In my first games of the year I headed over to Baraboo to catch their very first Thanksgiving tournament. The first game was Rhinelander against West DePere which I got to a little late so I wasn't able to keep track of the scoring and never really got into the game and actually didn't even get the final score of the game but, West DePere easily defeated Rhinelander who was over matched in this game.
Some of the players that did stand out to me where 6'3 junior Dylan Smith for Rhinelander who despite being very undersized both in height and thickness did a very good job of battling on the inside. For West DePere it really was a team effort and they didn't seem to have any huge stars but, 6'4 senior Justin Hackl was very solid in the paint on the offensive end while 5'10 junior Shane Gulseth was dropping the threes from the outside.
In the marquee game Racine Park took on host Baraboo. Park had the advantage in nearly every aspect of the game but, the biggest thing that gave Park their victory was their team speed and pressing in your face defense. Park used their speed and athleticism to get a 78-54 victory over Baraboo. Numerous turnovers doomed Baraboo from the start and Park jumped out to the early lead and never looked back. Baraboo was able to climb back into the game and cut the lead to 43-31 at half but, in the third quarter Park turned up the pressure and after three where up 61-39 and midway through the fourth both teams cleared their benches. In the third quarter the game was pretty much sealed when Park 6'1 senior Tre Edwards had three straight steals and scored each time and then a fourth steal minutes later led to an ally oop dunk from Edwards to 6'5 senior JD Magruder. Only thing that kept the game within 20 points for much of the game was Park's fouling and Baraboo scoring with the clock stopped. Racine Park senior 6'1 Josh Cameron had lots of hype surrounding him prior to the season starting after averaging 22 points a game a year ago and then being dismissed from his previous school before the start of the season and ending up at Park. Cameron seemed to be out of it today as he only finished with nine points but, did a nice job of distributing the ball.
Top Players
Tre Edwards 6'1 senior Racine Park- Very quick hands which led to a ton of steals and easy buckets. Also did a great job of finishing at the rim around defenders outstretched arms.
Taron Edwards 5'10 sophomore Racine Park- Probably much taller then the listed height of 5'10 but, was a great shooter, that seemed to knock down every shoot where he was open.
Sean McGann 6'3 sophomore Baraboo- Very nice job of helping bringing the ball up the court and did a nice job of knifing through the Park defenders to score.
Box Score (as always starters are in italics)
Racine Park - Tr. Edwards 22 Ta. Edwards 13 Issaih Bridges 11 Cameron 9 Stan MacKenzie 9 Isaiah Scott 5 David Campbell 4 Shane St. Pierre 2 JD Magruder 2 Josh Beaton 2 Finest Marshall 0 John Harris 0 Frank Gutierrez 0 James Orth 0 Bryan Kelly 0
Baraboo- McGann 13 Josh Statz 12 Mark Kowalke 8 Jed Traxler 5 Ton Brandt 4 Tyler Fish 4 Emerson Halbach 2 Mike Weinke 2 Jake Meiller 2 Caleb Leonhardt 2 Ryan Baxter 0 Joe Becraft 0 Erik Anderson 0
Well it was an exciting first day of high school basketball, getting a chance to see the #10 ranked team in the state. Racine Park was a pretty impressive team but, I think I may of put them just outside of the top 10.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Big Eight Preview
The Big Eight is easily one of the top three conferences in Wisconsin, if not the best conference. This is fairly common year in and year out which makes the Big Eight a very fun conference to watch and follow. The conference is also much closer then a City Conference which allows me to catch a lot of games.
As last year this will be a two horse race between Madison Memorial and Madison East. After the top two, three through seven could finish in any order, and then the bottom three teams will be battling it out. My rankings will include my best guess at each teams record.
1. Madison Memorial- As always Memorial has the most talent in the conference and are led by the top player in the state in 6'4 senior Vander Blue.
2. Madison East- Best one two punch in the conference in 5'11 junior Nimrod Hillard and 6'4 senior Marquis Mason.
3. Verona- Yes they lost their Mr. Everything in Jason Ziemer but, this is a very disciplined team that plays hard the entire game. 6'4 senior Adam Wadzinski is a three year letter winner and 6'4 senior Sam Karls can do a little bit of everything.
