Division Five Preseason

I'm going to be completely honest here that I don't have much of a clue when it comes to division five. I'm going to rely heavily on the Wisconsin Yearbook here but, honestly I'm not sure how much of a feel that Mark Miller has. He has three of the four teams back from state last year and those three teams have only one starter back each. So are you going with the same teams or just going with tradition there? Now D5 seems to be the conference where you can go with the tradition so maybe it's a combination of things. Well I will do my best here but, again I'll be really using the book.


1. Bangor- Lost in the sectional final a year ago and bring back three double digit scorers in a talented senior class in 6'0 Luke Reader, 6'3 Caleb Miedema, and 6'0 Drew Johnson. Fresh off their football title they'll be looking to win a basketball one.

2. Deerfield- Won 21 games last year and bring back a pair of 16 point per game scorers in 6'2 senior Noah Gjermo and 6'4 senior Nate Siewart and they both nearly averaged double digit rebounds.

3. Black Hawk- Having just lost to Bangor in the football title game they'll be looking to avenge it in basketball. They won 20 games a year ago and bring back four starters headlined by 6'4 junior Conner Meyer who averaged 20- points a game and 6'5 senior CJ Leuzinger who averaged 13.

4. Solon Springs- Won 19 games a year ago and have four starters back that started at least part time and led by 6'6 senior Jens Gehl who averaged a double double last year.

5. Lourdes Academy- Had a solid year last year and have two 13 point scorers back in a pair of juniors 6'2 Henry Noone and 6'1 Benny Huizenga. 

6. McDonell Central- Lost in the state semis a year ago they bring back ultra talented 6'5 senior Hayden Baughman.

7. Barneveld- State champs lost nearly everyone but, have super athletic junior back in 6'4 Malcolm Reed and a strong tradition.

8. Sheboygan Lutheran- Had a so so record last year but, they play in a tough conference and have high scorer 6'3 senior Jared Jurss back for his senior year.

9. Columbus Catholic- Only have one starter back in 5'11 senior Nick Malovrh who averaged 13 points a game last year but, the tradition is strong at Columbus Catholic.

10. Hilbert- A super strong tradition at Hilbert even with a new coach the beat should go on.

Well there are my final rankings. I think I've said it after every ranking but, it really should be a fun year. I feel like I'm not as familiar with this season as I've been in the past but, just give me some time and I should get right back in the flow.

Division Four Preseason

In the lower divisions we've really seen an influx of the "charter schools". These schools aren't your traditional private school powers that we are used to see but, new upstart schools with strange names and some of them are private, in the case of Destiny last year in D4. You have Destiny, Milwaukee Academy of Science in D4 and then in D5 even more with Young Coggs Prep winning a title two years ago. This will further the private vs public or better worded city vs rural. There no doubt needs to be something done but, there isn't a blanket solution for all. For every "non traditional" school that dominates there's two or three that can hardly compete in their conference and theres some that have even left the WIAA all together. Myself I'm in favor of a multiplier of 1.5 or so but, I'm not here to talk about those issues here are my D4 rankings for preseason.

1. The Prairie School- Have one of the best players in the division and the state in 6'5 senior JC Butler who averaged 26 points a game and nearly 10 rebounds. Butler isn't the only one as they bring back three other starters including fellow senior 6'1 Troy Mikaelian who averaged 16 a game himself.

2. New Glarus- Four starters back from a 20 win team, including three who averaged 13 plus points in in juniors 6'1 Zach Feller, 5'10 Jaden Kreklow and 6'5 senior Cullen Brooks.

3. Roncalli- State team a year ago and they bring back four starters. Headlined by their back court in 6'0 senior Mitchel Schneider and 5'9 junior Chombi Lambert.

4. Markesan- 15 wins a year ago. They are led by a pair of 20 point scoring seniors in 6'1 Carson Clark and 6'0 Drew Bernhagen.

5. Destiny- Defending state champs lost all five starters but, they had a ton of talent on their team and should have a monster year from 6'3 senior Devonte Caldwell who can flat out score.

