit, as these two teams always seem to play each other tough no matter which team is better.


Well I have the Big Eight going 3-5 but, would not be surprised to see them go 0-8 or 6-2. All the games are really evenly matched and should be pretty good games outside of the Verona vs Middleton and Beloit vs Badger. I just think both Middleton and Beloit are just to inexperienced at this time. Tomorrow I will only be able to attend the late game of Lafollette and Bay View and Saturday I will be attending the final three boys games of the day. I will probably being watching the girls but, really don't have any interest to report back on them.

Marquette Loses in Maui Final

In probably the best game I have watched this year, Duke was able to outlast Marquette. This game was really a battle right down to the end. The game was extremely physical filled with very aggressive defense and was really a test of stamina as each team was playing their third game in three days. Duke went on to win and freshmen Kyle Singler won MVP of the tournament. Singler was my pre tournament pick to win MVP but, was a bit of a surprise after his lackluster performance in the game against Illinois.

As impressive of James's and McNeal's outside shooting was in the previous game it was back to last seasons shooting tonight. Both players struggled greatly from outside and at times there was no passing just settling for the outside shot which were not falling.

With the struggles of James and McNeal the other players on Marquette each took turns making big plays. Mathews having a strong drive and finish and knocking down a big three in the corner. Hayward hitting a big three and then having a nice put back dunk. Cubillan knocking down a tying three pointer and then playing pressure defense and forcing a turnover. Ackers also knocked down a three and had a couple big penetration and dishes for assists late in the game. As can be seen from the big plays that I remember this game was really a team effort, which is something I really like about Marquette is that it always seems to be a different guy that comes up with a big play to help the Golden Eagles win.

The biggest reason that Duke was able to win is that Marquette had no one to guard Singler, who was able to score inside and out with ease. Also Demarcus Nelson, who in my opinion should of been MVP, could not be stopped from getting inside and finishing strong.

Now that the high school season has started my summaries of college basketball will probably diminish and be few and far between as I will be focusing the majority of my thoughts on high school basketball.

Marquette wins in Maui

I prefer watching Wisconsin play simply because I have seen more of their players in college but, I also enjoy watching interstate rival Marquette play whenever I can get the chance. I don't see as many Marquette games because Marquette is obviously not on the Big Ten Network like all of Wisconsin's lower markee games are.

Marquette really got a big win tonight beating a fairly good Oklahoma State team by 30 points. I wasn't sure if Marquette warranted the preseason ranking that they got but, after this game I firmly believe that they are a top 15 team. You can't find a better top 5 guards in the country then in Marquette's Dominic James, Wes Mathews, Jerel Mcneal, David Cubillan, and Maurice Acker.

Marquette, like last year, will once again be perimeter oriented team that will rely heavily on the penetration and dish and playing good defense and forcing turnovers which related to easy baskets. Both of these things were very evident in tonight's game. Anyone of the five guards previously mentioned were able to get into the lane and dish to wide open teammates and played very strong aggressive defense that led to many OK State turnovers which allowed the Golder Eagles to get out and run for some easy buckets.

Dominic James was just as impressive as last year. One thing I did notice though he was able to knock down the outside shots, which has always been a knock on James. If James can continue to knock down those outside shots I really believe that Marquette can win the Big East and will make a big run tournament time and will also make himself a lottery pick next year, which means he won't be around for his senior year.

Jerel McNeal was probably just as impressive as James in this game. As everyone knows McNeal goes to the hoop as hard as anyone and he was doing just that tonight. He took some wild shots but, that's something that I can live with because if he keeps himself under control when driving no one can stop him. McNeal also displayed the ability to knock down some outside shots. He hit at least one three point shot and pulled up for a couple mid range jumpers. It will be huge if these two guys continue to shoot it well because that has always been one of the weak spots for this perimeter oriented team.

One guy that I did follow in high school is Wes Mathews or Wesley as he seems to prefer now, so I really watch what he is doing. I would really like to see Mathews be more aggressive on the offensive end but, if McNeal and James continue to play like they have been he really doesn't need to, also his foul trouble has also limited his minutes. When Mathews was in the game I can only recall one time where he really looked to score, where he penetrated and pulled up for the mid range jumper which he dropped. Mathews did play some pretty good defense hustling for loose balls and getting his hands in on everything.

A guy that may not of been that impressive tonight but, I really do like is Lazar Hayward. He's only 6'6 but, really goes inside and battles and may be their best rebounder on the team. Hayward is also a hustle player giving it all going after loose balls and getting out and running on fast breaks. I expect him to continue to improve this year and next year he will probably have his breakout year. He may never be a big scorer but, he will be significant to this teams success in the next two seasons.

Marquette plays the winner of Illinois and Duke, which either one should really be a great game. Both teams have very good big man with Brian Randle and Shaun Pruitt for the Illini and Kyle Singler and Lance Thomas. The Golden Eagles should be able to beat the Illini because their guards are so much better but, Duke is probably just as good as Marquette at the guard position and better in the post so I will take Duke over Marquette if that match up occurs.