4. Beloit- State team a year ago bring back two key starts in 6'2 senior KJ Evans and 5'10 senior Sharod Stone.
5. Sun Prairie- Their starting back court of Michael Boos and Michael Handel are on varsity for their fourth years and 6'3 junior Jordan Noskowiak will be in his second year of varsity.
6. Middleton- Matt Everson is a returning all conference preformer and they have lots of height on the team.
7. Madison Lafollette- This team hinges on one player in 5'11 senior DJ Fuller but, if Fuller misses some games they will be in trouble.
8. Madison West- This team always seems to have lots of athletes but, they will struggle with a first year coach.
9. Janesville Craig- Basically lost everything from a year ago and have a new coach.
10. Janesville Parker- Well Parker is always picked last in the conference year in and year out.
Conference Standings
Madison Memorial 17-1
Madison East 16-2
Verona 14-4
Beloit 11-7
Sun Prairie 9-9
Middleton 9-9
Madison Lafollette 7-11
Madison West 4-14
Janesville Craig 2-16
Janesville Paker 1-17
All Conference
1st Team
5'11 junior Nimrod Hillard Madison East
5'11 senior DJ Fuller Madison Lafollette
6'2 senior KJ Evans Beloit
6'4 senior Vander Blue Madison Memorial
6'4 senior Marquis Mason Madison East
6'4 Sophomore Junior Lomomba Madison Memorial out for most of the season
2nd Team
5'10 senior Sharrod Stone Beloit
6'1 senior Michael Boos Sun Prairie
6'2 senior Matt Everson Middleton
6'4 senior Tre Creamer Madison Memorial
6'4 senior Adam Wadzinski Verona
HM
6'2 junior Jordan Noskowiak Sun Prairie
6'3 senior Shane Adler Middleton
6'4 senior Matt Karls Verona
Those are my preseason thoughts on the Big Eight. I only added three players to the honorable mention list because those three guys could of just as easily be second team all conference players. South Central conference will follow with in the next day or two and then the season begins.
As last year this will be a two horse race between Madison Memorial and Madison East. After the top two, three through seven could finish in any order, and then the bottom three teams will be battling it out. My rankings will include my best guess at each teams record.
1. Madison Memorial- As always Memorial has the most talent in the conference and are led by the top player in the state in 6'4 senior Vander Blue.
2. Madison East- Best one two punch in the conference in 5'11 junior Nimrod Hillard and 6'4 senior Marquis Mason.
3. Verona- Yes they lost their Mr. Everything in Jason Ziemer but, this is a very disciplined team that plays hard the entire game. 6'4 senior Adam Wadzinski is a three year letter winner and 6'4 senior Sam Karls can do a little bit of everything.
4. Beloit- State team a year ago bring back two key starts in 6'2 senior KJ Evans and 5'10 senior Sharod Stone.
5. Sun Prairie- Their starting back court of Michael Boos and Michael Handel are on varsity for their fourth years and 6'3 junior Jordan Noskowiak will be in his second year of varsity.
6. Middleton- Matt Everson is a returning all conference preformer and they have lots of height on the team.
7. Madison Lafollette- This team hinges on one player in 5'11 senior DJ Fuller but, if Fuller misses some games they will be in trouble.
