Sunday, December 30, 2012

Week Five/Six Rankings

It has actually been two weeks since my last rankings but, with the bad weather cancelling games and the holiday there has only been about a weeks worth of games. With the holiday season there were some great games which will effect the rankings greatly.

Division One
Milwaukee Vincent lost to De Pere and drop to #8. King lost to a nationally ranked team from Las Vegas which you can hardly penalize them for and they moved to the three spot. Neenah lost to Homestead and fall to #12. Arrowhead lost badly to Germantown but, who doesn't so they only dropped one spot. Appleton West lost to Oshkosh North and Racine Case who also lost to Oshkosh North who takes their spot in the rankings along with an undefeated Stevens Point.

1. Germantown
2. Milwaukee Hamilton
3. Milwaukee King
4. Brookfield Central
5. Madison Memorial
6. De Pere
7. Sun Prairie
8. Milwaukee Vincent
9. Mukwonago
10. Sussex Hamilton
11. Arrowhead
12. Neenah
13. Milwaukee Marquette
14. Stevens Point
15. Oshkosh North


Division Two
Once again D2 proves to be the most up and down division with seven of the top 10 teams losing. Rice Lake lost to Stevens Point and Wisconsin Rapids and dropped them down to #5. Waunakee lost to Seymour, Madison East, and Sussex Hamilton and fell all the way to #12. Plymouth lost to Milwaukee Marquette and Ashwaubenon dropping them to#13. Onalaska lost to Lacrosse Aquinas but, because of other teams losing they actually jumped up to #2.Whitefish Bay lost to Dominican but, they were another team that moved up despite losing. Wisconsin Lutheran dropped only one spot after losing to Kaukauna. Tosa East lost to Onalaska and Bay Port falling to #11. Ashwaubenon lost to Slinger but, still managed to hang on to the 15 spot while Slinger checked in at 14 after Eisenhower lost to Brown Deer.

1. Seymour
2. Onalaska
3. Pulaski
4. Wilmont
5. Rice Lake
6. Whitefish Bay
7. Wisconsin Lutheran
8. Waukesha Catholic Memorial
9. Rhinelander
10. Lacrosse Central
11. Wauwatosa East
12. Waunakee
13 Plymouth
14. Slinger
15. Ashwaubenon


Division Three
Little Chute lost to Whitefish Bay which isn't a bad lose so they only drop to #3. East Troy had two good loses to Little Chute and Germantown  and fall only one spot to #4. Brown Deer lost to Milwaukee Hamilton, Neenah, and Pewaukee all very good teams and hang on to the 12 spot. GET lost to Aquinas and Arcadia and drop to the 11 spot. Wrightstown lost to Chilton but, actually moved up because the teams ahead of them lost too. Peshtigo lost to Luxemburg-Casco staying at the same spot at #9. Somerset lost to Tartan of Minnesota but, being that there an out of state team I won't hold it against them. Oostburg lost to Milwaukee Pius and fall out of the rankings and are replaced by Lake Mills at 15.

1. Lodi
2. Wisconsin Dells
3. Little Chute
4. East Troy
5. Marshall
6. Wrightstown
7. Roncalli
8. Lacrosse Aquinas
9. Peshtigo
10. Dodgeville
11. GET
12. Brown Deer
13. Somerset
14. Baldwin-Woodville
15. Lake Mills


Division Four
Finally had to drop Dominican as they lost their third game of the year to Aquinas. Brookfield Academy lost to New Berline Eisenhower and drop to #7. Marathon lost to Aburndale and fall to #10. Necedah lost to Nekoosa and Montello and fall out of the rankings with Young Coggs Prep who lost to three teams from the City Conference. Colfax lost to Elmwood but, hang on to the #15 spot and are jumped by Augusta and Wild Rose.

1. Aburndale
2. Southwestern
3. St. Mary's Springs
4. Cuba City
5. Laconia
6. Dominican
7. Brookfield Academy
8. Elk Mound
9. Shiocton
10. Marathon
11. Amherst
12. Fall Creek
13. Augusta
14. Wild Rose
15. Colfax


Division Five
Drummond lost to Green Bay NEW Lutheran and Peshtigo two top teams so they only fell to #6. Royal lost to Waupaca and Mauston and fall to the eight spot. Barneveld lost to Evansville and Belleville and fall down to 12. Almond Bancroft lost to Wisconsin Valley Lutheran and fall out of the rankings and are replaced by Wisconsin Valley at 14. North Crawford lost to Viroqua and hang on to the 15 spot. MAOS lost to Milwaukee Madison and Cambridge, falling out of the rankings and are replaced by Luck at 13.

1. Randolph
2. Clayton
3. GB NEW Lutheran
4. Suring
5. Cassville
6. Drummond
7. Central Wisconsin Christian
8. Royal
9. Potosi
10. Prentice
11. Monticello
12. Barneveld
13. Luck
14. Wisconsin Valley Lutheran
15. North Crawford



There are my rankings for the past two weeks and now I probably won't have new rankings for another two weeks as there is another holiday week with limited games.










Saturday, December 29, 2012

WBBY Shootout

This past Wednesday I checked out the first day of the WBBY Shootout. It was a long day of pretty good basketball. It has been a few days since the tournament so I'll do my best to give a recap of what I saw.


Milwaukee Marquette 63 Plymouth 45

This was kind of an ugly out of control game. Plymouth just looked absolutely terrible at times as they routinely turned the ball over and took bad shots. Marquette's stingy zone defense was the real reason for this and led to numerous fast break buckets.

Mukwonago 58 Oconomowoc 43

Oconomowoc just couldn't get anything going in this game as they missed shot after shot and settled for the outside shot way too often. Mukwonago looked like a football team on the court as they have some very solid players on their team. Muk looked to get the ball to the inside every single time down the court and used their interior strength to their advantage. Game would of been even worse but, Muk pulled their starters but, had to bring them back in when Oconomowoc left their starters in and got the game inside single digits.

Oak Creek 56 Saint Thomas More 51

Was kind of a slow boring game between two undersized teams. The difference in this one was Thomas More's inability to penetrate against the Oak Creek zone defense. Thomas More seemed happy to just sit outside and shoot threes and missed them throughout much of the game until they were able to up their defensive pressure and get back into the game. For Oak Creek 6'4 senior Terrance Garner was huge as he was able to knock down the three and get in the paint and score.

Wisconsin Lutheran 65 Wauwatosa West 49

I loved watching Lutheran play as they were extremely unselfish and didn't have a go to player just everyone did their part and had no problem making the extra pass. They subbed in five in, five out for much of the game. Have incredible depth as a team. Tosa West seems to have a very strong sophomore class but, didn't stick to their offense and ended up trying to make something out of nothing. Was an uptempo game which took their big man 6'8 junior Ricky Landers right out of the game.

Onalaska 56 Wauwatosa East 44

Another game where a zone defense took one team right out of their offense. Tosa East just looked out of sink and couldn't do anything against the 2-3 zone. 6'4 senior Matt Thomas on Onalaska was off again in this one but, got more help this game unlike the game against Milwaukee Hamilton. Thomas still had his usual big scoring game though.

Aquinas 50 Dominican 47

This game was billed as the premier match up with Aquinas's 6'3 senior Bronson Koenig going against Dominican's 6'3 senior Duane Wilson. Koenig heading to Madison and Wilson to Marquette. First half went to Koenig and second half went to Wilson. The difference was Dominican was able to get their big man 6'9 sophomore Diamond Stone involved in the first half and in the second they stopped going to him. Aquinas was able to have a strong second option in 6'6 senior Michael Conway who knocked down three pointers, mid range jumpers, and had a powerful dunk.

East Troy 52 Milwaukee Riverside 50

For the first three quarters Riverside was faster and quicker then East Troy and then in the fourth quarter they just kind of relaxed and let East Troy back in the game and some clutch three point shooting late sealed the deal. Was a very nice match up watching East Troy's 6'9 twins against the 6'8 and 6'9 big men of Riverside.

Arrowhead 68 Bay Port 43

Arrowhead was another very deep team that subbed in a lot and at times it felt like Bay Port was playing one on five as the only guy that could really do anything was 6'4 senior Steven Minzlaff who scored over half the teams points. Arrowhead really pushed the tempo and penetrate hard in their dribble drive offense and kicked the ball out to their three point shooters.

Top Players
Bronson Koenig 6'3 senior Aquinas- Really is a treat to watch a guy that truly makes his team mates better. Probably the top true point guard in the state as he zips in the quick no look passes. Has the ability to pull up for the mid range or long jump shot or get to the rim and score.

Michael Conway 6'6 senior Aquinas- Hit three three point shots in the game, had a nice step back jumper, and the power dunk. He's the guy that makes this team good and he doesn't have to count on Koenig to set him up.

Ricky Finco 5'9 sophomore Arrowhead- Really didn't have a true star but, he was the teams leading scorer with 13 but, he couldn't miss from down town and hit three threes in the second quarter to ignite his team.

Steven Minzlaff 6'4 senior Bay Port- Really more of a guard but, because of his teams lack of size has to play underneath. Does a great job of guarding the big men and basically does it all on the offensive end. Posts up, shoots the three, and brings the ball up the court.

Duane Wilson 6'3 senior Dominican- Probably the top overall athlete in the state. Jumps out of the gym and even though Koenig did a nice job on him I'm not sure if anyone can stay in front of him. Can really finish at the rim in a variety of ways.