If I had to choose I'd take Duke over Illinois and then beating Marquette with Demarcus Nelson taking the MVP. I was going to say Singler but, right now against Illinois he is really struggling while Nelson continues to be able to get into the lane and finish with some monster dunks. If Marquette wins its a toss up for MVP between James and McNeal. If Illinois wins it will easily be Randle who is Mr. Everything for Illinois right now.

On side note tonight is the start of the high school season. Unfortunately there are not any good games in my area, so my season will start Friday night when I will head down to Madison to watch Madison Lafollette play Milwaukee Bay View, which should really be a fun fast paced game to watch.

Wisconsin Wins America's Youth Classic

As expected the Wisconsin mens basketball team won their own tournament The America's Youth Classic, by defeated Savannah State, Florida A&M, and Colorado. None of these teams are basketball powerhouses but, it does get them closer to be ready for the Big Ten season and is a step up from playing the Division 3 schools they were playing in preseason.

The Badgers were able to beat Colorado tonight by using their height to get offensive rebounds and get the ball inside, along with dropping the three point shot. Trevon Hughes was not as impressive as past games but, he was able to drop four three point shots which is really a good sign. If he can team a consistent three point shot with his ability to get by defenders and into the lane, he could really be a scary guy. Michael Flowers finally showed up big in the scoring column getting over the 10 point mark which was led by a couple three pointers and some easy fast break points. Brian Butch was his same self that he has been in the last couple games, being one of the Badgers leading scorers and scoring the bulk of his points on the inside, which I am really liking over him hovering around the perimeter as in years past. Butch still missed some of those easy shots but, he is getting stronger as he is getting used to playing inside. Greg Stiemsma though not being the offensive threat had a big game on the defensive end blocking four shots. Marcus Landry appears to not be the big time scorer I was expecting this year but, he is going to be a very good player for the Badgers. Landry will be a guy that will score 10 points, grab 5 boards, and have 3 to 5 assists per game which will be just what the Badgers will need as long as Butch and Hughes keep up their scoring. Freshmen Jon Leuer continues to look good as he went 4 for 4 from the field tonight and appears to be the top big man off the bench. Not so much tonight but, last night against Florida A&M Jason Bohannon seemed to break out of his recent funk and seemed to be hitting every open three he was given and playing a much better all around game. Hopefully Bohannon can be his old self and help stretch opposing teams defense to allow Butch and Landry to have room inside to score. Unfortunately there was no sign of fellow WD alum JP Gavinski on the court, so there will be no comments on his improvements. He did score last night against Florida A&M on a tip in though. First points of the year which is a good start.

One thing that will continue to bother me all year is the non redshirting of freshmen Keaton Nankivil and Tim Jarmusz. These guys will only be playing in garbage time which just seems to be a waste of a year for them. Why not redshirt these guys and give them a full four years of player time, specially will the departure of big men Butch and Stiemsma at the end of this year.

I had stated in my last post that I was interested to see how former Milwaukee King player Jermyl Jackson-Wilson has developed in college. Well he appears to be the same player that I remembered from high school. At only 6'5 he did a pretty good job of battling with the 7 footers of the Badgers. Not a big time scorer but, he makes up for that by being active on the defensive end and being an extremely active rebounder. Jackson-Wilson is really a fun kid to watch play.

I didn't post yesterday do to the fact that the Badger game just wasn't that interesting last night, which resulted in me not really watching it. Along with the fact that I was extremely tired and wasn't in much of a thinking mood at the time either. I should be back tomorrow with some kind of post if I'm not too tired. It may be about football or possibly one of the college basketball games that are on.

Badgers blow out Tigers

Not much to say about tonights Wisconsin vs Savannah State game. The Bagers dominated every part of the game and Savannah was never really in the game. Once again Hughes was the leading scorer and continues to impress, I'm really interested to see how he does once the Big Ten season starts. The few positives that I did see in the game was Stiemsma began to assert himself on the offensive end and scored 10 points. Krabbenhoft also played his best game of the four games counting exhibition games. He was able to get out on the fast break and score in a variety of ways.

With the game not being very interesting I was switching between about four other games so, I really don't have much else to say (the Big Ten Network does really give me a lot more options for games to watch. Hopefully the next couple days I'll be back with recaps on the Badgers games against Florida A&M and Colorado which they should defeat both rather easily. I am interested to see Jermyl Jackson Wilson play who I haven't seen play since he helped Milwaukee King make their first of back to back state title runs.

Big Eight Preview

In the past four years Madison Memorial has dominated the Big Eight conference winning four straight conference titles, losing only one conference game in that time period. This year thought there is one thing missing from the Memorial teams of the past, Keaton Nankivil, who is now playing with the Wisconsin Badgers. Nankivil had been a four year varsity player for the Spartans and provided an inside force that not many teams have had. This year the pressure to continue that dominates falls on the back of 6'6 junior Jeronne Maymon. The question is not whether Maymon can handle the pressure because being in his third year and averaging double digits in scoring that question has already been answered but, the question remains with the rest of the team which has very little experience on the varsity level. With Memorial only have one big time player returning the team to beat in the conference seems to be Janesville Craig. Craig returns seven varsity players led by returning first team all conference 6'6 senior Lucas Burns. Craig will also have lots of height with all five starters standing at 6'3 or taller. Here are my predicted standings....

