WIAA State Hoops Underway

Wisconsin boys basketball tournament action tipped off tonight with a handful of opening round games. The Division 1 UW-Whitewater sectional is loaded, featuring tops schools from Milwaukee (Riverside, King, Marquette) and Madison (Memorial, East, Sun Prairie).

For the record, I did not like the move to five divisions at all. Being a championship-level basketball program is not an inalienable right. There's no question that cutting the Division 1 state finalist field down from eight teams to four is a net decrease in the quality of the games played at the Kohl Center each year. That deprives college basketball fans like myself the pleasure of watching more of the very talented players that the state of Wisconsin is producing more of each year. And the same private schools will still dominate Division 3, so that's kind of funny. (I'll admit, Division 2 could be interesting ... we'll see.)

Milwaukee Vincent and Janesville Craig playing opening round games?! A lot has changed since I was a youngster. At least both of those teams won tonight.

http://wiaawi.org/results/basketballboys/2011/d1bracket.pdf

Vander Blue's Coming Out Party

The energy surrounding Wisconsin's short run in the NCAA tournament was nearly matched by the buzz surrounding Vander Blue's dominance in the WIAA state tournament this weekend.

The Madison Memorial junior guard who has already verballed to play for Wisconsin averaged 22.6 pts, 6 rebs, 1.3 blks & 2.6 stls per game in three wins en route to the Division 1 state title. Blue exploded right away for 35 points (24 in the second half) in a semifinal win over Germantown. He continued to erase memories of his subpar championship game last season as Memorial rolled over Racine Horlick on Saturday night for its second gold ball.

In addition to being a unanimous all-tournament team selection, Blue was named to the Division 1 All-State team by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. Teammate and soon-to-be Marquette freshman Jeronne Maymon was named Mr. Basketball and was a unanimous selection to join Blue on the All-State team.

Badger fans have already gone through one round of rumors regarding the stability of Blue's verbal commitment. It appears those rumors are only going to resurface and intensify. After a similar tourney run last season, Maymon saw his recruiting stock explode, which he then validated with a solid AAU session. I expect the same to happen with Blue.

I suspect Wisconsin's staff knows this and believe they will remain vigilant in keeping close ties with the 6'4" prospect. The recruiting scene is ruthless, so no one can rest on their laurels. Personally, I subscribe to the "where there's smoke, there's fire" mantra, but there still has not been any substance to the whispers yet. About the only thing you can know for sure with all the rumors going around is that Blue says he is very close to Maymon:

"That’s my boy. I love him to death. Blood could make us no closer.”

Beyond that, it is not worth worrying about unless an official announcement is made.

Another unanimous WBCA all-state selection was Horlick's Oregon-bound senior Jamil Wilson, who struggled in the championship game. Wilson was bottled up by Memorial freshman Junior Lomomba in the early going and then got into terrible foul trouble, picking up number four in the second quarter. It will be fun to see Lomomba develop over the next few years, provided he stays enrolled at Memorial rather than going the prep school route. I am sure the Badgers will be knocking on his door if he keeps his academics in order.

As for Wilson, he still looks like an extremely talented wing player who I've mentioned could develop into a Scottie Pippen-type player. He had strong performances before running into Memorial, showing off nice range on his pull-up jumper and a special knack for blocking shots. Though any athletic leaper in high school with a wingspan approaching seven feet should be pretty decent in that department.

Links:
- I missed this before, but the Wisconsin State Journal's George Hesselberg did a humorous video breakdown on how to pick a team to root for in the state tournament if you lack any ingrained allegiances. A classic in my book.
- Mike Bruesewitz and Henry Sibley play Wednesday in the Minnesota Class 4A quarterfinals. The Warriors are fighting to earn a rematch with No. 1 Hopkins. The Twin Cities Hoops Czar thinks he might have a plan of attack.

WIAA's Annual Meeting Raises Concerns

Executive director Doug Chickering warned WIAA delegates Wednesday about the trend toward elite training programs that could sap the competitive nature out of the high school sports scene. Chickering cited a letter from the U.S. Soccer Academy that actually chided club teams for allowing their players to participate in interscholastic athletics. So, could prep hoops be next?

Countless man-hours have been wasted calling out the AAU circuit for the downfall of modern civilization. But when it comes to basketball, AAU ball may only be the tip of the iceberg. Now that the NBA has set it's sights on revamping amateur basketball alongside the NCAA, high school basketball as we now it could eventually be headed for a ride into the sunset. Camps like the Nike Skills Academy have been around for a few years now and just recently, training programs like Adidas Nations have successfully pulled elite players away from the AAU scene for the summer in the hopes of grooming the kids for international play.

While power brokers like David Stern and USA basketball have in mind globalization and a return to the gold medal standard, high school sports administrators seem to be concerned about the mediocre majority being left behind. However, I think there is a gap in logic there. People like Chickering say they are truly concerned about the common youth athlete, but this is about revenue. Keep all your premier young athletes, and organizations like the WIAA guarantee themselves record-breaking crowds and gate receipts each new year at arenas across the land. But think about it: Would fever-pitched fanaticism at state tournaments evaporate because two or three (10? 20?) of the top high school basketball players in Wisconsin decided on a route similar to junior league hockey? Possibly, but unlikely.

If the truly elite athletes started disappearing off to who-knows-where like little gymnasts of the new millennium, it would seem to me that they would leave behind a more level playing field. Not to mention more playing time for lil' John Q. Public Jr. Sure, missing out on the next LeBron playing high school hoops would deprive the fans, but it is not going to devastate the other kids still on the court. In fact, without a transcendent Greg Oden (or Sam Okey) steamrolling through the state tournament, wouldn't more teams have a chance at that elusive state title? What's not to like about that, Doug?

In other news, Chickering also said that the number of public school students in the state's open enrollment program is now equal to the entire private school population. The perception of private school recruiting has certainly been a hot topic in the last decade; maybe that argument is going the way of the buffalo also.