Diamone Stone 6'9 sophomore Dominican- Just a beast of a man and has a nice soft touch. Just pounded the offensive glass, hit a mid range jumper, and players really well off of Wilson. Think if they would of went to him more they may of won their game.

Nate Dodge 6'3 senior East Troy- Unquestioned leader of this team. Plays underneath in the zone defense and racks up the rebounds, ran the point at times, and knocks down threes with anyone in the state.

Brett and Alex Prahl 6'9 seniors East Troy- I'm sure they get this a lot but, it really is hard to tell the difference between the two even with the numbers 50 and 52 on their backs. Both move extremely well for players their size and run the court. Showed the ability to D up the bigger players for Riverside as well as guard the perimeter in the zone.

Nick Klar 6'4 junior Marquette- Hit some big threes in the game and benefited from running the floor and finding his corner spot where he was extremely hot.

Ravonn Posey 6'8 senior Riverside- A very very big man that has a nice touch around the rim. Doesn't get off the floor much but, was able to use his size and score against the big men of East Troy.

Nathan Tanguay 6'4 senior Mukwonago- I didn't expect it from this kid but, he can really score in the paint with a wide variety of post moves and can step out and hit the three point shot as well.

Terrence Garner 6'4 senior Oak Creek- Just a real smooth player that can really stroke it from the outside and can also go inside and score as well.

Alex Medenwaldt 5'11 junior Oak Creek- Kid that moves extremely well without the ball and can get his feet extremely quickly and knock down the open shot.

Matt Thomas 6'4 senior Onalaska- Really nothing more I can say about Thomas. Moves very well without the ball and is a great shooter. Can also score posting up.

Daymeann Stewart 5'10 junior Saint Thomas More- Didn't have a great game but, was able to his points late and get his team back into the game. Has a very quick release getting off his shot from downtown and has quick hands and can really finish at the rim.

Steffan Brown 6'0 sophomore Wauwatosa West- Really liked his game as he really looks like a confident point guard and seems like he can get his shot at any time. His team really looked to him late in the game.

Deiondre Cunningham 6'0 senior Wisconsin Lutheran- Just seemed like big time scorer. Could hit the three point shot and was able to drive to the rim and score too.

Well there is my quick synopsis of a great day of basketball and hopefully I'll be able to make it down to Milwaukee to catch another Shootout next year.








Thursday, December 20, 2012

2nd Round Player Rankings

I've seen a a handful more games since my last ranking of players so I figure that it's time to do another round of player rankings. I try to do my rankings as soon as I can after seeing teams play but, I can't always get the chance to do that, so it does get harder and harder to do as the season goes on. Once again my rankings are based soley of the games that I actually saw the player play. In my mind I may truly believe that a player is better then another player but, I do my best to do my rankings just on what I saw.

Overall

1. Duane Wilson 6'3 senior Whitefish Bay Dominican- Ultra quick guard that can get his shot at any time. Knocks down the three, can finish at the rim with either hand and might be the best ball handler in the state.
2. Deonte Burton 6'6 senior Milwaukee Vincent- Second time I saw him play he really came to play going head to head with Wilson. Showed he does have an outside shot along with all the intangibles he brings to the game. Rebounds extremely well, passes extremely well,blocks shots extremely well, and is a very good on the ball defender as well.
3. Matt Thomas 6'4 senior Onalaska- Moves extremely well with out the ball to get open but, also handles the ball well enough that there was nobody on the court that could stay in front of him. Has the prettiest shot and elevates extremely well which allows him to get his shot up at anytime. The shots weren't falling for him in the game I saw but, you could see that he is a shooter.
4. Nick Fuller 6'7 senior Sun Prairie- In the two games I saw his shot just wasn't falling but, did show his versatility that he could play on the perimeter or in the post. Really seems prepared to be able to play on the next level.
5. Kevin Looney 6'8 junior Milwaukee Hamilton- Didn't have a great game but, showed the ability to control the game without having to score. Blocked shots, rebounded, and did score late in the game.
6. Jamaar McKay 6'4 senior Milwaukee Washington- Extremely high energy player that really makes his team go. Can guard anyone on the court and when he gets the ball on the block he's almost impossible to stop. Tremendous leaper as well with a nice mid range jumper.
7. Nick Noskowiak 6'3 sophomore Sun Prairie- A big time shooter that can knock down shots off the dribble with the best of them. Think he could be a solid point guard but, with the team he's on he's forced to be more of a scoring point guard. Plays pretty solid defense as well.
8. MJ Delmore 5'11 senior Wisconsin Dells- Absolutely an ideal point guard and might be the best in the state. Seems like he's always scoring but, doesn't force things just takes what the defense gives him. Always, always finds the open teammate and puts them in the perfect position to score. Is an extremely good three point shooter.
9. Diamond Stone 6'9 Whitefish Bay Dominican- Was very limited in the game I saw him due to foul trouble but, when he was in the game was very impressive. Has a great game in the post with his back to the basket. Rebounds very well and of course blocks shots.
10. Malik Clements 6'3 junior Madison West- Might very well be the most improved player in the state. Does a great job coming off of screens and is immediately ready to shoot the ball and has the ability to take that ball to the hoop just as well and use his strength to finish.
11. Derek Rongstad 6'5 junior Middleton- Very smooth player that has a very nice jumper that he takes off the dribble and a good spot up three point shot. Hands down the top player on the court when I saw him play Madison Memorial.
12. Jaylen Key 6'5 sophomore Homestead- Had no idea this kid whose a sophomore tell I came home and looked him up. Has a very nice smooth mid range jumper that he takes a little to much at times. A solid rebounder and also a pretty good shot blocker as well.
13. Jester Weah 6'4 senior Madison Memorial- In my opinion is the best rebounder and leaper in the state. At times is a true beast in the paint and if the shot is missed he's going to get the rebound.
14. Nate Moore 6'2 senior Wauwatosa East- Just a very smooth player that always seems to be in control of things. Shoots the three very well and can get to the rim and finish.
15. David Burrell 6'5 junior Milwaukee Hamilton- Another tremendous leaper that loves to finish with the dunk. Loves to get out and run in the open floor and rebounds really well.
16. Anthony Carroll 6'1 senior Wauwatosa East- Almost a clone of his team mate Moore. They even both shoot lefty. Everything I said for Moore is same for Carroll.
17. Nygel Drury 6'5 senior Madison Lafollette- Doesn't do anything exceptionally well but, just does everything good. Rebounds well, shots well, and can play any position on the court.
18. Jake Laihinen 6'2 senior Homestead- A dead eye shooter from three point range but, can also drive to the hoop and finish in a variety of ways. Usually guards the other teams top offensive player and is just the total team player.
19. Tom Beres 5'11 senior Milwaukee Marquette- Super quick guard that has a very nice shot as well. Very hard worker thats always moving without the ball. Lets the game come to him and doesn't force things.
20. Emani Brathwaite 6'3 senior Madison East- Undersized to play in the post but, he makes up with it with his strength, jumping ability, and out hustling his opponent.


Top Seniors
1. Duane Wilson jr 6'3 Whitefish Bay Dominican
2. Deonte Burton 6'6 Milwaukee Vincent
3. Matt Thomas 6'4 Onalaska
4. Nick Fuller 6'7 Sun Prairie
5. Jamaar McKay 6'4 Milwaukee Washington
6. MJ Delmore 5'11 Wisconsin Dells
7. Jester Weah 6'4 Madison Memorial
8. Nate Moore 6'2 Wauwatosa East
9. Anthony Carroll 6'1 Wauwatosa East
10. Nygel Drury 6'5 Madison Lafollette


Top Juniors

1. Kevin Looney 6'8 Milwaukee Hamilton
2. Malik Clements 6'3 Madison West
3. Derek Rongstad 6'5 Middleton
4. David Burrell 6'5 Milwaukee Hamilton
5. Tyler Lindquist 6'6 Madison Memorial- Just a battler on the glass and a hard worker. Solid free throw shooter.
6. Marcus White 6'6 Milwaukee Vincent- Really think he should probably be higher but, didn't have the greatest game when I saw him. Athletic player that can do a little bit of everything. Handle the ball, shoot the three, and rebound.
7. Terrell Mc Fadden 5'11 Madison West- Solid point guard, that can also hit the three point shot.
8. Daurice Fountain 6'3 Madison Memorial- High energy player that is a very good defensive player.
9. Jack Jelacic 6'6 Whitefish Bay Dominican- Solid defensive player and a very good rebounder. Also can hit the outside shot when it's given.
10. Jerry Truss 6'3 Milwaukee Washington- Great leaper and can hit the spot up three pointer.

Top Sophomores

1. Nick Noskowiak 6'3 Sun Prairie
2. Diamond Stone 6'9 Whitefish Bay Dominican
3. Jaylen Key 6'5 Homestead
4. Malik Brown 6'0 Milwaukee Vincent- Automatic from the three point line but, also has the ability to drive to the hope and score.
5. Joseph Binyoti 6'1 Homestead- Pass first point guard that does a good job of running the offense and controlling the tempo of the game.
6. De'Shawn Burks 6'3 Madison East- A very solid player in the post with his back to the basket and can knock down the spot up jumper.
7. Darold Thomas 6'1 sophomore Madison Lafollette- Unlimited three point range which is his strongest asset and does a solid job of running the point position.
8. Shareef Smith 5'10 Madison Memorial - A very heady player thats always in control and is an exceptional three point shooter.
9. Nate Hubbard 6'0 Milwaukee Washington- Another heady guy that is smart and just knows how to play the game and shoot the three.
10. Darvell Hayes 6'6 Milwaukee Washington- Kind of a raw guy right now but, has a very nice soft touch around the hope and a good rebounder.

