2019 State Basketball Preview

It's finally here! The 2019 state basketball tournament commences Thursday afternoon with the Division 3 semifinals. I will be in attendance for Division 5 and Division 2 on Friday night, but this will be a preview of all divisions including predictions, key factors, and important players to watch on a division-by-division basis.

Division 1

Division 1 is the only of the five divisions not to feature a 1 seed from any of the four sectionals. Neenah upset top-seeded Kimberly in the sectional semifinals, West Allis Central beat Waukesha West in a double OT instant classic in the sectional finals, Brookfield Central took down Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Sussex Hamilton also on Saturday, and fourth seeded Sun Prairie makes its second straight trip to Madison after top seeded Madison East was upset in the regional finals by Racine Horlick. While there are no top seeds, there is no shortage of star power. The Neenah Rockets are led by Max Klesmit and his 24.7 points per game. Klesmit went for 34 in the sectional final to come back from a double digit second half deficit and beat Hudson. Logan Morrow also averages in double figures for the Rockets, who finished tied for third in the rugged Fox Valley Association. Brookfield Central, the top seed in the state tournament, is led by brothers Cole and Ben Nau. Ben had a Division 1 offer from Air Force but committed to D2 Hillsdale in the fall. Ben is a sophomore, but has already garnered a Division 1 offer from Milwaukee and there may not be a better backcourt tandem in the state than the Nau brothers, who have weathered the storm of losing another scholarship player due to suspension in Gage Malensek earlier in February. After taking down Sussex Hamilton, the Lancers may be the favorite to bring home the gold ball. West Allis Central is an interesting story. The second-seeded Bulldogs went from an 11 win team in 2017 to a 16 win team in 2018 and a 22-3 team this winter. Coach David Mlachnik relies on three players who average in double figures: Jacob Fierst (21ppg), Shilo Bowles (15.3), and Glenn Martin (12.9). Fierst is a Morningside (IA) recruit and also a finalist for the best senior post player in the state. After transitioning to the Woodland Conference a couple years ago, Central won the Woodland West by two games over Wisconsin Lutheran this year and defeated Waukesha West and David Skogman 78-72 in double overtime to make it to the Kohl Center for the third time overall, and the first since 2015. Sun Prairie making it back to Madison is nothing short of a miracle, considering that the Cardinals lost all-world player Jalen Johnson to Nicolet this past summer. Still, Jeff Boos and the Cardinals survived the Big Eight and are at the state tournament for the second year in a row. Brock Voigt and Delaware Hale average in double figures for the balanced Cardinals, who beat Madison La Follette 66-53 to punch their ticket to Madison. I anticipate Brookfield Central dispatching Neenah and West Allis Central winning their respective semifinals, and Brookfield Central, led by the Nau brothers, taking home the gold ball in the final basketball game of the season.

Division 2

There is no question that Division 2 is by far the most talented and deep state tournament field, with a host of scholarship players convening on the Kohl Center this weekend. Nicolet, led by Jalen Johnson, Kobe Johnson, and Jamari Sibley, have taken the state by storm and are the favorite by a large margin to take home the gold ball. However, La Crosse Central and Milwaukee Washington are led by stars of their own and have the experience to knock off the Knights. Johnny Davis is the second best class of 2021 prospect in the state, and leads a deep Central Raiders team along with his twin Jordan Davis and Terrance Thompson. Central had no trouble defeating Merrill in the sectional final on Saturday, 81-55, and will be making their fourth straight state appearance. The Milwaukee Washington Purgolders return to state after losing in the Division 2 title game last year in heartbreaking fashion to Kaukauna and Jordan McCabe. Deontay Long and Michael Foster Jr. both average 20 points per game and are no strangers to the big state. Foster, a sophomore, has a wealth of Division 1 offers, including Kansas, Wake Forest, UNLV, Marquette, Arizona State, LSU, and others. Finally, Elkhorn Area has been the cinderella of the tournament so far, defeating conference rival Westosha Central on Thursday and Mount Horeb in the sectional final on Saturday. Twin brothers Luke and Vincent Umnus, along with Chance Larson and Nick Brown, lead the Elks that are only the four seed due to the level of talent in the Division 2 field. I see Nicolet defeating Elkhorn rather easily, and Central and Washington facing off in an instant classic won by Central. Nicolet defeats Central in a very entertaining state championship game.