: : :

SLAM Magazine noted that Mike Bruesewitz "made an impression" during the recent Real Deal on the Hill AAU tournament. Author Aggrey Sam even called Bruiser "athletic" so, ya know ... no more questioning Bruiser's street cred.

: : :

Absolutely great play by Carl Landry at the end of the Rockets-Jazz game Thursday night.* Michael Flowers-esque actually -- track down the replay (ed: Got it!) and don't miss the save to his teammate off of the blocked shot. It's about time Houston gave that guy some playoff minutes.

*I hate that rule that let's NBA teams advance the ball to half court on a timeout. It sacrifices some of the game's integrity if you ask me.

Badgers and Diamonds and Preps, Oh My!

UW now the undisputed champion; Top Big Ten teams falter
Without exception, Wisconsin is the best of the Big Ten again. The Badgers did not want to share that recognition with any others and as expected, took care of business at Northwestern to ensure this title was all theirs. Anticlimactic? Yes. Trite? Not in the least.

It was a banner day for multiple reasons, in front of a crowd of red in Evanston. Jason Bohannon set a UW record by making his 39th consecutive free throw. With the 65-52 win, Wisconsin also lowered their nation-best scoring defense average (54.4 ppg coming in). Seniors Brian Butch and Michael Flowers added to their career totals in rebounds and steals, respectively. Butch led the Badgers with 20 points and a career-high 14 boards [box score].

With a trophy on the team's resume, it seems the Badgers are even getting more recognition for the talented players they are. Northwestern coach Bill Carmody referred to them as "big, strong guys who overpowered" the Wildcats.

Although it does not diminish UW's accomplishment, the Sunday performances of some other top conference teams may give detractors more fuel for the anti-Big Ten fire. Eric Gordon could not save Indiana as Penn State shocked the Hoosiers in overtime at Happy Valley and Ohio State added to its postseason credentials with a big win over Michigan State. These two losses didn't exactly buff the image of a couple of Wisconsin's signature wins. Before Purdue righted the ship against Michigan on the road, it appeared as though the Big Ten's second, third and fourth place teams would all lose on the same day.

On the bright side, the Buckeyes seem to have bolstered their reputation enough in the last week to get a NCAA bid. Just keep in mind that while getting five bids would be nice for the conference, getting actual wins in the tournament is way more important for dispelling the national perception that the Big Ten is weak.

Vote for Flowers for the Pontiac Game-Changing Performance of the Year. The other candidates pale in comparison. To not get a mention in the CBS 's corny dialog would be a slap in the face if it was not so expected.

: : :

Do not bother searching around for videos of Diamond Taylor on the Internet. I don't think there are any yet, except for this low quality one featuring his entire AAU team. Taylor has worn #30 for the Illinois Wolves in the past and is planning to play for them again this summer.

Although Taylor might want to develop into a Devin Harris-type of player, from what I have read, his ball handling will need some work. At least we know that he is a smart kid who apparently really wanted to be a Badger.

: : :

Bridesmaids once again: Madison Memorial takes second
We have beenhearing words like "monster" and "beast" a lot this weekend and it has not been in reference to Kansas State frosh Michael Beasley. I guess people don't bother to think of any new adjectives to describe Madison Memorial's Jeronne Maymon because the existing ones fit too well already.

Maymon averaged 30 pts, 14.6 rebs, 4.7 blks, 3.7 stls & 3 assts over the course of three games at state, the obvious choice for tournament MVP. The junior forward was also announced as the only unanimous selection to the WBCA's Division 1 All-State team on Saturday. Not even 2008 Mr. Basketball DeMarcus Phillips can say the same.

It is a shame that Maymon's teammates and coach did not offer him more support in the championship game against Wauwatosa East [audio]. To see that talented squad make the same defensive mistakes over and over again seemed to be an indictment of head coach's Steve Collins ability to make and respond to adjustments. The second part of the equation was the youth and depth of the Spartans.

A couple of moments stood out that could have swung the game in Memorial's favor, mistakes that can be chalked up to inexperience. First, I recall toward the end of the first half a possession where the Spartans forced the Red Raiders into an awful shot, but simply did not break to get the rebound. The lack of hustle backfired as a red jersey sneaked inside a circle of white and grabbed the rebound. On the reset, 'Tosa East hit one of its five first-half treys, part of a splendid overall shooting performance.

Secondly, Vander Blue's bullheaded drive to the basket on a 3-on-1 fast break with 1:12 remaining in the game was an error in judgment, plain and simple. Instead of passing to one of his open teammates or pulling the ball back out, the charging foul was a critical turning point. But in the end, Memorial's complete inability to shoot from the outside was the simplest explanation for the loss. Fortunately, many of the Spartans have a chance to redeem themselves next season.

Oddly, I've never thought of Memorial's uber-talented teams as having much depth. In Saturday's game, there was no doubt that Maymon would play all 32 minutes -- there was simply no substitute for his presence. The rotation only seemed to go about seven deep at most throughout the entire weekend, which is odd for a team that specializes in full-court, manic defensive pressure.

The Kings Are Dead

Live stats :: Streaming audio (ESPN 1070)

Three defending champions bit the dust in WIAA State Tournament play during another round of great games on Friday, meaning there will be no repeat winners this year. Four new champions will be crowned today as the tourney concludes.

Divisions 2 & 4 got underway yesterday, with the Division 1 semifinals afterwards. The underdogs had their day in D2. Adams-Friendship halted big bad Plymouth on a 3-pointer by Ben Pease in the final 10 seconds. Then New Berlin Eisenhower knocked off defending champ Monroe, 53-49.

In D4, Suring and Eleva-Strum advanced, with the latter easily dispensing of traditional Randolph It will be a clash of the only two unbeaten teams remaining in Wisconsin. Both teams are 26-0, but the player to watch is Suring's Josh Regal. He and Jeronne Maymon have been generating the biggest buzz this weekend as far as individual players are concerned.

