WBBY Shootout

Well it was a long two days at the WBBY Shootout and I'm just going to do a quick recap of all the games. I saw 18 games in two days so it gets to be very hard to remember back to each individual game and what actually happened because each game begins to run together. I'll do a quick write up on each game maybe a paragraph or so and then list all the top players that I saw play. The Shootout really is a great event and gives you the chance to see many of the top teams throughout the state all in one place and nearly every game had at least one scholarship player on the court. I'm sure I'll miss mentioning certain players here and there but, try to do my best remembering back.

Oshkosh Lourdes 47 St Thomas More 32
First game of the tournament so this is a hard one to think back on but, Lourdes is a very disciplined team and St Thomas just isn't that strong this year. Lourdes moved well without the ball getting open layups and hitting there threes. Not much else to say about this probably because I just can't remember.

Mukwonago 47 Milwaukee Messmer 39
I really wanted to see 6'5  Dallas Polk-Hilliard play but, unfortunately he was out with an injury and I think if he was playing this game may of been a different result. In the end Mukwonago was simply just too big for Messmer. Messmer is a very fun team to watch as they push the ball up the court whether its a made or missed shot and you better get back on defense. The uptempo play may of hurt Messmer as they took some very quick shots and at times weren't the best shots either. Once Mukwonago figured out that they were bigger and stronger on the inside this game was over. Mukwonago worked from the inside out pounding it inside and kicking for threes.

Milwaukee Pius 43 Kettle Moraine Lutheran 35
Kind of a boring game as Pius got the early lead behind 18 first half points from 6'7 senior Levi Bradley and just kind of clung on to the victory and really slowed the pace. KML just couldn't get anything to fall for them and Bradley completely controlled this game.

Wauwatosa East 60 Waupun 56
Waupun relied to heavy on senior 6'3 Mason Domask and junior 6'1 Jordan Mcginnis and didn't get much from anyone else. Poor free throw shooting from Waupun and Tosa East playing more like a team and East got the win. All the missed by Waupun allowed Tosa East to get out and run and get easy bucket after easy bucket.

De Pere 61 Mount Horeb 54
Name of the game was stop 6'4 senior Brevin Pritzl for De Pere and for a quarter that worked as after one quarter it was 2-2 before things turned around. Despite the best efforts of Mount Horeb senior 6'2 Drew Fredrickson the rest of the team just couldn't get things going Pritzl ended up getting his points at the free throw line and led his team to victory.

Neenah 54 Arrowhead 30
This was another game where one team just couldn't buy a bucket. Neenah has 6'10 senior Matt Heldt and they use him very well running their offense from the inside out. Neenah looks to Heldt on almost every possession and does a great job of scoring or passing out of the double team. Neenah moved the ball better and played better defense.

Dominican 76 Wauwatosa West 48
This game was much closer then the final score shows. Like most games the big factor was Dominican's height advantage. Seniors 6'10 Diamond Stone and 6'7 Garrison Goode controlled the game on the offensive end and caused a lot of problems in paint on defensive side as well. Stone and Goode altered every shot and forced many misses and they always got the rebound. Tosa West was wore down as the game went on and Stone and Goode were just too much.

Milwaukee Riverside 94 Shorewood 75
This one was over right from the get go. Riverside wanted to push the tempo and speed the game up and Shorewood played right into their hands. Riverside run and guned all night long and got easy bucket after easy bucket. Shorewood tried to run with them but, just didn't have the players to do it. The one real highlight of the night was 6'0 senior James Batemon for Riverside, threw down a monster two handed dunk.

Milwaukee Washington 81 Whitefish Bay 60 
Washington was another team that wanted to push the tempo and they did at times but, Whitefish Bay did a nice job of slowing things down and not playing into Washington's hands. This game was a one point game until things took a turn for the worse for Whitefish Bay. Bay star 6'4 senior Isiah Johnson went down with an injury and two of the other starters got into foul trouble. In the fourth quarter Washington finally did get out and run and cruised to victory with some foul shooting.

Eau Claire Regis 48 Catholic Central 31
Once again another team struggled to make any shots. BCC did a good job of containing Regis star 6'6 senior Billy Wampler but, the rest of the team really stepped up and hit some big shots. 6'2 junior Logan Rohrscheib had a monster game scoring nearly half the teams points.

Messmer 71 St Mary's Springs 58
Messmer once again really pushed the tempo and Springs allowed them to do it. First half Springs was hitting their threes and scoring in transition and led at the half. In the second half those threes stopped falling for Springs and Messmer continued to push the tempo scoring easy buckets. Also Springs didn't have anywhere near the size of Mukwonago and Messmer was able to get a decent amount of second chance baskets and negate Springs second chances.

Kettle Moraine Lutheran 74 Waupun 60 
This was really an entertaining game as finally the top players for each team had very good games and was nearly a one on one battle at times in the game. Waupun senior 6'3 Mason Domask had 34 points and a nice and one dunk where he got fouled. Kettle Moraine Lutheran senior 6'1 Ethan Bublitz had 32 points of his own. In the end Bublitz had more help from his team mates then Domask and KML just had more height over all.

Kaukauna 71 Mount Horeb 56
In a matchup of two of the top D2 teams Kaukaun really showed they are the team to beat. Kaukauna basically plays with five guards on the court at all times. They move the ball so well and always are taking open shots and they knock them down. Despite Fredrickson best efforts to get the win for Mount Horeb they just ran out of gas and Kaukauna simply had more depth.

Milwaukee Riverside 67 Wisconsin Lutheran 53
Riverside came at them with the full pressure and Lutheran simply couldn't handle it. Lutheran doesn't have the depth that they have had in the past and don't have the same ball handlers of the past. Thankfully for Lutheran, Riverside committed a lot of fouls and allowed to Lutheran to score points with the clock stopped, otherwise this may of been a 30 point blow out.

De Pere 53 Arrowhead 44 
Arrowhead played a lot better this game and at times seemed like they might steal one but, just didn't have enough to overcome the free throw shooting of Pritzl who once again spent a lot of time at the line. Arrowhead has one very good player in 6'6 junior Bryce Nze but, not much after.

Wauwatosa West 43 Rice Lake 42
Easily the game of the shootout. The gym was packed with every one there to see Rice Lake's 6'10 senior Henry Ellenson. Ellenson did his thing scoring from all over the court but, no one on his team could get going to score with him. Tosa gave open three after open three and Rice Lake couldn't connect enough. Tosa West showed no fear going right at Ellenson. Yes Ellenson blocked a few but, Tosa made their far share. Came down to a missed shot and tip in at the buzzer as 6'1 West senior Steffan Brown tipped the ball back in out of Ellenson's hands.

Germantown 67 Neenah 63 
In a title game rematch Germantown showed they are still one of the teams to beat in D1. Germantown doesn't have the height of the past but, still does have some very good size and have some big men that are very solid and built kids that held there own very well against the 6'10 Heldt. 6'0 junior point guard Juwan Mccloud was the big difference for Germantown in this one and does a great job controlling the offense.

Mukwonago 56 Oshkosh North 51
This game was all about North's 1-3-1 zone defense. Mukwonago was able to pick North's defense apart and North had to change their zone a little bit which slowed Mukwongao down a little bit but, Mukwonago kept answering the challenge. North couldn't get much going on the offense end until the end when the pressure was on and they finally started scoring a little bit and actually took the lead at one point.

Top Players 
Bryce Nze 6'6 junior Arrowhead- Showed some very nice range hitting the outside jumpers and was able to score on the inside.

Spencer Wilker 6'3 senior Catholic Central- Big kid that battled on the inside and was able to hit the three point shot.

Brevin Pritzl 6'4 senior De Pere- Just a flat out scorer that could get his shot at any time and is able to get fouled and get to the line.

Garrison Goode 6'8 senior Dominican- Big guy that can jump outta the gym and showed a very nice jumper from 15 foot.

Diamond Stone 6'10 senior Dominican- Just a beast on the inside blocking shots, rebounding, and throwing down monster dunks.

Juwan Mccloud 6'0 junior Germantown- Tremendous ball handler and has a really nice pull up shot from the outside.

Conner Edmunds 6'5 junior Germantown- Kid that is very solid and really showed a nice ability to finish with his right or left hand in the paint.

Max Keefe 6'6 junior Germantown- Spot up shooter that just doesn't miss when he has his feet set.

Adam Smith 6'1 sophomore Kaukauna- Just a flat out scorer able to hit the three point shot and get to the rim and score.

Ethan Bublitz 6'1 senior Kettle Moraine Lutheran- A superior athlete that showed a very very nice outside shot and the ability to get to the rim.

Brady Schneider 6'0 senior Lourdes- Moves very well without the ball and can hit the three point shot.

Chris Howard 5'10 junior Messmer- Fiery competitor that plays tough in your face defense, handles the ball extremely well, and is a real good three point shooter.

Ray Pierce 6'1 senior Messmer- Really battled inside against bigger players and showed the ability to drive the length of the court and finish at the rim.

James Batemon 6'0 senior Riverside- Ultimate leader just a really smart player. Has a lot of bounce that allows him to be able to finish at the rim.

Bobby Hambright 5'10 junior Riverside- Sharpshooter from the outside and is also very quick, which allows him to get numerous steals.

Terrence Lewis 6'4 sophomore Riverside- Very smooth player that runs the court like a deer and can knock down the three point shot.

Te'Jon Lucas 5'11 junior Riverside- Super quick player with the ball in his hands and can really finish at the rim. Showed some real ups too in getting a ton of rebounds as well.

Drew Fredrickson 6'2 senior Mt Horeb- Another total floor general. He's in complete control of the team at all times on the court. Doesn't shoot much but, when he does he hits the shot.

Caleb Wildeman 6'4 senior Mukwonago- Big man that can really finish in the pain and moves well without the ball.

Dane McDermott 6'1 senior Mukwonago-  Another leader on the court that always makes the right decisions and is a very good shooter.

Trevor Entwisle 5'11 senior Neenah- Great shooter and has become a great ball handler and a passer of the ball.

Matt Heldt 6'10 senior Neenah- Big man that does a great job of getting position and scoring around the rim and can finish with either hand.

Blake Marquardt 6'4 senior Oshkosh North- Smooth sharp shooter from the outside that can hit any time he's left open.

Phillip Flory 6'4 sophomore Oshkosh North- Flat out scorer that can hit the three or get to the inside and score.