Top Freshmen

1. Danya Kingsby 5'11 Milwaukee Hamilton- Plays like an upper class men and is a tremendous outside shooter.
2. Kaj Davis 6'7 Racine Park- Very raw player. Moves very well for a guy his size.
3. Jerad Swan 6'0 Milwaukee Marquette- Solid defensive player, that can get to the rim and score.
4. Deang Deang 6'2 Madison East- Looked tentative but, appeared to be a very heady player.
5. Pennis McGowan 5'9 Racine Park- Started as freshmen must mean something.
6. Courtland Cuevas 6'5 Madison Memorial- Barely saw the court but, he did play.


Well like them or hate them those are my rankings. With weather, holidays, and my lack of funds I'm not sure when they next blog will be. I will probably wait an extra week to do my team rankings because with weather and holidays teams aren't playing many games right now.






Monday, December 17, 2012

Week Four Rankings

Another week, another round of team rankings.

Division One
Sun Prairie lost to Madison Memorial and fell to the seven spot.  Appleton West lost to Neenah and fall only one spot to #13 and Homestead falls out of the rankings having lost to Milwaukee Marquette who replace them in the rankings.

1. Germantown
2. Milwaukee Hamilton
3. Milwaukee Vincent
4. Milwaukee King
5. Brookfield Central
6. Madison Memorial
7. De Pere
8. Neenah
9. Sun Prairie
10. Mukwonago
11. Arrowhead
12. Sussex Hamilton
13. Appleton West
14. Racine Case
15. Milwaukee Marquette

Division Two
D2 continues to show that they are the most volatile division. Onalaska lost to Milwaukee Hamilton and drop to #4.  Pulaski lost to Ashwaubenon who lost to GB Southwest, which knock Pulaski to #9 and Ashwaubenon to #15. Rhinelander lost to Stevens Point and drop to #12. Tosa East lost to Sussex Hamilton which doesn't hurt them much and they remain at the same spot. Pius lost twice and fall out of the rankings and are replaced by Lacrosse Central at 14.

1. Rice Lake
2. Waunakee
3. Plymouth
4. Onalaska
5. Seymour
6. Wisconsin Lutheran
7. Whitefish Bay
8. Wauwatosa East
9. Pulaski
10. Wilmont
11. Waukesha Catholic Memorial
12. Rhinelander
13. New Berlin Eisenhower
14. Lacrosse Central
15. Ashwaubenon

Division Three
D3 once again proves to be the most stable division as the only change was Somerset defeated BW and Prescott and leap frogs both of them coming in at #14 and Prescott falls out of the rankings.

1. Little Chute
2. Lodi
3. East Troy
4. Wisconsin Dells
5. Marshall
6. Brown Deer
7.GET
8. Wrightstown
9. Peshtigo
10. Roncalli
11. Lacrosse Aquinas
12. Dodgeville
13. Oostburg
14. Somerset
15. Baldwin-Woodville

Division Four
Dominican lost to Milwaukee Vincent which doesn't affect them at all as the continue to hang on to the #1 spot. Brookfield Academy lost to Wisconsin Lutheran which hurt them alittle as they fall to the #5 spot. Colfax lost to Elmwood  and fell to #14. Pacelli lost to Amherst and Hurley lost three times and both of them fell out of the rankings. Fall Creek lost to Arcadia and dropped to #15. Amherst and Young Coggs Prep are the new teams to enter the rankings.

1. Dominican
2. Aburndale
3. Southwestern
4. St. Mary's Springs
5. Brookfield Academy
6. Cuba City
7. Laconia
8. Marathon
9. Elk Mound
10. Shiocton
11. Necedah
12. Amherst
13. Young Coggs Prep
14. Colfax
15. Fall Creek

Division Five
Suring lost to Peshtigo a top D3 team and drop to #6. Potosi lost to Cassville and dropped to #12. CWC lost to Cambria Friesland and fall to #10. Prentice lost to Medford dropping them to #13. Fall River lost twice and Whitehall lost to Eleva-Strum, taking them both out of the rankings and they are replaced by Milwaukee Academy of Science and Monticello.

1. Randolph
2. Drummond
3. Clayton
4. Royal
5. GB NEW Lutheran
6. Suring
7. Barneveld
8. Almond Bancroft
9. Cassville
10. Central Wisconsin Christian
11. North Crawford
12. Potosi
13. Prentice
14. Milwaukee Academy of Science
15. Monticello

Well there are my new rankings for this week.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Weekend Review

Had a great two days of basketball last Thursday taking in the Sun Prairie vs Madison Memorial game and then on Saturday going to the NY2LA event at Homestead and took in four more great games.

Madison Memorial 75 Sun Prairie 74

This was a game that reminded me why I love high school basketball so much. It was a back and forth game that could of gone to either team and with one team needed a huge crucial play late in the game to get the victory. This was suppose to finally be the year that Sun Prairie would over take Memorial and be the elite team in the conference and then make it to state down the road. Memorial was without their top player in 6'1 senior point guard Brendan Ortiz as well which led most people to believe Memorial to have no shot. Through the first half this seemed to be the case as Sun Prairie was able to get a 14 point halftime lead behind the sharp shooting of their two stats 6'7 senior Nick Fuller and 6'3 sophomore Nick Noskowiak.

In the third quarter Fuller really seemed to be forcing things and he threw up some wild shots. For Memorial 6'4 senior Jester Weah finally had a big game scoring 19 second half points the majority of them occurring on second chance buckets. I've said it before and I continue to believe that Weah is the best rebounder in the state and one of the best leapers. Many times he tipped the put back, miss the shot and then jump back up and get the second rebound and score the basket. The other thing that helped Weah out in this game was that he was finally making his foul shots which he had struggled on this year. Weah was countered on the by Sun Prairie's mountain 6'3 junior Craig Evans who goes 350 and is being recruited to play football at Wisconsin. Evans doesn't jump like Weah but, he is able to use his size and strength to score and at one point had three straight buckets.

Late in the game Noskowiak was knocking down everything but, Memorial was able to counter everything he made with a bucket of their own. Memorial senior 5'11 Julian Walters hit a pair of back to back three pointers to pull Memorial within two and a Memorial foul and missed free throw by Prairie set the stage. Walters raced down the court penetrated and dished to a wide open 5'10 sophomore Shareef Smith who hit the wide open three and of course when Sun Prairie brought the ball back up the court Smith stole the ball and sealed the upset victory for Memorial.

Top Players
Jester Weah 6'4 senior Memorial- Basically said it all already just dominated the glass early on and carried his team throughout.
Julian Walters 5'11 senior Memorial- Not a great night but, had two huge three point shots late in the game.
Reggie Roemer 5'9 junior Memorial- Usually doesn't play much but, came off the bench and gave his team a nice spark hitting the mid range jumper and knocking down a three.
Nick Fuller 6'7 senior SP- Was high scorer in the game and was hot from the outside knocking down threes and was able to hit some of those wild shots he was throwing up.
Nick Noskowiak 6'3 sophomore SP- Was hitting everything he put up and seemed to hit all the big shots.
Craig Evans 6'3 junior SP- Just a force on the inside creating space and scoring.



NY2LA
Little Chute 53 West Allis Central 29
This game was over before I got to the game and didn't get a chance to really see Little Chute play as they were up 30 when I arrived and the starters played maybe a minute of the time I was there.

Wauwatosa East 70 Milwaukee Washington 64
Washington didn't show up at the start of the game and were working from behind throughout. They applied the pressure and actually took the lead at one point but, the solid guard play of Tosa's Nate Moore and Anthony Carroll kept things under control and Washington couldn't knock down the big shot late when they were fouling. Part of Washington's problem seemed to be because Washington sub players so much their guys just couldn't get in the flow of the game and when they finally did get the game close is when they stayed with a solid group of five out there.

Milwaukee Marquette 61 Homestead 59
Homestead just seemed a step slow in this one and Marquette just ran their offense until they found the open guy to score. Marquette really showed that they are a smart well coached team and very unselfish. Homestead tried to run the slow post up game but, they just couldn't get the ball inside and when they finally made their run to get back in the game they went small and applied the pressure. Marquette struggled late but, hung on to the one point win.

Milwaukee Hamilton 59 Onalaska 45
Onalaska's Matt Thomas was the top player in this game but, he just didn't have enough help and his shots just weren't falling.  Kevin Looney for Hamilton was the player everyone game to watch but, Onalaska was determined not to let him beat them and he had only two points in the first half but, it was Hamilton's guards that really carried them early before Looney got something going late in the game.

Milwaukee Vincent 74 Whitefish Bay Dominican 59
Once again the top player was on the losing as Duane Wilson put on one of the most impressive games I've seen anyone have. Wilson was unguardable in the first half as he had 23 points and was hitting everything he put up. In the second half he tired out and just didn't have any gas left in the tank. For Vincent they really played a horrible first half but, their overall number of athletes allowed them to win this game and the strong play of Deonte Burton, who didn't force things as much as he had in the first half.