Janesville Craig 15-1
Madison Memorial 14-2
Madison Lafollette 10-6
Madison East 8-8
Middleton 8-8
Madison West 6-10
Sun Praire 5-11
Beloit 4-12
Janesville Parker 2-14


Janesville Craig- As stated earlier Craig is very tall and experienced which is why they are expected to win conference. Cougars may drop a game at Madison Memorial just because it is so tough to play at the small gym at Memorial with their very loud crowd.
Madison Memorial- Pretty much stated all my thoughts earlier. Maymon is the best player in the conference but, besides him there is a bunch of unknowns. Will probably split with Craig and may lose to a high scoring Lafollette team if the Lancers get hot from outside.
Madison Lafollette- Lancers will once again be a very undersized team which will cost them some games. They will rely heavily on pushing the tempo and shooting a lot of three pointers. As everyone knows "You live by the three, you die by the three".
Madison East- 6'5 sophomore Marquis Mason is one of the top players in his class and provide the Purgolders with solid post player but, who will get him the ball and help him to score? Look for fellow sophomore 6'3 Jeff Hull to help score inside but, lack of outside scoring will keep East from jumping to the top tier of teams.
Middleton- Lose more then any other team in the conference but, Cardinals coach and program are just to good for them to fall to far. Will probably rely on solid defense to keep games low scoring.
Madison West- Return four players that saw significant time last year and 6'4 senior, brother to Reese Gains, Corvonn Gaines just keeps getting better and better every time I see him. I just can't see pick this team in the top half of the conference. Every year they haven't the talent and seem like they should be in the upper half of the conference and challenge for the conference title but, they always seem to disappoint, so this year I'm picking them towards the bottom half and hoping that they prove me wrong.
Sun Praire- Sophomores 6'0 Michael Boos and 6'1 Michael Handel are a year older and should be much better their second year on varsity and 6'0 Andrew Cobb has been starting for at least three years. Won't make a huge jump but, will be better then last year.
Beloit- Loses all five starters from last year and have very little experience coming back. This should be a rebuilding year for the Knights and remaining competitive in all games would be a plus.
Janesville Parker- As usual Parker will once again picked last in the conference. They have 6'10 senior Riley Grafft who is a good player but, he is really on his own. I expect Vikings to surprise a team or two and will be better then in years past.

I will kinda be on cruise control for the next week or two until the actual high school season starts right after Thanksgiving. I will probably give some short posts on my thoughts of basketball games I have watched of football games.

South Central Preview

In my high school basketball watching, I follow two conferences very closely. The South Central conference since my alma mater and the town I live in Wisconsin Dells is in it and the Big Eight because it is the best conference around that is close enough for me to drive to. I will be making predictions for the outcome of both of these conferences and will be trying to predict each teams final conference record. I will be predicting the South Central first and the Big Eight will follow within the next couple days.

As always the South Central will come down to two teams, Wisconsin Dells and Adams Friendship. The past 10 years one of these two teams has won the conference, with Adams winning early and the Dells starting to win conference as of recent. Last year Adams won the conference beating Wisconsin Dells twice but, the Dells got the last laugh as the upended Adams in the regional final, on their way to state. Both Dells and Adams Friendship are head and shoulders about the rest of the conference and should handle the rest of the conference fairly easily as long as they don't over look anyone. After Adams and the Dells it will really be a mess, as any of the four remaining teams can beat any of the other four teams. Conference predictions to follow . . .

1. Wisconsin Dells 9-1
Adams Friendship 9-1
3. Nekoosa 4-6
Wautoma 4-6
5. Mauston 3-7
6. Westfield 1-9

Wisconsin Dells- Is led by a very good back court in 5'11 senior Ryan Wenkman, who was huge in the Chiefs run to state, and junior 5'10 Jade Royston who is top 50 in his class. The Chiefs have always been a very balanced team that also plays great man to man defense. This year should be no different. Everyone will score their share of points and should keep games fairly low scoring with their defense. When the games are in clutch situations the ball will be in the experienced back courts hand. A big lift for the Chiefs may be the presents of 6'9 sophmore Nate Gibson. Gibson doesn't need to score a ton but, just needs to make his presents felt on defense and on the glass on both offensive and defensive side. Chiefs will probably split will Adams Friendship. Theres no telling if each team will win at home or on the road both scenarios have happened in the past.
Adams Friendship- The Green Devils have hands down the best player in the conference in 6'4 junior Tommie Gaston. Gaston is a top 20 junior in the state and is one of the most athletic players in the state. The one question mark is who will step up in the scoring if Gaston is struggling. AF should limit their turnovers with the return of Gaston and four year varsity player 5'11 senior Ben Pease. Pease isn't a big scorer but, does a good job of bringing the ball up the court and setting the offense and should provide senior leader ship. As always Adams will be running their 1-3-1 defense which always gives teams problems and should keep games low scoring which is what the Devils want. Team all this up with on of the top coaches in the state Steve Klass who is in his 17th year of coaching.
Nekoosa- Honestly I don't know much about the Papermakers but, they return seven players that made some impact last year which gives them the experience over the rest of the conference. Nekoosa will more then likely beat Westfield twice and then split with Mauston and Wautoma.
Wautoma- Wautoma also brings back lots of experience like but, will be greatly hurt though with the loss of star player Jeremiah Grothe. Like Nekoosa the Hornets will probably play about .500 ball against the bottom four teams in the conference.
Mauston- The Golden Eagles return only two players that played significant minutes last year. They have one true star in Trevor Hannes but, without much help Mauston will remain towards the bottom of the conference.
Westfield- Pioneers return four year starter Justin Hess but, outside of him they really don't have much. They may surprise a team or two but, it will be another long season for Westfield.