Levi Bradley 6'7 senior Pius- Smooth smooth player. Super long rebounding and blocking shots and have a very nice touch from 15 foot and in.

Billy Wampler 6'6 senior Regis- A great athlete that can hit from the outside and can really jump. Really does a lot of small things that go unnoticed.

Logan Rohrscheib 6'2 junior Regis- Plays extremely hard grabbing rebounds and helping to run the offense. Has a nice outside shot as well.

Henry Ellenson 6'10 senior Rice Lake- He does it all. Handles the ball, shoots the three, blocks shots, and can score on the inside.

Brennen Ottery 6'2 senior St Mary's Springs- Sharp shooter from the outside and moves well with out the ball.

Mikael Green 5'10 sophomore Shorewood- Very quick with the ball in his hand and can hit threes or get to the rim.

Mason Domask 6'3 senior Waupun- Jumps out of the gym and uses that to get his shot off at any time. Can light you up quickly.

Jordan Mcginnis 6'1 junior Waupun- A hard worker and very strong kid. Showed the ability to rebound and hit jump shots from 10 feet and out.

Alou Dillon 6'7 sophomore Wauwatosa West- Really a finesse player that can do a little bit of everything. Showed the ability to hit the three point shot and was able to take the ball right at both Stone and Ellenson and score.

Steffan Brown 6'1 senior Wauwatosa West- Another great point guard that can handle the ball and can finish in the lane over and around bigger defenders. Always seemed to hit the big shot and can hit the three.

Isaiah Johnson 6'4 Whitefish Bay- A rock at the point guard position. Steady is the key word for him. Doesn't show it much but, is a tremendous athlete that can really jump.

Top Scorers
Mason Domask Waupun 34, 18
Ethan Bublitz KML 32 
Brevin Pritzl De Pere 32, 22
Henry Ellenson Rice Lake 29
Diamond Stone Dominican 29
Matt Heldt Neenah 28, 15 
Te'Jon Lucas Washington 28
Levi Bradley Pius 25  
Bryce Nze Arrowhead 24 
Ray Pierce Messmer 23 
James Batemon Riverside 23 
Brady Schneider Lourdes 23
Jordan Mcginnis Waupun 22 
Bobby Hambright Riverside 22
Adam Smith Kaukauna 22
Garrison Goode Dominican 21
Chris Howard Messmer 20,15
Logan Rohrscheib Regis 20 
Terrence Lewis Riverside 19 
Mikael Green Shorewood 19
Billy Wampler Regis 18 
Brenne Ottery St Marys Springs 18
Alou Dillon Wawatosa West 17 
Cory Nies St Mary's Springs 17 
Blake Marquardt Oshkosh North 17 
Anthony Carver Wisconsin Lutheran 16
Spencer Wilke Catholic Central 16 
Evan Ganther Lourdes 16 
Max Keefe Germantown 15 
Drew Fredrickson Mt Horeb 15
Max Meylor Mt Horeb 15 
Caleb Wildeman Mukwonago 15 

Round Two of Rankings

I've seen six more teams play since my last rankings and being that I'm going to be seeing 18 games in the next two days I'll have a lot to digest and don't want an extra three games to think back on. Here are my new player rankings.

Rankings
1. Nick Noskowiak 6'3 senior Sun Prairie- Hands down the best player I've seen so far this year. One of the best shooters off the dribble I've ever seen and really does a nice job of controlling his teams offense.

2. Trev Anderson 6'2 junior Stevens Point- Very strong point guard that doesn't turn the ball over. When given the open three can knock it down. Has a very good cross over and can get to the rim anytime he wants.

3. Brevin Pritzl 6'4 senior De Pere- Just a very smooth player that always seems to be under control. Has a very very pretty shot. If he gets a small opening he can hit the shot.

4. Sam Hauser 6'6 junior Stevens Point- Another smooth player that uses his size to shoot over small defenders. Is also a great defender in his own right. Is a very good passer and does a great job of letting the game come to him and not forcing things.

5. Diamantae Freeman 6'5 senior Milwaukee King- Tremendous leaper that can jump out of the gym and runs the court very well. Has a very nice post game with his back to the basket.

6. Darold Thomas 6'1 senior Madison La Follette- Just a bulldog of a lead guard and is built like a running back. Very strong with the ball and when his shot is falling can make any shot he takes from the outside or driving to the rim.

7. Sam Kerr 5'11 junior Sun Prairie- Probably get a lot of disagreement on this since he doesn't start but, I really like Kerr. Very smooth player that can really handle the ball and doesn't miss from three point range.

8. Deang Deang 6'3 junior Madison East- Everything you want in a point guard. Handles the ball well, can get to the rim and elevate and finish, and can shoot the three. More of a pass first point guard but, has the ability to score when he wants to.

9. JT Ruffin 6'6 senior Sun Prairie- A stretch four at the high school level that can step back and hit the three and can also help handle the ball as well. Strong rebounder on the inside.

10. Kyan Pleasant 6'1 senior Beloit- Can really drive to the rim and finish at will. Shoots the three point shot very well and also is a very good rebounder.

11. Quinten Shere 6'0 senior Madison La Follette- Kid that can just put the ball in the hoop. Takes the ball hard to the hoop and has a nice floater he can finish with and can also hit the spot up three from the outside.

12. De'Shawn Burks 6'2 senior Madison East- Really strong with the ball on the inside and is a smart player. Just has a nack for finishing around the rim.

13. Jordan Poole 6'2 sophomore Milwaukee King- Another very smooth player that always seems to be under control. Shot wasn't falling in the game I saw but, it is a pretty shot, handles the ball very well and can get to the rim and finish.

14. Henry Houden 6'3 senior Madison Memorial- Total glue guy that can do a little bit of everything. He can score but, doesn't need to, to make his impact on the game. Rebounds well and plays some pretty good defense.

15. Jake Ferguson 6'4 sophomore Madison Memorial- Very athletic big guy that runs the court well and seems to be a pretty smart player. Has a nice mid range jump shot as well.

16. Seth Kostroski 5'10 junior Sauk Prairie- Very quick player that uses his quickness to get to the rim whenever he wants. Can knock down the three pointer as well.

17. Zack Rabas 6'5 junior De Pere- Nearly unstoppable going to his left and scoring with a soft shot. A kid that can really get going and score in bunches.

18. Markyse Goad 6'3 senior Blue Eye MO- Superior athlete that didn't have a great game but, showed some flashes. Can get to the rim and finish with his quickness and elevation, is a willing passer, and can sky to get rebounds.

19. Marquis Turner 6'1 senior Milwaukee King- Another heady player that just seems to find the openings in the defense. Good rebounder and a solid midrange shooter.

20. Garrett George 6'2 senior Blue Eye MO- Sharpshooter from the outside, can help run the point, and is a very good rebounder.

21. Shareef Smith 5'10 senior Madison Memorial- Solid point guard that is as clutch as they come. When the game is near the end he's at his best. Can get his shot off at anytime and can get to the rim and finish.

22. Josh Duchniak 5'8 senior Oak Creek- Undersized guard that is a streaky outside shooter and when he gets going is money from the outside. Also a fairly solid defender as well.

23. Chase Johnson 6'5 junior La Crosse Logan- A very very good three point shooter. Handles the ball pretty well for a player his size.

Seniors 
1. Nick Noskowiak 6'3 Sun Prairie
2. Brevin Pritzl 6'4 De Pere
3. Diamantee Freeman 6'5 Milwaukee King
4. Darold Thomas 6'1 Madison La Follette
5. JT Ruffin 6'6 Sun Prairie
6. Kyan Pleasant 6'1 Beloit 
7. Quinten Shere 6'0 Madison La Follette
8. De'Shawn Burks 6'2 Madison East
9. Henry Houden 6'3 Madison Memorial
10. Marquis Turner 6'1 Milwaukee King

Juniors
1. Trev Anderson 6'2 Stevens Point
2. Sam Hauser 6'6 Stevens Point
3. Sam Kerr 5'11 Sun Prairie
4. Deang Deang 6'3 Madison East
5. Seth Kostroski 5'10 Sauk Prairie
6. Zack Rabas 6'5 De Pere
7. Chase Johnson 6'5 La Crosse Logan
8. Rod Johnson 6'4 Sun Prairie- Sharpshooter from the outside, uses his length to play great defense, and to finish at the rim.
9. Deshawn Black 6'5 Sun Prairie- Has a lot of bounce and rebounds extremely well.
10. Sam Morrow 6'4 Milwaukee King- Solid rebounder that can finish well around the rim.  

Sophomores
1. Jordan Poole 6'2 Milwaukee King
2. Jake Ferguson 6'4 Madison Memorial
3. Drew Yetka 6'4 Oak Creek- Has good size and moves very well for his size. Has a very nice three point shot as well.
4. Kenny Jones 5'11 Madison East- Another hard nosed guard. Can shoot the three or get to the rim.
5. Nate Verstegen 6'5 Sun Prairie- Hasn't played great this year but, is a solid rebounder and does a great job of getting position on the inside.
6. Jack Hinton 6'1 La Crosse Logan- Physical player that uses his strength to get inside and score.
7. Max Huddleston 6'6 De Pere- Another kid that moves very well for his size. Very good defender and is a very good rbeounder.
8. Ben Hauser 6'2 Sun Prairie- Solid defensive player and can knock down the spot up three.
9. Bobby Smith 6'4 Oak Creek- Very good rebounder that likes to bang and can step out and hit the 15 footer.
10. Aaron Vopal 6'7 De Pere- Another big banger on the inside that can really crash the boards.

Freshmen
1. Joey Hauser 6'6 Stevens Point- A real glue player at this point that can do a little bit of everything. Rebounds very well, can hit the set shot, and plays some pretty good defense. Also a good passer.
2. Keshawn Justice 6'4 Madison East- Moves very well for a big kid, playing like a guard. Had good elevation rebounding and blocking some shots.

Next two days I will be at the WBBY shootout and will catch many of the top players in the state so I will have a lot to add to these lists.

Just a Game Holiday Tournament

Didn't have much going on today so decided to take in the Just a Game Holiday Tournament. Game one, was the two teams that lost in Sauk Prairie and Oak Creek. Wasn't a great match up but, game me the chance to see 6'0 junior Harrison Cleary and how he had progressed since I had seen him play as a freshmen. The second game between the winners gave me a chance see Beloit who I figured had some talent and La Crosse Logan who I honestly didn't know much about. Again these weren't the greatest match ups but, they were games that were right in my backyard and a game is a game none the less and nice to see some teams that I wouldn't normally see.