Top Players
Nate Moore 6'2 senior Wauwatosa East- A real smooth player that never seems to be expending a lot of energy but, can get anywhere he wants and knocks down the three point shot.
Anthony Carroll 6'1 senior Wauwatosa East- Similar player to Moore in that he is real smooth and never out of control.
Jamaar McKay 6'4 senior Milwaukee Washington- Didn't have a great game but, still got his points maybe from taking a lot of shots. Really showed the variety of ways he could score.
Tom Beres 5'11 senior Milwaukee Marquette- Ultra quick guard that could get anywhere he wanted and had a very smooth touch.
Jake Laihinen 6'2 senior Homestead- A heady player that was on fire from the outside and scoring in transition.
Matt Thomas 6'4 senior Onalaska- No one could stay in front of him and can get his shot off anytime that he wants. The shots just weren't falling today.
Jeff Hickman 5'8 senior Milwaukee Hamilton- Hit the threes and was able to drive to the rim and score.
Kevin Looney 6'8 junior Milwaukee Hamilton- Really controlled the game without having to score much. Blocked shots and rebounding, late in the game he was finally able to score though.
Duane Wilson jr 6'3 senior Dominican- Another guy that no one could stay in front of and couldn't miss. Is an ultra athlete that blocks shots, rebounds, and throw down some amazing dunks.
Diamond Stone 6'9 sophomore Dominican- Really showed an impressive game with his back to the basket and of coursed rebounded great and blocked shots.
Deonte Burton 6'6 senior Milwaukee Vincent- A man child on the court that can rebound with the best of them and get to the hoop using his strength. Was able to knock down the mid range jump shot and hit the occasional three.

Was a nice chance to see some of the elite players in the state play against each other and see some of the elite teams play as well.






Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Memorial and Sun Prairie won

Took in two games last week watching Madison Memorial defeat Madison West and Sun Prairie over Madison Lafollette. One game was a close on through out and then the other ended up being a blow out.

Madison Memorial 64 Madison West 58

This Memorial team isn't the Memorial team of the past. There isn't a Wes Mathews, Jeronne Maymon, or Vander Blue on this team and may not even be a D1 college player. 6'1 senior Brendan Ortiz is the leader and star but, he isn't quite on that level of the previous mentioned players. I expected Ortiz to have a huge senior year but, so far the stats haven't shown it yet. In this game just when Ortiz was starting to take this game over on back to back impressive plays he turned his ankle. Hopefully he will be back for the big match up with Sun Prairie later this week. After Ortiz went down Memorial really struggled to get their offense going and turned the ball over numerous times. The one thing that really kept Memorial in the lead during the game was there offensive rebounding. They had second, third, and even four tries at the basket before they were able to put the ball in the hoop. Memorial led by only two points at the half but, they were able to push their lead to eight by applying the pressure and turning West over before West was able to claw back into the game. Memorial once again got an eight point lead and let West back into the game on poor free throw shooting but, in the end 5'11 senior Julian Walters was able to go 5-6 from the line late and sell the game. Memorial doesn't have a go to guy if Ortiz is out. 6'4 senior Jester Weah wants to be that guy but, I don't know they he has that skill set. Weah's best asset is his jumping ability and rebounding and outside of that he doesn't shoot the ball well or handle well and has a so so post game. Walters also wants to be that guy but, he seems to push things when they aren't there which leads to turnovers or poor shot selections.

West came out with a ton of intensity early on which allowed them to keep this game close but, in the end I think they really ran out of gas and some foul trouble hindered some of their starters. 6'3 junior Malik Clements appears to be the second best player in the conference behind Nick Fuller from Sun Prairie and he was the best player on the court tonight. Memorial used a box and one most of the night which slowed Clements down but, every time they went to their 1-3-1 zone Clements found and opening and knocked down the open shot. West didn't get a single point from their bench which may be a sign as to why they lost this game as Memorial's bench had 17 points all from two players but, 17 points none the less. Clements just doesn't have a lot of help. West has some bangers in the post but, no one that's gonna go off and score a ton of points.

Top Players
Shareef Smith 5'10 sophomore Memorial- Really heady player that calms Memorial down at times and showed the ability to get to the hoop and score over and around bigger defenders. This year Ortiz will do the balk of the ball handling but, next year this team will be Smith's. He's a true point guard and unselfish.
Tyler Lindquist 6'6 junior Memorial- He's completely over shadowed by his more well known team mates but, Lindquist is just a tireless worker in the post, rebounding and fighting for position.
Julian Walers 5'11 senior Memorial- Didn't have a great game but, was clutch at the end of the game when no one could hit free throws but, he stepped up and hit them.
Malik Clements 6'3 junior West- Just an all around solid player that can score from long range and driving to the hoop.
Travis Kell 6'6 senior West- Just a hard worker that pounds the offensive glass and scoring in the paint.

Leading Scorers
Memorial- Lindquist 14 Walters 12 Weah 11
West- Clements 21 Kell 14

Sun Prairie 79 Madison Lafollette 61

Lafollette was able to keep this one close until Sun Prairie locked down their defense and forced Lafollette into numerous turnovers which led to easy buckets for Prairie. All game long Lafollette was unable to penetrate Prairie's 1-3-1 zone defense and just passed the ball around the outside and when they did penetrate the zone collapsed on them and they would turn the ball over. On the other side Lafollette continually helped out their team mates that were beat off the dribble and Sun Prairie always seemed to find their open team mate for the open three point shot. Outside of the three point shot Prairie got the majority of their buckets in transition after Lafollette had turned the ball over. This game was really getting out of hand until both benches were clear and the Sun Prairie bench players didn't want to hold the ball but, continue to go to the hoop and throw up some wild shots while Lafollette continued to work the ball to the inside and score. Every time I see 6'7 senior Nick Fuller play he looks better and better and at this point he doesn't impress as much, it's just expected.

Top Players
Nick Fuller 6'7 senior Sun Prairie- Really tough on the top of the 1-3-1 zone defense forcing players into turn overs. With his height he really plays like a guard which will help him transition to the next level where he will no longer be the tallest player on the court. Still knocks down the three like he always has.
 Donnel Thompson 6'2 senior Sun Prairie- Really seems to be improved since playing at Memorial last year. Knocks down the open three and has the ability to get to the hoop.
Trevon Ampe 6'6 senior Lafollette- One of the few guys that actually had a half way decent game for Lafollette. Really battled underneath and got rebounds and was able to score in the post when his team mates looked for him.

Top Scores
Sun Prairie- Fuller 33 Thompson 11
Lafollette- Ampe 13 Nygel Drury 13

The Big Eight really is up and down. I thought West was the clear cut third best team in the conference but, then they went out and lost to Middleton badly who had just lost to Madison East, who appears to be the hot team having defeated Lafollette as well which has completely shocked me. Almost everyone picked East to be towards the bottom of the conference and so far they are proving everyone wrong. In two days I will be taking in the biggest game of the year in the conference when Memorial goes to Sun Prairie.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Week Three Rankings

Another week and another round of rankings.

Division One
Homestead lost to Arrowhead and fall to #14 but, otherwise nothing has changed at all in the rankings as everyone else won out.
1. Germantown
2. Milwaukee Hamiton
3. Milwaukee Vincent
4. Sun Prairie
5. Milwaukee King
6. Brookfield Central
7. Madison Memorial
8. De Pere
9. Neenah
10. Mukwonago
11. Arrowhead
12. Appleton West
13. Sussex Hamilton
14. Homestead
15. Racine Case

Division Two
Wisconsin Lutheran lost to Homestead and fell to #9 right behind him is Whitefish Bay who lost to Milwaukee King. Catholic Memorial fell to #12 having lost to Arrowhead. Ashwaubenon lost to De Pere and drop to #13. Milwaukee Washington lost to Dominican and Catholic Memorial and fall out of the rankings all together and are replaced by Pius. Eisenhower hangs on to the 15 spot despite losing to Pewaukee.
1. Onalaska
2. Rice Lake
3. Waunakee
4. Plymouth
5. Pulaski
6. Seymour
7. Rhinelander
8. Wauwatosa East
9. Wisconsin Lutheran
10. Whitefish Bay
11. Wilmot
12. Waukesha Catholic Memorial
13. Ashwaubenon
14. Milwaukee Pius
15. New Berlin Eisenhower

Division Three
Roncalli lost to Wrightstown and drop to the 10 spot. Aquinas lost to a team from Iowa and fall to #11.

1. Little Chute
2. Lodi
3. East Troy
4. Wisconsin Dells
5. Marshall
6. Brown Deer
7. GET
8. Wrightsown
9. Peshtigo
10. Roncalli
11. Lacrosse Aquinas
12. Baldwin-Woodville
13. Prescott
14. Dodgeville
15. Oostburg

Division Four
Colfax lost to Regis and drop to #11 while Regis lost to Fall Creek and fell out of the rankings. Pacelli lost to Shiocton and fell behind them at #12. Fall Creek lost to Elk Mound and drop to 13. Thorp lost to Mcdonald Central and Altoona, which caused them to fall out of the rankings all together, which allowed Necedah and Hurley to jump into the rankings.

1. Dominican
2. Aburndale
3. Brookfield Central
4. Southwestern
5. St. Mary's Springs
6. Cuba City
7. Laconia
8. Marathon
9. Elk Mound
10. Shiocton
11. Colfax
12. Pacelli
13. Fall Creek
14. Necedah
15. Hurley

Division Five
Central Wisconsin Christian beat Fall River who fall to #11. North Crawford lost to Cassville who comes in at 14 right in front of North Crawford. Gilmanton lost to Alma/Pepin and fall out of the rankings. Blair Taylor lost three more games and are out of the rankings.