That's my run down of the SCC, the Big Eight will follow within the next couple days.

Badgers Win Opener

The Badgers won their opener despite not playing a very good game. This was a big wake up call that the Badgers may not be as good as what everyone in the Big Ten and Wisconsin think. Trailing most of the first half, Wisconsin was able to get the lead late in the first half and pull away late in the game to end up winning by 20 plus. In the second half the defense of guards Michael Flowers and Trevon Hughes allowed Wisconsin to get the big lead.

As of right now the Badgers are really lacking that go to guy that Alando Tucker was last year. At times last night, specially in the first half, no one wanted to shoot the ball they were just passing it around the perimeter. One guy that was willing to attack the rim and take the shoot was Trevon Hughes. I had question his great play in preseason due to the fact that they were against division three teams but, in his first start against a division one team he was the most impressive player of the game. Hughes had 25 points to lead everyone and as in preseason was able to get to the rim at will. Hughes also displayed some great pressure defense that caused turnovers and led to some easy buckets. Hughes is really not the prototypical point guard at Wisconsin. Usually Bo Ryan point guards just bring the ball up past half court and pass it but, Hughes is more of street ball player being that he likes to keep the ball in his hand and try to penetrate to the lane for the layup or dish off to a teammate. The only trouble spots of his game that I see is that he takes some wild shots at times which I can live with cause no one else is looking to score and he takes some bad threes which do bother me a bit. With some more game experience and some work on his outside shooting Trevon will easily be one of the top guards in the Big Ten if not country.

Brian Butch also impressed me a lot in the fact that he did most of his scoring on the inside and not standing at the three point line. He did miss some bunnies but, worked hard to get second and third chances to score. Butch really looks like he's ready to except the leadership roll. Michael Flowers seems to be his same self he was last year. Playing great great defense and scoring from time to time. I would like to see him become more aggressive on the offensive end which I believe he will become more aggressive once he gets back into the flow of things after missing much of spring practice.

In a game where Wisconsin didn't play well there was a lot of things that disliked about the game of course. It looks like Greg Stiesma looks like he'll do nothing on offense like years past and will just be the big man defensive stopper. Joe Krabbenhoft only played 16 minutes which kinda bothered me. This kid needs to be playing 20 plus in every game. He's a high energy guy that does a little bit of everything and they need him on the court. Marcus Landry really needs to be more aggressive. In my opinion I believe Marcus is the best player on the team and needs to except that position and try to score more. Jason Bohannon struggled in preseason and continues to struggle now that the regular season has started. He's not dropping the threes and he's turning the ball over. Their going to need Bohannon to step up being that Wisconsin really only has three guards in the rotation. The only coaching move that really bothered me is the fact that Keaton Nankivil hasn't been redshirted and is probably not going to play significant minutes. Last night be played about two or three minutes in garbage time. If this is going to be the only minutes he's going to see then why not redshirt him and give those garbage minutes to Gavinski or Gullickson instead of wasting a season for Nankivil.

I'm really looking forward to this season because I have seen the majority of these players play in high school and am curious to see if these guys live up to their high school expectations.

As a side note I just watched the last 15 minutes of the UW Green Bay game against Ohio State. GB really looked bad. There point guards were really struggling against OSU's height and turning the ball over, they were settling for three point shots and they were not dropping, and the Buckeyes were able to pound the ball inside for easy baskets at will. That all said I still think the Phoenix will have a very good season in Horizon League play. They will not see teams with this height or athleticism and should be just fine for the rest of the year.

Things may be a little slow on the blog for the next few weeks until the high school basketball season actually starts. I will try to post every other day with thoughts about some game or team though which may be a Wisconsin team or not.

Preseason Division 4 Rankings

Division 4 rankings ....