A final defending champion, Oshkosh West, engineered a valiant comeback before succumbing to Madison Memorial, 61-58. The well-groomed Spartans were hitting shots left and right as the game began, overwhelming the Wildcats with their athleticism. Memorial had leads of 12-0, 26-9 and ultimately 49-24 after a lay-up by sophomore guard Tre Creamer with just under seven minutes left to play.
At that point, West implemented tenacious pressure of it's own. They forced the young Spartan guards into some of the worst decisions I have ever seen on the basketball court. The Wildcats picked off pass after pass that resulted in 21 unanswered points. And no, this was not a football game. However, Memorial's star remained unfrazzled. Maymon took over the ball-handling duties with few problems and was able to extend the lead back to a comfortable level by sinking enough free throws in the final two minutes.

Right now, Maymon is a man among boys. Both of West's huge post players eventually fouled out, but it warrants mentioning that 6'8" sophomore David Anderson looked pretty impressive. Anderson seemed much more coordinated and well-built than you might expect for a player his age and size. Senior John Benkoske, who will follow several Oshkosh West alumni and play NCAA ball for Loyola (Chicago) next year, had a quiet night but Anderson shot 6-of-12 with three blocks [box score].

Memorial (23-2) will play a deep Wauwatosa East (25-1) team -- which defeated rival Brookfield Central in the other D1 semifinal -- around 8:30 p.m. tonight. A loaded LaCrosse Aquinas squad goes for it's first title at the D3 level against Iola-Scandinavia as well. The WIAA website has box scores and schedules for all tournament games. Dennis Semrau of The Capital Times made some predictions this morning and I tend to agree with all his picks, except for D4 where I am pulling for the 5'9" Regal and his Suring teammates. They currently lead Eleva-Strum 14-8 at the end of the first quarter. (Ed. note: Thanks to a Blogger service interruption, this post didn't appear as soon as I would have liked; Eleva-Strum now leads in the 3rd Q)

More tourney links:
JSonline's Preps Plus | Cap Times' Prep Work | Wishoops's March blogness

WIAA - Thursday Session Updates

Live stats :: Streaming audio (ESPN 1070)

11:59 p.m. - Just a quick note on Evan Anderson from tonight: As we know, he is not dominant in any way; he's just too young and too raw still. I would not go as far as saying that he impressed me, but he made an impact defensively with several blocks and was able to be a go-to guy on some possessions for Eau Claire North. At nearly seven-feet-tall, Anderson does not have much trouble getting a shot off at this level. The Huskies, however, got zero points from their bench and fell to a superior Wauwatosa East team, 50-38.

The Red Raiders, who count Devin Harris and Jerry Smith as alumni, will play Brookfield Central (as expected) in tomorrow's late game.

5:45 p.m. - Ridiculous finish to the second D1 quarterfinal. I couldn't resist and listened to the entire second half, with the accompanying live stats, which were actually running about 10-15 seconds ahead of the audio.

As I suspected, 3-point shooting was the key. Nick Doedens in particular kept Germantown in the game, going 6-of-10 on treys to keep the Warhawks in the game. Bowers then hit the game-tying 3-pointer with two seconds left in regulation. Overtime began tied 58-58.

In the end, however, Germantown also died by the three. It was a vicious cycle, as the Warhawks settled for threes, only to see Oshkosh West's big boys snatch all the rebounds. Shoddy free throw shooting by the Wildcats kept this close, as Averkamp's 3-pointer rimmed out on the final play. Germantown's big man had a quiet game down the stretch, neutralized by Benkoske and Anderson. Oshkosh West advanced again with the 66-63 win.

West's zone could pose a problem for Memorial in the semifinals. A lot of its offense is predicated on penetration and with two 6'8" players waiting for the Spartans in the lane, nothing will come easy out of an offensive set, even for Maymon. It will be an interesting clash in style; braun versus full-court pressure.

The next game (Bay Port vs. Brookfield Central) does not thrill me, so it's time for a dinner break. Make sure you catch tonight's game, though, to get a glimpse of Eau Claire North's 6'11" sophomore, Wisconsin Badger recruit Evan Anderson. I'm admittedly excited for that because I have not seen him play live yet. The Huskies run up against a darn good team in Wauwatosa East -- a team definitely capable of winning it all.

4:30 p.m. - Germantown--my darkhouse pick of the D1 tournament--is now trailing two-time defending champion Oshkosh West 41-37 after a flurry of action at the end of the third quarter. By the way, have you noticed how everyone on ESPN is now referring to halftime as "recess" these days. I feel like I missed a memo or something ...

Regardless, this game features some serious height. The Warhawks feature 6'7" junior Ben Averkamp, but West counters with 6'8" twin towers: senior John Benkoske and sophomore David Anderson. All three of the talented young big men are attracting significant collegiate interest. Averkamp has an impressive 118 blocks on the year entering the contest and the radio guys cannot stress that enough apparently. He's blocked a few so far, but foul trouble has again limited the star players in this game. Guard Ricky Bowers and the outside shooters from Germantown could be the difference because you know the Wildcats will want to pack it in defensively with their 2-3 zone.

Speaking of blocked shots, Maymon totaled a D1 tounrey record eight blocked shots in Memorial's 79-63 win earlier today. The junior's stat line was sickening -- including 28 pts, 12 rebs, 5 stls & 4 assts. I hope Maymon can get his academics in order at a junior college and find his way into a D1 college program. I would hate to see all that talent go to waste.

2:07 p.m. - The morning session concluded a few minutes past noon at the Kohl Center, with the Division 3 semifinals kicking things off. Fouls down the stretch against Eau Claire Regis allowed Iola-Scandinavia to complete a great comeback in the first game.

We already have an "upset" of the day, as LaCrosse Aquinas started and finished strong to beat D3 favorite Whitefish Bay Dominican. Both Jerel Harris and Kwamain Mitchell [listen] fouled out for the Knights, squashing any hopes of a comeback. Rising star Jimmy Whitehead led the Blugolds with 17 points.

Madison Memorial ran out to a nice lead in the first Division 1 quarterfinal to start the afternoon session. Just a few minutes ago, Jeronne Maymon picked up two quick fouls and went to the Memorial bench with the team leading 28-16, giving Lake Geneva Badger some life. The Spartans were playing an inverted triangle-and-two defense during this period, in which the Badgers closed the gap to 34-29 at the half.