1. Randolph
2. Drummond
3. Clayton
4. Royal
5. Suring
6. Potosi
7. Green Bay NEW Lutheran
8. Central Wisconsin Christian
9. Barneveld
10. Prentice
11. Fall River
12. Whitehall
13. Almond Bancroft
14. Cassville
15. North Crawford

Well there are my week three rankings. Every week things become more and more clear as to the rankings.




































Wednesday, December 5, 2012

First Round Player Rankings

This year I'm going to try and do my best of ranking the players that I have actually seen play. Last year I didn't do a good job of staying up with my rankings so I am going to try and do my best this year to keep up with them. A reminder that my rankings will solely be based on what I saw at the particular game I was at. Even though I may truly believe that a player should be ranked higher I'm going to try and only take the game that I actually saw them play as the reasoning of my ranking. So without further adu here are my first round of player rankings. I will rank players overall and then by class.

Overall
1. Deonte Burton 6'6 senior Milwaukee Vincent- Didn't have the greatest game offensively but, does everything really well. Rebounds extremely well, passes extremely well,blocks shots extremely well, and is a very good on the ball defender as well.
2. Malik Clements 6'3 junior Madison West- Might very well be the most improved player in the state. Does a great job coming off of screens and is immediately ready to shoot the ball and has the ability to take that ball to the hoop just as well and use his strength to finish.
3. Jamaar McKay 6'4 senior Milwaukee Washington- Extremely high energy player that really makes his team go. Can guard anyone on the court and when he gets the ball on the block he's almost impossible to stop. Tremendous leaper as well with a nice mid range jumper.
4. MJ Delmore 5'11 senior Wisconsin Dells- Absolutely an ideal point guard and might be the best in the state. Seems like he's always scoring but, doesn't force things just takes what the defense gives him. Always, always finds the open teammate and puts them in the perfect position to score. Is an extremely good three point shooter.
5. Derek Rongstad 6'5 junior Middleton- Very smooth player that has a very nice jumper that he takes off the dribble and a good spot up three point shot. Hands down the top player on the court when I saw him play Madison Memorial.
6. Jaylen Key 6'5 sophomore Homestead- Had no idea this kid whose a sophomore tell I came home and looked him up. Has a very nice smooth mid range jumper that he takes a little to much at times. A solid rebounder and also a pretty good shot blocker as well.
7. Nygel Drury 6'5 senior Madison Lafollette- Doesn't do anything exceptionally well but, just does everything good. Rebounds well, shots well, and can play any position on the court.
8. Emani Brathwaite 6'3 senior Madison East- Undersized to play in the post but, he makes up with it with his strength, jumping ability, and out hustling his opponent.
9. Darold Thomas 6'1 sophomore Madison Lafollette- Unlimited three point range which is his strongest asset and does a solid job of running the point position.
10. Jabari Hobson 6'2 senior Milwaukee Vincent- Solid rebounder from the wing position and does all the little things. Didn't notice him much but, at the end of the game he was one of the high scorers and probably top rebounders.

Seniors
1. Deonte Burton 6'6 Milwaukee Vincent
2. Jamaar McKay 6'4 Milwaukee Washington
3. MJ Delmore 5'11  Wisconsin Dells
4. Nygel Drury 6'5 Madison Lafollette
5. Emani Brathwaite 6'3 Madison East
6. Jabari Hobson 6'2 Milwaukee Vincent
7. Shane Wimann 6'4 Wisconsin Dells- A beast on the inside but, a guy that can play like a guard as well where he can knock down the three or take the ball to the hoop.
8. Jester Weah 6'4 Madison Memorial- One of the best leapers in the state which allows him to be one of the top rebounders in the state.
9. Luke Worthington 6'9 Homestead- A guy that in all reality should be one of the top players but, just didn't have a great game. College size big man with a soft touch. Does a great job of getting position in receiving the ball and rebounding.
10. Juwan Merriwether 6'1 Milwaukee Vincent- Another solid Vincent player that just does a little bit of everything.

Juniors
1. Malik Clements 6'3 Madison West
2. Derek Rongstad 6'5 Middleton
3. Tyler Lindquist 6'6 Madison Memorial- Just a battler on the glass and a hard worker. Solid free throw shooter.
4. Maurice Ewing 6'1 Madison Lafollette- Athletic player and he has a nice mid range jumper.
5. Terrell Mc Fadden 5'11 Madison West- Solid point guard, that can also hit the three point shot.
6. Daurice Fountain 6'3 Madison Memorial- High energy player that is a very good defensive player.
7. Nick Wilson 5'9 Milwaukee Washington- Just that pesky point guard that's always up in your face and frustarting you.
8. Jarrod Walton 6'4 Homestead- High energy player that is a solid rebounder.
9. Jerry Truss 6'3 Milwaukee Washington- Great leaper.
10. Demetrius Tillman 6'1 Milwaukee Washington- Just need a 10th guy to fill out the list.

Sophomores
1. Jaylen Key 6'5 Homestead
2. Darold Thomas 6'1 Madison Lafollette
3. Malik Brown 6'0 Milwaukee Vincent- Automatic from the three point line but, also has the ability to drive to the hope and score.
4. De'Shawn Burks 6'3 Madison East- A very solid player in the post with his back to the basket and can knock down the spot up jumper.
5. Joseph Binyoti 6'1 Homestead- Pass first point guard that does a good job of running the offense and controlling the tempo of the game.
6. Shareef Smith 5'10 Madison Memorial - A very heady player thats always in control and is an exceptional three point shooter.
7. Nate Hubbard 6'0 Milwaukee Washington- Another heady guy that is smart and just knows how to play the game and shoot the three.
8. Darvell Hayes 6'6 Milwaukee Washington- Kind of a raw guy right now but, has a very nice soft touch around the hope and a good rebounder.
9. Brett Tauber 6'6 Madison Memorial- Very solid with his back to the basket game.
10. Elliot Stokes 6'1 Milwaukee Washington- Only other sophomore I've seen play. Is listed as a junior in the yearbook so, could even be wrong with this.



Freshmen
1. Kaj Davis 6'7 Racine Park- Very raw player. Moves very well for a guy his size.
2. Deang Deang 6'2 Madison East- Looked tentative but, appeared to be a very heady player.
3. Pennis McGowan 5'9 Racine Park- Started as freshmen must mean something.
4. Courtland Cuevas 6'5 Madison Memorial- Barely saw the court but, he did play.

Looking at my rankings it's fairly easy to tell that the junior class that I have seen play so far is fairly week as I struggled just to find 10 guys that were juniors. I did see lots of promise in the sophomore class though, probably nine of those guys are legitimate varsity contributors. End of the week I'll be taking in a pair of games which is much needed after not going to any games last week.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Week Two Rankings

I obviously haven't had any post in the past week but, has been a busy week and I want to keep up on my rankings and hopefully tomorrow I will have a post on my player rankings that I have seen so far this year. So here are my new rankings for the state.

Division One
This week Homestead and Brookfield Central lost to #1 Germantown but, each only fall a couple of spots to #6 and #7. Appleton West lost to a cross town rival and drop to #13 and Oshkosh North got blown out by Appleton East and fall out of the rankings mostly because I needed a spot for Sussex Hamilton who I had mistakenly put in D2 last week. Racine Case lost again to a very good Milwaukee Washington team and hang on at #15.

1. Germantown
2. Milwaukee Hamilton
3. Milwaukee Vincent
4. Sun Prairie
5. Milwaukee King
6. Homestead
7. Brookfield Central
8. Madison Memorial
9. De Pere
10. Neenah
11. Mukwonago
12. Arrowhead
13. Appleton West
14. Sussex Hamilton
15. Racine Case

Division Two
D2 once again proved to be the most difficult division to predict. Wisconsin Lutheran and Whitefish Bay each lost to premier D1 teams and fall to #5 and #6. Seymour lost to a so so team and drop to #8. Tosa East lost to Waunakee and drop to #10. Milwaukee Morse-Marshall lost twice and fall out of the rankings while Washington lost twice to #1 in D4 Dominican and a top ranked De Pere team and remain in the same spot while Catholic Memorial lost to Arrowhead and actually jumped them. I needed two more teams to fill out the rankings and came up with Wilmot and New Berlin Eisenhower.

1. Onalaska
2. Rice Lake
3. Waunakee
4. Plymouth
5. Wisconsin Lutheran
6. Whitefish Bay
7. Pulaski
8. Seymour
9. Rhinelander
10. Wauwatosa East
11. Ashwaubenon
12. Waukesha Catholic Memorial
13. Milwaukee Washington
14. Wilmot
15. New Berlin Eisenhower


Division Three
Not a lot of changes here at all as D3 typically stays fairly stag nit. Prairie du Chien lost twice and fall from the rankings and are replaced by Dodgeville who beat them and Oostburg lost to #4 D2 and remain in the 15 spot.

1. Little Chute
2. Lodi
3. East Troy
4. Wisconsin Dells
5. Roncalli
6. Marshall
7. Lacrosse Aquinas
8. Brown Deer
9. GET
10. Wrightstown
11. Peshtigo
12. Baldwin-Woodville
13. Prescott
14. Dodgeville
15. Oostburg


Division Four
Pacelli lost to Stratford in an upset and to a D1 school in Wausau East and drop to #11. Regis lost to Thorp and Lacrosse Aquinas and fall to #14 right behind Thorp who jump into the rankings. Fall Creek lost to Elk Mound who comes in at #10 and they drop to #12. Algoma lost twice and drop out of the rankings along with Cameron who lost. Shiocton lost to a very good Brillion team and hung on to the #15 spot.