1. Eleva Strum- Last years defending champs return three starters led by Mr. Everything 6'2 senior Lance Rongstad.
2. Randolph- Surprising not to see Rockets at #1 but, lack of experience and loss of big time player Dan Tillema is going to hurt. Defending champs to return three big time starters in 6'3 senior sharpshooter Bryan Johnson, 6'9 sophmore bigman Kyle Kelm, and the last of the Tillema brothers in 6'1 junior Tyler Tillema.
3. Suring- A return trip to state is likely behind 5'10 senior point guard Josh Regal.
4. Barneveld- New coach brings in a ton of experience. Expect big seasons from 6'1 senior point guard Trent Sullivan and 5'7 senior three point shooter Kyle Thompson. Both will step out of Nick Allen's shadow and have big years.
5. Benton- Pushed Randolph to the limit in sectionals last year and are led by 6'1 junior twins Connor and Jordan Hendricks.
6. Elmwood- One loss team a year ago returns three big time players in 6'4 senior Michael Brunner and 6'1 senior Cody Maves, along with leading scorer 6'0 junior Steve Pax.
7. Hillsboro- Scenic Bluffs favorites are led by strong junior class highlighted by 6'5 Pat Alexander and 6'0 Justin Thompson.
8. Clayton- Rich tradition Bears return four players that averaged double figures, led by high scorer 6'0 senior Jordan LaBlanc.
9. Clear Lake- Warriors are in one of the toughest D4 conferences with Clayton. Return high scoring seniors 6'0 Josh Wickboldt and 6'5 Vance Friendshuh.
10. Oshkosh Lourdes- Always tough knights should compete for a state tournament berth.

HM
Black Hawk- Warriors lose only one player from last years team.
Gillet- Always tough Tigers return high scorers in 6'7 senior Tyler Tietyen and 5'10 sophmore Nick Krause.

Preseason Division 3 Rankings

Division 3 rankings ....


1. Whitefish Bay Dominican- Knights have the top back court in division 3 with 5'10 junior Jerrel Harris, JD Wise, #2 ranked senior, 6'0 Kwamain Mitchell(when he returns from injury). Big question mark is lack of big men.
2. Racine St. Cats- The lost of big man 6'6 James Haarsma will be significantly felt but, the loss will be eased by the return of 4 key players. Lightning quick senior point guard 6'0 Patrick Souter returns in the back court along with sharpshooter junior 6'3 James Thomas. In the post juniors Javar and Jarvis Lawson at 6'4 and 6'3 return.
3. Laconia- Veteran team is led by 6'5 senior Kieran Weed and 6'3 junior Serek Semenas, both returning first team all-conference players.
4. Iola Scandinavia- One loss team a year ago returns everyone including high scoring 6'2 senior Mike Griffin.
5. Arcadia- Defending Coulee champs bring everyone back including 11 seniors and are led by 6'5 senior Jordan Rumpel.
6.Cuba City- Cubans have one of the all time great coaches in Jerry Petitgue and are led by super soph 6'2 Evan Richard.
7. Colby- Horneys lose only 2 players from last year, neither were starters. Are led by a strong junior class that features 6'5 Wade Sebold and 6'2 Jordan Rahm.
8. Lacrosse Aquinas- Last years runner ups return 6'3 seniors Lucas Morrissey and Zach Rickaway. Along with JV call up 6'1 junior Jimmy Whitehead to form a solid nucleus.
9. Manitowoc Roncalli- May run the best offense in the state. Look to continue their recent great success.
10. Weyauwega-Fremont- 19-3 a year ago lose only one player and are led by high scoring senior 6'1 Zach Alix.

HM
Marshall- Defending Capitol South champs have strong tradition.
Stratford- Coming off a strong football season returning everyone to the court.
Oostburg- Another team with a strong tradition that will be looking to make another strong title run.

May not be posting the next couple days do to the fact that its the weekend and my brothers coming home. I may post I may not.

Badgers over Blugolds

As expected the Badgers took down there second division three opponent in an exhibition game. Wisconsin was able to use their height advantage to pound the ball inside and to control the boards. This second game of preseason gave fans the chance to get alittle better idea of what Wisconsins rotation will look like. After watching the game it appears that Tim Jarmusz will be the freshmen that will be redshirted if any of the freshmen are. It appears that Keaton Nankivil and Jon Leuer will be the backups to Stiemsma and Butch on the front line. The back court will consist of a starting line up of Trevon Hughes at the point and Michael Flowers at the two guard with Jason Bohannon backing up both. Marcus Landry will probably start at the three position with Joe Krabbenhoft coming off the bench and both players will see time in the back court and the front court at times.

As far as who looked good tonight Krabbenhoft had another big game scoring most of his points inside and grabbing a bunch of rebounds as usual. Trevon Hughes continues to really impress as he shows the ability to get the hoop at will and find the wide open teammate for the easy basket. Michael Flowers did his usual great things on defense while also showing some offensive game nailing a three pointer or two. Greg Stiemsma and Brian Butch also had solid games scoring in the post and control the boards both on offense and defense. As I keep up on the progress of fellow Wisconsin Dells alum JP Gavinski it appears will be destined to another year on the bench waving his towel. Right now he's 5th on the depth chart of big man and I just don't see there being any room for him this year.

Eau Claire never could get things going as they just had so many problems with the Badgers height and had to settle for outside shots the majority of the time. The Blugolds returning leading scorer Dan Beyer spent the night in foul trouble and could never get things going against the taller Badger big man.