6. Mineral Point- 17 win team that bring back a pair of 20 point scorers in 6'3 senior Chance Wendhausen and 6'2 sophomore Isaac Lindsey. Have a talented freshemn class coming in.

7. Howards Grove- 20 wins last year and they have three starters back. Did lose their top two scorers though.

8. Marathon- They've really become a given for the top 10 in D4 and have four starters back three of which averaged double digits in points.

9. Clear Lake- D5 power moving up to D4 and the success should continue.

10. Milwaukee Academy of Science- Guaranteed to win at least 15 games a year in the past five years or so. 6'1 sophomore Kaleim Taylor. is a big time scorer.


You see a few of the normal teams but, there is quite a few new teams as well.

Division Three Preseason

Looking at D3 things seem to be a little bit of an unknown. Most of the state teams from a year ago aren't expected to be back and there has been a bit of an influx of private and charter schools that could change things.

1. Appleton Xavier- I'm not sure how it can be anyone else here. The defending state champs and undefeated team return their top three scorers in three seniors that have a ton of experience. 6'1 Hunter Plamann and 6'0 Sam Ferris do the damaged from the outside and 6'5 Nate DeYoung is a double double guy on the inside. All three have played at state the past two years as well.

2. Waupun- Four starters back from a 19 win team led by 6'5 junior Marcus Domask and 6'3 senior Owen Theune who have started for two years each already and have already won a state title. They also have some pretty good size overall.

3. GET- All five starters are back from a 20-5 team. Seniors 6'4 Chris Thompson and 6'1 Tyler Scherr have a ton of experience and averaged 15 plus in points year ago.

4. Martin Luther- They have a ton of hype and won 22 games a year ago but, when I saw them I was just a little underwhelmed to be honest. Ultra talented junior class led by 6'5 Xzavier Jones and 5'9 Trequan Carrington.

5. Brown Deer- They ave been a power in D2 and now move back to D3. 6'1 senior guard Jay Gentry averaged 19 points a game last year and leads a strong senior class.

6. East Troy- Four starters back three of which are over 6'3 and nearly their entire bench is back as well and they have some very talented underclassmen.

7. Dominican- Really didn't show much last year but, the talent is there. Should expect a big season from 6'0 senior Gacoby Jones he's a three year starter and it will show this year. 6'6 sophomore Alex Antetokounmpo may have a break out year.

8. Racine St Catherines- Four starters are back, three of which averaged double digits in points all of which are juniors led by 6'6 junior Quinn Cafferty.

9. Wrightstown- School that has a ton of success in recent years but, haven't made the big stage yet. They have a pair of seniors that both averaged 15 points a game in 6'4 Luke Haese and 6'2 James Hansen.

10. Prescott- They are starting to get some state recognition as they've been to state twice in recent years and 6'2 senior Petey Brookshaw is back from their state appearance a year ago.


After actually looking at my rankings the top 10 is full of teams that had a great season last year and brought back quiet a few starters so should be a much better year in D3 then I originally thought.

Division Two Preseason

Just like last year division two might be the most exciting division. You have the defending champs in La Crosse Central who lost a lot but, have an extremely talented sophomore class and the all the individual stars around the state that could carry their teams to a title. Jordan McCabe, Tyler Herro, and John Diener are all big time college recruits that could carry their teams far in the playoffs and then you have the teams that are just good overall in Milwaukee Washington, Pewaukee, and Stoughton.

1. Kaukauna- West Virginia recruit 5'11 senior Jordan McCabe makes everyone better around him and he can carry this team. He has a pair of very good senior side kicks in sharpshooter 6'6 Eric Carl who will playing D2 college and 6'7 Dylan Kurey who is beginning to get some D1 looks.

2. Milwaukee Washington- A state team a year ago that brings back three starters including Mr. Everything in 6'5 junior Deontay Long who averaged nearly 20 points a game a year ago. They have some good overal team size with nine players at 6'3 or taller. 6'2 senior Jordan Dinsmore can be a defensive stopper and can score as well.

3. Pewaukee- Just a solid team thats led by D1 recruit 6'9 senior Grant Basile and D2 recruit 6'3 senior Jack Gohlke doing his thing from the outside. The last few years Pewaukee always seems to find themselves towards the top of the division.