Since I cannot really follow along on radio consistently right now, I am also checking the March Blogness posts off the Wishoops.net's state tournament coverage page.

State Tournament Field All Set

Maymon, Blue advance; Wilson's big game not enough
This weekend brought to rest many dreams in the world of high school basketball. In Wisconsin, the Division 1 field has been pared to eight, while the three lower divisions have now determined their final four participants.

Personal fave Janesville Craig lost a heart breaker on Friday night, 65-62, when Lake Geneva Badger made 15-of-32 treys, including one in the final seconds. Lake Geneva (18-5) then jumped all over top-seeded Verona in the first quarter of the Sectional #6 final, thus sailing into Thursday's first quarterfinal match-up with Madison Memorial. The triumphant Spartans (21-2) marched through three games as the top seed in Sectional #3, winning by an average of 21 points. On Saturday, Memorial pulled away from Waunakee, who entered the game 23-0 after sneaking by Madison LaFollette.

After fighting off a midweek ankle injury, junior forward Jeronne Maymon poured in 27 points against the Warriors, while sophomore guard Vander Blue contributed 16 for the Spartans. Memorial exhibits fearsome pressure that opposing coaches have called "relentless." The style reminds you of a few Milwaukee high school teams from years past, which is ironic now that the boys state tournament will lack a team from the Cream City for the first time since 1978. Memorial has the look of a favorite.

Of course, several Milwaukee area teams may still stand in its way. Top-seeded Germantown (22-1) escaped Sectional #5 by beating second-seeded Milwaukee Vincent. Ready to greet Germantown in Madison is gritty defending champion Oshkosh West. West (17-7) got no love in being assigned a 4-seed, but "upset" crosstown rival Oshkosh North to make their third straight trip to the Kohl Center.

Another team making its third straight appearance is Brookfield Central, which will play Bay Port in the quarterfinals. The Lancers (18-5) overcame a mammoth performance from Jamil Wilson to beat Racine Horlick and secure their seventh trip to the state tourney in nine years. Central countered Wilson's 37 points and five threes with its own 3-point shooting in Horlick's own gym. Luckily for Wilson, he has one more year to get to state with most of the team returning intact next fall.

While Milwaukee King toppled undefeated juggernaut Milwaukee Washington, 59-58, on Thursday, Wauwatosa East (23-1) eliminated the Generals to win Sectional #8. Now it will be the Red Raiders facing off against Eau Claire North (18-4) in the late game this Thursday. So college fans will get to see at least one potential Wisconsin recruit, center Evan Anderson, on the big stage. UW assistant Gary Close was in attendance at the Marshfield sectional final, so you can bet Anderson is the team's to priority for 2010.

Breaking it down, four #1 seeds, three #2 seeds and one #4 seed advanced to the D1 state tournament. Monroe is one of three #1 seeds that moved on to State in D2. The Cheesemakers will take their first step toward a repeat championship when they play upstart 4-seed New Berlin Eisenhower.

In Division 3, the expected domination by parochial schools continues. As I suggested about a week ago, the percentage of private school teams from larger urban areas increased each round. They comprised five of the eight sectional finalists and now three of the four semifinalists.

A few years ago, many thought undefeated state champ Whitefish Bay Dominican was the best team in any division. With St. Louis-signee Kwamain Mitchell at the point, this season's squad is in the hunt for another gold ball. Over the weekend, top-ranked Dominican avenged last season's tournament loss to fellow D3 powerhouse Racine St. Catherine's. Joining Dominican at the Kohl Center will be Iola-Scandinavia, Eau Claire Regis and LaCrosse Aquinas. In another case of dominating margin of victory, Aquinas has won by 59, 31, 26, 29 and 29 points over its five-game waltz through the bracket. Unfortunately, Aquinas and Dominican meet right away in the semifinal round.

Not surprisingly, Randolph punched a ticket to Madison for the 12th time in the last two decades. Leading scorer Bryan Johnson teams with 6'9" sophomore Kyle Kelm and another Tillema (Tyler) for the Rockets, who are looking for their sixth D4 state championship in seven years. See Wishoops.net for a description of how Tyler differs from his more recognizable older brothers.

: : :

Links:
- The Star Ledger has a couple of interesting tidbits in a recent article on Devin Harris.
- Somehow, Hoops Marinara was mentioned in an ongoing argument regarding recruiting in the comments section at the JSOnline's Badger Blog. I'm flattered to be sure -- people are reading. But to the fellow who wasn't too pleased with my "blogger" profile, next time you quote something, at least be accurate.

Seasoned Badgers Solve The Buckeyes

Earlier in the year, I wouldn't have been excited about a match-up with a team playing strictly zone defense. With the recent emergence of Jason Bohannon, I was cautiously optimistic about today's game and Wisconsin proved me right with an important 58-53 win over Ohio State.

Despite the outstanding play of two Badger guards this afternoon, the play of the game was made by a big man. Brian Butch's block of Matt Terwilliger with two minutes left prolonged a game-ending Buckeye drought and kept the home crowd at bay. This enabled Wisconsin to pull out the victory even though it squandered chance after chance to put Ohio State away in the final minutes.

CBS named Bohannon the Player of the Game after shooting 4-of-6 from 3-point land en route to 16 points and five rebounds. [box score] With the win, UW takes a temporary half-game lead atop of the Big Ten standings with three games remaining.

Bohannon was not alone, however. Michael Flowers continues to be the guiding force for this team. I have not written about this yet, but I've been making the point for a few weeks now: Flowers is the most important piece on this team. As opposed to a player like Greg Stiemsma, the improvement made by Flowers has been very evident over his career, even more so this season. You could make an argument for Flowers as team MVP on the basis of his tireless defense alone, but his evolution into a 3-point threat seals the deal in my eyes.

For instance, Flowers played a team-high 35 minutes and dished out a game-high six assists. With 13 more assists, Mike will move into the top ten in school history for a career. His two steals today moved him into sixth place all-time with 152 career thefts.