Preseason Division 2 Rankings

Division 2 Rankings.....

1. Monroe- Defending state champs return four starters including star guards 6'0 senior Brett Stangel and 5'11 junior Mitch Tordoff.
2. Wisconsin Lutheran- Little Ten champs return top 50 senior 5'11 Brandon Whiteside along with #2 ranked sophmore 6'5 Flavian Davis.
3. Waupun- Warriors return two 20 point scorers in seniors 6'1 Ryan Rasmussen and 6'4 Aris Wurtz.
4. Waukesha Catholic Memorial- Crusaders will be well prepared for tournament play after playing in one of the toughest D1 conferences. Senior starters 6'6 Tom Neary and 6'5 Dayton Young and super soph 6'3 TJ Bray should be fully recovered from last seasons injury.
5. East Troy- Trojans return everyone from last years 18-3 team including 6'8 senior Alex Bondar
6. New Richmond- Middle Boarder runner ups return 6'6 seniors Brett Anderson and Dan Stovall along with returning starter 6'0 senior Hayden Zimmerman.
7. Rice Lake- Warriors return elite junior 6'0 Alex Culy and top big man 6'5 senior Andrew Lochmann.
8. Seymour- Seymour has to be in the top 10 every year after so many state appearances its just expected.
9. Adams Friendship- 1-3-1 defense always gives AF chance to make a big tourney run. 6'4 junior Tommie Gaston is one of the most exciting players in Division two.
10. Port Washington- State runner ups return their top two players in 6'5 senior Chris Prom and 6'2 sophmore Josh Gasser.

HM
Wisconsin Dells- State tournament Chiefs are led by a strong back court in 5'11 senior Ryan Wenkman and 5'10 junior Jade Royston
Madison Edgewood- Crusaders always get the most out of their talent.
Spooner- Rails return three starters from last years sectional finals team.

Division 3 and 4 to come in the next two days.

Preseason Division 1 Rankings

Here are my preseason Division 1 rankings....

1. Milwauke Pius XI- The #1 ranked player in the state 5'11 Korie Lucious teams with 6'0 Tyrone Gordon to form the states top back court. A state title will hinge on the play of big men 6'5 Matt Chrnelich and 6'4 Anthony Kuenzi.
2. Appleton East- A one loss team a year ago returns four starters and is lead by top 50 seniors 5'8 Matt Coenen and 6'5 Matt Clarke.
3. Milwaukee King- Generals lose only 2 players from last years state team. I'd put Kings top 12 against any in the state.
4. Oshkosh West- Two time defending champs may be the tallest team in the state with 5 players at 6'5 or taller. Big question mark at the guard positions though.
5. Milwaukee Vincent- Vikings reload once again behind 6'4 senior Marvin Fitzgerald, 6'3 junior sharpshooter Michael Weems, and sensational freshmen 6'2 Larry Bradley.
6. Janesville Craig- Very strong senior class led by 6'6 sharpshooter senior Lucas Burns.
7. Verona- Wildcats return 4 starters from a state tournament team from a year ago.
8. Wauwatosa East- Raiders lose only one significant player from last years team. Tosa has 8 very good guards but lack a true big man and may have difficulty spreading out the minutes.
9. Wausau East- East returns 5 players from state team from a year ago. Expecting huge year from 6'3 senior Jordan Fischer.
10. Eau Claire North- #1 ranked Sophmore 6'11 Evan Anderson teams with top 10 6'7 Junior Tyler Brown to for the states top front line. Also have a pretty solid point guard in 5'8 senior Paul Hahn.

HM
Madison Memorial- 6'6 junior Jeronne Maymon is a first team all state player but, the rest of the team remains a question mark.
Milwaukee Bradley Tech- #5 ranked senior 5'11 Chris McHenry joins 5'10 senior Rashad Carrington and 5'11 senior Marcus Jenkins to form one of the best back courts in the state.
Germantown- Warhawks nearly beat state runners up Milwaukee Vincent in sectionals and return top junior big man 6'6 Ben Averkamp and 6'5 senior Zack Neumann along with ultra quick point guard 6'1 senior Rick Bowers.
Milwaukee Washington- Last years second place team in the city conference returns first team all city player 6'2 senior DeMarcus Phillips and 6'8 senior Patrick Davis.
Racine Horlick- Any team with a top 10 nationally ranked player like 6'6 junior Jamil Wilson deserves to be at least honorable mention.
Ashwaubenon- 6'2 senior Jeremy Paprocki is already a big time scorer and if 6'8 Jacob Koch can have the senior season like older brother Adam had a few years ago, Jaguars will have a good shot at state.

Badgers win Exhibition Opener

As expected the Badgers easily defeated Madison Edgewood in their exhibition opener. Edgewood was just over matched in every aspect of the game. Trevon Hughes had a great game where he was able to get where he wanted at any time, whether that being driving to the hoop for the layup or setting up his teammate with the wide open layup or dunk. Micheal Flowers was just as impressive guarding Edgewoods top offensive player Chris Demarco. The most impressive player of the game was Jon Leurer who was the leading scoring of the game while adding a pair of highlight reel dunks. The only player that really stuck out to me from Edgewood was Brian Donais who hit at least four threes in the game. Following is thoughts on how each individual players performed and what to expect from them this season.....

