Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook

Observations from the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Summer Tournament held in Prairie du Chien June 30-July 1:

Championship Game

Berlin 53, Royall 47

Semifinal Games

Berlin 44, Aquinas 30

Royal 53, Barneveld 21

Team Records

Berlin 5-0, Royall 4-1, Aquinas 3-1, Barneveld 3-1, Lancaster 3-1, Mauston 3-1, North Crawford 3-1, Southwestern 3-1, Fennimore 2-2, Marshall Red 2-2, Reedsburg 2-2, West Salem Black 2-2, West Salem Orange 2-2, Cassville 1-3, Marshall White 1-3, Prairie du Chien 1-3, West Bend West 1-3, Beaver Dam 0-4, Richland Center 0-4,  River Ridge 0-4.

Most Valuable Player

Toby Hegner, 6-10, F, Sr., Berlin

Hegner averaged 20.6 points per game in leading the Indians to a 5-0 record and the WBY championship. The Creighton University recruit was able to score in his usual assortment of ways – from beyond the arc, with his jump hook in the lane, off of excellent footwork in the post and from the foul line. In addition, he rebounded and defended while also proving to be an outstanding vocal leader for his team. Though Hegner still needs to add some weight and strength to his long frame, his skill level is truly impressive and is the major reason why he’s headed to Creighton.

All-Tournament Team (In alphabetical order)

Michael Conway, 6-6, WF, Sr., Aquinas

After missing all of last season with an injury, Conway was recently cleared to begin playing basketball again. After watching his strong performance in Prairie du Chien, it’s hard to imagine he hasn’t played basketball for nearly a year. Conway was extremely impressive, making three-point shots, scoring in the lane and off the dribble. Though he said he will pursue football in college, had he opted to play basketball, he would be a scholarship-level player because of his size, athleticism and skill.

Michael Falk, 5-8, PG, Sr., Berlin

Along with Hegner, Falk is the heart and soul of a vastly improved Berlin squad that figures to challenge Little Chute and Appleton Xavier in the Eastern Valley Conference next winter. Though small, his ability to push the ball in transition, make long-distance shots, defend with a passion and compete at a high level were major factors in Berlin’s success in Prairie du Chien.

Joel Heesch, 6-3, PG/WG, Sr., Mauston

Heesch lived up to his reputation as a scoring guard by averaging 19.6 ppg in leading the Golden Eagles to a 3-1 record. He poured in 30 points in a victory over West Bend West and once again proved he is at his best in transition and when he can get into the lane off the dribble. Heesch decided to end his recruitment Sunday evening by giving former Lakeland and UW-Platteville coach Paul Combs a verbal commitment to play at NCAA Division II Wayne State in Nebraska.

Bronson Koenig, 6-3, PG, Sr., Aquinas

Koenig spent most of the weekend setting up his teammates for good looks at the basket. The future University of Wisconsin lead guard did score at times, but he seemed more content to pass than attack the basket. That is probably a wise decision as he helps to prepare Aquinas for what promises to be a highly successful 2012-13 campaign.

Sam Murphy, 6-4, PG/WG, Sr., Royall

Murphy is the most important piece to the impressive puzzle that makes up the Royall basketball team. His ability to handle the ball, find open teammates, defend in the lane and make shots helped the experienced Panthers to a 4-1 record. Murphy is a versatile, skilled and unselfish player who also provides tremendous leadership to the Royall program. 

Dakota Perron, 6-1, WG, Jr., Reedsburg

Perron has taken nice strides in his overall game over the past 12 months under the direction of coach Brian Bestor at Reedsburg. He played particularly well in a loss to Aquinas, scoring from beyond the arc and off of aggressive moves to the basket.

Nate Scheeter, 6-2, WF, Sr., Royall

Scheeter is a perfect compliment to Sam Murphy on the Royall team because of his versatility to play multiple positions and ability to score in a variety of ways. Scheeter can either play on the wing facing the basket or in the post with his back to the basket. His quickness and aggressiveness are tough to defend, not to mention his ability to score from the perimeter or in the lane. 

Josh Smith, 6-2, F, Sr., Southwestern

Smith is a rugged wing player who uses his strength and quickness to get to the basket and score over bigger defenders. He has a nice mid-range jump shot, but his No. 1 asset is his ability to either score or draw a foul off of moves to the hoop. 