8. Madison West- This team always seems to have lots of athletes but, they will struggle with a first year coach.
9. Janesville Craig- Basically lost everything from a year ago and have a new coach.
10. Janesville Parker- Well Parker is always picked last in the conference year in and year out.
Conference Standings
Madison Memorial 17-1
Madison East 16-2
Verona 14-4
Beloit 11-7
Sun Prairie 9-9
Middleton 9-9
Madison Lafollette 7-11
Madison West 4-14
Janesville Craig 2-16
Janesville Paker 1-17
All Conference
1st Team
5'11 junior Nimrod Hillard Madison East
5'11 senior DJ Fuller Madison Lafollette
6'2 senior KJ Evans Beloit
6'4 senior Vander Blue Madison Memorial
6'4 senior Marquis Mason Madison East
6'4 Sophomore Junior Lomomba Madison Memorial out for most of the season
2nd Team
5'10 senior Sharrod Stone Beloit
6'1 senior Michael Boos Sun Prairie
6'2 senior Matt Everson Middleton
6'4 senior Tre Creamer Madison Memorial
6'4 senior Adam Wadzinski Verona
HM
6'2 junior Jordan Noskowiak Sun Prairie
6'3 senior Shane Adler Middleton
6'4 senior Matt Karls Verona
Those are my preseason thoughts on the Big Eight. I only added three players to the honorable mention list because those three guys could of just as easily be second team all conference players. South Central conference will follow with in the next day or two and then the season begins.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Division Four Preseason Rankings
I'll be the first to admit that I don't follow the D4 rankings as closely as the other three divisions and that's because there are typically not as many great athletes in the smallest division because they are drawing from the smallest populations. That being said I do my best to predict the division but, for the most part I'm making my judgements on the teams that I may of never seen play.
This year is no different then the past 10 years or so in the fact that Randolph is one of the top teams in D4. Unlike the past though Randolph isn't a clear cut favorite, there are two other teams that are right there with them. The other two teams are Benton who won the division a year ago and then Sheboygan Christian who actually defeated Randolph in the playoffs a year ago. All three teams bring back big contributors from a year ago and should be a great three team race. Outside of those three teams no one else really has a huge shot to win it all, at least as of right now. The one problem with this is that all three of these teams come out of the same sectional and only one of these three teams will make state. Randolph and Sheboygan Christian should meet in the fourth round, the sectional semi final, with the winner facing Benton in the next round, the sectional final.
1. Randolph- Coaching and 6'9 senior Kyle Kelm gives Randolph the edge here.
2. Sheboygan County Christian- Eagles bring back three starters from a team that beat Randolph in the playoffs a year ago.
3. Benton- Three of their top six players return for the defending state champs.
4. Luck- Should benefit greatly from dropping down a division this year.
5. Barneveld- 6'3 senior Logan Johnson who is the returning conference player of the year for the Six Rivers East.
6. McDonell Central- Should be battle tested after playing the likes of Fall Creek and Eau Claire Regis during conference play.
7. Catholic Central- Another private school that should benefit from a very tough conference schedule.
8. Wausau Newman- Privates always seem to have the edge come playoff time in the lower division and should be no different with Newman.
9. Green Lake- 6'5 senior Brad Brooks is a star and should be tested after getting a chance to play Randolph in the regular season.
10. Suring- Eagles look to return to state behind 6'4 junior Chad Strehlow who averaged 19 points a game a year ago.
HM
Seneca
Cochrane-Fountain City
Well that concludes my preseason division rankings. Next few days I'll be focusing on the Big Eight and South Central conference which are the two conferences that I follow closely. Prior to the start of the actual season, I'm not sure what other posts I might come up with. My first game will be next Saturday as I'm planning on heading over to Baraboo to watch their Thanksgiving tournament and get a chance to see Josh Cameron and Racine Park play.
This year is no different then the past 10 years or so in the fact that Randolph is one of the top teams in D4. Unlike the past though Randolph isn't a clear cut favorite, there are two other teams that are right there with them. The other two teams are Benton who won the division a year ago and then Sheboygan Christian who actually defeated Randolph in the playoffs a year ago. All three teams bring back big contributors from a year ago and should be a great three team race. Outside of those three teams no one else really has a huge shot to win it all, at least as of right now. The one problem with this is that all three of these teams come out of the same sectional and only one of these three teams will make state. Randolph and Sheboygan Christian should meet in the fourth round, the sectional semi final, with the winner facing Benton in the next round, the sectional final.
1. Randolph- Coaching and 6'9 senior Kyle Kelm gives Randolph the edge here.
2. Sheboygan County Christian- Eagles bring back three starters from a team that beat Randolph in the playoffs a year ago.
3. Benton- Three of their top six players return for the defending state champs.
4. Luck- Should benefit greatly from dropping down a division this year.
5. Barneveld- 6'3 senior Logan Johnson who is the returning conference player of the year for the Six Rivers East.
6. McDonell Central- Should be battle tested after playing the likes of Fall Creek and Eau Claire Regis during conference play.
7. Catholic Central- Another private school that should benefit from a very tough conference schedule.
8. Wausau Newman- Privates always seem to have the edge come playoff time in the lower division and should be no different with Newman.