Sauk Prairie 41 Oak Creek 38 

Unfortunately Harrison Cleary didn't play for whatever reason but,m this game still ended up being a pretty decent game anyway. Oak Creek ran an offense very similar to the offense that Roncalli has made famous in the state where everyone has the ability to shoot the three and everyone is constantly moving and down screens are being set all over the court, with some questionable screens. Unfortunately for Oak Creek they don't have the shooters that Roncalli has had. Sauk Prairie on the other hand run the swing offense like a good portion of the teams throughout Wisconsin. One surprise of this game was the play of Seth Kostroski a 5'10 junior for Sauk Prarie. He was able to knock down the three point shot, the mid range shot, and get to the rim and score. Oak Creek got the early lead behind some hot shooting from 5'8 senior Josh Duchniak but, things went very cold in the second quarter as they were only able to score three points in the second quarter and Sauk was able to take a lead and never really look back. Some late heroics from 6'4 sophomore Drew Yetka got Oak Creek back in the game but, a last second shot by Duchniak bounced off the rim.

Top Scorers
Sauk Prairie- Kostroski 21 Jackson Breunig 10 Brandon Spray 5
Oak Creek- Duchniak 16 Yetka 10 Bobby Smith 6

Beloit 53 La Crosse Logan 50 

This was kind of an interesting game as far as perceptions go. Coming into the game I expected Beloit to win. History said that Beloit would be more athletic, had the veteran coach, and play in a tougher conference. After watching warm ups though I switched my mind and thought that Logan would win this one. After watching the game though I guess I should of staid with my original pick. Logan was unable to get the ball inside at all, no one could drive the ball inside, and they just seemed very timid on the offensive end. Beloit on the other end had no fear to take the shot when it was there and moved very well without the ball getting it inside. Logan was the thicker and taller team but, Beloit was able to control the glass on both ends of the court. Beloit was the more aggressive team throughout which helped them in every aspect of the game. In the second half that aggressiveness turned into long rebounds, forced turnovers, and fast break points. Logan's best returning player 6'4 sophomore Trey Davis never could get himself into the flow of the game and some foul trouble forced him to spend much of the second half on the bench. This game also had some late game three point heroics as 6'5 junior Chase Johnson hit three second half threes and an and one three point play, to give Logan a chance. On the final play of the game it appeared Johnson had the open look but, didn't take it and ended up forcing a very deep three.

Top Scorers
Beloit- Kyan Pleasant 23 Dre'mond Long 10 Mario Nixon 7
Logan- Johnson 17 Jensen Hinton 12 Anthony Wright 7

Top Players 
Seth Kostroski 5'10 junior Sauk Prairie- Was probably the most impressive player of the day. As I said earlier he was hitting the three, mid range shot, and could get to the rim and score. Very quick player with the ball in his hand.

Jackson Breunig 6'1 junior Sauk Prairie- Has a very quick first step that allows him to get to the rim and finish. Also plays extremely hard.

Josh Duchniak 5'8 senior Oak Creek- A very streaker shooter, that when he gets hot can make any shot and moves very well without the ball.

Drew Yetka 6'4 sophomore Oak Creek- Big man that moves very well showing athleticism, and can step out and hit the three point shot.

Bobby Smith 6'4 sophomore Oak Creek- Really did a nice job of banging on the inside and stepped back and hit a couple 15 footers.

Kyan Pleasant 6'1 senior Beloit- Quickest player in his game and moved exceptionally well without the ball in his hands that led to wide open layups. Got a handful of offensive rebounds that led to second chance points and was able to hit the threes as well.

Dallen McAtee 5'11 senior Beloit- Really felt that the offensive really ran better when he came off the bench. Really like how he probed the defense to set things up and find the open team mate. Handles the ball really well and seemed to know when to push the offense.

Keyon McEachin 6'1 junior Beloit- Undersized big man, that did a great job of battling with taller players and also playing solid defense on anyone of the court.

Chase Johnson 6'5 junior La Crosse Logan- Big man that can really hit the three and moves very well for a 6'5 kid.

Anthony Wright 5'10 senior La Crosse Logan- Didn't have a great game but, was one of the guys that was able to drive the ball to the hoop and didn't score from the inside but, did get to the foul line where he scored most of his points.

All four of these teams are fairly even and it really came down to who had the better day no matter what the match ups would of been. I would guess all teams that were here will probably finish middle to bottom of their conferences. Probably not last place finishing teams but, not first place teams.

Stevens Point over De Pere

Saturday night took a drive up to Stevens Point to watch a pair of top 10 teams play that I normally wouldn't get the chance to see. Stevens Point appears to be the team to beat in division one while De Pere has one of the top scorers in the state in 6'4 senior Brevin Pritzl who was averaging nearly 30 points a game coming into this game.

This game basically went the way I thought it would. Stevens Point was just too deep for De Pere and wore down Pritzl and company as the game wore on. Like many teams I've seen in the past that have a big time scorer is that De Pere deferred to Pritzl way too much and the other players didn't look for their own shot. Pritzl is a great player but, when the opposing teams defense is geared to stop just you it can be very difficult for that player. Pritzl showed a really smooth jumper and came but, the SPASH defense was just all over him all night and didn't give him many open shots.

Stevens Point has a pretty solid starting five. A pair of juniors 6'2 Trevor Anderson and 6'6 Sam Hauser are the clear cut stars of the team and are regarded as the top two juniors in the state. When you start a team with the top two players in once class you are doing pretty good. Anderson is a tremendous point guard that seemed to be able to get to the rim any time he wants and has a tremendous crossover. Anderson started the game off hitting the outside shot and then late in the game blew by his defender and I don't think anyone of De Pere could star in front of him. Sam Hauser is a guard despite his height and prefers to play on the outside. Sam is a great outside shooter an also has the ability to get to the rim. Not the quickest player but, his height allows him to shoot over defenders. Andrew Ruzek is a 6'6 senior that already looks like the division one college football player he will be. From the chants it seems Ruzek is going to Wisconsin to play football, I believe as a tight end. Ruzek is built like a tight end, setting some mean screens on the court, crashing the glass, and also has a soft touch around the rim. 6'6 freshmen Joey Hauser is the fourth starter and has some great skill like is brother but, doesn't seem to have the shooting touch of his brother but, its coming. Joey is actually a little more thicker and might be better suited to play on the inside. 6'2 junior Evan Mallek is the fifth starter and he doesn't need to do a ton but, he starts on a very good team so that says enough about him.

Early on it appeared SPASH would run away with this one as the sharpshooting of Anderson and Sam Hauser just seemed to be too much but, De Pere played scrappy and with some foul from SPASH allowed them to hang around. Pritzl didn't have a great game but, he created contact which led to him spending a lot of time at the line where he went 9-10 or 9-11. De Pere kept in close but, could never really get over that 10 point hump and ended up losing the game 77-62. Sam Hauser guarded Pritzl late which pretty much too Pritzl out of the game.

Top Players
Brevin Pritzl 6'4 senior De Pere- A really smooth player with a pretty shot. Struggled tonight but, you could see when he is given the open shot it's going to fall.

Zack Rabas 6'5 junior De Pere- One De Pere player outside of Pritzl that was able to score. A lefty that really showed a nice game going to his left. Really is a guard and would prefer to play on the outside where he can drive to the hoop.

Trevor Anderson 6'2 junior SPASH- No one could stay in front of him as he turned the corner time and again and got to the rim. Was hitting the three point shot as well and was nearly unstoppable. Just a very strong kid would be tough for any high schooler to man up on.

Sam Hauser 6'6 junior SPASH- Moves really well for his size and should be able to play guard at the next level. Real smooth shooter from three point land and the mid range. Can also get to the hoop and score.

Box Score
De Pere 62- Pritzl 25 Rabas 15 Jordan Barthels 7 Jacob DeMille 7 Jordan Beyer 2 Isaac Hoffmann 2 Jordan Joseph 2 Max Huddleston 1 Tanner Herman 1 Aaron Vopal 0 Jacob Theado 0
SPASH 77- Anderson 32 S Hauser 19 J Hauser 8 Ted Kearney 5 Ruzek 4 Mack Journell 4 Mallek 3 Jamison Kryshak 2 TJ Shrank 0 Jake Erler 0 Jake Hofmeister 0 Keon'te Williams 0  

I think De Pere will go on to have a very solid year but, I just don't think that a team can go far when they rely on one player so much. Next year might be a better year for De Pere as they only play two seniors in their normal rotation. SPASH seems poised to make a run at Madison but, they still need to beat Neenah who was the only team to beat them a year ago but, Neenah beat them twice on their way to their runner up finish and 6'10 Matt Heldt is back for Neenah.

Week Three Rankings

Another Sunday has come so it's time for another week of updated rankings. Things are starting to fall into place but there still are upsets on a regular basis. In two weeks things will really change as there are some really big matchups during the holiday tournaments. Due to back to back holiday weeks I won't be doing rankings next Sunday and will be combining two weeks together the following week.

Division One
De Pere lost to #1 Stevens Point and Oshkosh North lost to Neenah dropping them to 11 and 12. Three teams fell out of the rankings with Sun Prairie having lost to Middleton, West Allis Central lost to West Allis Hale, and Wisconsin Rapids lost to Marshfield. New teams are Sheboygan North, Milwaukee Marquette, and Superior.

1. Stevens Point
2. Milwaukee King 
3. Germantown
4. Kimberly 
5. Burlington
6. Racine Case
7. Neenah
8. Milwaukee Riverside
9. Muskego
10. Homestead 
11. De Pere
12. Oshkosh North
13. Sheboygan North
14. Milwaukee Marquette
15. Superior

Division Two
Milwaukee Washington lost to Delasalle of Minnesota but, as I've said before I don't hold out of state losses against a team. Stoughton lost to Wisconsin Lutheran and Sauk Prairie dropping to 13.. West De Pere lost to Luxemburg Casco, who also defeated Shawano. Luxemburg checks in at 12, West De Pere to 15, and Shawano fell out of the rankings all together. La Crosse Central lost to Menomonee, allowing Menomonee into the rankings at 11 and Central checks in at 14. Fort Atkinson lost to Oregon and drop out of the rankings.