You cannot say enough about the confidence the team has been building from the outside. Just as he did against Indiana, J-Bo followed up an airballed 3-pointer with a swish a minute later. No more hesitation. Let's just hope the resurgence is not coming at the expense of other facets of the offense.

Wisconsin's big men generally had trouble finishing on the blocks and were out-sized with Butch on the bench for much of the game with early foul trouble. The Badgers were out-rebounded again, "forced" into 12 first-half turnovers and only shot 10 free throws. In their defense though, they really tightened down the rebounding and ball handling (2 TOs) after halftime.

I can't forget to mention that Tim Jarmusz is officially in the rotation with another 12-13 minutes today. Bo is clearly more comfortable with Jarmusz handling pressure than Jon Leuer and seemed to want the IQ and passing ability of the former against Ohio State's zone. Jarmusz also added a sweet turnaround jumper from eight feet at a fairly critical juncture. That's more great news for Badger fans.

: : :

Rob Wilson and Garfield Heights battle Cleveland Heights on Wednesday night for the right to advance to the district finals.

Back in Wisconsin, chalk is holding court throughout D1. Madison LaFollette welcomed back sublime shooter Cashton Craig and the Lancers are surprising some as they tear through the competition right now. LaFollette plays Waunakee -- which shut down Marquis Mason and the pesky 11-seed Madison East -- when most of the tournament resumes Friday. On Thursday, however, top-ranked Milwaukee Washington collides with Milwaukee King early in an epic Sectional clash.

Sixth-seeded Pius XI was eliminated the same week former King transfer Korie Lucious was snubbed from the McDonald's All-American Game to be held in Milwaukee next month. Lucious pulled out a win for the Popes just before the tourney started with two tough last-second 3-pointers [video]. The 5'10" shooting star once tabbed by Sports Illustrated For Kids as the best 8th-grader in the country will play for Tom Izzo in the fall. Good luck to him.

Eau Claire North (Evan Anderson) is still alive in D1, but Flavien Davis and Wisconsin Lutheran got bounced unexpectedly by Brown Deer in D2. Locals Madison Edgewood and Monroe also cruised into the D2 sectionals, while the division's top team Waupaun faces sixth-ranked Plymouth for a third time this season. Waupaun destroyed Jared Berggren's Princeton (MN) team a month ago, but dropped two close games to Plymouth to finish two back of the Panthers in the Eastern Wisconsin Conference.

Five of the 16 remaining teams in D3 are private, parochial schools. Keep an eye on that number, as the percentage will likely rise as the field dwindles. Whitefish Bay Dominican escaped with an 81-79 overtime win against Milwaukee Northwest to keep a potential sectional final game with Racine St. Catherine's a distinct possibility.

2008 WIAA Boys Basketball Tournament

My exposure to high school basketball in Wisconsin has been minimal this year, but that does not make tourney time any less exciting. Finally, it's that time of the year when you can cheer on your alma mater or just support your local teams. We get to marvel at the most talented players in the state and in some cases, future collegiate stars.

The WIAA boys basketball tournament kicks off around the state once again on Tuesday, Feb. 19 with first-round regional action. The Division 1 bracket features some familiar names back in positions of power, like Madison Memorial, Verona, Kaukauna, Sheboygan North, Brookfield Central, Wauwatosa East, Milwaukee Vincent and undefeated (20-0) and top-ranked Milwaukee Washington.

Over the last five years in Division 1, an average of five #1 seeds advanced to the 8-team state tournament at the Kohl Center each season. In fact, 37 of the last 40 participants at State have been at least a 3-seed. There are exceptions, however, as evidenced by the 2007 results which saw both a 4-seed (Milwaukee King) and an 8-seed (Kimberly) crash the party. The seedings also were changed last year to award only nine #1 seeds rather than two in each sectional. (Sectional 1 has had two #1 seeds the past two seasons for some reason.).

History tells us at least two of these top seeds will not make it to State: Eau Claire North/Wausau West (Sec. 1), Bay Port, Madison Memorial, Sheboygan North, Germantown, Verona, Racine Horlick, Milwaukee Washington. An experienced Wausau East team could knock off the co-top seeds in Sectional 1 and Vincent looms as the 2-seed in Germantown's sectional. Defending champion Oshkosh West is seeded fourth in Sectional 4 (featuring Sheboygan North) and the always tough Milwaukee King is also a 4-seed in Washington's sectional.

Locally, undefeated Waunakee (20-0) seems like an unlikely underdog. But the Warriors are only four years removed from Division 2 and find themselves stuck in the same sectional as Madison LaFollette (#2) and Memorial.

However, I've always had a soft spot for Janesville Craig and I will be rooting for them to reach a face-off with top-seeded Verona in Sectional 6. Coach Bob Suter has a nice collection of long, inside-out players on the team -- one of the few teams I have been able to watch this year -- and you know Craig will be well-prepared. Verona has a great program but lacks the marquee firepower of recent Wildcat teams (edit: 6'4" junior Jason Ziemer actually led the county in scoring at over 21 ppg). I see the Cougars taking out the Wildcats to end Verona's last season in the Badger South Conference.

The state tournament also provides some great memories of individual players. I can recall Alex Compton draining threes for Madison West's 1992 champions ... burgeoning thug Sam Okey destroying everyone in Division 4 en route to back-to-back titles with Cassville ... Kyle Weaver strapping his Beloit teammates on his back in 2004 before running out of gas against a Memorial team that featured three current or future Mr. Basketball winners (Michael Nelson, Welsey Matthews and Keaton Nankivil) ...

Since Wisconsin's 2008 recruiting class does not include any homegrown talent, Badger fans will have to hope for a few upsets to see some of the top college-bound seniors play at the Kohl Center. Milwaukee Pius XI, featuring Michigan State signee Korie Lucious, is a 6-seed in the Milwaukee-loaded Sectional 8. Lucious fired a 30-foot strike at the buzzer to beat Catholic Memorial a week ago to give the (14-6, 12-2) Popes a share of the Classic Eight Conference title. Whitefish Bay Dominican's Kwamain Mitchell hopes to lead his squad to another Division 3 championship before heading off to St. Louis University. In Division 2, seventh-seeded McFarland will go only as far as UW-Milwaukee recruit Riley Walker, a 6'6" forward, can take the Spartans in the Sun Prairie Sectional.