9. Green Lake- 6'5 senior Brad Brooks is a star and should be tested after getting a chance to play Randolph in the regular season.
10. Suring- Eagles look to return to state behind 6'4 junior Chad Strehlow who averaged 19 points a game a year ago.
HM
Seneca
Cochrane-Fountain City
Well that concludes my preseason division rankings. Next few days I'll be focusing on the Big Eight and South Central conference which are the two conferences that I follow closely. Prior to the start of the actual season, I'm not sure what other posts I might come up with. My first game will be next Saturday as I'm planning on heading over to Baraboo to watch their Thanksgiving tournament and get a chance to see Josh Cameron and Racine Park play.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Division Three Preseason Rankings
While looking at the yearbook rankings for the two lower divisions I realized that I may of lied in my last post when I said that my rankings for the two lower divisions would show bigger difference between my rankings and the yearbook rankings but, unfortunately they are going to be fairly similar.
I personally consider D3 to be the most entertaining division outside of D1. The games in D3 just seem to be so competitive and fast paced, which always makes for more entertaining games. Not to mention you have the private schools which always have the great talent and also spark the hot button debate between private and public schools. This year though its finally a public school that appears to be the favorite to win the division three title.
1. Fall Creek- All five starters return from a final four finish a year ago.
2. Eau Claire Regis- Tons of experience and talent here with a pair of seniors in 6'3 Adams Ganske and 5'10 Jack Eaton. 6'2 junior Conor Miller is another returning starter and had a huge summer form what I've heard.
3. Whitefish Bay Dominican- Three starters are back for the knights including 6'5 senior Mikael Luter.
4. Cuba City- With 6'3 senior Evan Richard anything is possible.
5. Manitowoc Roncalli- With their ball movement and strong three point shooting the Jets should once again go far.
6. Brookfield Academy- BA brings back a lot of height and athleticism highlighted by 6'2 senior Troy Huff.
7. Racine St. Catherines- Angles always reload and the have a D1 athlete in 6'1 senior Steve McWhorter.
8. Blair-Taylor- Final four a year ago in division four and lose only one contributor from that team.
9. Hurley- Had a great football season and should carry that success over. 5'8 senior Daulton Levra could average 30 points a game.
10. Oostburg- Strong rich tradition makes Dutchman always a top team.
HM
Viroqua
Winnebago Lutheran
Brillion
Poynette
Should be another exciting year in division three to see if a public school can finally knock off the mighty private schools. This year should be one of their best chances in a long time.
I personally consider D3 to be the most entertaining division outside of D1. The games in D3 just seem to be so competitive and fast paced, which always makes for more entertaining games. Not to mention you have the private schools which always have the great talent and also spark the hot button debate between private and public schools. This year though its finally a public school that appears to be the favorite to win the division three title.
1. Fall Creek- All five starters return from a final four finish a year ago.
2. Eau Claire Regis- Tons of experience and talent here with a pair of seniors in 6'3 Adams Ganske and 5'10 Jack Eaton. 6'2 junior Conor Miller is another returning starter and had a huge summer form what I've heard.
3. Whitefish Bay Dominican- Three starters are back for the knights including 6'5 senior Mikael Luter.
4. Cuba City- With 6'3 senior Evan Richard anything is possible.
5. Manitowoc Roncalli- With their ball movement and strong three point shooting the Jets should once again go far.
6. Brookfield Academy- BA brings back a lot of height and athleticism highlighted by 6'2 senior Troy Huff.
7. Racine St. Catherines- Angles always reload and the have a D1 athlete in 6'1 senior Steve McWhorter.
8. Blair-Taylor- Final four a year ago in division four and lose only one contributor from that team.
9. Hurley- Had a great football season and should carry that success over. 5'8 senior Daulton Levra could average 30 points a game.
