Wisconsin Top 250 Expo – 2018 Player Notes
The Prep Hoops Top 250 featured over 100 prospects from the Badger state, many of whom project well to be contributors at the next level. Our Prep Hoops staff, led by Ryan Smith (@TheRyanSmithers), was there to cover the action. See our notes below! We’ll be publishing full photo galleries and more player notes throughout the week. Check out the first and second teams here.
Connor Allen – Menomonee Falls – Very heady player with good court awareness. He’s more than capable of making the difficult pass to find an open teammate. Allen has good lateral quickness which proves useful as a defender.
Deandre Anderson – Shorewood – Extremely shifty with the ball. Anderson continually blew by defenders thanks to his quick first move. High activity on the defensive end force the opposition into unnecessary turnovers.
Drew Blair – SPASH – Brings pace to the floor. Determined playing style often puts opposing defenders in foul trouble. While he’s at excellent at driving to the rim, he can also pull up on a dime. Has collection of impressive post moves including one whirlwind of a spin move.
Mark Bowditch – Milton – Natural ball handler. Consistent shooter from midrange. Not afraid to get scrappy under the rim and fight for rebounds against bigger players.
Tanner Brandt – Wisconsin Dells – What does a balloon and Brandt have in common? They both float effortlessly in the air. He can play above the rim with ease and can also stretch the defense with a sound outside shot.
Jaylen Carter – Germantown – Carter has uncannily quick footwork that enables him to guard even the shiftiest of opposition. Brings a defensive energy that rubs off on his teammates.
Zane Carter – Green Bay West – Undeniably quick first step off the dribble which can open the court up for his nice long range shooting. A vocal player on defense who exhibits great awareness.
Kayveion Cole – Sequin – Persistent player who won’t quit on the play. Leaves it all on the court. Hounds the ball on rebounds which will give his team vital extra possessions.
Trenton Cronk – Regis – Conscientious player who has great basketball awareness. Plays with his head up which allows him to make great decisions and find open teammates.
Jordan DiBenedetto – Stoughton – By no means the biggest player on the court, but DiBenedetto plays as if he is. Impressive spring in his jump makes him a solid rebounder and he frequently outjumped much larger defenders to pull down boards.
Trayvon Fair – Beloit Memorial – Fair has significant first dribble burst to blow by defenders and then can weave through the lane with his gifted ball handling abilities. He can create his own shot and more often than not drain it.
Nic Frederick – Westosha Central – Frederick has claim to Wisconsin’s largest loose ball collection. Plays scrappy and outworks everybody on the court. You won’t beat him to a loose ball.
Aaron Freimuth – Poynette – Elevates the game of everybody around him. Freimuth plays with great passion and intensity which rubs off on teammates. Will hit the open shot if left unguarded.
Joshua Gayle – Milwaukee Lutheran – Gayle plays like a gale storm with the amount of energy he expends. Impressive ball skills around the rim to avoid would be blocks. Has a nasty pull up that will frustrate even the hardest working defenders.
Connor Grogan – Baraboo – Plays with a nice sense of confidence in his abilities. If left open, Grogan will spot up and hurt you from deep. With two years left in high school he can certainly become a consistently dangerous perimeter threat.
Noah Hanson – Eau Claire North – Physical player who gives absolutely nothing easy. Possesses nice body control when driving into the lane. Will frustrate even the most gifted of scorers with his determined defensive play.
Reese Johnson – Green Bay Notre Dame – Great basketball instinct. Johnson brings acute offensive and defensive awareness when he’s on the court. This awareness makes him a good passer who should rack up his fair share of assists.
Cade Johnson – Bay Port – Playmaker on defense who has active hands that will force plenty of turnovers. Love his willingness to challenge driving players in the paint. Plays with his head up on offense which makes him a good ball facilitator.
Arthur Johnson IV – West Allis Nathan Hale – Physical player who never gives up on a possession. His never quit play style means he’s willing to initiate contact if that’s what it takes to get to the rim. Gives it his all even when the tank is on empty.
Dorian Jones – Guilford – Don’t be fooled by his slim frame, Jones is a tenacious defender. Plays a very physical style of defense that will disrupt offenses. If he adds some more muscle he will be a lockdown defender.
Jaxon Knotek – River Falls – Knotek is a great perimeter shooter who can under no circumstances be left open. Has nice ups to grab rebounds. Uses his body well to shield off others looking to steal his boards.