While it might be your last chance to catch those players on the high school level, even bigger names litter the rosters of some more talented teams. This group of younger players has the chance to grab the spotlight right away. Junior All-Everything Jamil Wilson led Racine Horlick to a top seed this year, so failing to make State would be a disappointment. If the Rebels can get past Brookfield Central, Wilson and Co. should be on a collision course for the Washington Purgolders in the semifinals.

Many other have "Madison or Bust" expectations. Big man Evan Anderson transferred to Eau Claire North for the better competition and now has to prove his team's top seed in Sectional 1 is no fluke. Jeronne Maymon and Vander Blue earned another #1 seed for Madison Memorial (Sec. 3), while Germantown's Ben Averkamp helped the Warhawks notch a top seed after last season's #2 seed. Superstar sophomore Flavien Davis has fourth-ranked Wisconsin Lutheran positioned for a run as a 1-seed in D-2.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee Bay View will struggle to get out of the first round as a 12-seed despite an impressive roster led by Marquette target Johnnie Lacy. Explosions from Nate Zastrow, Luke Russell and Marquis Mason are the only hope Manitowoc Lincoln (#7), Menomonee Falls (#6) or Madison East (#11) has in picking up more than one or two wins.

2008 Boys Brackets [pdf]:
Division 1 : : : Division 2 : : : Division 3 : : : Division 4

If you are interested, there is a lot of historical tournament data available at the WIAA's website as well. Also, the esteemed Mark Miller will be making predictions on every game in every division on Wishoops.net.

Where Are They Now? (Part 2)

Two years ago, the infamous Gregg Doyel previewed the Wisconsin-Marquette game with a column detailing how successful the two programs had been in keeping state prospects at home. One school or the other had snagged every consensus Top 100 recruit in Wisconsin since 2000. In the two subsequent classes, Wisconsin signed two out of three such recruits while one fled the state (Jerry Smith).

The perception here is that more players than ever are being offered scholarships to D-I schools. More top-flight talent is sprinkled in the growing pool of middle-tier prospects, but no more D-I programs are springing up, which means more Wisconsin athletes find their niche outside of their home state. Based on who I was able to track down, the perception appears correct.

We started with players from the 2004 and 2005 classes. Only the earliest results are in for the two most recent harvests, but let's look at what they've yielded thus far ...

: : : Class of 2006

Jerry Smith, G, Louisville [stats]
This one hurts. As mentioned on Friday, Bo Ryan has made in-state bigs a priority. So with J.P. Gavinski wrapped up in red 'n white since 10th grade, only two spots remained for three fantastic guards in last year's incoming class. Smith, a blue-chip recruit out of Wauwatosa East, probably would have chosen Louisville anyway, but when J-Bo and Hughes verballed, the fat lady sang on Smith coming to Madison.

Smith logged an impressive 20 min/g in his rookie year, but now starts and is playing 30 min/g as a sophomore. He was hardly heard from in a recent loss to Dayton, however. Known as a powerful, athletic guard in HS, Smith has become a reknowned sniper from behind the 3-point arc.

Steve Gruber, G, Brown [stats]
Gruber is a sophomore from Whitefish Bay who must be getting an excellent education in the Ivy League. He is not playing much basketball from the looks of it.

Mitchell Carter, C, South Carolina [stats]
Sophomore Mitchell Carter never was a star at Milwaukee King, but always a college prospect due to his enormous size. Unfortunately size has not translated into playing time yet at South Carolina for the 6'10", 260 lb. wide body. Despite rarely seeing the floor now, schools like Iowa, Notre Dame and Marquette offered Carter a scholarship.

Andy Polka, F, Loyola [stats]
Polka teamed with Tim Jarmusz to win a state title for Oshkosh West two season ago and is now progressing nicely in his second year at Loyola. The Ramblers play a decent non-conference schedule, but Polka was a borderline major conference prospect who played a smart, hard-nosed brand of basketball. He led the team in rebounding in 2006-07, becoming only the second freshman in Loyola history to do so. Polka will be a four-year starter.

Adam Koch, F, Northern Iowa [stats]
This Ashwaubenon product has a bright future with the Panthers after playing in every game last year as a freshman. Koch is averaging around 8+8 this season in 26 min/g. He was a first-team all-state pick last season on a one-loss state tournament team, so he is the real deal. Northern Iowa run a fun system as well.

: : : Class of 2007

Diante Garrett, G, Iowa St. [stats]
Freshman from Milwaukee Vincent has the body and quickness of Devin Harris. I'm disappointed he is not suiting up in Badger Red, despite his 0-for-12 FG shooting the last three games. Still needs work on his outside shot. Garrett started versus Minnesota and more often than not is the first player off the bench for the Cyclones.

Matt Dorlack, C, Eastern Illinois [stats]
Standing tall at 6'11", Dorlack is easily EIU's tallest player. Apparently he had started a few games this season before missing time recently with a knee injury. Best of luck on a quick recovery to this freshman from New Berlin Eisenhower.

Will Hudson, F, Oakland [stats]
Middleton's Will Hudson was the only area player to match Keaton Nankivil's brawn last season. Despite struggling in those Big 8 conference tilts, the WBCA named Hudson first-team all-state as a high school senior. He is the protoypical size for a D-I power forward at 6'9" and started two games so far this year. His statistics say he's still learning the college game, but you cannot ignore 68% FG shooting!

Andrew Zimmerman, F, Santa Clara [stats]
Zimmerman was a pretty well-regarded F/C recruit out of Oostburg this past year. His playing time has recently skyrocketed for the Broncos, including his best outing of his career this week against Pacific in which he nearly notched a double-double. If he can keep improving the way he has been, he'll be a tough player in the West Coast Conference by the time he's done.

