Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook

Observations from the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Summer Tournament held in Kaukauna June 21-22-23:

Pools A-B 
                                                    
Final Standings
 
Pool A – Neenah 4-0, Wisconsin Lutheran Blue 3-1, West De Pere 2-2, Bay Port 1-3, Appleton East 0-4.
 
Pool B – Appleton North 3-1, Oshkosh North 3-1, Seymour 3-1, Sheboygan North 1-3, Arrowhead 0-4.
 
Pool A vs. Pool B Championship Game –  Neenah 51, Appleton North 39.
 
Most Valuable Player 

Adam Pohlman, 6-0, Sr., PG, Neenah 
Attention NCAA Division II coaches, Adam Pohlman may be committed to Milwaukee on a soccer scholarship, but he most certainly would entertain scholarship offers from DII schools for basketball. In fact, according to Neenah coach Scott Bork, Pohlman would love to play basketball at the next level. His performance at the WBY Tournament was outstanding as he led the Rockets to a 5-0 record with his quickness, basketball intellect and shooting skill. Pohlman has separation speed in the open court, rarely turns the ball over and has excellent vision. He also proved to be an outstanding perimeter shooter in Kaukauna as he finished with 11 triples in five games.       

All-Tournament Team (In alphabetical order)

 

Sandy Cohen, 6-6, Sr., PG/WG, Seymour

The best collegiate prospect in the 68-team tournament, Cohen is still just scratching the surface in terms of how good he’ll be down the road. He is an exceptional athlete with tremendous length and a very good skill package. He can finish in traffic with a thunderous dunk, post up smaller defenders and bank in fade-away jump shots or connect from beyond the three-point arc. He has several monster dunks throughout the weekend and helped the Thunder to a 3-1 record. Remaining engaged for the entire game is an area he needs to improve as he enters a busy July that includes a couple of national camp appearances as well as competing for the Playground Elite 17U squad.

 

Chandler Diekvoss, 6-5, Sr., WG/WF, West De Pere

Diekvoss has emerged as a definite Division II prospect, thanks to his combination of size, skill and athleticism. He is a very good long-distance shooter, but he can also take defenders off the dribble and finish in the lane. He has been very consistent throughout the spring and summer, and he should get plenty of looks from scholarship schools in July.  

 

Keith Franklin, 5-10, Sr., PG, Wisconsin Lutheran Blue

Franklin makes all the little players that help his team win. He beats opponents for loose rebounds, dives on the floor to deflect a ball and makes the extra pass to an open teammate. He competes with a high-level of energy throughout the contest and is also a capable perimeter shooter who can finish over bigger defenders in the lane because of his physical toughness and strength.

 

Matt Heldt, 6-10, Jr., PF, Neenah

Heldt seems to get a little taller and a little thicker as the months go by, which is good news for the promising power forward who has many high-major Division I coaches eager to watch his progress next month during the open-evaluation period. Heldt runs the floor exceptionally well, does a good job of establishing position near the basket and can finish in the lane with either hand. He is an unselfish teammate, a hard worker and a player who figures to get better and better as he continues to grow into his body. He turned in a very solid weekend showing for the Rockets while displaying toughness playing on a tender ankle.    

 

Davis Larson, 6-4, Soph., WF, Sheboygan North

After averaging 13.0 points per game for the varsity squad at North as a freshman, Larson figures to emerge as the ‘go-to’ offensive option for the Golden Raiders over the next couple of season. A physically and mentally mature player, Larson can score off the dribble or in the post, and his perimeter game is also improving. A solid all-around prospect in the class of 2016.

 

Mike Lukashewich, 6-3, Sr., WG, Appleton North

An athletic wing prospect who can get to the basket and earn trips to the foul line, Lukashewich proved to be a very valuable defender for North coach Eric Eastman, who used two contact days while helping his squad to impressive victories over Arrowhead, Seymour and Sheboygan North. Lukashewich can guard in the post or out on the perimeter, thanks to his speed and lateral quickness.