1. Dominican
2. Aburndale
3. Brookfield Academy
4. Southwestern
5. Colfax
6. St. Mary's Springs
7. Cuba City
8. Laconia
9. Marathon
10. Elk Mound
11. Pacelli
12. Fall Creek
13. Thorp
14. Eau Claire Regis
15. Shiocton


Division Five
Blair Taylor lost to GET, Whitehall, and Onalaska Luther but, still hang on to the rankings at #15. Barneveld lost to Darlington and drop a spot to #11. Central Wisconsin Christian lost to Randolph but, actually move up a top to #10 after playing them twice. Gilmanton lost to Eau Claire Immanuel and drop to #14. Cochrane-Fountain City has lost three games and fall out of the rankings. Prentice lost to Marathon a top D4 team which actually allows them to move up three spots to #12.

1. Randolph
2. Drummond
3. Clayton
4. Royal
5. Suring
6. Fall River
7. Potosi
8. Green Bay NEW Lutheran
9. North Crawford
10. Central Wisconsin Christian
11. Barneveld
12. Prentice
13. Whitehall
14. Gilmanton
15. Blair Taylor

There are my team rankings and tomorrow I will hopefully have the chance to do my player rankings of the players that I have actually seen play this year. Last year I didn't get the chance to keep up with my player rankings and hopefully this year I will be able to.






















Monday, November 26, 2012

Round One Rankings

I know there hasn't been a ton of games but, I wanted to try and keep my rankings to as close to a weekly as possible so I'm not going back two weeks to change my rankings. The rankings probably haven't changed much since my original but, there are some small changes here and there.




Division One
Obviously not a lot of changes but, De Pere did lose to Appleton West and fall a spot behind them at #10. Racine Case lost to King and Mukwonago to Hamilton and both teams drop one spot to #13 and #14. Arrowhead defeated Milwaukee Riverside and replace them in the rankings.

1. Germantown
2. Milwaukee Hamilton
3. Milwaukee Vincent
4. Homestead
5. Sun Prairie
6. Brookfield Central
7. Milwaukee King
8. Madison Memorial
9. Appleton West
10. De Pere
11. Oshkosh North
12. Neenah
13. Racine Case
14. Mukwonago
15. Arrowhead

Division Two
Just like years past, division two is the division that has the most consistent changing at the top and no clear cut favorite. Pulaski lost to a very good D1 team and Milwaukee King and fall a couple spots to #8. Milwaukee Washington fell all the way to 13 after they lost to a team I completely forgot in Sussex Hamilton who jumped up to 10. Morse-Marshall lost to D4 power Roncalli and drop to 11, Rhinelander lost and fell to 12. New Berlin Eisenhower and Milwaukee Pius lost and fell out of the rankings and Catholic Memorial gets the #15 spot.

1. Onalaska
2. Rice Lake
3. Seymour
4. Wisconsin Lutheran
5. Whitefish Bay
6. Waunakee
7. Plymouth
8. Pulaski
9. Wauwatosa East
10. Sussex Hamilton
11. Milwaukee Morse-Marshall
12. Rhinelander
13. Milwaukee Washington
14. Whitnall
15. Waukesha Catholic Memorial


Division Three
Marshall lost to Lodi and Aquinas lost to the Dells both teams fell a bit but, not too much as they remained at #6 and #7. Prairie du Chien lost to an out of state team so they didn't fall too much. Baldwin-Woodville defeated Prescott and jumped in at 13 with Prescott right behind them. Clinton had a bad lose to Brodhead and fall out of the rankings.

1. Little Chute
2. Lodi
3. East Troy
4. Wisconsin
5. Roncalli
6. Marshall
7. Lacrosse Aquinas
8. Brown Deer
9. GET
10. Wrightstown
11. Peshtigo
12. Prairie du Chien
13. Baldwin-Woodville
14. Prescott
15. Oostburg


Division Four
Absolutely no changes here. The only team that lost was #1 Dominican who lost to #1 in D3 Little Chute who shouldn't be too much of a surprise.

1. Dominican
2. Pacelli
3. Aburndale
4. Brookfield Academy
5. Southwestern
6. Eau Claire Regis
7. Colfax
8. St. Mary's Springs
9. Fall Creek
10. Cuba City
11. Algoma
12. Laconia
13. Marathon
14. Shiocton
15. Cameron



Division Five
Only teams that lost were Cochrane-Fountain City and Prentice, who each lost to ranked D4 teams and still remain in the rankings at 14 and 15.

1. Randolph
2. Drummond
3. Blair Taylor
4. Clayton
5. Royal
6. Suring
7. Fall River
8. Potosi
9. Green Bay NEW Lutheran
10. Barneveld
11. Central Wisconsin Christian
12. North Crawford
13.  Gilmanton
14. Cochrane-Fountain City
15. Prentice





Sunday, November 25, 2012

Thanksgiving Week Review

Before it gets to far along I thought I should do a write up of my past week game experiences. I went to two individual games as well as the I-94 challenge. Teams seemed to be playing a very fast pace this early in the season and relying on hustle more then pure skill. Also saw some ugly basketball at times but, things will continue o get better as the season goes on.

Madison Memorial 57 Middleton 47

This was one of those games that was very ugly at times and played at a very fast pace. Many times guys would grab defensive rebounds and just turn or go, either dribbling and push the ball or looking for the outlet pass before being sure their teammate was open. This Memorial team is no where near as good as the Memorial teams of the past and they are going to struggle against teams that have more then one offensive option unlike Middleton. Middleton really only has one guy that can go and get his points at any time, in 6'5 junior Derek Rongstad. Outside of Rongstad no one else is going to score outside of the three point shot or offensive rebound. In the first half Rongstad was unstoppable scoring 16 points while Memorial tried three different defenders on him, none of which could contain him. In the second half Memorial went to a box and one, with 6'3 junior Daurice Fountain face guarding Rongstad which caused Rongstad to be taken right out of the offense and only score two second half points. Memorial really should of dominated this game but, they struggled to score at times turning the ball over and missing countless bunny shots. One point in the third after back to back buckets from 6'4 senior Jester Weach, including a one handed dunk, it appeared that Memorial was going to go on a huge run but, it stalled out after a pair of turnovers. In the end Memorial had more athletes and more guys that could create their own shot.

Top Scores- (Middleton) Rongstad 18 (Memorial) Julian Walters 15 Weach 13 Tyler Lindquist 10

Wisconsin Dells 90 Racine Park 54

Not a whole lot to say about this one as Dells started with an 8-0 lead and was leading 25 to 7 after the first quarter. Dells is a senior dominated team while Park is a very young and inexperienced team. Dells plays a zone and Park appeared to have no idea how to attack it and really had no one that could knock down an outside shot. The Dells team really passes the ball well and as long as the baskets are falling they don't care who does the scoring. The big question mark for them is what do they get off the bench? The starting five is great but, against a good team I'm not sure if they can get anything from the bench. What happens if 6'4 senior Shane Wimann gets in foul trouble? They rebound well but, when they play a bigger team they are going to have trouble since Wimann is the only player "truly" over six foot. Outside of star 5'11 senior MJ Delmore who can run the point? On Friday when Delmore went out of the game and Park provided some pressure the Dells turned the ball over numerous times and they had to bring Delmore back in the game.

Top Scorers- (Park) Hayes 14 (WD)- Delmore 29 Wimann 16

Was a slow back and forth battle and Lafollette led for probably more of the game back Homestead locked down the defense late and took the lead for good. 6'8 senior Luke Worthington was the guy I came to watch but, he really struggled today as he missed a lot of bunny shots and free throws and then was saddled with foul trouble in the second half. In was Jalen Key a 6'7 super sophomore that caught my eye. Key probably shot the ball a bit too much but, he was able to knock down numerous mid range jumpers and had a big block in the game. For Lafollette 6'6 senior Trevon Ampe never could get himself going but, 6'5 senior Nygel Drury had a very solid all around game and 6'1 sophomore Darold Thomas was very hot from the outside but, did take a few bad shots.

Top Scorers- (Homestead)- Key 25 Worthington 13 (Lafollette) Thomas 19 Drury 18 Ampe 11 Maurice Ewing 10

Milwaukee Washington 62 Madison East 47

This game Washington just had more athletes then East. Washington really pushed the tempo and played 12 different players and you really couldn't tell one player from another with the exception of their star 6'3  senior Jamar McKay. Mckay did a little bit of everything and is just a super athletic, high energy player. McKay settled in late in the game and was able to score at will in the post as they wore down the East team. On the other side 6'3 senior Emani Brathwaite was a beast on the inside and kept his team close until they ran out of gas late.

Top Scorers (East) Brathwaite 16 De'shawn Burks 11 (Washington) McKay 19

Milwaukee Vincent 59 Madison West 51

6'6 senior Deonte Burton was the guy everyone came to see and he had a good game but, not a great game. The biggest reason was West put Daniel Jackson on him who is nearly as physical presence as Burton each, which kept Burton from muscling in and having to use his skill and made things a little more difficult on him. Burton didn't score a ton but, he made a difference with his rebounding, passing, and a couple big blocks. The biggest asset in this game for Vincent was 6'0 sophomore guard Malik Brown who hit four three pointers from the outside and is really a sharp shooter from the outside. For West 6'3 junior Malik Clements carried them but, at times seemed to get a little carried away with the match up with Burton and looked to take him on one on one.