10. Oostburg- Strong rich tradition makes Dutchman always a top team.
HM
Viroqua
Winnebago Lutheran
Brillion
Poynette
Should be another exciting year in division three to see if a public school can finally knock off the mighty private schools. This year should be one of their best chances in a long time.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Division Two Preseason Rankings
In Division two nearly everyone, outside of the Wisconsin High School Yearbook, considers Northwestern to be the #1 team. The made it to the final four a year ago and return two of their top three players in 6'5 Steve Tecker and 6'8 Donnie Hissa. Tecker averaged 21 points a game a year ago while Hissa recorded a double double with 12 points and 10 boards a game. There are a ton of great players in the division two team but, not a lot of dominating teams so the state field is very wide open at the start of the year.
Division Two
1. Northwestern- Already stated the reasons above.
2. Wisconsin Lutheran- Defending state champs bring back there top player in 6'4 senior Flavian Davis.
3. Port Washington- Badger recruit 6'4 senior Josh Gasser is primed for a big year.
4. Catholic Memorial- Disciplined team that has one of the top backcourts in a pair of senior guards in 6'4 TJ Bray and 6'0 Derek Schell.
5. Seymour- Thunder appear to be returning to glory behind their strong junior class highlighted by 6'7 Phil Romback.
6. St. Johns Military- 5 of their top 7 players return and add a transfer that was a double digit scorer a year ago in a D1 conference.
7. River Valley- Should finally get over the hump and make it to state behind a pair of juniors in 6'1 Noah Baryenbruch and 6'4 Alex Richard who were both double digit scorers a year ago.
8. Waupun- High scoring team led by big time scoring 6'3 senior Austin Armga.
9. Reedsburg- Maybe not a real common pick but, I think the Beavers could be a team that could challenge some people with 6'3 junior Chad Mazur a sharpshooter and 6'2 senior Jordan Van Cleave who attacks the rim very hard and can jump outta the gym.
10. Monroe- Lost a lot but, have a great backcourt in a pair of 6'1 juniors in Bryan Tordoff and Michael Barrett.
HM
New Berlin Eisenhower
Prairie du Chien
There are my final picks. I'll admit that I had some trouble picking teams after eight so I was reaching a bit and couldn't really think of any teams that really stood out to me.
Division Two
1. Northwestern- Already stated the reasons above.
2. Wisconsin Lutheran- Defending state champs bring back there top player in 6'4 senior Flavian Davis.
3. Port Washington- Badger recruit 6'4 senior Josh Gasser is primed for a big year.
4. Catholic Memorial- Disciplined team that has one of the top backcourts in a pair of senior guards in 6'4 TJ Bray and 6'0 Derek Schell.
5. Seymour- Thunder appear to be returning to glory behind their strong junior class highlighted by 6'7 Phil Romback.
6. St. Johns Military- 5 of their top 7 players return and add a transfer that was a double digit scorer a year ago in a D1 conference.
7. River Valley- Should finally get over the hump and make it to state behind a pair of juniors in 6'1 Noah Baryenbruch and 6'4 Alex Richard who were both double digit scorers a year ago.
8. Waupun- High scoring team led by big time scoring 6'3 senior Austin Armga.
9. Reedsburg- Maybe not a real common pick but, I think the Beavers could be a team that could challenge some people with 6'3 junior Chad Mazur a sharpshooter and 6'2 senior Jordan Van Cleave who attacks the rim very hard and can jump outta the gym.
10. Monroe- Lost a lot but, have a great backcourt in a pair of 6'1 juniors in Bryan Tordoff and Michael Barrett.
HM
New Berlin Eisenhower
Prairie du Chien
There are my final picks. I'll admit that I had some trouble picking teams after eight so I was reaching a bit and couldn't really think of any teams that really stood out to me.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Division One Preaseason Rankings
High school basketball season is just around the corner in Wisconsin so the post on my blog will begin to pick up again. As usual I will start off the year with my preseason rankings for each of the division, predictions for the two conferences that I follow closely and possibly preseason all state teams for each division.
In just about everyone's mind it comes down to two teams Madison Memorial and Milwaukee Hamiliton. In the past six years Memorial has been a given to get to state and has won the title twice and has been the runner up three times. Memorial is also led by the top player in the state in Marquette recruit 6'4 senior Vander Blue. Hamiliton on the other hand hasn't had a lot of success in recent but, that has changed as they have benefited from a laundry list of top ranked players transfering to Hamiliton for various reasons. Both teams have great coaches in Steve Collins at Memorial and Tom Diener at Hamiliton, that are very well respected throughout the state and have proven track records.
