Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook

Observations from the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Summer Tournament held in Burlington July 6-7:

Pools A-B
                                                    
Final Pool Standings

 

Pool A – Kenosha Indian Trail 3-0, Poynette 1-2, Burlington 1-2, West Allis Hale 1-2.
 
Pool B – De Pere 3-0, Milwaukee South Division 2-1, Brookfield Central 1-2, Greendale 0-3.

 

Pool A vs. Pool B Crossover Results

De Pere 44, Kenosha Indian Trial 38

Brookfield Central 55, West Allis Hale 47

Poynette 44, Greendale 43

Milwaukee South Division 49, Burlington 30

 

Most Valuable Player 

Mitch Winter, 6-5, Sr., WF, De Pere
Winter was at his best in tight situations as he scored 15 points and buried three second-half three-pointers to help the Redbirds rally from a double-digit deficit against Brookfield Central, and he had seven points down the stretch to help De Pere pull away from Kenosha Indian Trail over the final couple of minutes. Winter is an outstanding perimeter shooter who can also make mid-range shots. He moves well without the basketball and makes foul shots at a very high rate. He averaged 7.2 points per game for coach Brian Winchester a year ago and appears poised for a big senior season for the perennially strong Redbirds.       

 

All-Tournament Team (In alphabetical order)

 

Johnny Benson, 6-3, Sr., WG, Milwaukee South Division

Benson is a wiry, athletic and active wing prospect who took the ball to the basket and finished at a high rate for South Division. The top returning scorer at 12.6 ppg for coach Ty Moseler, Benson is also an effective defender because of his lateral quickness, length and aggressiveness.

 

Chris Gates, 5-8, Sr., WG, Kenosha Indian Trail

Gates played an outstanding game against De Pere, making a couple of triples and finishing with a team-high 14 points. He is small in stature, but he has a quick release from downtown and he isn’t afraid to pull the trigger from well beyond the arc. He is also able to get into gaps and find open teammates with his passing skill.

 

Riley Lytle, 6-4, Jr., PG/WG, Poynette

Lytle is beginning to make tremendous strides in his overall game. He has excellent size and length, is able to play either guard position and has drastically improved his shooting, passing and ball handling skills. Lytle averaged 14.5 ppg for coach John Weiss at Poynette last winter and teams with senior Ethan Lurquin (6-4) and junior Tanner Bruchs (6-3) to give the Pumas a terrific trio of talented players.

 

Cooper Mocarski, 6-5, Sr., F, De Pere

Like so many of the players in the De Pere program, Mocarski has made great strides in his game over the past 12 months. His ability to do multiple things on the court figures to be a huge asset for the Redbirds next winter. He can defend along the baseline or step outside and guard perimeter players. His physical play and toughness around the basket are also definite assets for De Pere.

 

Caleb Mortag, 6-6, Sr., PF, Brookfield Central

There aren’t many players in Wisconsin’s class of 2014 who dunk with as much ease and with as much authority as Mortag. Kevon Looney of Milwaukee Hamilton, Sandy Cohen of Seymour and Alex Strege of Marshfield are also accomplished dunkers in the senior class, but Mortag takes a back seat to nobody when it comes to the variety of dunks he can execute given the space and proper feed. Mortag also showed the ability to make some mid-range jump shots and was effective on the glass on both ends of the floor for Brookfield Central.

 

Brad Newman, 5-11, Sr., PG, Brookfield Central

The returning honorable mention all-league performer in the Greater Metro Conference was highly impressive for the Lancers. He was able to score off the dribble, from beyond the arc and from mid-range while also setting up his teammates with his excellent passing skill. Newman has good quickness, a high basketball I.Q. and a penchant for making big plays. He is a solid team leader who communicates well on the court with his teammates. 

 

Brevin Pritzl, 6-3, Jr., WG, De Pere

Pritzl was absolutely on fire in the second half in leading his team to a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Brookfield Central. He scored 18 of his game-high 23 points in the second half of the contest, using his quickness, athleticism and aggressiveness to beat defenders off the dribble. He was also lights out from the foul line, sinking all six of his charity tosses against the Lancers. Pritzl recently picked up a NCAA Division I scholarship offer from Drake University of the Missouri Valley Conference. If he’s able to continue the strong play he displayed in Burlington, addition DI offers figure to come his way.

 

Jordan Perez, 6-4, Sr., WG, Greendale

Perez was steady for the Panthers, scoring 38 points over four years for an average of 9.5 ppg. He was able to stroke deep jumpers, get to the rim off the dribble and set up his teammates for scoring opportunities. Perez is a solid athlete with good skills and an excellent disposition on the court. With a solid showing on the travel-team circuit this month, Perez figures to receive substantial recruiting interest from scholarship schools over the next month or two.

 

Mike Roach, 6-4, Sr., PF, Kenosha Indian Trail

Roach is a hard-working, physical interior player who played within himself very well in all four games the Eagles played. He used his strength and explosive jumping ability to score in the lane for Indian Trail throughout the weekend. In the game against De Pere, Roach finished with nine points while also defending well in the paint.

 

Matt Williams, 6-4, Sr., WF, Milwaukee South Division

Williams played on the varsity squad at South Division two years ago before opting to sit out last season. His all-around play was impressive in Burlington. He was able to score from beyond the arc, off the dribble and on put-backs for the Cardinals. Like his teammate Johnny Benson, Williams used his length and quickness to cause problems on the defensive end of the floor. Williams figures to be a key piece to the puzzle for a South Division program looking to remain among the most competitive in the Milwaukee City Conference.

 

Notes
De Pere is the overwhelming favorite to repeat as champions in the Fox River Classic Conference. The Redbirds have won four straight league titles and in the process won 61 of 64 conference outings. In addition to Winter, Pritzl and Mocarski, seniors Jason Blom (6-4) and Tyus Kowalczyk (5-8) played well for De Pere … Kenosha Indian Trail seniors Justin Galusha (6-2) and Tony Thomas (6-0) had strong showings for the Eagles, who move up to Division 1 this season as the school expands to include a senior class for the first time. Sophomore Connor Sheehan (6-6) also showed plenty of potential for Indian Trail coach Mike Crowe … Brookfield Central played without seniors Riley LaChance (6-2) and Elijah Goodman (6-4). Both were out with injuries, though LaChance, who has Division I scholarship offers from Davidson, Drake, Missouri and Rice, among others, is expected to return to action next week for the July evaluation period … Brookfield Central senior Luke Rasmussen (6-7) gives coach Mark Adams a huge presence in the paint. The Division I football prospect has also vastly improved his mobility and figures to add to his 3.2 ppg and 3.4 rpg averages of a year ago … Greendale sophomore David Pulizos (6-6) was steady for the Panthers, scoring in the post and from the perimeter. He has good length and a developing skill package … Freshmen Tom Kujawa (6-2) and Clay Kujawa (6-4) appear to have promising futures for Greendale, which played without injured junior Tom Michaels (6-1) … West Allis Hale did not win a game in Burlington, but the Huskies were highly competitive and will not be an easy out in the Greater Metro Conference in 2013-14. Coach John Palesse watched senior Noel Crabtree (6-0) bury five triples in a loss to Brookfield Central while also getting solid minutes from promising juniors Joey Archer (6-1) and Jason Palesse (5-10) … Burlington won a double overtime game over Poynette thanks in large part to strong play from seniors Ben Geiger (6-1) and Nate Klug (6-2). Geiger is a terrific three-point shooter who competes with a ton of energy while Klug is a lanky wing prospect who was able to get around defenders off the dribble and finish in the lane.