1. Rice Lake
2. Wisconsin Lutheran
3. Mount Horeb
4. Kaukauna
5. Milwaukee Pius
6. Milwaukee Washington
7. Whitefish Bay
8. Milwaukee Messmer
9. Ashwaubenon
10. Seymour
11. Menomonee
12. Luxemburg Casco
13. Stoughton
14. La Crosse Central 
15. West De Pere

Division Three 
GET lost to Prescott and drop from #1 to #5. Marshall lost to Watertown Luther Prep and Lake Mills and fall all the way to 14. Brown Deer lost to D1 ranked Milwaukee Riverside and drop to 13. Poynette lost to Waterloo and fall out of the rankings all together allowing Valders and Luther Prep to jump in at 11 and 12. Valders defeated Roncalli who checks in just behind them at 12. Mcfarland lost to Stoughton a ranked D2 team and drop to15. East Troy lost to Racine Case and drop out of the rankings all together. Right now division three is full of very good teams and there are still a few undefeated teams that are still sitting outside of the rankings.

1. Ripon
2. Kettle Moraine Lutheran
3. Prescott
4. Laconia
5. GET
6. Brookfield Academy
7. Waupun
8. Lake Mills
9. Freedom
10. Watertown Luther Prep
11. Valders
12. Roncalli
13. Brown Deer
14. Marshall
15. McFarland

Division Four
Cuba City lost to Mineral Point and falls a few spots to #6. Brillion lost to Freedom and fall down to #8. Auburndale lost to Assumption and fall down to 11. Luther lost to Arcadia and Onalaska and fall out of the rankings and Bonduel makes the jump to 14, who had actually defeated earlier and probably should of been ahead of Amherst all along.

1. Eau Claire Regis
2. Dominican 
3. Mineral Point
4. Racine St Catherines
5. Fall Creek
6. Cuba City
7. Marathon
8. Brillion
9. Iola Scandinavia
10. Lourdes
11. Auburndale
12. Blair Taylor
13. Unity
14. Bonduel
15. Amherst

Division Five
Hillsboro lost to Bangor, dropping to #8 while Necedah lost to Hillsboro and fall to 11. Green Bay NEW Lutheran lost to Sturgeon Bay and Algoma and drop out of the rankings all together and Potosi and Gresham are new to the rankings, with Owen Withee dropping out as well having lost to Greenwood. Assumption lost to Wausau Newman, falling to 14.

1. Wausaukee 
2. Gilmanton
3. Sheboygan Lutheran
4. Central Wisconsin Christian
5. Randolph
6. Bangor
7. Port Edwards
8. Hillsboro
9. New Auburn
10. Cameron
11. Necedah
12. Wausau Newman
13. Potosi
14. Wisconsin Rapids Assumption
15. Gresham


There are my week three rankings. Tomorrow will hopefully have a write up of the game that I went to last night. Got a chance to see the number one team in the state on Saturday when the took down De Pere.

Player Rankings

I have now seen a handful of games this year and thought it was time to do my rankings of the players that I have seen. These rankings are based only on the players I have actually seen play and only based on the game that I saw. Even though I may know and believe a certain player may be better then another but, had a bad game the game that I saw they will be ranked lower then what they truly are. I just don't feel that it is right to rank a player on games you haven't seen. I will have my overall player rankings and then by class. I haven't seen a ton of games but, feel that its easier to do the rankings gradually throughout the year then when I've seen a ton of games and trying to remember a certain game from a month ago. Rankings for class only includes players from Wisconsin.

Rankings
1. Nick Noskowiak 6'3 senior Sun Prairie- Hands down the best player I've seen so far this year. One of the best shooters off the dribble I've ever seen and really does a nice job of controlling his teams offense.

2. Diamantae Freeman 6'5 senior Milwaukee King- Tremendous leaper that can jump out of the gym and runs the court very well. Has a very nice post game with his back to the basket.

3. Darold Thomas 6'1 senior Madison La Follette- Just a bulldog of a lead guard and is built like a running back. Very strong with the ball and when his shot is falling can make any shot he takes from the outside or driving to the rim.

4. Sam Kerr 5'11 junior Sun Prairie- Probably get a lot of disagreement on this since he doesn't start but, I really like Kerr. Very smooth player that can really handle the ball and doesn't miss from three point range.

5. Deang Deang 6'3 junior Madison East- Everything you want in a point guard. Handles the ball well, can get to the rim and elevate and finish, and can shoot the three. More of a pass first point guard but, has the ability to score when he wants to.

6. JT Ruffin 6'6 senior Sun Prairie- A stretch four at the high school level that can step back and hit the three and can also help handle the ball as well. Strong rebounder on the inside.

7. Quinten Shere 6'0 senior Madison La Follette- Kid that can just put the ball in the hoop. Takes the ball hard to the hoop and has a nice floater he can finish with and can also hit the spot up three from the outside.

8. De'Shawn Burks 6'2 senior Madison East- Really strong with the ball on the inside and is a smart player. Just has a nack for finishing around the rim.

9. Jordan Poole 6'2 sophomore Milwaukee King- Another very smooth player that always seems to be under control. Shot wasn't falling in the game I saw but, it is a pretty shot, handles the ball very well and can get to the rim and finish.

10. Henry Houden 6'3 senior Madison Memorial- Total glue guy that can do a little bit of everything. He can score but, doesn't need to, to make his impact on the game. Rebounds well and plays some pretty good defense.

11. Jake Ferguson 6'4 sophomore Madison Memorial- Very athletic big guy that runs the court well and seems to be a pretty smart player. Has a nice mid range jump shot as well.

12. Markyse Goad 6'3 senior Blue Eye MO- Superior athlete that didn't have a great game but, showed some flashes. Can get to the rim and finish with his quickness and elevation, is a willing passer, and can sky to get rebounds.

13. Marquis Turner 6'1 senior Milwaukee King- Another heady player that just seems to find the openings in the defense. Good rebounder and a solid midrange shooter.

14. Garrett George 6'2 senior Blue Eye MO- Sharpshooter from the outside, can help run the point, and is a very good rebounder.

15. Shareef Smith 5'10 senior Madison Memorial- Solid point guard that is as clutch as they come. When the game is near the end he's at his best. Can get his shot off at anytime and can get to the rim and finish.

Seniors 
1. Nick Noskowiak 6'3 Sun Prairie
2. Diamantee Freeman 6'5 Milwaukee King
3. Darold Thomas 6'1 Madison La Follette
4. JT Ruffin 6'6 Sun Prairie
5. Quinten Shere 6'0 Madison La Follette
6. De'Shawn Burks 6'2 Madison East
7. Henry Houden 6'3 Madison Memorial
8. Marquis Turner 6'1 Milwaukee King
9. Shareef Smith 5'10 Madison Memorial
10. Joe Binyoti 6'2 Milwaukee King- Didn't have a great game when I saw him but, solid pass first point guard that rarely turns the ball over. Doesn't miss from free throw line.

Juniors
1. Sam Kerr 5'11 Sun Prairie
2. Deang Deang 6'3 Madison East
3. Rod Johnson 6'4 Sun Prairie- Sharpshooter from the outside, uses his length to play great defense, and to finish at the rim.
4. Deshawn Black 6'5 Sun Prairie- Has a lot of bounce and rebounds extremely well.
5. Sam Morrow 6'4 Milwaukee King- Solid rebounder that can finish well around the rim.  
6. Tre'vone Irby 5'10 Madison East- Hard nosed guard that can shoot the ball and attacks the rim very hard.
7. Deandre Hill-Stanton 6'3 Milwaukee King- Banger on the inside that is a good rebounder.
8. Tyrail Trussel 6'0 Milwaukee King- Strong player that plays very good defense.
9. Jason Weah 6'1 Madison Memorial- Very very good defensive player.
10. Travell Ewing 6'2 Madison La Follette- High energy player that can rebound pretty well.

Sophomores
1. Jordan Poole 6'2 Milwaukee King
2. Jake Ferguson 6'4 Madison Memorial
3. Kenny Jones 5'11 Madison East- Another hard nosed guard. Can shoot the three or get to the rim.
4. Nate Verstegen 6'5 Sun Prairie- Hasn't played great this year but, is a solid rebounder and does a great job of getting position on the inside.
5. Ben Hauser 6'2 Sun Prairie- Solid defensive player and can knock down the spot up three.
6. Cameron Cractic 5'11 Madison East- Quick guard that can handle the ball very well.
7. Royce Buckner 5'9 Milwaukee King- Another quick guard and is a solid defender.
8. Billy Wilson 5'11 Madison Memorial- Shooting isn't there yet but, is a very solid passer.
9. Elias Sobah 5'10 Madison La Follette- Don't remember much but, played a decent amount and is pretty quick.
10. Matt Caropreso 6'4 Madison Memorial- Saw limit minutes but, appeared to be a pretty good rebounder.

Freshmen
1. Keshawn Justice 6'4 Madison East- Only freshmen I've seen play but, showed some very good things and he is a starter. Moves very well for a big kid, playing like a guard. Had good elevation rebounding and blocking some shots.

As you can probably tell by my rankings haven't seen much for juniors this year and most of the teams I've seen have been senior dominated. This seems to be true throughout the state as the junior class doesn't seem to be as strong as past classes but, the sophomore class has some very good talent and the freshmen class may be even better. The anomaly may be Stevens Point who has the top two juniors in the state.

Week Two Rankings

New team rankings as the second full week of games has been completed. Lots of changes in D1 has a good chunk of teams had their first loss of the season Probably up until the end of the Holiday season there wills be lots changes each week and after the first of the year things will finally settle in.


Division One
Kimberly was the winner of the week as the defeated Oshkosh North a week ago and then this week beat De Pere and Neenah. Neenah falls all the way to seven and De Pere right behind them at eight. Sun Prairie was upset by Seymour and fall nine spots to. Racine Case lost to #2 Milwaukee King and drop a spot to six. West Allis Central was another victim of an upset losing to Brookfield East and falling to 14. Muskego lost to Kettle Moraine and fall to 11. Middleton lost to Madison East and fall out of the rankings and are replaced by 6-0 Wisconsin Rapids.