Drew Kocken – West DePere – Kocken has a repeatable shooting motion and can nail triples in a variety of ways going a variety of directions. An asset for any high school team because of his ability and confidence beyond the arc.
Jackson Kowalski – James Madison Memorial – Kowalski is a James Madison Memorial junior who has a pretty jump shot. Provides a good scoring option for his team.
Colton Kreitzman – Rufus King – Kreitzman has exceptional defensive awareness. Consistently checking for screens and using his long wingspan to create problems in passing lanes. Always has his hands up and in your face.
Jack Kron – Eau Claire North – Smart heady player on defense. Will make you earn every basket. Glides around the court with ease.
Reece Leistikow – Marshall – Very reliable player. Unselfish and will look for the best shot possible even if it means having to pass up his own shot. Won’t turn it over on offense.
Earl Lewis – Madison East – Madison East junior who is a leader on the court. His high basketball IQ and vocal play make him team captain material. Never forces unnecessary passes, simply gets the job done.
Dailon Little – Hamilton – Little continually blew by defenders with his hesitation fake. Possesses a pretty midrange shot that he will hurt you with. Scrappy defender who can produce a few turnovers a game.
Avery Lyons – Notre Dame – Plays with a ton of heart. Lyons won’t step down from a challenge and can finish through contact against bigger defenders. Love how he asserts himself offensively.
Payton Malone – Menomonee Falls – Malone’s feet enable him to create space and he has the handles to get defenders off-balanced. More than capable of making shots, too. Well-developed offensive repertoire.
Tommy McClain – Stoughton – Stout in the paint. McClain already knows how to use his body to position himself for pulling down rebounds but he still has another year to grow in size. Delightfully agile for his build.
Aidan McGee – Stoughton – Your prototypical shooter who can beat you from deep if left unguarded. He’s sticky as glue on defense as it’s nearly impossible to lose him.
Jordan McJimpsey – Nicolet – McJimpsey is a defensive menace. He plays with high intensity and makes you earn every step. He plays vocal and has impressive handles.
Max Nelson – Monona Grove – Nelson is a slippery player who is hard to keep up with off the ball. Probably even harder to defend when he has the ball. Motley possesses clean quick ball handles that’ll leave defenders in the dust.
Bryce Prochaska – Dodgeville – Hard to believe with his combination of size and speed. It’s difficult to keep up with Prochaska if you’re a defender. Frightening to think he’s still got another year after this.
Devon Shmitz – Richland Center – Devon Shmitz also known as the flash. Shmitz plays with outstanding quickness and creates space by hustling off the ball.
Jake Schroeckenthaler – Monona Grove – Schroeckenthaler is a winner. The kind of guy teammates love playing with and the kind of guy opponents respect. Don’t leave him open though, Jake will make you pay from deep.
Joseph Schultz – West Allis – This West Allis junior is a frightening player on the fast break. Great at slashing into the paint and finishing around the rim through contact.
Steve Serbiak – Brookfield East – Serbiak displayed no true weakness in his game. He can contribute on all facets as he plays hard defensively and is always searching for open teammates on offensive possessions.
Ryan Steffes – New Holstein – Aggressive playing style. Steffes attacks the hoop and is a great finisher around the rim. Even if you want to challenge him, Steffes will finish through the contact more often than not.
Keenan Stevens – Little Chute – I bet Stevens drinks Redbull before every game because he plays with wings. He has great hops and is always looking for an opportunity to throw it down.
Evan Tillung – Rice Lake – A coaches dream. Leads by example and will never get outhustled. Always the first one to step up in drills. Demonstrates outstanding knowledge of the game and is an asset both offensively and defensively.
Michael Wallace – West Bend West – Great leadership on and off the court. Vocal defender who makes it hard for offenses to execute. He doesn’t get beat on the defensive end and makes everybody around him better.
Kierre Washington – Madison East – Washington is an athletic Madison East guard who plays with speed. He likes to take advantage of his athleticism by pushing the pace and breaking into transition. Try and slow him down and he’ll beat you by finding an open teammate with his skilled passing.
Davion Washington – Madison East – Like his brother, Davion is a natural athlete who brings pace to the game. His eyes are always probing for openings to exploit in the defense. Washington compliments his speed with a determined physicality.