Conor Smith, F, Richmond
I believe Smith is redshirting as a freshman this season for the Spiders, but played his high school ball at Waukesha Catholic Memorial. He mans the small forward spot, but like most of these 6'7" to 6'10" guys, he needs to add weight and strength.

James Haarsma, F, Army
Haarsma led Racine St. Catherine's to a D-III title last year and opted for the armed services. You will likely see him on the Army basketball team after a year of prep school. (4/22 - ed: Haarsma will attend Evansville on a basketball scholarship)

: : : Other players with a Madison/Big Ten connection : : :

Jerard Ajami, G Northern Michigan - Unbeknownst to me, Northern Michigan is not a D-I school but Ajami has had some pretty good games so far this year for the team. And by pretty good, I mean very good. I'm a little surprised, but he is straight out of the Madison Memorial factory.

Mickey Perry, G, Dayton - Perry left the Wisconsin program last season and will be eligible to play in Dayton's game on December 19th. I think he'll prove his worth there if he can stay on top of his studies.

Tyler Smith, F, Tennessee - Arguably Iowa's most talented player as a frosh last season, Smith moved closer to home to be with an ailing family member and happened to be welcomed with open arms by Bruce Pearl and the elite Volunteers. He is a big-time player now on a big-time stage. He is third on the team in scoring right now and will be needed even more now that Duke Crews is out with a heart condition.

: : :

In addition, Indian Hills C.C. has three players from Wisconsin high schools on its roster this season, including Dwight Buycks. Madison Memorial's Dan Brown and Milwaukee Washington's Chris Vines are also listed as freshmen on the team.

Buycks, a tweener guard, had originally committed to Bradley but either couldn't qualify or had other off-court issues that kept him from attending. He was an unstoppable scorer for a good Milwaukee Bay View team last season and is putting up 20-point games on the JUCO circuit as well. Look for Buycks to land at a D-I school as early as next season. Hopefully. It's a shame to see so many of the talented Milwaukee city conference players held back by academics and off-court issues. There is really a lot of misdirected talent in that public school system.

Where are they now? (Part 1)

Seeing how some of the ex-Badgers are doing overseas prompted me to finish looking into how some former Wisconsin high schoolers are faring outside of the Badger State. With few exceptions, most of these players were not really recruited by Wisconsin or Marquette, but landed safely at other Division I universities on basketball scholarships.

You will not see any players on UW-Milwaukee or UW-Green Bay listed because those rosters are usually full of names from around the state. As the two other D-I programs in the state, they are easy to keep track of for those following the Badgers.

Notice the majority of the success stories and more highly sought-after players that I describe are guards. Wisconsin clearly places an emphasis on keeping its big men at home first, little fellas second. Sometimes that comes back to bite you. The Badgers seem to have gotten the best of the big men, but wouldn't having one or two more quality guards be nice? You will find a few on this list -- a list that turned out long enough to be split into a two-part series.

So without further adieu, let's begin way back when with the ...

: : : Class of 2004

Kyle Weaver, G, Washington St. [stats]
The Cinderella story you've all heard about, on a Cinderella team. Weaver is having another solid year and undefeated Washington State is perched in the Top 5. Nice way to close out a career, huh? His shooting percentages are up so far this season, especially from 3-point land. This was Dick Bennett's last (only?) recruiting gem; Tony has turned Weaver into a star. How good would this formerly wiry Beloit Memorial grad have looked next to Tucker and Taylor on the wing last year?

Draelon Burns, G, DePaul [stats]
"Dre" Burns was named Big East Player of the Week after back-to-back 32-point games before stumbling against Kansas last weekend. This senior guard started the year slow, but seems to be back on track to exceed his very good sophomore and junior numbers at DePaul. Burns put up big numbers at Milwaukee Custer, although he spent his last HS season at the Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina.

Mike Nelson, G, North Dakota St. [stats]
Another feel-good story, this time from the Badgers' own backyard. Nelson played his prep hoops for Steve Collins at Madison Memorial and was Wisconsin's Mr. Basketball in 2004 despite being overshadowed at times by a few of his highly-touted teammates. Nelson averages about 15 ppg in a high-scoring offense, but has also nearly doubled his per-game rebounding totals of a year ago. While the Bison are hovering around .500 this season, this redshirt junior will always have bragging rights thanks to N.D. State's January 2006 upset of Wisconsin at the Kohl Center. Nelson's head coach is former Wisconsin assistant Saul Phillips.

Dave Bliss, C, Georgia [stats]
Wisconsin saw him first-hand earlier this year and he was largely a non-factor. However, Bliss has started nearly every game for the Bulldogs in his four years there, the only exception being the first month or so last year. He was even the valedictorian of his senior class at Wausau West in 2004. What a swell guy. By the way, Georgia's only loss so far was to Bucky.

Jermyl Jackson-Wilson, F, Colorado [stats]
This guy has really bounced around. He came to fame as a smooth, shot-blocking big man for the Milwaukee King powerhouse. He spent a post-graduate year at Fork Union Military Academy in New Mexico. Jackson-Wilson then signed with Ohio State in 2004 and played in a handful of games there as a freshman. He sat out last year upon transferring, but was a bright spot for Colorado on the floor. Now, as a redshirt junior, Jackson-Wilson is struggling to find his offense, but did post a 13-rebound game in the America's Youth Classic tourney hosted by Wisconsin earlier this year. He will continue to block shots, regardless.

Shae McNamara, F, Marist [stats]
Now a senior, McNamara's playing time has been amazingly consistent for three years before seeing a modest uptick in 2007. He's stands a lanky 6'8" tall and was actually a McDonald's All-American nominee during his senior season at Milwaukee Marquette University HS. Though he'll never put up significant numbers, he seems to be a well-rounded, integral part of Marist's program.

Tom Levin, F, Loyola [stats]
Levin started the Oshkosh West pipeline to the Windy City and now enters his final season at Loyola. He was a part-time starter in his first two seasons, but has battled injuries over the last couple of years, grinding his minutes to a near-halt.