1. Stevens Point
2. Milwaukee King 
3. Germantown
4. Kimberly 
5. Burlington
6. Racine Case
7. Neenah
8. De Pere
9. Milwaukee Riverside
10. Oshkosh North
11. Muskego
12. Homestead
13. Sun Prairie
14. West Allis Central 
15. Wisconsin Rapids

Division Two 
La Crosse Central lost to Eau Claire Memorial and fall to 12.  Shawano lost to Seymour, who also beat Sun Prairie this week allowing Seymour into the rankings at 13 and Shawano dropping to 15. Ashwaubenon lost to Bay Port and fall only one spot to 10. Hartford lost to West Bend East and Beaver Dam and fall out of the rankings. Fort Atkinson lost to Mount Horeb in overtime and actually jumped up one spot.

1. Rice Lake
2. Wisconsin Lutheran
3. Mount Horeb
4. Kaukauna
5. Milwaukee Pius
6. Milwaukee Washington
7. Stoughton
8. Whitefish Bay
9. Milwaukee Messmer
10. Ashwaubenon
11. West De Pere
12. La Crosse Central 
13. Seymour
14. Fort Atkinson
15. Shawano

Division Three
Poynette lost to Marshall, Brown Deer lost to top ten D2 team Milwaukee Pius, and Laconia lost to Kettle Moraine Lutheran, falling in at nine, seven, and eight. Brookfield Academy lost to Brown Deer but, stay right where they were at 10. Little Chute lost to Ripon and Freedom, falling out of the rankings and being replaced by Freedom.

1. GET
2. Ripon
3. Roncalli
4. Kettle Moraine Lutheran
5. Prescott
6. Marshall
7. Brown Deer
8. Laconia
9. Poynette
10. Brookfield Academy 
11. Waupun
12. McFarland
13. Lake Mills
14. East Troy
15. Freedom

Division Four
Blair Taylor lost to Melrose Mindoro and fall all the way to 12. Fall Creek lost to Regis which was expected so didn't drop at all. Amherst lost to Bonduel and Luther lost to Westby dropping both to 14 and 15.

1. Eau Claire Regis
2. Dominican
3. Mineral Point
4. Cuba City
5. Racine St Catherines
6. Brillion
7. Fall Creek 
8. Marathon 
9. Auburndale
10. Iola Scandinavia
11. Lourdes
12. Blair Taylor
13. Unity
14. Amherst 
15. Luther

Division Five
Central Wisconsin Christian lost to a top ranked D4 Lourdes team and fall a few spots to six followed by Randolph who lost to Oregon. Owen-Withee lost to Edgar in a minor upset and fall to 12. GB NEW Lutheran lost to Sheboygan Lutheran but, stay at #8. Wausau Newman lost to Stratford and barely stay in the rankings at 15. Turtle Lake got destroyed by Cameron and are replaced by Cameron in the rankings.

1. Wausaukee
2. Hillsboro
3. Necedah
4. Gilmanton
5. Sheboygan Lutheran
6. Central Wisconsin Christian 
7. Randolph
8. Green Bay NEW Lutheran
9. Bangor
10. Port Edwards
11. Wisconsin Rapids Assumption
12. Owen Withee
13. New Auburn 
14. Cameron
15. Wausau Newman

There are my new rankings. Hopefully in the next couple days I will have my first round of player rankings of the players that I have seen play.

Sun Prairie sneaks past Madison Memorial

Madison Memorial has won 11 straight conference titles and this year seems to finally be the end for their streak. After losing last night they fall to 0-3 in conference and Sun Prairie seems to be the cream of the crop at 3-0. The past five to eight years this has been one of the best rivalries in the state. Sun Prairie has had some great teams in the past but, just hasn't seemed to be able to get over the Memorial hump even when games have seemed to be in hand. Last year it seemed Sun Prairie had a game one and some late game heroics by 5'10 junior Shareef Smith gave Memorial a huge win. Smith is back but, this is not the Memorial of old and might be the weakest team they have had in 15 years.

Madison Memorial came out in a box and one zone defense on Sun Prairie star 6'3 senior Nick Noskowiak which completely took Noskowiak out of his game. Memorial switched off 6'0 senior Koko Songolo and 6'1 junior Jason Weah face guarding Noskowiak while the rest of the team played a zone defense. Noskowiak forced bad shots because he was frustrated and this led to Sun Prairie struggling over all and not able to really get things going. On the other side Memorial came out with all the energy in the world and they were dominating the glass on both ends getting second and third shots. Memorial came out like they were the favorite in this game and real set Prairie back on their heels right off the tip. Memorial was finding big man 6'5 senior Brett Tauber at the free throw line and playing off him, with 6'3 senior Henry Houden and 6'4 sophomore Jake Ferguson cutting to the hoop or Smith or Songolo taking the outside shots. Memorial also force some Sun Prairie turnovers which allowed Houden and Ferguson to get out in transition. Memorial cooled off a bit late in the first half and Sun Prairie continued to sleep walk not playing with a lot of energy. Memorial led at half 25-23.

Midway through the third quarter Sun Prairie finally got things going and it was their bench that came up big to lead them to take the lead. A pair of juniors 5'11 Sam Kerr and 6'4 Rod Johnson were probably co-players of the game. Kerr has such a smooth shot it surprises you when it doesn't go in and Johnson score all eight of his points in a very short stretch. Johnson had a pair of big threes and two big steals leading to wide open layups. Late in the fourth it seemed Sun Prairie had put things away with back to back baskets by 6'5 senior JT Ruffin when the Memorial factor struck. Back to back missed free throws and a Smith three pointer, following by a Smith layup set up some possible Memorial magic for Smith. With Sun Prairie clinging to a one point lead Ruffin drove to the hoop and appeared to get fouled and threw up a wild shot while falling which was blocked. Houden collected the ball for Memorial and drove the length of the court putting in the layup as he collided with Noskowiak. For a second it appeared Memorial won but, the bucket was waived off as the offensive foul was called. It was a questionable call because I didn't feel Noskowiak was set but, Houden did extended his arm to push Noskowiak. Either way a foul should of been called when Ruffin was knocked down so I guess I'm ok with the final call. Sun Prairie snuck out the 52-51 win.

Top Players 
Sam Kerr 5'11 junior Sun Prairie- Just looks like a ball player. I think once Noskowiak is gone next year he should really break out. Handles the ball extremely and your surprised when he doesn't make the outside shots. Very smooth player.

Rod Johnson 6'4 junior Sun Prairie- Seems to be adjusting to his growth spurt but, has a very nice shot. Long arms that allow him to get steal and also finish at the rim on the offensive end.

Brett Tauber 6'5 senior Madison Memorial- Did a nice job of finding his open team mates from the high post and really crashed the glass on the both ends.

Henry Houden 6'3 senior Madison Memorial- Really the clue guy that holds this team together. Rebounds really well and slashes to the rim very hard. Also helps with the ball handling duties.

Jake Ferguson 6'4 sophomore Madison Memorial- Ran the court really well and moved well without the ball. Also is a very good shooter.

Box Score
Sun Prairie 52- Kerr 14 Ruffin 11 Noskowiak 10 Johnson 8 Malik Robinson 2 Nate Verstegen 2 Deshawn Black 0
Madison Memorial 51- Ferguson 14 Houden 12 Smith 10 Tauber 7 Songolo 6 Travis Lindquist 2 Billy Wilson 0 Jason Weah 0 Matt Caropreso 0

Sun Prairie still continues to be the top team in the conference but, playing the way they played tonight there is no way they will be undefeated. Madison Memorial will more then likely bounce back and finish in the top half of the conference and could possibly even challenge Sun Prairie late in the year.

Milwaukee King over Madison East

Mark Miller already beat me to a write up of this game but, I'll give it a shot from my perspective. This game gave me a chance to watch a City power play in Milwaukee King who usually doesn't venture very close to me and when they play in Madison I try to get to the game. King is a known power throughout the state and have been nearly a given to be at state for nearly the past 10 years. You come in to a game with King expecting an uptempo game and a team that will play extremely hard for 32 minutes. Madison East has had some talent in the past but, hasn't always been able to put it together and this year seems to be a turn around year for East.

Both teams brought about what I expected. King had 10 guys dressed and played all ten pretty evenly and provided an intense pressure throughout. One thing that did surprise was the amount of zone that King played because I didn't remember them playing a lot of zone in past years. King played a 1-3-1 that almost sagged into a 1-2-2? At times they were just trapping the ball and was tough to tell what they were playing exactly. East has some very good players and have more size then in the past, which has always hurt them in the past, but just didn't have enough players in the end as they seemed to wear down late.

Early on the game was fairly closely contended with both teams really trading baskets and the change really seemed to occur when King senior 6'5 Diamantae Freeman checked in the game. Freeman really helped King control the glass and showed some very nice moves in the paint and finished the first half with 10 points, For whatever reason Freeman didn't start but, he was probably the key reason that King won the game. Overall I was really impressed with how well King rebounded overall. Their entire team crashed the glass and got boards and really like how Freeman or fellow senior 6'1 Marquis Turner would tip the ball out to their teammates. Was really a team effort. Some rough shooting though led to King not being able to put East away and letting them hang around. East was led by 6'2 senior De'Shawn Burks who was able to find the middle of that King zone and score in the paint and finished in the variety of ways. Burks got the points but, it was really 6'3 junior Deang Deang that did most of the work handling the ball against the King pressure and finding Burks open on the inside. Halftime King was up 28-19.

Third quarter things really changed and East had a huge 13-4 third quarter lead and was able to tie the game at 32. Deang was able to get some buckets of his own driving to the hoop and King just seemed totally out of sink. After going back and forth early in the fourth King finally really turned up the pressure and forced East into some turnovers and the game swung completely King's way when 6'2 sophomore Jordan Poole found Freeman on a ally oop dunk which was followed by another turnover and a break away layup for Poole that put King up 44-37. In the end the King depth just wore East down, primarily Deang who was harassed all night by multiple defenders. King 6'2 senior Joe Binyoti knocked down the free throws late to seal the game 54-44.

Top Players
Diamantae Freeman 6'5 senior King- I said earlier he was the reason they won. Really showed a nice post game with his back to the basket and really controlled the glass on both ends of the court.

Jordan Poole 6'2 sophomore King- Didn't have a great game and couldn't get his shot going but, really played with a lot of composure. Just a smooth player and seems to be a leader on the team even though he's and underclassman.

Marquis Turner 6'1 senior King- Just seemed like a really smart ball player. Battled on the glass and was able to get his shot off any time he wanted even though it really wasn't falling either.

