Metro Classic Conference Preview
Looking ahead to the 2018-19 season, Prep Hoops Wisconsin breaks down the race in the Metro Classic Conference…
PROJECTED STANDINGS
1. Racine St. Catherine’s
2. Martin Luther
3. The Prairie School
4. Dominican
5. Saint Thomas More
6. Kenosha St. Joseph
7. Racine Lutheran
8. Burlington Catholic Central
9. Shoreland Lutheran
FAVORITE
Racine St. Catherine’s has a good mixture of veteran leadership and young up and coming players. Seniors Azarien Stephens and Quinn Cafferty are a terrific inside-outside combo. The Angels have a deadly 3-point shooter as well as a go-to big man. Sophomores Tyrese Hunter and Kamari McGee had solid freshman campaigns and are ready to take off. Junior Isaiah Dodd was also an all-conference pick last season as well. Head coach Nick Bennett has his top seven scorers back from a season ago as St. Catherine’s is a top contender in Division 3.
While the Angels have the most depth, Martin Luther has the most star power. The Spartans have arguably the best three players in the conference — Ace Evans, Trequan Carrington, and Xzavier Jones. Martin Luther also has an athletic front court full of junkyard dogs that should compliment this trio very well.
This will be a very tightly contested race for the conference championship.
DARK HORSE
There does seem to be a significant gap between Martin Luther, St. Catherine’s, and the rest of the conference. If The Prairie School can grow up in a hurry, they could cut into that gap. Last year’s Metro Classic champion loses J.C. Butler and some key seniors, but returns two promising sophomores in Antuan Nesbitt and Isaiah Hoyt.
SURPRISE TEAM
We could be undervaluing Saint Thomas More going into the 2018-19 season. The Cavaliers likely have two double-digit scorers in Noah Glembin and Eric Williams. While there was a gap last season between the top four teams and the rest of the conference, Saint Thomas More beat up on the middle and the bottom of the Metro Classic during the second half of the season.
PRESEASON FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
G Trequan Carrington – Martin Luther
G Ace Evans – Martin Luther
G Azarien Stephens – Racine St. Catherine’s
G Tyrese Hunter – Racine St. Catherine’s
F Xzavier Jones – Martin Luther
F Quinn Cafferty – Racine St. Catherine’s
SECOND TEAM
G Kamari McGee – Racine St. Catherine’s
G Isaiah Hoyt – The Prairie School
G Eric Williams – Saint Thomas More
G Timothy Berry – Kenosha St. Joseph
F Alex Antetokounmpo – Dominican
F Antuan Nesbitt – The Prairie School
F Noah Glembin – Saint Thomas More
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Based on some fall league performances, Trequan Carrington is coming to prove some doubters wrong and play with a chip on his shoulder. A 5-foot-9 point guard, Carrington has always been overlooked due to his size. However, he’s clearly one of the most explosive scorers in the state and one of the most difficult players to defend because of his speed, strength, and three-level scoring ability. As a junior, Carrington averaged 16.4 ppg. While he’s still looking for a Division 1 scholarship offer, Carrington is one of the players that if he were even 5-foot-11, a lot of schools would be lining up for his services.
BREAKOUT PLAYER
In terms of overall talent and upside, Tyrese Hunter takes a back seat to nobody in this conference. Hunter averaged about 11 ppg as a sophomore on a talented St. Catherine’s squad and may have a chance to lead the Angels in scoring this season. An explosive jumper who can also create shots off the bounce, Hunter has turned a lot of heads, including ours, throughout the off-season.
SURPRISE PLAYER
There’s a couple candidates here.
Two sophomores to watch Isaiah Hoyt and Antuan Nesbitt from The Prairie School. Hoyt is a terrific two-way talent with a budding offensive skill set. Nesbitt, a high-upside combo forward can create a ton of mismatch problems with his ball handling and passing ability on the perimeter.
Ben Jelacic from Dominican could also be in store for a surprise year. A player that’s never really gotten his due because of the talent around him, Jelacic is a skilled blue collar post prospect that does the little things well. With Abe Scrubbs and Gacoby Jones now out of the picture, Jelacic, who averaged nearly eight points per game as a sophomore, may be able to increase his production.