 

Logan McShane, 6-3, Jr., WG, Wisconsin Lutheran Blue

One of the surprise performers of the tournament, McShane spent most of last season on the JV squad at Wisconsin Lutheran, but he figures to play a prominent role for a Viking program that enters 2013-14 as one of the teams to beat in the state at the Division 2 level. McShane is a good perimeter shooter who can also get into the lane and convert on pull-up jump shots.

 

Nathan Neveau, 5-11, Sr., PG, Oshkosh North

Neveau was his brilliant self in victories over Sheboygan North and Arrowhead, but he suffered a violent collision in the victory over Appleton North and opted to sit out the Spartans’ final game against Seymour. Once again, Neveau made excellent decisions with the ball in his hands, delivering pinpoint passes while also scoring from the perimeter and off the bounce. Neveau has DII scholarship offers from Hillsdale and Michigan Tech and both programs had coaches in attendance.

 

Cooper Radtke, 6-6, Sr., WF, Oshkosh North

The returning Player of the Year in the Fox Valley Association, Radtke is a definite Division II prospect who can score facing the basket from mid-range or use his quickness and ball handling skill to go around defenders off the dribble. His size and length help him on the defensive end of the floor and he is very good in transition, thanks to his ability to exchange ends of the court.

 

Cody Schwartz, 6-8, Jr., WF, West De Pere

Schwartz hunted shots on the perimeter throughout the tournament and was able to get it going in a couple of victories for the Phantoms. He has a smooth long-distance jumper and can also finish well in transition. Fresh off of receiving a scholarship offer from Marquette coach Buzz Williams late last week, Schwartz is a very skilled big man.

Team Champion
 
Neenah
Neenah boasts two potential all-state performers in Pohlman and Heldt. Both are scholarship basketball players with a hunger for success and an impressive skill package. While Pohlman and Heldt are the marquee names for Neenah, others will also play key roles. Junior guard Trevor Entwisle (5-10) teams with Pohlman and senior Taulvish McCray (5-11) to give the Rockets one of the quickest and toughest backcourt trios in the state. And senior Alec Becker (6-3) was on fire in a big pool-play victory over West De Pere, knocking down four triples and finishing with 20 points. The Rockets figure to enter the season ranked among the Top 10 teams in the state among Division 1 schools and should push defending Fox Valley Association league champion Oshkosh North to the wire in a competitive league race.    
 
Notes
Junior Ty Hegg(6-2) has a strong weekend performance for Neenah as he knocked down several three-point jump shots … Seymour senior Dakota Oskey (6-4) played two games on Friday, but missed Saturday’s contests after having his wisdom teeth pulled … West De Pere junior Connor Konchek (6-3) is a solid all-around player with very good shooting skill and the physical strength to go inside and score over smaller opponents … Appleton North may not possess a ton of individual talent, but the Lightning stay in games with tough defense. The senior backcourt trio of Jared Dudley (6-0), Kenny Cyracus (5-10) and Max Johanson (5-10) put extreme pressure on opponents and helped the Lightning get some easy transition baskets following turnovers … Arrowhead got some solid performances out of rugged University of Wisconsin football recruit Billy Hirschfeld (6-6) and skilled senior guard Jack Nate (6-0), who missed last season with an injury … Bay Port senior Ty Sagal (6-2) had some big scoring games for the Pirates, including 19 in a 47-46 victory over West De Pere. Sagal, who averaged 9.0 ppg as a junior, showed deep shooting range and had three triples in the win over West De Pere … Appleton East went 0-4, but played every team tough. The Patriots pushed Pools A-B champion Neenah to the very end before losing and got strong play from seniors Pierce Moriarty (5-10) and Alan Lemons (6-2) along with promising junior Sam Herrmann (6-2). Herrmann is an athletic wing player who has quick jumping ability.