Trevon Hughes- Truly is the most athletic player on the Badgers team. As stated early could do whatever he wanted in this game, granted it was against a D3 team but, I expect Hughes to have a break out year.
Joe Krabbenhoft- Had his normal do everything game. Really crashed the boards, worked hard on the defensive end, and added a three point shot. Guessing he will be 6th man when the year starts after Flowers is back to full strength.
Marcus Landry- Didn't do a whole lot in this game but, did have a highlight reel dunk on a fast break. In my mind Landry will be the best player the Badgers have this year but, will probably do the majority of his scoring in the fast break and spotting up for threes.
Greg Stiesma- Was his usual self not scoring but, playing great defense and getting his share of rebounds. Stiesma will probably be matched up on the other teams top post player in most games. Don't look for him to do much on the offensive side but, will definitely make his presence known on the defensive end.
Brian Butch- Had a couple nice baskets in the post which is nice to see being that the Badgers don't have much for inside scoring. Butch's scoring will probably increase to around 15-17 a game range which will be because he will be taking more shots and being more aggressive on the offensive end.
Micheal Flowers- As stated before he was huge on the defensive side, which will be needed giving that he'll be guarding the other teams best back court player every game and will be counted on for his leadership .
Jason Bohannon- Didn't do anything in this game but, will probably be the sharp shooter of the team once again.
Jon Leurer- Once again he was the most impressive player in the game and at 6'10 moves very well. This kid will be seeing plenty of time off the bench.
Keaton Nankivil- Took some awkward shots in the game but, from seeing this kid play in high school the past four years he can defiantly make an impact this year. The only thing holding him back is how good Leurer is.
Tim Jarsmuz- Another guy that didn't do much but, from what Bo Ryan has been saying he expects Tim to play this year and has really been impressed with his three point shooting.
Morris Cain- Just received a scholarship which is well deserved. Will be a solid guy to play about 5-8 minutes a game and the Badgers won't lose much with him in the game.
Tanner Bronson- Will once again be the Badgers victory cigar as he has been in the past.
Brett Valentyn- Looked very awkward out on the court and will probably not see any significant time this year.
JP Gavinski- As a fellow alum from Wisconsin Dells High I have really watched the progression of JP. He still is not ready to make an impact at the D1 level and has stone hands when it comes to catching the ball. One improvement I did notice is his quickness, he is much quicker then he was in high school.

Despite this game being a blow out I really enjoyed watching this game and is one of the reasons that I like having the Big Ten Network. It gives people from around the state a chance to see some of the D3 colleges in our state play and gives the kids from these D3 schools the chance to take on the "big boys' and be on tv. The best part is seeing all these kids playing on tv that I had once seen playing in high school. Tomorrow I will be giving my division one Wisconsin High School rankings.

Wishoops Preseason Tournament

I was able to make it to the wishoops preseason tournament today to watch some preseason basketball at Madison Lafollette. I was able to watch four and a half games featuring six of the top teams in Wisconsin. I say four and a half because I was watching two games at once so neither game got my full attention, so between the two games I got a game and a half of watching.

Here is a list of the players that stuck out the most too me (I did not have rosters for teams so I apologize if I call someone the wrong name)....

Marvin Fitzgerald Mil Vincent Sr- At 6'4 this kid can do so many things playing all five positions on the court. He is at his best in the post when facing the hoop but, can just as easily go outside and knock down the outside shot and blow by the bigger players that are typically guarding him. At times he was even running the point.
Michael Weems Vincent Jr- Easily one of the best three point shooters in the state. When he shoots a three your surprised when it doesn't go down. Has a very very smooth shot. The thing I like the best is he always follows his shot and battles on the boards on offense and defense.
Larry Bradley Vincent Fr- One of the best freshmen I have ever seen. Runs the point very well, whether it be dropping a three or finding the open teammate. Bradley already plays with the confidence and leadership of a senior, he will be something special to watch in years to come.
Cashton Craig Mad Lafollette Sr- Struggled a bit today but, kept shooting and made some big shots against Vincent. Along with his great shooting handles the ball very well and does a great job of moving without the ball coming off screens or cutting to the hoop.
Deonte Thompson? #30 Lafollette Jr- Not sure if I have the right name but, #30 at 6'5 is the only real height that Lafollette has. He did a great job of getting offensive rebounds for easily put back points and grabbing defensive rebounds while also altering the opposing teams shots on defense.
#21 Lafollette- Shot the three incredibly well today which was huge in getting Lafollette back in the game against Vincent. Unsure on this players actual name.
Matt Coenen App East Sr- One of the few true pass first point guards in high school basketball. I always looking to find his open teammates and handles the ball very well against bigger opponents the majority of the time. The only thing holding him back is his size at only 5'8.
Matt Clarke App East Sr- Another kid that can really do everything. Usually guarded the other teams top big man while also being the teams big scorer on offense. He can block shots, rebound, and score inside as well as outside.
Johnny Mielke App East Jr- Did a great job on grabbing offensive and defensive boards and was also able to drop the 15 foot jump shots on a consistent bases. Also brought the ball up at times.
JD Wise Dominican Sr- Was his usually self guarding Laconia's top perimeter player while scoring points of the offensive end in a variety of ways. Wise was able to drive to the hoop, pull up for the mid range jumper, and drop the three point shot. Any he was also playing point guard with Mitchell being out.
Jerrel Harris Dominican Jr- Dropped numerous three point shots that kept Domincan in the game, as well as being able to drive past his defender to get to the hoop where he was typically fouled and then would connect on his free throws
Kieran Weed Laconia Sr- Was Laconias leading scorer. Does a great job of scoring in the post with his back to the basket and running the court for easy scores.
Derek Semenas Laconia Jr- Very good offensive player. Was able to get to the hoop with ease, could shoot the three point shot at any time, and handled the ball very very well for a kid that's 6'3.

