Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook

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

Pools M-N
                                                    
Final Standings
 
Pool M – Laconia 3-1, Freedom 3-1, Wrightstown 2-2, Regis 1-3, Westosha Central 1-3.

 

Pool N – Kaukauna Black 4-0, Little Chute 3-1, Winneconne 2-2, Sheboygan South 1-3, Baraboo 0-4.

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Pool M vs. Pool N Championship Game – Laconia 56, Kaukauna Black 48.
 
Most Valuable Player 

Nick Vollmer, 6-3, Sr., WF, Laconia
Vollmer played well for the Spartans in all five of their games in Kaukauna. He averaged 14.2 points per game while scoring from beyond the arc, from mid-range and in the post. He has good size and length, and his versatility on both ends of the court was very impressive. Vollmer is a returning first-team all-league player in the Wisconsin Flyway Conference who averaged 11.5 ppg for a team that went 25-1 under coach Tom King.    

 

All-Tournament Team (In alphabetical order)

 

D.J. DeValk, 5-11, Sr., PG, Little Chute

DeValk is the lone returning player with extensive varsity experience for the Mustangs, who advanced to the WIAA Division 3 State Tournament before losing to Aquinas in the semifinals. DeValk has excellenet quickness, good court vision and a solid perimeter shot. He is also very good at banking in short jumpers after getting past his defender. A very good point-guard prospect who figures to blossom under coach Mickey Martin in 2013-14.

 

Ben Gravely, 6-7, Sr., PF, Westosha Central

Gravely is a skilled big man who does an excellent job of putting the ball in the basket in the post. He doesn’t venture too far away from the hoop, but that is a good thing as he utilizes his size and strength to overpower opponents in the lane. He teams with classmate Glenn Karsten (6-8) to give coach Dave Sjong a terrific frontline duo.

 

Cole Hake, 6-5, Sr., F, Kaukauna Black

Hake split time between the Kaukauna Orange and Kaukauna White teams and was especially effective competing for Black. He showed good perimeter shooting skills along with the ability to score from mid-range and in the lane. A former varsity performer at Howards Grove, Hake will contend for a starting role at Kaukauna next winter and figures to be a key performer along the frontline for coach Mike Schalow.

 

Nate Larson, 6-6, Sr., WF, Wrightstown

Larson has great length and size for a wing prospect. He also has very good ball handling and shooting skills. He is a proficient three-point shooter who can also get into gaps and make mid-range jump shots. He finished the WBY Tournament with seven three-pointers made in four contests.

 

Nic Patterson, 6-2, Jr., F, Kaukauna Black

Patterson scored in double figures in three of the five games Kaukauna Orange played, and his physical presence and toughness around the basket were huge factors in the Ghosts’ success. A quarterback on the football team, look for Patterson to provide a lift off the bench for Kaukauna in 2013-14.

 

Logan Rohrscheib, 6-0, Soph., G, Regis

Rohrscheib is a very skilled combination guard who makes good decisions with the ball in his hands. He is an excellent passer and an unselfish teammate. He is also a very good long-distance shooter as he finished with nine triples in four games for the Ramblers while averaging 10.8 ppg.  

 

Bill Wampler, 6-4, Jr., WG, Regis

Wampler has good size and length for a wing guard, and he isn’t afraid to use his height and athleticism to get into the paint and score in the lane. But his best attribute is his perimeter shooting. Though his three-point shot wasn’t falling at a high rate in Kaukauna, he is a proven perimeter sniper as he averaged 15.6 ppg as a sophomore for veteran coach Bill Uelmen.

 

Michael Waters, 6-3, Sr., F, Freedom

Waters does a superb job of drawing contact off of moves to the basket and earning trips to the foul line. He averaged 8.5 ppg as a junior for coach John Van Rossum at Freedom, but figures to put up bigger numbers as a senior thanks in part to his versatility on offense. He can score both inside and outside for the Irish.

 

Brett Wittchow, 6-0, Jr., G, Laconia

Wittchow was a key contributor for Laconia as a sophomore, averaging 6.3 ppg for a team that won 25 straight games before losing to eventual state-champion Dominican in a WIAA Division 4 sectional final. Wittchow was on fire in the Spartans’ Pools M-N title game victory over Kaukauna Orange, hitting four three-point shots en route to scoring 16 points. Wittchow also buried four triples in a 34-31 victory over Westosha Central. His ability to make shots from deep will be vital to Laconia’s success in 2013-14. 

 

Dylan Zwick, 6-4, WF, Sr., Wrightstown

A mobile and skilled wing forward, Zwick did an excellent job of hunting shots and making them from beyond the three-point line. He also scored off the dribble and in the paint for the Tigers. He averaged 12.0 ppg in four games and scored in double figures three times.  

 

Team Champion
 
Laconia
Laconia has won an average of 16.5 games per season during the coach Tom King Era at the school the past 11 seasons. Look for that type of success to continue next winter as the Spartans bring back three extremely talented players in Vollmer, Wittchow and junior Noah Greve (6-0). As usual, Laconia competed with an edge in Kaukauna, sharing the ball and playing unselfish basketball on offense and digging down and playing hard and with energy on defense.           
 
Notes
Regis played without talented junior Zac Brandrup (6-3), who sat out the weekend with a foot injury … Regis senior Josh Burns (5-10) averaged 8.0 ppg for the Ramblers in their four games in the event … Wrightstown played without senior forward Doug Fabry (6-6), a three-year varsity performer who averaged 11.9 ppg as a junior for coach Cory Haese … Freedom junior Logan Maulick (6-1) had some strong performances for the Irish, who played without returning junior guard Andy Connelly … Though not as skilled as teammate Ben Gravely (6-7), Westosha Central senior Glenn Karsten (6-8) is a frontline sleeper in the class of 2014. He runs the floor, has good strength and athleticism, and is developing his skill package … Little Chute senior Austin Gloudemans (6-3) and his younger brother, sophomore Parker Gloudemans (6-2), put in some very good minutes for the Mustangs, who went 3-1 in pool play … Baraboo went 0-4 in pool play, but coach Brian Bauer has a very good player to rebuild his program around in senior Ty Schlicthmann (6-2) … Sheboygan South can match most opponents in the backcourt, thanks to the strong play of juniors T.J. Pitsch (5-11), Conner Harrison (6-1) and Sam Selk (5-11). Finding enough frontline scoring and rebounding punch will be the key for first-year coach Mike Rank, a former South standout who previously coached at Random Lake.