De'Shawn Burks 6'2 senior East- Did a very nice job scoring on the inside of the King zone. Can really finish in a variety of ways around the rim.

Deang Deang 6'3 junior East- Just a very very solid point guard. Does a great job of controlling the East offense and has the ability to get to the rim using his length. Can also shoot the three point shot.

Box Score 
King 54- Freeman 12 Poole 10 Turner 9 Binyoti 8 Robert Held 4 Sam Morrow 4 Ellis 4 Tyrail Trussel 2 Deandre Hill-Stanton 1 Royce Buckner 0
East 44- Burks 15 Deang 13 Kenny Jones 8 Tre'vone Irby 6 D'Angelo Millon 2 Keshawn Justice 0 Chris Warren 0 Austin Obodo 0 Cameron Cratic 0

Milwaukee King just seemed like a fun team to play for. They play an uptempo game and it doesn't matter if you start or not your still going to play and have the chance to score. No doubt King will once again be a state contender. Madison East is a much improved team and will more then likely finish in the top four in the conference and may very well challenge Sun Prairie this year when they play.

Week One Rankings

First round of my regular season rankings which will just be coming off my preseason rankings. It has actually been two weeks but, I'm combining the two weeks because the holiday weekend was a full week of games and many teams didn't even play that week. Again these rankings mean nothing and are just truly for my own enjoyment.

Division One
Neenah lost 6'7 senior transfer Rodney Scales back to Detroit but, still remain my #1. Riverside lost to De Pere falling to #9 just behind West Allis Central who lost to Milwaukee King in overtime. Oshkosh North lost to Kimberly who checks in at 11 with North at 13. Madison Memorial lost to Madison East and Madison La Follette and drop out of the rankings. Homestead lost to Muskego, dropping them to 14 and Muskego coming in at 12. Milwaukee Vincent has started the season 0-5 so guess I totally blew that ranking and Arrowhead lost their first two games as well. Middleton has started 3-0 and moves in to the rankings at 15.

1. Neenah
2. Stevens Point
3. Milwaukee King 
4. Sun Prairie
5. Racine Case
6. Germantown
7. De Pere
8. West Allis Central
9. Milwaukee Riverside
10. Burlington
11. Kimberly 
12. Muskego
13. Oshkosh North
14. Homestead
15. Middleton

Division Two 
Rice Lake lost to Minnetonka of Minnesota but, I have always said I will not drop a team for losing to an out of state team. Whitefish Bay lost to two D1 ranked teams in Germantown and West Allis Central but, stay in the rankings at #10. Milwaukee Washington lost to D4 power Dominican and only drop two spots to six. Wauwatosa West lost to both Hartford and Milwaukee Messmer and fall out of the rankings and are replaced by Hartford at 14, meanwhile Messmer held strong even though they lost to Milwaukee Washington. West De Pere lost to Ashwaubenon and Ashwaubenon lost to Kaukauna, which puts West De Pere at 13 and Ashwaubenon at 11. Fort Atkinson is another new team in the rankings at 15. D2 is a division that always has a lot of changes and up and down movement due to the fact that many of these D2 teams are playing D1 teams on a regular bases and a lot of times you can't hold those loses against them.

1. Rice Lake
2. Wisconsin Lutheran
3. Mount Horeb
4. Kaukauna
5. Milwaukee Pius
6. Milwaukee Washington
7. Lacrosse Central
8. Stoughton
9. Shawano
10. Whitefish Bay
11. Ashwaubenon
12. Milwaukee Messmer
13. West De Pere
14. Hartford
15. Fort Atkinson

Division Three
Brown Deer lost to highly ranked Milwaukee King and drop to #5. Roncalli lost to a team from Louisiana which will not be held against them. Waupun lost to Laconia and fall behind them at 11. East Troy lost to McFarland allowing McFarland into the rankings and East Troy falling to 14. Valders lost to Luxemburg Casco dropping out of the rankings along with Clinton who lost to Delavan-Darien and Lodi lost to Sauk Prairie and Marshall. Lake Mills and Little Chute are the two new teams at 13 and 15.

1. GET
2. Poynette
3. Ripon
4. Roncalli
5. Brown Deer
6. Kettle Moraine Lutheran
7. Laconia
8. Prescott
9. Marshall
10. Brookfield Academy
11. Waupun
12. McFarland
13. Lake Mills
14. East Troy
15. Little Chute

Division Four
Dominican lost to Milwaukee Riverside without Diamond Stone so that's a tough game to judge being that Riverside is a ranked D1 and Stone wasn't playing, so ranked them one spot down at #2 behind Eau Claire Regis.  St Catherines lost to highly ranked Racine Case, which is another tough game to judge and I only dropped them to #6. Pacelli has started the season off 1-4 and fall out of the rankings along with Deerfield who lost to Marshall and Lake Mills. Oshkosh Lourdes and Unity are the new teams to the rankings.

1. Eau Claire Regis
2. Dominican
3. Mineral Point
4. Blair Taylor
5. Cuba City
6. Racine St. Catherines
7. Fall Creek
8. Amherst
9. Brillion
10. Marathon
11. Auburndale
12. Iola Scandinavia
13. Luther
14. Lourdes
15. Unity

Division Five
Port Edwards lost to Wausau Newman, who only lost to Wausau East, which dropped Port Edwards to 12 and puts Newman at 10. Bangor lost to a very good Blair Taylor team and fall to 11.
Bangor lost to Blair Taylor. Milwaukee Academy lost to Milwaukee Juneau and a team from Minneapolis, Barneveld lost to Evansville and Dodgeville, Fredric lost to Turtle Lake, and
McDonell Central lost to Stanley Boyd knocking all four out of the rankings. The three new teams are Wisconsin Rapids Assumption, Turtle Lake, and New Auburn.

1. Wausaukee
2. Hillsboro
3. Central Wisconsin Christian
4. Necedah
5. Owen Withee
6. Randolph
7. Gilmanton
8. Green Bay NEW Lutheran
9. Sheboygan Lutheran
10. Wausau Newman
11. Bangor
12. Port Edwards
13. Wisconsin Rapids Assumption
14. Turtle Lake
15. New Auburn

As you can see there were a lot of up and down movement in the rankings and a lot of teams lost. This is fairly common early in the year because teams just haven't played any games and we really don't know how things are going to play out.

Sun Prairie over La Follette

Got my first Wisconsin high school basketball game under my belt last night watching Sun Prairie survive a scare from Madison La Follette. Sun Prairie s a legitimate top five to ten team and looking at preseason status appear to be the team to finally knock Madison Memorial off the mountain in the Big Eight and make the run to state. In the past Madison Memorial has always been my go to team to watch but, this year will more then likely be Sun Prairie. SP has one of the top players in the state in 6'3 senior Nick Noskowiak who is going to have a monster year and is averaging 33 points a game through the first two games right now. Outside of Noskowiak they have 6'5 senior JT Ruffin and 6'1 senior Malik Robinson who are both three year varsity players and will both play college basketball at some level. The question for the Cardinals all year is what they can get for scoring outside of their big three.

Early on it was very evident that Sun Prairie had a huge height advantage and that will probably be a problem for La Follette all year long. Their only real size is in a pair of 6'4 seniors Tom Bartz and Tommy Green. Guessing on the heights because La Follette didn't have them listed. Bartz is a bruiser and plays hard but, his game is fairly limited and Green appeared to prefer playing outside shooting threes. The only other help they had rebounding was 6'2 senior Cortz McCree who can sky but, is  really a guard. The game throughout was Noskowiak's and he could hardly miss outside of some quick questionable shots. Not sure how many free throws Noskowiak took but, he didn't miss. Purely guessing I think he had to be close to 20 for 20. Sun Prairie played their typical 1-3-1 zone defense and seemed to play a 2-3 but, this may of just been their 1-3-1 being extended. The zone defense led to La Follette taking a lot of threes and no one seemed to get real hot for La Follete and just seemed everyone just hit one and when they missed they weren't getting a second chance at the bucket. Outside of Noskowiak, Ruffin had a nice first half hitting a three and going strong to the left using his dominate hand. The Cardinals went up 16-8 after the first and 27-22 at half after some late threes by La Follette and a big tip in by McCree. Big first half story was the poor shooting of La Follette's star 6'1 senior Darold Thomas who had only two points in the first half both coming from the line.

Third quarter Thomas continued to struggle but fellow back court mate 6'0 senior Quinten Shere came out big finding the middle of the Sun Prairie zone and knocking down a barrage of floaters in the lane. Despite Shere's efforts Noskowiak was there time and again hitting big three after big three and just totally controlled the game. La Follette threw four different defenders at Noskowiak and nothing really seemed to slow him down. In the fourth quarter La Follette did slow him a bit as the started trapping him and forcing the ball out of his hands which caused a little chaos at times and Sun Prairie out of their comfort zone. This smart defensive move combined with the hot shooting of Thomas allowed La Follette to get right back in the game and pushed Sun Prairie to the end but, the free throw shooting of Noskowiak closed things out and Sun Prairie won 66-61.

One thing I did forget to mention is that this was a bit of a family affair as Curtrel Robinson is the current coach for La Follette and two years ago was the JV coach at Sun Prairie and is also the brother of Malik Robinson.

Top Players
Darold Thomas 6'1 senior La Follette- Kid looks like a running back on the court and is so solid. Plays really hard and always love watching him play. Sometimes over shoots and takes some bad shots but, when he's on and hot may be the best shooter in the state. That being said when he's off might be one of the worst shooters in the state.

Quentin Shere 6'0 senior La Follette- Has a bit of a street ball game with the penetrate and the hop step and the floater in the lane but, the shot was falling. Fearless driver and can just finish at the rim. When the three is there he knocked it down.

Nick Noskowiak 6'3 senior Sun Prairie- He is the best shooter off the dribble in the state. Has the ball in his hands so much just don't get to see his spot up shooting much. Really controls the game and controls the whole team through his play.

JT Ruffin 6'5 senior Sun Prairie- Really great going to his dominate left hand and can step back and hit the three. Has a really good face up game in the post and runs the court well.