Division 3

A great way to kickstart the 2019 state tournament, as the Division 3 semifinals will feature ultra-talented Martin Luther against Northwestern, and Marcus Domask and Waupun taking on high-scoring Zane Short and Denmark. Martin Luther reached the sectional round the last two seasons but finally broke through to the Kohl Center this season. Trequan Carrington, Ace Evans, and Xzavier Jones, all Division 1 prospects, average in double figures and lead a balanced and long Spartan team that will have to handle Brody Peyton, a Minnesota Duluth football recruit, and the Northwestern Tigers. Sam Risley also averages 16 a game for the Tigers, who won the Heart O' North Conference this winter and defeated Wisconsin Dells in overtime to win the sectional title. The Waupun Warriors are on a mission to win their second state title in four years, and are led by leading Mr. Basketball candidate Marcus Domask. The Northern Kentucky recruit is putting up nearly 27 points per game and has one of the best supporting casts in the state: Quintin Winterfeldt is a Minnesota Crookston recruit who averages 12 points and 5 rebounds, and Trevor VandeZande is a quick guard who puts constant pressure on opposing ballhandlers. VandeZande will have his work cut out for him, as explosive guard Zane Short leads the Denmark Vikings to their first state appearance since 1985. Short averages 20 a game, and Patrick Suemnick, a finalist for the best senior post player in the state, averages a double-double at 19 points and 11 rebounds per game. While Denmark and Northwestern are great stories, and well-deserving of trips to Madison, I think the overall depth, experience, and speed of Martin Luther and Waupun will lead to a state championship meeting won by the Spartans, but it will be very close.

Division 4

The four teams that have made it to the state tournament for Division 4 have combined for four losses this season: Roncalli is 26-0, Lourdes is 25-1, Osseo-Fairchild is also 25-1, and New Glarus sports a 24-2 record. This very well may be the most balanced division in all of high school basketball across the state. Roncalli is the defending state champions and are once again led by Chombi Lambert, Ian Behringer, and Matt LeVene. This trio combines for 50.3 points per game and will carry them throughout this weekend. Their opponent, New Glarus, finally breaks through to the Kohl Center after coming so close the last few years. Jaden Kreklow is the engine that keeps the Glarner Knights running, averaging 22 points and 4 assists a game while playing tight defense throughout. Much like the Jets of Roncalli, Lourdes has a three headed monster of its own. Henry Noone, Preston Ruedinger, and Hayden Jones combine to average 54 points per game for a team that is one of the more explosive in the state, averaging 82.6 points per game as a team. Their only loss was a 69-66 defeated at the hands of Dominican back in December. Osseo-Fairchild is led by two-time Cloverbelt-West player of the year Logan Mulhern, a guard who averages 26.6 points per game. The Thunder average nearly 80 points per game this season. Both semifinals will feature a lot of points, as all four teams have scorers that can shoot the three and create their own shot off the dribble. I look for Roncalli to prevail over New Glarus and Lourdes to defeat Osseo-Fairchild in a really close game, with Roncalli taking home the title and an undefeated season.

Division 5

Division 5 features three teams who have been on this stage in the last three years: McDonell Central is appearing at state for the fourth consecutive year; Columbus Catholic made a state appearance in 2017, and Bangor is the defending Division 5 state champions. Sheboygan Lutheran made its last state trip in 2014, falling to Green Bay NEW Lutheran in the semifinals. Sam Dekker led the Crusaders to their only state championship in 2012. Jacob Ognacevic is the best player in the division, averaging 30.5 points and 15.6 points per game while garnering serious NCAA Division 1 attention. Casey Verhagen, son of head coach Nick Verhagen, leads the state with nearly 10 assists per game. Columbus Catholic exacted some revenge on NEW Lutheran for the sectional final defeat last season by defeating the Blazers by 10 on Saturday. A 16-0 second half run propelled the Dons to Madison for the second time in three years. The three-headed monster of Noah Taylor, Bryce Fuerlinger, and Jarred Mandel all average in double figures while Fuerlinger is one of the state's top rebounders at 13.3 per game. Bangor is back at state after losing four starters from last year's championship team. Junior Grant Manke, the lone returner, carriers a large bulk of the load as he averages 24 points and 14 rebounds for game. Manke went for 24 in the sectional semi-final and 23 in the sectional final over Southwestern. McDonell Central is no stranger to the state tournament; the Macks compete in the ultra-tough Cloverbelt-West Conference with fellow state participant Osseo-Fairchild and face slightly weaker competition in the northern sectional in Division 5. Cory Hoglund finished third in the conference in scoring at 17 points per game, and Charlie Bleskachek and Eion Kressin are key contributors as well. Hoglund and Bleskachek scored in double figures in the state title game against Bangor last season, so they are no stranger to the big stage. Sheboygan Lutheran has been the best team in the state all season and I look for that dominance to continue this weekend. Bangor/Columbus Catholic should be a great game as Make and Fuerlinger will be the matchup to watch in the post. I think Bangor will come out on top but fall to Sheboygan Lutheran in a highly competitive state championship game.

Thank you for reading my 2019 boys state basketball tournament preview! As a side note, most of this was done by memory. A small portion of player averages were obtained through Wissports but everything else was by memory. Look for a recap of the tournament next week!