4. La Crosse Central- State champs lost four starters but, have a super talented sophomore class in 6'3 twins Johnny and Jordan Davis along with 6'7 Terrence Thompson that transferred in. They also have a solid point guard that started a year ago in 6'0 junior Noah Parcher.

5. Cedarburg- State runner ups a year ago and are headlined by 6'5 senior John Diener who could carry a team if needed but, has a second option in 6'8 senior Matthew Barber.

6. Whitnall- Four starters back from a pretty good team. All you really need to know is high major recruit 6'5 senior Tyler Herro is back for his senior year and is looking to impress since decommitting from Wisconsin and he is basically a free agent.

7. Stoughton- Three starters back that scored in double digits from a 19 win team and 6'0 senior Brady Schipper who started two years ago.

8. Milwaukee Pius-  Lost three starters but, I really like what they bring back in a pair of seniors in 6'7 Bilal Shabaz and 6'6 Preston Maccoux. Both guys have a ton of upside and I expect big things.

9. Marshfield- I'll be honest completely stole things one from Mark Miller and the high school basketball yearbook.

10. La Crosse Logan- I know this is a stretch but, I do have a lot of faith in 6'1 senior CJ Siegel, that he'll have a big year.


Should be a fun year of D2 ball.

Division One Preseason

Debated a bit about writing the blog but, decided to stick with it at least for another year. Hey I'm a single guy what else do I have to do with all my free time. I'm not sure if I'm just out of the loop but, I feel like there aren't the clear cut top teams out there like there have been in the past. Today will be my day one post of the year with the season just a week away. Like always I will start with my preseason rankings and begin with division one as always.

In D1 the story is can Stevens Point win their fourth straight title. After back to back titles Point really wasn't the favorite to win as they had some struggles during the season and their star 6'8 junior Joey Hauser messed half the year. Oshkosh North was the odds on favorite all year but, dropped the ball late and fell short of even making state and honestly Point won it fairly easily.


1. Stevens Point- State champs bring back their top two scorers in Hauser who is a senior now and is hands down the top player in the state and fellow senior 6'3 Drew Blair. Both average 20 plus points a game and Hauser is headed to Marquette and Blair is going to a D2 school. SPASH is now at that point will success if just expected every year.

2. Brookfield Central- State team a year ago and bring back their top three scorers in 5'10 junior Gage Malensek, 6'2 Andres Peralta-Werns, and 6'3 junior Cole Nau. Nau and Malensek form possibly the best backcourt in the state. They don't blow you away but, they play as a team and can really shoot the three.

3. Oshkosh North- Was the team of destiny a year ago but, so many times it seems that those teams win it all the year after that team of "destiny". Three starters are back led by 6'5 senior Tyrese Haliburton and a high energy defensive guy that can score in 6'3 senior Quincy Anderson.

4. Racine Park- This junior class has had a ton of hype since they've been in school. 6'9 Nobal Days may finally reach his potential and 6'3 Larry Canady is already a star.

5. Sun Prairie- This is a team that always makes me nervous but, they have two of the most talented players in the state in 6'4 senior Marlon Ruffin and 6'6 sophomore Jalen Johnson. Johnson is an elite talent thats known throughout the country.

6. Waunakee- A D2 power that moves up to D1 this year. Strong senior class led by a pair of four year starters in 6'5 Mitch Listau and 6'4 Mason Steffen and through in big man 6'6 Nate Carter in the post.

7. Bay Port- A ton of size coming back from last year. Led by football recruit 6'8 senior Jack Plumb.

8. Milwaukee Riverside- As always they have a ton of talent and their led by 6'3 senior Carlos Curtis.

9. Madison East- Team that always plays extremely hard and have 6'6 senior Keshawn Justice back for his fourth year of varsity.

10. Eau Claire North- Had a tremendous season a year ago and have their starting back court back in seniors 6'1 Noah Hanson and 6'0 Jack Kron.

Again these rankings are purely for my enjoyment and just give a little look into my personal thoughts on how things should be ranked. I will also probably be expanding to 15 as the season goes on.