Box Score (starters itralics)
MF 61- Shere 19 Thomas 15 McCree 13 Green 9 Kian O'Brien 3 Tom Bartz 2 Elias Sobah 0 Montrell Hannah 0 Travell Ewing 0

SP 66- Noskowiak 37 Ruffin 15 Robsinson 9 Nate Verstegen 3 Deshawn Black 2 Ben Hauser 0 Rod Johnson 0 Nate Oehrlein 0

Madison La Follette is going to be a tough out every night because they play so hard and with the freedom that will allow them to beat some teams they shouldn't but, they may also have nights where they get blown out. Sun Prairie has an extremely talented top three but, will really need some help to make that run at state. I don't know that there is anyone to challenge Sun Prairie in the conference as a few of the top teams of the past are down a bit this year so they could very well go undefeated in conference. Was a good game to start the year and hopefully the rest of the year should be the same.

Missouri Basketball

Went down to Missouri last week to visit my brother for Thanksgiving so wasn't in the area to watch any games. My brother is currently the JV coach for a small school in southern Missouri called Blue Eye and they had their first game last Tuesday night which allowed myself and my family to watch his first game coaching. The JV won 43-32 in a fairly ugly game which is to be expected in a JV game at a small school. Blue Eye's enrollment is in the mid 200s which would put them in division four in Wisconsin. Their opponent was a small private school in Springfield called New Covenant Academy which has an enrollment in the mid 100s which would put them in Wisconsin's division five.

Going into the game I knew it wasn't going to be a great game because Blue Eye has a pretty solid team this year that has 10 seniors and New Covenant didn't win a game a year ago. New Covenant had 19 players listed on their entire roster and suited up everyone but, the five varsity starters for their JV game. In the varsity game New Covenant didn't play a player taller then 5'11 and Blue Eye seemed to be head and shoulders taller at every position. Early on Blue Eye moved the ball extremely well finding open team mates for threes as 6'1 senior Adam Butler hit two early threes for Blue Eye and they never looked back. New Covenant play a zone much of the game which gave Blue Eye the three any time they wanted it and seemed they could drive to the middle of the zone and find a wide open 6'4 senior Dalton Moore wide open all night. Blue Eye jumped out to a first half lead of 48-23 half time lead and never looked back. Blue Eye pushed the tempo when they wanted and New Covenant seemed to rush all their shots to get them off against the taller defenders.

Blue Eye was able to play their bench about half the game and there really wasn't much to say about the second half cause NCA couldn't put the ball in the hoop and Blue Eye was able to get offensive rebounds all night long and seemed they scored every time down the court. Just not much to talk about in this one Blue Eye was just a better team and won 78-32.

Top Players
Silas Siebert 5'7 sophomore NCA- Really the only positive for New Covenant. Hit a couple of threes and was able to get his shot off but. probably took too many.

Dalton Moore 6'4 senior Blue Eye- Didn't do anything overly impressive but, did a real nice job of getting behind the zone defense and just moving along the base line.

Garrett George 6'2 senior Blue Eye- Was huge off the bench and may of benefited from the blow out game but, was able to hit some threes and dominated on the glass, seeming to get every rebound when he was in.

Markyse Goad 6'3 senior Blue Eye- Took way too many shots but, was easily the best athlete on the court. Showed very quick hands getting steals and mid range was very tough either passing to Moore for the open layup or elevating above the defenders to knock down the jump shot.

Box Score (starters in italics) 
NCA- Silas Siebert 12 Matt Searson 6 Taylor Dawley 4 Zeke Yost 4 Kole Stutzman 3 Duke Carlton 2 Reece Stutzman 1 Trevor Batten 0 Luke Han 0 Collin Whitcomb 0
Blue Eye- Moore 14 George 12 Goad 11 Orrin Curbow 9 Butler 8 Christian Melcher 8 Brandon Narancich 7 Wyatt Newman 6 Daniel Ray 4 Zach Jones 0

For New Covenant it's going to be a very long year but, the future is bright for them as the majority of their team was sophomores which should mean some improvement. I don't know how Missouri ball is but, if Blue Eye would be in Wisconsin they would be a top 20 team in Wisconsin D4 and top ten in D5. They have a lot of athletes and if they can play under control I would imagine that they would be tough to beat.

Division Five Preseason

Division five is by far the toughest division to rank. These are teams that I never see play, never hear about, and well there just small and in obscure parts of the state. This year there really isn't a clear cut favorite. No Sam Dekker led team, no Randolph, and no team that was at state last year that returns a lot of players. I'm really going to have to default to the WBBY yearbook on this one.


1. Port Edwards- Only lost two games a year ago and bring back four starters from that team. Yearbook has them #1 too.

2. Wausaukee- 22 wins a year ago and have two 15 point scoring seniors back in 6'3 Aaron Schlies and 6'1 Zach Orlando.

3. Bangor- Beat out Hillsboro a year ago going undefeated and have 6'7 senior Canon O'Heron back who scored 19 a game a year ago.

4. Milwaukee Academy of Science- Very tough team to judge because you just don't know who their playing. Won 20 games last year but, play some very good teams and also some very big push overs.

5. Barneveld-Strong strong tradition and the yearbook has them ranked fourth.

6. Hillsboro- Yearbook has them ranked third but, when I saw them a year ago I just wasn't that impressed. 6'3 junior Ma Stockwell is very tough in the post though.

7. Frederic- Another year book pick here and they do have four starters back.

8. Central Wisconsin Christian- Have had two very good years the last couple years and have two very good 6'4 seniors back in Tyler De Young and Cody Zonefeld.

9. Necedah- Another team that I did see play last year and I really liked a pair of seniors 5'11 Jordan Murphy and 6'0 Matt Brown.

10. Owen Withee- Yearbook pick here as well. Won 19 games a year ago.

11. McDonell Central- Have a pretty strong tradition recently. Don't always have the best record due to their conference but, are usually there at the end.

12. Randolph- This is not the Randolph of old but, they do have maybe the quickest point guard in D5 in 5'7 senior Duke VanderGalien.

13. Gilmanton- 18 wins a year ago and bring back three players that averaged double digits a year ago.

14. Green Bay NEW Lutheran- State team a year ago and have 6'3 senior Noah Gosse back.

15.Sheboygan Lutheran- Another state team last year and have 6'1 senior Jacob Jurss back who should have a monster year.

Those are my rankings. Take them for what you want as much of them are straight from the yearbook with a little of my own thoughts sprinkled in.

Division Four Preseason

Well today is D4 day also known as the private division. D4 has been dominated by the privates schools and in particular Whitefish Bay Dominican who was won the past three D4 titles. This year should be no different as Dominican has a starting front line of 6'11, 6'8, 6'7 and more then likely four scholarship players.

1. Dominican- I've mentioned it all already with 6'11 senior Diamond Stone going for his fourth straight title and fellow returning senior starters 6'2 Tywon Bressler Jr and 5'9 Austin Moutry. A pair of talented transfers added to the mix in 6'8 senior Garrison Goode and 6'7 junior Kostas Antetokounmpo. No one in D4 can beat this team.

2. Eau Claire Regis- 6'6 senior Billy Wampler is a D1 college player who averaged 25 a game last year and has a solid sidekick in 6'2 junior Logan Rohrscheib who averaged 16 a game.

3. Racine St Catherines- Have one of the best coaches in the state and they always play hard and play the right way. They will be there at the end

4. Mineral Point- Bring back three starters that only lost one game a year ago.

5. Blair Taylor- Last years runner ups have 6'1 senior Brett Ladstein back whose a big time scorer and a talented transfer in 6'3 senior Kolton Flick.

6. Cuba City- All five starters are back from last years team that won 17 games.

7. Fall Creek- Another great coach here and 6'6 senior Matt Anderson is one of the best in the division.

8. Amherst- 18 wins a year ago and have high scoring junior 6'4 Tyler Biadasz back.

9. Brillion- Very strong tradition and have been to state in the recent past and have 6'3 senior Tyler Lemke back.

10. Marathon- Team that has been towards the top of the division for the past five years or so have built a strong tradition.

11. Auburndale- Another team with a strong tradition. Yearbook had them 8th so I had to at least have them up there.

12. Iola Scandinavia- Three starters back from a team that won 18 games a year ago.

13. Stevens Point Pacelli- 6'5 senior James Gollon is finally healthy and should have a huge final year.

14. Luther- Have 6'5 senior Collin Kennedy back who averaged 23 a game last year, along with fellow senior 5'11 TJ Babinec who averaged 12 a game.

15. Deerfield- 6'4 junior Blake Ehrke averaged nearly 20 a game last year and are picked to win trailways south.

Division Three Preseason

I'll be the first to admit that I don't know a ton about D3 this year and there really aren't any stars in D3 and no clear cut teams. I will defer a lot to the basketball yearbook in their rankings with a little of my own insights added in.

1. GET- Bring back there top six players from a 20 win team and are led by high scoring juniors 6'2 Nick Wagner and 6'4 Lucas Scherr.

2. Poynette- WBBY has them #1 but, just a hunch give GET slight edge. Really like there pair of do everything 6'3 seniors in Tanner Bruchs and Riley Lytle.

3. Brown Deer- Defending champs lost their top two scorers and big men but, bring back their final four mvp in 5'10 senior Lewrenzo Byers along with fellow seniors 6'3 Zack Baun and 5'9 Tony Thomas.

4. Ripon- Have a loaded sophomore class and bring back three guys that averaged double digit in points a year ago.

5. Roncalli- A team that you can pretty much pencil in to make a run to state. Doesn't matter who they have they just always seem to reload and their offense gives there guys freedom to shoot when there open.

6. Kettle Moraine Lutheran- Won 18 games a year ago and have high scoring seniors 6'2 Ethan Bublitz and 6'5 Jared Henning.

7. Waupun- This one might be a reach but, really like 6'3 senior Mason Domask who might be the best scorer in the division. If they can get anything from 6'8 senior Jack VandeZande they could be tough.

8. East Troy- Have a strong tradition and a really good coach and bring back five guys that all averaged around 10 points a year ago.

9. Laconia- Won 21 games a year ago and have 6'4 senior Brett Wittchow back for a senior year.

10. Prescott- Bring back three starters from a 21 win team led by leading scorer 6'1 senior Clay Seifert.

11. Marshall- Not a fan of them but the yearbook has them ranked 10th and have some very strong underclassmen.

12. Valders- Three starters back from a team that won 21 games led by 6'1 senior Thomas Schwoerer.

13. Clinton- Bring back four starters from last years team.

14. Brookfield Academy- Have a pair of near double double players in 6'1 junior Ryan Clarey and 6'5 junior Joseph Lemon.

15. Lodi- Lost in the title game last year and lost a lot but, they've been to state three years straight and expecting a big year from their lone returning starter 6'4 junior Derek Paulson.