Top Scorers- (Vincent) Brown 16 Jabari Hobson 14 Burton 13 (West) Clements 20

I love the idea of the I-94 challenge and allowed fans from the area to watch three local teams in some very good competitions. Similar to the Big Eight Challenge a few years ago, it was nice to see the same fans cheering for each of the Madison teams as it was Madison vs Milwaukee and it will be interesting to see if this tournament will continue throughout the years and if the event will be hosted by different schools. I know my write ups for each game was kind of short but, I wanted to get the games in before there had been too big of a lapse between the write up and when the game was played. Tomorrow we should be seeing my updated team rankings for the state.


Sunday, November 18, 2012

Big Eight Conference Preview

The Big Eight Conference is far away the conference that I pay the most attention and I feel that I can actually make an accurate prediction with how the conference will play out. The reason that I follow this conference so closely is because it is a conference that is fairly close to where I live and has had some great basketball being played throughout the past seven years I've been following basketball closely. There have been numerous D1 college players that have come through this conference as well as the perennial state power house Madison Memorial. Speaking of Madison Memorial this may actually be the year that Sun Prairie is able to over take Memorial as the top team and to make it to state where a Big Eight school is nearly guaranteed to make it. Sun Prairie and Memorial are easily the one and two teams in the conference but, after that there is really a mishmash of teams in the second tear where four different teams could end up in third place. The bottom four teams are a mishmash as where those four teams could finish in any order. Here are my preseason Big Eight thoughts.

1. Sun Prairie- 6'6 senior Nick Fuller is the top player in the conference and should carry his team to first place and has a very solid sidekick in fellow D1 recruit 6'2 sophomore Nick Noskowiak. Pair these guys with a strong JV team from last year and 6'2 senior Donnel Thompson who is a transfer from Madison Memorial.

2. Madison Memorial- Memorial doesn't have as many big name stars as the past and they aren't one of the favorites to win state but, they do have a pair of very good seniors in 6'1 Brendan Ortiz, a four year starter, and 6'4 Jester Weah, a three year starter.

3. Madison Lafollette- They bring back three starters from last years fourth place team including 6'6 senior Trevon Ampe who I really liked when I saw them play last year and 6'4 senior Nygel Drury who Mark Miller picked as a preseason all city pick.

4. Madison West- Like the past few years West has a ton of talented players but, the question is can they put that talent together. 6'3 junior Malik Clement has had a great summer and seem to be some rumors that he may be a D1 recruit.

5. Middleton- They lost a lot from last year but, they have such a solid program going that it shouldn't be a huge problem and they play so many players they really don't need to count on one player too much. Wouldn't surprise me one bit to see Middleton jump to the three spot in the rankings.

6. Beloit- Don't have a lot coming back but, do have all conference performer 6'5 junior Andre Neal back. Usually have a lot of athletes but, just need to put it all together.

7. Madison East- Bring back four starters from last years team that really counted on departed senior Rudy Bentley to carry them. They also have a pair of three year starters in seniors 5'11 Jermel McLin and 6'3 Emani Brathwaite.

8. Janesville Craig- Honestly only here because they return a little more then the bottom two teams.

9. Verona- Honestly was going to have them slightly higher but, then I looked at last years standings and saw that they actually took last in conference and lost their Mr. Everything Bryan Dalton.

10. Janesville Parker- Well tied for last, last year and only bring back one starter and had a JV team that really struggled last year.

Predicted Conference Standings

Sun Prairie 18-0
Madison Memorial 16-2
Madison Lafollette 12-6
Madison West 11-7
Middleton 11-7
Beloit 9-9
Madison East 5-13
Janesville Craig 3-15
Verona 3-15
Janesville Parker 2-16

Preseason All Conference
1st Team
Nick Fuller 6'6 senior Sun Prairie
Brendan Ortiz 6'1 senior Madison Memorial
Malik Clement 6'3 junior Madison West
Jester Weah 6'4 senior Madison Memorial
Andre Neal 6'5 junior Beloit

2nd Team
Nick Noskowiak 6'2 sophomore Sun Prairie
Trevon Ampe 6'6 senior Madison Lafollette
Nygel Drury 6'4 senior Madison Lafollette
Derek Rongstad 6'5 junior Middleton
Jermel McLin 5'11 senior Madison East

HM
Emani Brathwaite 6'3 senior Madison East
Darold Thomas 6'1 sophomore Madison Lafollette
Julian Walters 5'11 senior Madison Lafollette

I will be getting my first Big Eight look on Tuesday night going to watch Madison Memorial and Middleton play and then on Saturday watch the other three Madison teams take on three teams from the Milwaukee area.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Division Five Preseason Rankings


For about the past 15 years the most popular choice to win the smallest division was Randolph, whether we are talking D4 or the new D5. This year is no different and Randolph will once again be #1 when they think about division five. Smaller schools you can usually go by tradition in picking teams with the occasional team that may have a strong class come through that will give them some short term success. I will admit after the top five I am a little shaky and will be looking at the yearbook for help.

Division Five

1. Randolph- 6'4 seniors Aaron Retzlaff and Jay Peters have been around a while and do all the little things to make this team go.

2. Drummond- No one seems to want to rank them high after the beating they took at state but, they were at state last year and return their top player in double double machine Ben Best a 6'6 senior.

3. Blair-Taylor- Have a very strong tradition and a great coach. They also have two big time scores in 6'5 junior Dalton Soto and 6'1 sophomore Brett Ladsten.

4. Clayton- Tons of success in recent years and have three starters back.

5. Royal- Bring back a ton of players from last years team including four year starer 6'4 senior Sam Murphy.

6. Suring- Won 20 games a year ago and have all five starters back.

7. Fall River- Another 20 win team a year ago and bring back seven of their top players.

8. Potosi- Five starters back from 16 win team.

9. Green Bay NEW Lutheran- Play in a very tough conference and they are always battle tested come playoff time.

10. Barneveld- Strong tradition showed carry them far.

11. Central Wisconsin Christian- A good team a year ago and one of a few teams that actually gave Randolph a challenge during the regular season.

12. North Crawford- A bit of a hunch here but, they have the tradition there.

13. Cochrane-Fountain City- Should build on strong season they had last year.

14. Gilmanton- Always seem to produce strong teams and are near the top of the rankings.

15. Prentice- Thinking that history will repeat itself with past success.

Well the season is now upon us and should be another fun and exciting season.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Division Four Preseason Rankings

For most people Division Four rankings begin and end with Whitefish Bay Dominican. Unfortunately I'm in that boat and will be the first to admit that outside of Dominican  don't really have much of a clue and will rely heavily on the High School basketball year book. So here are my rankings the best I can come up with anyway.

Division Four
1. Dominican- 6'3 senior Duane Wilson is one of the best players in the state and 6'9 sophomore Diamond Stone is one of the top sophomores in the country.

2. Pacelli- Yearbook has them number two and they bring back four starters and have a talent transfer in 6'2 sophomore James Gollon.

3. Aburndale- Always have a very strong team and a guy that does it all in 6'4 Austin Hawkins who seems like he's been on varsity forever.

4. Brookfield Academy- Have two players that nearly averaged 20 points a game in 5'11 senior Domonique Criss and 6'3 junior Sean Clarey.

5. Southwestern- Have three guys back that averaged double digit scoring a year ago.

6. Eau Claire Regis- Have a pair of 6'4 stars in senior Nick Stanke and sophomore Billy Wampler.

7. Colfax- State team a year ago. Have three double digit scores and a star in 6'6 senior Lane Olson.

8. St Mary's Springs- Won 18 games a year ago and play in an ultra competitive conference.

9. Fall Creek- Mark Miller had them ranked fourth so that's good enough for me.

10. Cuba City- State runner up a year ago and have the all time winnest coach on their sideline. Senior point guard 5'10 Brandon Slaats is back and is coming off a successful football season.

11. Algoma- Return a pair of first team all conference performers in 6'1 junior Sam Koss and 6'6 senior Travis Kostichka.

12. Laconia- 6'4 senior Tyler Semenas is poised for a monster year after the extremely impressive summer season.

13. Marathon- Have a pair of 6'2 seniors back that were both all-conference players and have lots of experience in Vince Dinkel and Collin Seubert.

14. Shiocton- Bring back five players that averaged at least eights points, two of which were all conference performers.

15. Cameron- Have four starters back from a team that took second in their conference a year ago.

There are my rankings and I have to credit the yearbook with a lot of help with them.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Division Three Preseason Rankings


Division three always seems to be one of the most highely competitive divisions with the highest amount of elite teams. Outside of D1, D3 is always the most entertaining division to watch. I've been thinking about D3 for awhile and my rankings ended up being fairly similar to Mark Miller's in the year book. Well here are my rankings.

Division Three

1. Little Chute- Bring back everyone from last years team that was suppose to win state, including a pair of D1 recuirts in 6'7 senior Kenny Lowe and 6'6 senior Turner Bortz.

2. Lacrosse Aquinas- Badger recruit 6'3 senior Bronson Koenig is back as well as 6'6 senior Michael Conway who missed all of last year with an injury. This team should be very experienced and battle tested after spending a good portion of last year without their top two players.

3. Lodi- Bring back four of their five starters from last years state team.

4. East Troy- Have three D1 recruits in 6'3 senior Nathan Dodg and the 6'9 senior twin towers Alex and Brett Pahl.

5. Wisconsin Dells- Bring back their top three scorers from a year ago, two of which are entering their fourth year on varsity.