: : : Class of 2005

J.R. Blount, G, Loyola [stats]
Walter "J.R." Blount put up historically good numbers for a freshman and sophomore and is continuing that trend this season. Blount it easily pacing the team in scoring with almost 18 points and 2 steals per game. The junior point guard also leads the Ramblers in assists.

In high school, Blount propelled Whitefish Bay Dominican's undefeated romp to the state championship in Division III for what might have been the state's best team overall that year regardless of division. Obviously, Wisconsin-made products will be leaving their mark all over the Loyola record book.

Jacob Baryenbruch, G, Drake [stats]
I don't know much about Baryenbruch except that he is a 6-foot junior from River Valley HS near Spring Green. He is starting to see more playing time in a very good conference (Missouri Valley) but is not producing as of yet.

David DuBois, G, Western Illinois [stats]
Speaking of bouncing around, you are not alone if you lost track of former Madison LaFollette athlete David DuBois. He began his career in the WAC in 2005-06 by leading the Idaho Vandals in rebounding. Not bad for a freshman. Perhaps seeing his opportunity to move upward and onward, he played his sophomore season for the famed Indian Hills Community College before landing at Western Illinois this year.

While the Summit Conference is a step down from the WAC, at least DuBois is close to home. Many of his high school comrades have joined together to make Winona State a D-II powerhouse up north. DuBois is quietly leading the Leathernecks in minutes and rebounding this year and should be very proud of what he's accomplished in 2+ years.

John Rybak, F, Texas State [stats]
Transferred from Akron after two non-productive years and will sit out the 2007-08 season to regain his eligibility. At 6'5", Rybak was a pretty good producer out of West Allis Hale in Milwaukee. He'll be a decent shooter on the wing Texas State if he can get on the floor.

: : :

Look for the 2006 and 2007 classes in part two. And in between, I will be attending my first live Badger game of the season, versus UW-Green Bay.

2007 Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Less than 24 hours until tip-off: No. 7 vs. No. 20

Wisconsin fans have to wait one more day to lock horns with one of the most storied college basketball programs ever, but this year's Big Ten/ACC Challenge began tonight. It got off to a pretty rough start, I might add, with Iowa dropping a dreadful game at home to Wake Forest. The Hawkeyes missed 11 of their 18 free throw attempts, halting any possible comeback from the 16-point halftime deficit.

The ACC teams get four out of five at home tomorrow night. Unfortunately, the one Big Ten host is Indiana, already a heavy favorite versus Georgia Tech. Before I prognosticate, keep in mind that the Big Ten has never won this challenge. No matter how confident I am going into the week, the ACC always wins the majority of the swing games and pulls a minor upset or two. The fact that I have little hope for the conference to reverse the trend this year can only mean good things.

The one game that I think might surprise some people starts at 6:30 CST. Is the Tubby revolution for real in Minnesota? The Gophers will have to go on the road to prove it, but Florida State is a beatable foe.

As for Wisconsin ... coming into the season, I really liked how the Badgers matched up with the Devils. I would have predicted a victory in October. However, after getting to see each team play a couple of times, I give Duke the edge by virtue of the greatest home court advantage in the nation.

If I had seen a little more out of Landry, Butch and the freshman so far, I would be more at ease. Landry still could have a breakout game, though, because he will be challenged from the start. He cannot disappear. I really want to see how he responds on both ends of the court to facing a younger player like Kyle Singler. A big game from Landry gives UW a good chance at winning.

As I see it, Duke perimeter players have a distinct advantage as shooters and playmakers, with Hughes being an exception. Pop will definitely eat up Greg Paulus. Duke is playing more aggressively and explosively, however, so Hughes has to be focused from the onset and avoid getting rattled by pressure and his first road test of the year. This should be his coming out party nationally, possibly in the same way that Tucker dominated Pittsburgh last season. The game is one of two gems in ESPN's challenge lineup, so it doubles as a good recruiting tool for Bucky.

Wisconsin cannot afford to get behind by very much at any point. The bottom line is that every Badger needs to play well to pick up the victory in a hostile environment against Duke. As I've said before, I think Michael Flowers will be the catalyst. Can he guard Gerald Henderson or DeMarcus Nelson and still be efficient offensively? He hasn't been very effective for a full game yet.

But I'm contradicting myself anyway and picking Wisconsin to beat the Evil Empire out of principle. Counting the Iowa game, I see the Big Ten posting a 4-7 record and retreating to the Midwest with its tail between its legs yet again. *Sigh* ...

(predicted winners in bold)
Wake Forest @ Iowa - LOSS
Georgia Tech @ (15)Indiana
Northwestern @ Virginia
Minnesota @ Florida St.
(20)Wisconsin @ (7)Duke
Purdue @ (18)Clemson
North Carolina St. @ (13)Michigan St.
Boston College @ Michigan
Illinois @ Maryland
(2)North Carolina @ Ohio St.
Virginia Tech @ Penn St.

Yes, that's the road teams winning 5 of 10 ...

: : :

Not sure what ultra-young players are grabbing the UW staff's attention recruiting-wise, but a couple of youngsters are already making their mark for Milwaukee Bay View. Freshmen Darnell Harris is a 6'6" forward who teamed with Johnnie Lacy to beat defending champion Oshkosh West last week.

Tip-off Time Y'all

The WIAA Boys Basketball State Tournament beat the NCAA tourney to the punch, tipping off after 9 am today. Turn the radio dial to 1070 AM in Madison for the call. Division 3 is loaded this year, with 2003 champion LaCrosse Aquinas leading Manitowoc Roncalli in the first game at the Kohl Center after three quarters, 34-28. Defending D3 champ Racine St. Catherine's (who also won a D2 title in 2005) plays Eau Claire Regis in the division's other semifinal.

If you are observant, you notice that all four are private schools from larger metropolitan areas. Don't think that fact didn't ruffle some feathers. Having experienced first-hand the venom spat back and forth between public and private fan bases, I don't see this debate going away any time soon.

In other unfortunate state tournament news, Madison Memorial and Milwaukee Vincent must face off in the D1 quarterfinals.