Tourny Highlights

Milwaukee Vincent over Plymouth
Vincent was able to press Plymouth right away and force them to turn the ball over giving Vincent an early lead. Plymouth was able to keep it close though with their height advantage allowing them to have second and third chances at scoring well they got the ball past half court and being able to alter Vincent's shots and holding Vincent to one and done. In the end Vincents athleticism was too much for Plymout as Vincent ran away with this one.

Appleton East over Madison Lafollette
Was able to catch this one at the same time as the Vincent vs Plymouth game. East defense was really the difference in this game. East forced Lafollette to turn the ball over numerous times while also forcing the much smaller Lafollette team in to difficult shots. On the offensive end East moved the ball very well find the open man for easy layups and when they did miss a shot they were able to get the offensive rebound and score. Big lost in the game as Appleton East 6'8 forward Alex Dietzen went down with a knee injury.

Laconia over Dominican
The story of this game was that Domincan's big men were unable to stay with the big men of Laconia which allowed for a lot of easy layups. Dominican tried to come back with a full court press late in the game. Dominicans effort came up just short after a couple threes hit by Wise and Harris right at the end of the game. Highlight of the game was an ally oop dunk by Kieran Weed.

Milwaukee Vincent over Madison Lafollette
Probably the most entertaining game of the tournament. This was a track meet from the get go with Vincent having the game in hand for most of the game. Lafollette made a big comeback late in the game behind a barrage of three points from DJ Fuller, Craig, and company. Vincent ended up winning by six highlighted by dunks from Fitzgerald and Bradley.

Appleton East over Milwaukee Vincent
Probably the best game of the tournament as East was able to beat Vincent by about eight points in a back and forth game. Both teams were matching each other three for three throughout much of the game. The big difference was Matt Clarke, not in the scoring column but, on the defensive side of the ball. Clarke registered six blocks in the game and forced Fitzgerald to do the majority of his scoring from the outside. Matt Coenen really struggled with the length of the Vincent defenders but, was able to make some things happen from the three point line to help push East over Vincent.

Final Thoughts
Milwaukee Vincent- As usual after losing a ton of seniors Milwaukee Vincent reloads for another state title run. This Vincent team probably has more shooters then last years team had and will be simply able to outscore a lot of teams. Come March this Vincent team will for sure be there.
Appleton East- This team rightfully deserves their preseason #1 ranking. They move the ball exceptionally well until they find the player with the wide open shot. They have two guys that can really knock down the three(don't know their names but they were #12 and #14), a steady pg in Coenen, a go to guy in Clarke, and a guy that does a little bit of everything in Mielke(if that is his real name). Only really question is how long the 6'8 Dietzen will be out. He is a guy that they will really need when they meet Oshkosh West and all their height. East will be making a long tourney run.
Madison Lafollette- This team will have a roller coaster season. They have a ton of guards so they will look to push the ball a lot and rely heavily on the three point shot, this will lead to a lot of turnovers and a poor field goal percentage. Along with their lack of height they will have a tough time rebounding and defending specially against some of the top teams in the Big Eight. I see Lafollette as a team that will make it to sectionals. If this team does get hot they could beat anyone in the state or they could lose to nearly anyone in the state if those threes aren't dropping.
Plymouth- I'll admit that I really didn't pay much attention to this team but, they should be a fairly tough team. They have good overall team height and a sure handed pg leading them. They should do fairly well in conference play but, will have a tough time in the tourney being in the eastern part of the state.
Dominican- Despite struggling a bit today I still see Dominican as one of the two favorites in Division three along with Racine St Cats. They will have three very good guards in Harris, Wise, and Mitchell. As long as the don't play teams with a really good big man then they should easily make it to state.
Laconia- A team I knew nothing, other then some talk, prior to today, I was very impressed by. They have a very solid team where everyone knows there role and follows it. They have two very good players that they can look to in tight games, played good defense, and move the ball very well on offense in the half court or on the fast break.

Well this concludes my recap of the Wishoop Preseason Tourney and concludes one of the longer post you will ever see from me. Later in this week I will be posting my preseason rankings from each division.