Well I'm expecting these rankings to switch quite a bit in the first couple weeks until I get a good handle on the top teams. Sitting at about two weeks until the regular season starts.

Division Two Preseason

Yesterday was Division One and now today is Division Two. As always D2 may be the most wide open division with numerous teams that could possibly win the title.

1. Rice Lake- State runner ups a year ago. 6'10 senior Henry Ellenson is a top five player in the country and 5'11 senior point guard Ben Widdes is also back.

2. Wisconsin Lutheran- State champ a year ago and this is a team that always reloads and has a ton of depth and quickness. Will rely heavily on 6'4 senior Anthony Carver who guard Ellenson very well a year ago in the title game.

3. Whitefish Bay- A team that always seems to be underrated all year but, play one of the toughest D2 schedules in the state. Have a pair of talented seniors in 6'3 Miles Sigh and 6'4 Isaiah Johnson.

4. Milwaukee Washington- Are going to apply lots of pressure and play an uptempo game, which can help them or hurt them at times. 5'11 junior Te'jon Lucas is a big time transfer that they got added to a very deep backcourt.

5. Mt Horeb- They only lost one game last year but, just not convinced their that good being that they don't play the toughest schedule. 6'1 senior Drew Fredrickson and 6'2 junior Max Meylor are back and they were the top two scorers a year ago.

6. Wauwatosa West- May have the best back court in D2 with a pair of 6'1 seniors in Steffan Brown and Andre Carroll.

7. Kaukauna- Another team with a very strong back court led by 6'1 senior Carter Belling, 5'11 senior Derek Hanson, and 6'0 freshmen Jordan McCabe. Have great coaching and the solid tradition.

8. Milwaukee Pius- 6'7 senior Levi Bradley is one of the top post players in the state and teams with 6'6 senior Dominic Kenyon for a solid front line.

9. La Crosse Central- Bring back 6'5 senior Jerred Ambrose and have a very talented sophomore class.

10. West De Pere- D1 recruit 6'8 senior Cody Schwartz is back along with 6'3 senior Connor Konshak from a final four team.

11. Stoughton- Bring back double double machine 6'8 senior Nick McGlynn and that's all you need to know.

12. Milwaukee Messmer- 20 win team a year ago that I really underestimated. 6'5 senior Dallas Polk-Hillard is back and he was their best player a year ago.

13. Ashwaubenon- Very strong tradition. Have 6'5 senior Kyle Monroe back who averaged 21 a game a year ago.

14. Shawano- Surprise team a year ago that battled with West De Pere and Seymour a year ago.

15. Appleton Xavier- Needed a 15th team to be honest and best I could find.

Had to reach a little bit at the end but, outside of D1 the early rankings are always a hard one.

Division One Preseason Rankings

I am finally back at the blog. Last year was kind of a crazy year and I didn't do the greatest job of keeping up with the blog but, I'm hoping this year I will do a much better job and hope to attend more games.

As in the past I will be doing my personal rankings for each division and continue a weekly ranking throughout the year. These rankings are just my personal rankings just for fun and mean absolutely nothing. They probably aren't the most accurate rankings as I obviously don't see every team play but, coaches do rankings and I'm sure they haven't seen every team play either. I may also do rankings of the teams that I have actually seen play but, not sure if I will take the time for that or not, I suppose it will all depend on how bored I am at the time. So here are my division one rankings. ( I will admit that the high school yearbook will help me out with a lot of things).


1. Neenah- State runner ups a year ago bring back their top player in 6'10 senior Matt Heldt along with outside shooter 6'0 Trevor Entwisle who should be very solid at the point. Through in a top 25 player in the state in 6'7 senior transfer Rodney Scales.

2. Stevens Point- Only team that beat them a year ago was Neenah twice and they have the top two juniors in the state in 6'2 Trevor Anderson and 6'6 Sam Hauser. Unfortunately only one of the top two teams can make a state.

3. Milwaukee King- King is a given to be a top five team every single year. Always have a ton of very good guards and lots of depth. Headliners of this team are a pair of seniors in 6'2 Joseph Binyoti and 6'4 Diamante Freeman.

4. Sun Prairie- This will be the year that Sun Prairie gets by Madison Memorial to make state. Led by Marquette recruit 6'2 senior Nick Noskowiak, along with talented returners in 6'6 senior JT Ruffin, and 6'2 senior Malik Robinson who were their top three scorers last year along with sixth man 6'5 sophomore Nate Verstegen.

5. Milwaukee Riverside- Another City team with loads of talent and depth. 6'1 senior James Bateman was their top scorer a year ago and they have two of the top sophomores in the state in 6'5 Terrance Lewis and 6'4 George Dixon.

6. Racine Case- I underestimated them all last year so I may be overestimating them this year but, they have one of the top big men in the state in 6'7 senior Darion King who is a big time football recruit.

7. West Allis Central- Another guard heavy team that is led by the top true point guard in the state in 6'0 senior Brandon Key. I also really like 6'1 senior Jerome Cummings that does alittle bit of everything for this team and is the glue that holds them together.

8. Oshkosh North- Bring back three starters from a team that won 20 games including 6'4 senior Blake Marquardt who is a three year starter. Through in having the top sophomore in the state transferring in with 6'4 Philip Flory.

9. Germantown- State champs from a year ago lost just about everything from that team but, bring back a heady point guard in 5'10 junior Jalen McCloud. G'town is a team that now reloads and never seems to be rebuilding.

10. De Pere- Another team that has really grown a very strong tradition and have 20 point per game scorer back in 6'4 Brevin Pritzl. Team seems to have very good size overall on the team.

11. Madison Memorial- A down year for a power house like Memorial. 5'10 senior Shareef Smith should have a monster year and a pair of 6'5 seniors return in Henry Houden and Brett Tauber. Also have a talented sophomore class.

12. Homestead- I really really like 6'8 senior Jaylen Key a three year starter and also back is 6'3 junior Jack Popp who was a double digit scorer a year ago.

13. Milwaukee Vincent- Seems like there is some turmoil in Vincent land but, they have a very talented sophomore class that saw lots of playing time a year ago.

14. Burlington- A team that has had a very good record the past handful of years or so. Honestly just kind of a hunch to have them here.

15. Arrowhead- Team that always seems to get close to 20 wins year after year. Leading scorer 6'6 junior Bryce Nze is back.

This was my first post in a long time hopefully it was a half way decent post. One thing that really popped out to me is that there is a very strong sophomore class on the rise. Many of these top teams have very good underclassman and should be very fun the next two years.

Madison Memorial defeated Lafollette

Last Saturday night, I checked out the Madison Memorial verse Madison La Follette game. This game really meant nothing as Memorial had already clinched the conference and the seeding had already been done for the playoffs. La Follette could move up in the rankings but, they weren't going to win conference. I knew that Memorial was going to push the tempo and look to run every chance they got and La Follette was a team that would run right with them even though it played into Memorial's hands.

This game was exactly what I expected Memorial ran and La Follette ran right with them and La Follette kept the game close but, in the end Memorial pulled it out. Memorial maybe shot two or three, three point shots while La Follette continued to jack up a ton of three just as they have in every game I was seen them and the threes really weren't falling until late in the game when they had a mini run.

Memorial looks so much better then they looked earlier in the year. There weren't nearly as many bad shots put up and the guards 5'11 senior Reggie Roemer and 5'10 junior Shareef Smith were driving and dishing to open team mates, fellow senior big men 6'4 Tyler Lindquist and 6'7 Darral Willis. Lindquist had a huge game because he just never stops moving without the ball in his hands and his team mates are going to find him. Willis was getting the easy look in the paint as well as getting the ball at the free throw line and getting to the rim. With the way they run they are going to turn the ball over but, they really are at their best when their running.

Every time I see La Follette play they seem to have fewer players suited up and in this game they only had nine players able to play. The running really took a toll on La Follette big man 6'9 senior Keahn Dunn who only played in short burst and didn't even score in the game and looked lost at times against Memorial's box and one defense. The Memorial defense really seem to confuse La Follette as no one really penetrated the defense and time and again they settled for the three point shot. Their leader 6'1 junior Darol Thomas plays hard and I love the attitude and leadership he shows but, at times doesn't seem like he trusts his team mates and try to do too much on his own. Thomas is a very good player but, needs to play within the offense a little more and back off the deep threes at times. Despite lacking size outside of Dunn, La Follete always really battles on the glass particularly 6'4 senior Maurice Ewing and 6'3 junior Cortez McCree. Both players can really jump and attack the glass with no fear. La Follette had a run late in the game but, in the end the lack of their outside shooting did them in.

Top Players
Tyler Lindquist 6'4 senior Memorial- As I said early he's always moving without the ball and finding openings in the defense. Ultimate competitor and rebounds really well.

Darral Willis 6'7 senior Memorial- Seems longer then 6'7. Nearly impossible for other big men to contain because of his quickness. Did benefit from some strong guard play.

Maurice Ewing 6'4 senior La Follette- Spent much of his night battling the taller Willis but, did a good job rebounding. Used his quickness to score as well around the rim.

Quinten Shere 5'11 junior La Follette- Came off the bench and really provided some good outside shooting. I believe he hit three, three point shots in the game.

Box Score 
Memorial 73- Lindquist 28 Willis 18 Henry Houden 6 Brett Tauber 5 Smith 4 Roemer 4 Koko Songolo 3 Jake Ferguson 3 Daurice Fountain 2 Jason Weah 0 Bryce Danielson 0 Matt Caropreso 0 Billy Wilson 0
La Follette 58- Ewing 18 Shere 14 Thomas 12 McCree 10 Jordan Carlson 5 Kian O'Brien 0 Dunn 0 Joseph Phillips 0 Larry Haynes 0

Really seems that Memorial has hit their stride and at about the right time with playoffs just around the corner. With the way their playing and the lack of strength in the Sectional I will not be one bit surprised to see them back at the Kohl Center in the final four. La Follette ended up finishing ninth in the conference but, would not be one bit surprised to see them beat someone in the playoffs and I have actually picked them to defeat Middleton in their first round game. Should be a good one so will see what happens.