Cam Ward, 6-1, PG, Jr., Marshall Red

Ward got off to a slow start in losses to Aquinas and Reedsburg, but he picked up his play on Sunday, leading Marshall Red to a pair of victories. He had trouble handling the physical strength and size of Aquinas’ Bronson Koenig in the loss to the Blugolds, but he responded later in the tournament by using his quickness and skill to shed defenders and score at a high rate.

Baily Williams, 6-0, PG, Soph., West Salem Black

Williams possesses an impressive skill-set for such a young player. He can score off the dribble, knock down three-point shots or pull-up for mid-range attempts. He appears on track to emerge as one of the better prospects in Wisconsin in the class of 2015, though much of his recruitment will depend on how much he grows over the next 12 months.

Team Champion

Berlin

The “Iron Five” of Toby Hegner, Michael Falk, Drew Dretske, Brady Hargrave and Peter Schrader played every minute of all five games for the Indians, who finished 11-13 a year ago. Hegner is a true difference maker for Berlin because of his size, skill set and versatility. Falk is a true point guard who can also score and defend. Dretske is active on both ends of the court, Hargrave has evolved as the Indians’ defensive stopper and Schrader uses his physical size and strength to post-up hard in the lane. Berlin isn’t deep and its’ JV team won just one game a year ago, but if Hegner, Falk, Dretske, Hargrave and Schrader can remain healthy, coach Andy Kasuboski could have a title-contending team in the Eastern Valley Conference.

Notes 

Beaver Dam went 0-4 in the event, but the Beavers played without their two best players as both R.J. Shelton (6-0) and Owen Salzwedel (6-6) did not attend due to conflicts with football. Shelton has accepted a football scholarship from Michigan State while Salzwedel has accepted an offer from Minnesota. In their absence, junior Brett Ferstl (6-2) and rugged senior Bryce Johnson (6-8) had some good moments for coach Tim Ladron …  Barneveld remains without a coach, though a replacement for Shawn Sullivan is expected to be named within the next week or two. Junior Jeremy Whitish (5-10) and senior Devin Schult (6-2) played well for the Eagles with Whitish scoring at a high clip and Schult playing strong defense … Cassville junior Ty Kartman (5-11) was one of the premier long-distance shooters at the event as he finished with 13 triples in four games. He twice connected on five three-pointers in a single game for the Comets … New coach Tom Needham used a few contact days to help get acquainted with his team at Fennimore. Though the Golden Eagles were a bit shorthanded, juniors Mitch Davis (5-8) and Seth Henkel (5-11) played well in helping their team to a 2-2 record … Senior Kile Jerrett (6-0) and junior Hunter Budack (6-0) were extremely impressive for Lancaster. Jerrett played point guard and was able to score and set up his teammates while Budack was effective from the perimeter … Marshall senior Brendan Stensaas (6-5) continued his strong play over the summer, playing with aggressiveness and a high skill level … North Crawford senior Joe Childs (6-3) showed the ability to score with his back to the basket and from the perimeter and appears poised for a huge senior season for coach Gary Hines … Junior Austin Roach (6-4) was impressive for Prairie du Chien on Sunday, running the floor well and using his size and athleticism to score around the basket. The Blackhawks also got some major production from senior guard Cole Pattison (6-1) … Junior Nate Runde (6-4) was impressive for Reedsburg, leading the Beavers in scoring in their loss to Aquinas. He scored around the basket and also nailed a couple of three-point shots … Alec Adsit (6-3) of Richland Center once again showed opponents that they must get up into him on the perimeter or he will make them pay by connecting on three-point shots. Richland Center also got some major production from senior guard John Hassell (6-1) and athletic junior Alex Mortimer (6-4) … Southwestern should challenge Cuba City in the SWAL behind a strong senior class that includes Smith, point guard Aaron Kaiser (6-2) and mobile senior forward Aaron Tranel (6-4) … West Bend West is making strides with its program and should field a highly competitive squad in the Little Ten Conference. Junior twins Andrew Duening (6-6) and Jacob Duening (6-5) showed some versatility and excellent movement for the Spartans … Joel Mezera (5-9) and Cody Witzig (5-9) played well for a young River Ridge squad while senior Jacob Servais (6-7) was solid in the paint for West Salem Black.