Observations from the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Summer Tournament held in Kaukauna June 21-22-23:
Pools I-J
Final Standings
Pool I – Marshall 3-1, Valders 3-1, Auburndale 2-2, Brookfield Academy 2-2, Fox Valley Lutheran 0-4.
Pool J – Sheboygan Lutheran 3-1, Oshkosh Lourdes 2-2, Stevens Point Pacelli 2-2, Marshall 2-2, Brillion 1-3.
Pool I vs. Pool J Championship Game – Sheboygan Lutheran 71, Marshall 59.
Most Valuable Player
Jacob Jurss, 6-1, Jr., WG, Sheboygan Lutheran
Jurss was a three-point machine for the Crusaders. In five games, he finished with 20 triples, including a whopping eight in a 71-59 victory over Marshall in the Pools I-J championship game. Jurss finished with 31 points against Marshall and was able to get to the basket and finish in addition to his long-distance shooting prowess. Already a two-year regular for Sheboygan Lutheran, Jurss possesses extremely deep shooting range and he also owns a quick trigger, making him doubly hard to defend. As he continues to create off the dribble, he will continue to emerge as a solid collegiate basketball prospect.
All-Tournament Team (In alphabetical order)
Blake Anderson, 6-1, Sr., G, Auburndale
Anderson had a strong tournament for the Apaches and figures to replace the graduated Austin Hawkins as the primary offensive option for coach Chad Weinfurter in 2013-14. Anderson buried five triples and had 22 points in an overtime loss to Marshall. In addition to his production on offense, Anderson is a rugged defender who competes with a good deal of energy and desire.
Sean Clarey, 6-3, Sr., WG, Brookfield Academy
The Blue Knights went 2-2 playing against some top-flight competition with a very young roster. Clarey is the one senior in the program with a ton of experience and his ability to make three-point shots is always a factor for opponents. Clarey had four triples in a 37-35 victory over Marshall and four more in a loss to Auburndale.
Issac Elliott, 6-1, Sr., WG, Pacelli
Elliott is quick off the dribble, possesses a good perimeter jump shot and competes with great energy on both ends of the court. He continually beat defenders off the bounce and earned multiple trips the foul line for the Cardinals.
Forrest Fenlon, 6-3, Sr., WG, Valders
One of the biggest surprises of the entire tournament, Fenlon has grown a couple of inches over the past several months and his ability to score from downtown or off the dribble were impressive in Kaukauna. He has very good size and physical strength and is explosive off the bounce.
Zach Goedeke, 6-6, Sr., PF, Valders
A Division III Lottery Pick. That pretty much sums up the performance of Goedeke, whose strong play in Kaukauna caught the attention of every NCAA Division III coach in attendance. Goedeke has excellent size and strength, and loves to play near the basket. He is long so he can block and alter shots, and he also does a very good job of cleaning the glass on both ends of the court.
Tyler Lemke, 6-4, Jr., WF, Brillion
Lemke is a difficult matchup because of his ability to post-up smaller defenders in the lane or take bigger defenders away from the basket and play out on the perimeter. He has good physical strength and size and figures to emerge as the offensive ‘go-to’ player for coach Peter Kittel at Brillion next winter.
Charlie Noone, 6-1, Sr., WG, Oshkosh Lourdes
Noone was aggressive on the offensive end of the court for the Knights. He has always had a good perimeter shot, but he did a lot of damage off the dribble en route to scoring 23 points in a 59-52 victory over Brillion. Noone’s combination of skill and physical strength figure to aid Lourdes in its quest to repeat as champions in the Northern Division of the Trailways Conference.
Austin Sinden, 6-3, Sr., F, Marshall
Sinden was able to provide Marshall with a bit of an inside presence as he got to the foul line and was able to convert. In a hard-fought 54-53 overtime victory over Auburndale, Sinden finished with 14 points and went six-of-seven from the foul line for the Cardinals.
Cam Ward, 6-2, Sr., PG/WG, Marshall
Ward did his best to keep Marshall in the title game against Sheboygan Lutheran, scoring a team-high 24 points and connecting on three shots from beyond the arc. His ability to turn the corner with the ball in his hands created problems for opponents all weekend. The trick for the Cardinals is finding enough offensive production to go along with Ward, which has NCAA Division I scholarship offers from Texas A&M – Corpus Christi and Vermont.
Tyler Zastrow, 5-9, Sr., PG, Sheboygan Lutheran
A left-handed bulldog and three-year varsity starter, Zastrow is a creative player who finds unique ways to score. He has a quick release on drives to the basket, can pull the trigger from beyond the three-point arc and uses his stop-and-go dribble to keep defenders off balance. He isn’t always the prettiest player on the court, but his production is rock solid and he is tough to guard because of his combination of quickness, mental toughness and skill.
Team Champion
Sheboygan Lutheran
The post-Sam Dekker Era at Sheboygan Lutheran appears to be going well for coach Nick Verhagen, who returns three starters and eight lettermen from a squad that went 18-8 a year after winning the WIAA Division 5 state title behind the heroics of Dekker. The Crusaders were impressive in victories over Marshall, Marathon, Lourdes and Brillion, getting solid play from Jurss, Zastrow and senior Phil Leibham (6-0). This is a fun team to watch because of their up-tempo style and penchant for making long-distance bombs.
Notes
Marathon got solid play from seniors Jake Dinkel (6-2) and Matthew Haehlke (6-3) along with quick junior point guard Ethan Seubert (5-8). The Red Raiders got two late triples from Dinkel in a 51-48 victory over Pacelli on Saturday, but stumbled in losses to Sheboygan Lutheran and Lourdes on Sunday … Few point guards in all of Wisconsin run a team as well as Auburndale senior Isaac Castellano (5-11). Though he is small in stature and not a big scorer, Castellano makes the right pass at the right time and is a very good defender … Brookfield Academy sophomores Ryan Clarey (6-1) and Joe Lemon (6-5) showed plenty of promise for the Blue Knights and figure to work their way into the regular playing rotation for coach Pat Clarey in 2013-14 … Valders junior Thomas Schwoerer (5-11) is an athletic combination guard who can get places with the ball in his hands because of his ball-handling skill and speed … A player who figures to make great strides in his overall game over the next 12 months is 6-7 junior Seth Reinke of Brillion. After playing on the JV squad at Brillion a year ago, Reinke figures to be in the mix for substantial playing time with the varsity this winter … Freshman Eddie Muench (5-7) of Oshkosh Lourdes played with great poise and skill, knocking down seven three-pointers in four games … Lourdes senior Kyle Hellmann (6-3) played well for the Knights, scoring 17 points in a win over Marathon and hitting five three-point shots … Pacelli senior Brett O’Sullivan (6-4) is an active forward who can play in the paint or step outside and make perimeter jump shots … Pacelli played without promising junior James Gollon (6-3), who is out with a hip injury … Fox Valley Lutheran went 0-4 and played with an extremely young lineup. Coach Matt Koepsell has a bit of a rebuilding project on his hands for 2013-14, but there is enough athleticism and depth to help the Foxes remain competitive in the Eastern Valley Conference.