1. Madison Memorial- Defending state champs bring back Blue and have tons of young talent. May be hampered by an injury to super soph 6'4 Junior Lomomba who will miss the majority of the year with an injury.
2. Milwaukee Hamiliton- Lots and lots of talent here with at least seven players ranked in the top 25 in their class and three for sure D1 college recruits.
3. Madison East- 6'4 senior Marquis Mason and 5'11 junior Nimrod Hillard form one of the eastside outside combos in the state. They also bring back their entire bench which got the fourth quarter minutes in a lot of close games including handing Memorial their only loss a year ago.
4. Arrowhead- Return all five starters from a year ago highlighted by high scoring guard 5'10 senior Russell Finco and big man 7'1 senior Ben Mills.
5. Milwaukee King- King is always one of the most talented teams in the state and will be ultra hungry after being suspended from post season play a year ago.
6. Milwaukee Washington- State qualifying team a year ago returned three very talented starters in 6'5 junior Quevyn Winters, 6'7 senior Jon Cathey-Macklin, and 5'10 senior Terry Taylor.
7. Kimberly- Papermakers bring back strong senior class led by 6'6 Matt Craggs.
8. Menomonee Falls- Nationally ranked sophomore 6'5 JP Tokoto is looking to have a breakout year.
9. Depere- Redbirds bring back lots of size and talent.
10. Eau Claire North- New coach and not a lot of returning players but, they do have Badger recruit 6'11 senior Evan Anderson.
HM (in no particular order)
Hamiliton Sussex
Racine Park
Lacrosse Logan
Milwaukee Vincent
There are my preseason rankings. I know that they don't differ much from the Wisconsin Yearbook but, in the coming rankings there will be some difference in the lower divisions. For me the season will begin in a week and a half when I will be attending my first of many games this year.
In just about everyone's mind it comes down to two teams Madison Memorial and Milwaukee Hamiliton. In the past six years Memorial has been a given to get to state and has won the title twice and has been the runner up three times. Memorial is also led by the top player in the state in Marquette recruit 6'4 senior Vander Blue. Hamiliton on the other hand hasn't had a lot of success in recent but, that has changed as they have benefited from a laundry list of top ranked players transfering to Hamiliton for various reasons. Both teams have great coaches in Steve Collins at Memorial and Tom Diener at Hamiliton, that are very well respected throughout the state and have proven track records.
1. Madison Memorial- Defending state champs bring back Blue and have tons of young talent. May be hampered by an injury to super soph 6'4 Junior Lomomba who will miss the majority of the year with an injury.
2. Milwaukee Hamiliton- Lots and lots of talent here with at least seven players ranked in the top 25 in their class and three for sure D1 college recruits.
3. Madison East- 6'4 senior Marquis Mason and 5'11 junior Nimrod Hillard form one of the eastside outside combos in the state. They also bring back their entire bench which got the fourth quarter minutes in a lot of close games including handing Memorial their only loss a year ago.
4. Arrowhead- Return all five starters from a year ago highlighted by high scoring guard 5'10 senior Russell Finco and big man 7'1 senior Ben Mills.
5. Milwaukee King- King is always one of the most talented teams in the state and will be ultra hungry after being suspended from post season play a year ago.
6. Milwaukee Washington- State qualifying team a year ago returned three very talented starters in 6'5 junior Quevyn Winters, 6'7 senior Jon Cathey-Macklin, and 5'10 senior Terry Taylor.
7. Kimberly- Papermakers bring back strong senior class led by 6'6 Matt Craggs.
8. Menomonee Falls- Nationally ranked sophomore 6'5 JP Tokoto is looking to have a breakout year.
9. Depere- Redbirds bring back lots of size and talent.
10. Eau Claire North- New coach and not a lot of returning players but, they do have Badger recruit 6'11 senior Evan Anderson.
HM (in no particular order)
Hamiliton Sussex
Racine Park
Lacrosse Logan
Milwaukee Vincent
There are my preseason rankings. I know that they don't differ much from the Wisconsin Yearbook but, in the coming rankings there will be some difference in the lower divisions. For me the season will begin in a week and a half when I will be attending my first of many games this year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)