Big Rivers Conference Preview
Looking ahead to the 2018-19 season, Prep Hoops Wisconsin breaks down the race in the Big Rivers Conference…
PROJECTED STANDINGS
1. River Falls
2. Eau Claire North
3. Eau Claire Memorial
4. Hudson
5. Chippewa Falls
6. Rice Lake
7. Menomonie
FAVORITE
This could be a tight race, but we’re betting on River Falls’ youth. Sophomore Zac Johnson is coming off a strong freshman season and will help soften the blow of Jaxon Knotek (North Dakota State). The Wildcats will also implement 6-foot-7 twin forward Liam and Jameson Dougherty into the mix this season, giving them some excellent size up front.
DARK HORSE
Dalton Banks loses his key running mates, but he could be capable of taking Eau Claire North back to the top. The Huskies will have to figure out how to replace Noah Hanson (17.3 ppg) and Jack Kron (15.7 ppg).
SURPRISE TEAM
Hudson was 4-8 in conference play last season as a young group without much senior leadership to fall back on. Leading scorer Keyser Helterbrand (18.8 ppg) is back as are two other double-digit scorers Jacob Daulton (12.6 ppg) and Landon Bilse (11.3 ppg). In all, the Raiders will have their top eight scorers back from last season.
PRESEASON FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
G Dalton Banks – Eau Claire North
G Zac Johnson – River Falls
G Keyser Helterbrand – Hudson
F Tyler Robarge – Chippewa Falls
F Caden Boser – Eau Claire Memorial
SECOND TEAM
G Peyton Buckley – Rice Lake
G Landon Bilse – Hudson
G Jake Ebert – Menomonie
G Jace Kressin – Menomonie
F Jacob Daulton – Hudson
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Dalton Banks was the lone underclassmen to be named first-team All-Conference last season. Banks was second in the league at 19.4 ppg to go along with 5.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
BREAKOUT PLAYER
An honorable mention All-Conference pick in 2017-18, sophomore Zac Johnson posted 12.1 points per game. One of the state’s top shooters, Johnson hit 50 triples while shooting at a 48 percent clip from downtown last season.
SURPRISE PLAYER
Rice Lake’s Peyton Buckley is now three-year varsity performer. As a junior, he averaged nearly nine points per game behind two high scoring seniors. Look for Buckley’s output to increase substantially in 2018-19.