6. Marshall- A state team a year ago have their star D1 recruit 6'1 junior Cam Ward back leading the way.

7. Roncalli- The strong tradition continues with 6'0 Nate Lassila returning as well as the bulk of their team.

8. Brown Deer- Ultra talented team that bring back a first team all conference player in 6'4 senior Trayvon Palmer who averaged a near double double a year ago.

9. Clinton- Challenged East Troy a year ago and should be even better this year.

10. GET- State runner ups bring back 6'3 senior Tim Wagner who should have a monster season.

11. Prairie du Chien- Going purely from their strong tradition.

12. Prescott- Mark Miller has them at 10 so I figure why not.

13. Wrightstown- A team that had a very good record a year ago and probably will continue this year.

14. Peshtigo- Another team that had a strong run last year but, every year they seem to have a strong regular season and just can't put it together come playoff time.

15. Oostburg- Another team that shows up here mostly because of their strong tradition.

There are my rankings for D3. I'm very confident in my top seven to nine with the remainder being a little questionable.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Division Two Preseason Rankings


Every year it seems that Division Two is the division that has the fewest high profile teams and I always have the most trouble making their rankings. Usually I have a solid top three to five teams but after that it just seems like its a crap shoot. More then likely this is because many of the top D2 teams are playing in D1 conferences and usually don't go undefeated and take their lumps during the regular season and then put things together come playoff time. Here are my D2 rankings . . .

Division Two Preseason Rankings

1. Onalaska- Defending state champs returning arguably the top player in D2 in 6'4 senior Matt Thomas who will be heading to Iowa State on scholarship next year. Thomas teams with another three year starter 6'1 senior Clint Rihn to form a very solid back court.

2. Rice Lake- The Ellenson brothers 6'7 senior Ellwood and 6'8 junior Henry should finally step out of the shadows of older brother Wally and have a huge year.,

3. Milwaukee Washington- Will be battle tested coming out of the Milwaukee City conference and are led by high flying scorer 6'4 senior Jamaar McKay.

4. Seymour- Return four starers and have the height and a pair of top scoring juniors in 6'5 Sandy Cohen and 6'3 Dakota Oskey.

5. Wisconin Lutheran- Well I'm about at the limit of my rankings and Wisco always seems to be tough come the end of the regular season.

6. Pulaski- D1 recruit 6'4 senior Cody Wichmann leads a talented team.

7. Whitefish Bay- Should be battled tested in the always tough North Short conference.

8. Waunakee- Exctremely strong program has been built in Waunakee and are led by 6'4 senior Will Decorah who has been a varsity player the past two years.

9. Milwaukee Morse-Marshall- Ultra talented and athletic team that should be battle tested in the City Conference.

10. Plymouth- Made it to sectionals a year ago and should be poised to challenge for a state run this year.

11. Rhinelander- Mark Miller had them ranked 10 so they must be deserving of this ranking.

12. Milwaukee Pius- State team a year ago have built a strong tradition and have 6'6 sophomore Levi Bradley back.

13. New Berlin Eisenhower- Return a pair of all conference award winners in 6'1 junior Reed Timmer and 6'1 senior Sandro Pesqueira.

14. Wauwatosa East- Bring back four key players including 6'2 senior Anthony Carroll who has tons of experience.

15. Whitnall- Had a lot of success last year and should carry into this year.

There are my D2 preseason rankings. Can say that I'm super impressed with my rankings I came up with but, it is just a start and by Christmas time the rankings should look a lot better.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Division One Preview


Well I'm finally back after a very long summer break. The new basketball season is only weeks a way so figured it was time to bring back the blog for another year. Hopefully I didn't lose too many followers (if I have any) but, now that the season is upon us I will be hopefully posting at least three to four times a week. As always my season will start with my preseason rankings of each division and probably a prediction on the two conferences that I follow very closely in the Big Eight and South Central Conference. Typically my rankings are similar to the Wisconsin High School Basketball yearbook but, this year Division One has some differences. Here are my rankings . . .


Division One

1. Germantown- Easily the top team in most people's eyes. The defending state champs bring back their Indiana recruit 6'10 senior Luke Fischer and have incoming transfer 6'1 junior Lamonte Beardon. From the highlights I've seen Beardon should be a huge boast with his scoring and passing. Prior to Beardon joining the team I wasn't so sure on them being number one but, now they are no doubt my number one.

2. Milwaukee Hamiliton- This one where I differ from the yearbook as they have Hamiliton as a honorable mention team while I have them here. 6'8 junior Kevin Looney has blossomed into one of the elite players in the country and he teams with 6'5 junior David Burrell. If the Milwaukee Northwest transfers ever get eligible they could challenge Germantown.

3. Milwaukee Vincent- 6'5 senior Deonte Burton is just a man child on the court and they bring back five of their top six scorers and also have a 6'7 and 6'6 players that are along side Burton. Also have a talented transfer in 6'0 sophomore Malik Brown who averaged 12 a game last year in the City Conference.

4. De Pere- Have had a very impressive summer and spring season to follow up their impressive regular season last year where the only team they lost to was Germantown. Have lots of height that is also athletic.

5. Homestead- Bring back five starters from last years team that lost only two games and 6'9 senior Luke Worthington recently excepted his D1 scholarship and should be poised for a huge season.

6. Sun Prairie- Every year seems like it will be Sun Prairie's chance to over take Madison Memorial and make it to state and they always fall short. This year though 6'6 senior Nick Fuller and 6'2 sophomore Nick Noskowiak are both D1 talents and should carry the Cardinals to state.

7. Brookfield Central- 6'1 junior Riley LaChance has torn up the summer circuit and an impressive junior class should carry them to success.

8. Milwaukee King- Well it's Milwaukee King, that's about all you need to know. The state runner ups bring back 5'11 senior Austin Malone-Mitchell and at King the talent will fill in around him. Also have to factor in that they have one of the top coaches in the state.

9. Madison Memorial- The tradition goes on at Memorial but, this year the team may be lacking some talent. 6'1 senior Brendan Ortiz is a four year starter and is well known around the state and football star 6'5 senior Jester Weah is a three year varsity performer but, who will fill in around them. Ortiz and Weah will get them to sectionals but, help is needed to get back to state.

10. Appleton West- Honestly don't know much about them but, Mark Miller put them in his top 10 and looking at their team they have five or their top six players taller then 6'4.

11. Milwaukee Riverside- Lots of experience and lots of height. Have had the same things the past few years but, haven't been able to put them together maybe this will be the year.

12. Racine Case- Bring back all five starters from a team that took second in conference and won 15 games.

13. Mukwonago- Conference champs a year ago and pushed Madison Memorial to the limit last year.

14.Oshkosh North- State team a year ago bring back three starters including their entire back court.

15. Neenah- Have really instilled a strong tradition and have talented 6'9 sophomore transfer Matt Heldt leading the way.



Monday, April 2, 2012

2012-2013 preview

With the season over, it's time to take a look at next years early favorites. This certain teams that you can always pencil in to make a run at the title and then theres the teams that may just have a very strong class.

Division One

Madison Memorial- They may of had an ugly finish to the year and lost a lot of scoring from this team but, Memorial just reloads year after year and Brendan Ortiz is a four year starter and Jester Weah is a three year starter.

Germantown- The defending state champs bring back the 6'10 Luke Fischer, the younger Showalter, and a pair of 6'6 to be juniors.

Milwaukee King- Always a very tough team and bring back a lot of guards. Coach Grosz will always have his team prepared.

Milwaukee Hamilton- Have an extremely talented sophomore class headlined by Kevin Looney. This is probably my #1 coming into next year.

Milwaukee Vincent- Strong junior class led by Deonte Burton.

Oshkosh North- A bit of a long shot but, they do return their starting back court from last years state team.

Homestead- Lost two games this past year and only had one senior.

Depere- Have a very strong junior class.

West Allis Central- Jarvis Garrett is back for his senior year.

Sun Prairie- Jordan Noskowiak will be a year older and Nick Fuller is a star and is poised to finally make it to state as a senior.

Division Two

Onalaska- Bring back their starting back court from their title team including their leading scorer Matt Thomas.

Rice Lake- The two younger Ellenson brothers should have a strong showing.

Waunakee- Will Decorah should be a huge scorer next year and they are another program that should reload every year.

Milwaukee Washington- Have leading scorer Jamaar Mckay back.

Beaver Dam- RJ Shelton is back along with big man 6'6 Owen Salzwedel.

Division Three

Little Chute- Bring back everyone from last years team that lost three games all year.

East Troy- Nate Dodge is deadly from the outside and the 6'9 twins on the inside are super tough.

Wisconsin Dells- Bring back their top three scorers from this years team.

Lodi- Lose only one senior off this years state team.

Marshall- With Cam Ward I would never count Marshall out.

Brillion- State champs don't rely on one player and return enough from this years team to make another run.

Division Four

Dominican- Diamond Stone is the premier big man and Duane Wilson is the premier point guard in the state.

Aburndale- Have a strong tradition and return a large chunk of their team.

Colfax- Bring back just about everyone from their state team.

Division Five

Randolph- Have a strong junior class and won't run into another Racine Lutheran next year.

Drummond- The majority of their state team returns.

Young Coggs Prep- With the talent they get, you can never count them out.

It may be the fact that I don't follow the divisions as closely or their just aren't as many talented teams in the lower divisions but, it appears D1 is the most wide open and D3 has the most legitimate state title contenders.