Midwest Classic: Opening Night Standouts
The Prep Hoops Circuit resumed action on Friday with the Midwest Showdown. Here’s a look at some of the top individual performances from opening night… Levi Birkholz Levi Birkholz 5'2" | SG Lakeside Luthersn | 2023 State #290 Nation WI…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe Prep Hoops Circuit resumed action on Friday with the Midwest Showdown. Here’s a look at some of the top individual performances from opening night…
Levi Birkholz Levi Birkholz 5'2" | SG Lakeside Luthersn | 2023 State #290 Nation WI – 2023 – SG – Wisconsin Crusaders
Birkholz was included in our early top 25 player rankings for good reason. An athletic, high energy guard that can also shoot it, Birkholz started getting hot late in the first half to help the Crusaders go on a huge run and pull away from Minnesota Select. The 6-foot-2 sophomore catches people by surprise in transition. He may not look the part, but certainly elevates with explosiveness and can play above the rim. Also a strong defender, Birholz played the passing lanes well throughout the day and turned defense into offense.
Ezra Brown – 2023 – PG – Wisconsin Blizzard
Brown can handle the rock and really fools defenders at times. The 5-foot-8 floor general has some of the best ball handling skills on the circuit. He’s got a deadly crossover that leaves defenders in the dust. Brown also knows how to create shots with those handles as well. The Appleton West guard has a good-looking stroke and can knock it down even when he’s drifting away from the bucket. Over the last two weekends, Brown has shown strong ability to create offense in the half court by breaking down defenders and generating quality, rhythm jumpers.
Isaac Bruns – 2023 – SG – South Dakota Attack
Not a Wisconsin guy, but we’ve gotta show Bruns love. Leading South Dakota Attack to an upset win over Wisconsin Playground Club. The sophomore guard hit a lot of timely shots, either to stop runs or put his team in the lead. Even when he wasn’t scoring, Bruns was noticeably present in the game. He really locked down his man defensively and took away driving opportunities by playing strong on-ball defense. Also a player that does the dirty work, Bruns was coming up with 50-50 balls and stealing possessions for his team.
Amillion Buggs Amillion Buggs 6'4" | SF Wausau West | 2022 State WI – 2023 – SF – ABC Young Lions
Buggs had two solid games on Friday. The Wausau West small forward is a huge energy boost for his team. Buggs makes those momentum-swinging plays such as transition chase down blocks or scoring in the open floor. An athletic, above the rim threat, Buggs nearly had a couple of huge alley-oop slams. A physically advanced prospect, Buggs can use his strength and bully his way into the paint. A strong isolation scorer, Buggs can get to the bucket in clearout situations .
Jacob Dunham Jacob Dunham 6'4" | SG South Milwaukee | 2023 State WI – 2023 – SG – Chapman Basketball Academy
This kid a bucket getter who should have a bright future at South Milwaukee. The 6-foot-2 shooting guard is a confident scorer off the dribble. Dunham gets to his spots and lets it fly. Dunham didn’t always knock it down, but displayed strong shot creating ability without using a ton of dribbles. He hit defenders with a nice jab-step, one dribble jumper and it was plenty of space for him to get in a rhythm.
Jeremy Lorenz Jeremy Lorenz 6'8" | PF Brillion | 2023 State WI – 2023 – F – Wisconsin Crusaders
Lorenz has some exciting talent and certainly showed he should be a ranked prospect on Friday. The 6-foot-4 combo forward looked really good when attacking the rim. Lorenz has quick feet for his size and was quite decisive when knifing to the bucket. As a freshman, Lorenz put up 13.4 points per game for Brillion last season. He can also play up and down in transition and shoot the ball a little bit in the halfcourt. A little bit of a tweener combo forward right now, Lorenz certainly has a lot of mismatch potential in his future.
Bennett McCormick – 2023 – SG – JH1 Elite
This is going to be a very recruitable kid. McGlothlin is always engaged in the game and just impacts practically every aspect. McGlothlin is always moving and is a very smooth slasher who glides to the bucket. Off the catch, he’s got a quick first step that doesn’t allow the help-side defense to react. The Catholic Memorial wing just plays the game in an ideal fashion. He’s active defensively, gets his hands up, boxes out, makes an effort on the glass, dives for loose balls, and is unselfish with the basketball. He had a big scoring effort in a win over Chapman Basketball Academy and absolutely stuffed the stat sheet across the board.
Simeon Murchison – 2023 – F – Wisconsin Playmakers South
Outside of Robert Peters Robert Peters 6'8" | PF West Allis Hale | 2023 State WI , not sure anyone in Wisconsin’s 2023 class has a higher upside. The 6-foot-7 sophomore is a long, athletic forward just oozing with potential and barely scratching the surface right now. Murchison showed some strong flashes in a win over Crossfire, impacting the game on the offensive glass and as a shot blocker. Murchison gets off the ground quickly and has the motor to go along with it. Post and perimeter skills need to be developed, but there’s a lot to work with here.
Mason Prey Mason Prey 6'4" | CG Newman Catholic | 2023 State WI – 2023 – G – Wisconsin Playmakers Wausau
Regarded as one of the best freshmen in the state, Prey showed a high-IQ throughout Friday. The Newman Catholic Central standout always has his head up, surveys the floor, and just makes sound basketball decisions. He can play either on and off the ball. While Prey deferred to his teammates a lot, he is a confident scorer. Prey takes high quality shots and lets the game come to him. The opposition had a tough time taking Prey out of the game due to his well-rounded skillset.