2020-21 Preview: North Shore
Looking ahead to the 2020-21 season, Prep Hoops Wisconsin breaks down the race in the North Shore Conference… PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH 1. Nicolet 2. Cedarburg 3. Whitefish Bay 4. Grafton 5. Hartford 6. West Bend East 7. Homestead…
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Continue ReadingLooking ahead to the 2020-21 season, Prep Hoops Wisconsin breaks down the race in the North Shore Conference…
PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH
1. Nicolet
2. Cedarburg
3. Whitefish Bay
4. Grafton
5. Hartford
6. West Bend East
7. Homestead
8. Slinger
9. West Bend West
10. Port Washington
THE FAVORITE – NICOLET
There’s unfinished business with this team after they were denied to repeat as Division 2 state champions. The loss of Jalen Johnson Jalen Johnson 6'8" | SF Nicolet | 2020 State #3 Nation WI , now at Duke, won’t make them much less of a favorite in the North Shore this season. Maryland commit James Graham James Graham 6'9" | SF Nicolet | 2021 #59 Nation WI and USC commit Kobe Johnson Kobe Johnson 6'5" | PG Nicolet | 2021 State #240 Nation WI make up the top 1-2 punch in the state. The Knights have a bevy of young players as well who will break out in the next year or so.
TOP CHALLENGER – CEDARBURG
Drew Biber Drew Biber 6'3" | SF Cedarburg | 2021 State WI gets some major help in the form of Brookfield Academy transfer Logan Landers Logan Landers 6'9" | PF Cedarburg | 2021 State WI . The Bulldogs need to revamp most of its starting five, but the inside-outside combo of Biber and Landers keeps them right in the hunt.
DARK HORSE – GRAFTON/WHITEFISH BAY
The Blackhawks could be sneaky good once again. They’ll have to replace Wright State commit Alex Huibregtse Alex Huibregtse 6'2" | SG Grafton | 2020 State WI , but the frontcourt pair of IUPUI commit Brock Heffner Brock Heffner 6'7" | PF Grafton | 2021 State WI and Wisconsin football commit JP Benzschawel will force opponents to play from outside the paint. Grafton returns three starters and there’s a young player or two in the program that head coach Damon James is excited about.
As for Whitefish Bay, they seemed to give everyone trouble last season. The Blue Dukes finished one game out of first place and return one of the state’s top uncommitted players Jayden Jackson Jayden Jackson 6'2" | SG Whitefish Bay | 2021 State WI . Whitefish Bay also ended the season by winning six of their last seven games. This is a team that believes in its system and took on the state’s best in 2019-20, including Nicolet, Milwaukee King, Dominican, Martin Luther, and Grafton.
PRESEASON FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
G Kobe Johnson Kobe Johnson 6'5" | PG Nicolet | 2021 State #240 Nation WI – Sr. – Nicolet
G Jayden Jackson Jayden Jackson 6'2" | SG Whitefish Bay | 2021 State WI – Sr. – Whitefish Bay
G Drew Biber Drew Biber 6'3" | SF Cedarburg | 2021 State WI – Sr. – Cedarburg
F James Graham James Graham 6'9" | SF Nicolet | 2021 #59 Nation WI – Sr. – Nicolet
F Brock Heffner Brock Heffner 6'7" | PF Grafton | 2021 State WI – Sr. – Grafton
F Logan Landers Logan Landers 6'9" | PF Cedarburg | 2021 State WI – Jr. – Cedarburg
SECOND TEAM
G Darrius Bolden – Sr. – Nicolet
G Sam Geldnich – Sr. – West Bend East
G Aaron Tennies Aaron Tennies 5'11" | PG West Bend West | 2021 State WI – Sr. – West Bend West
W Jadon Melvin Jadon Melvin 6'3" | SF Hartford | 2021 State WI – Sr. – Hartford
F Cullen Starker – Sr. Whitefish Bay
HONORABLE MENTION
F Miles Nation Miles Nation 6'5" | SF Nicolet | 2023 State WI – Jr. – Nicolet
F Derek Erdmann – Sr. – Slinger
F Donovan Sparks Donovan Sparks 6'3" | SF Nicolet | 2022 State WI – Jr. – Nicolet
F Chris Djurasovic Chris Djurasovic 6'8" | PF Homestead | 2023 State WI – So. – Homestead
F J.P. Benzschawel J.P. Benzschawel 6'7" | PF Grafton | 2021 State WI – Sr. – Grafton
PLAYER OF THE YEAR – KOBE JOHNSON AND JAMES GRAHAM
Could definitely see the two Nicolet standouts sharing the award. It’ll be tough for North Shore coaches to choose between either of them. Graham was second in the league last season in scoring, posting 20.6 points per game. Johnson checked in at fifth, averaging 19.6 ppg and could potentially lead the North Shore in assists as well.
BREAKOUT PLAYER – JADON MELVIN
Melvin quietly had a very strong summer. He did average 16.5 ppg last season, but lost his number two James Randolph James Randolph 6'5" | SF Wauwatosa West | 2020 State WI . That said, there’s going to be a lot more opportunities for Melvin to thrive for Hartford in 2020-21. A versatile wing who can play and defend multiple positions, Melvin will push for a spot on the first-team despite all the senior talent in the North Shore.
SLEEPER TO WATCH – MILES NATION
Yet another top player could be rolling through Nicolet. Caught Nation late in the summer and he’s got the makeup to be a special player in Wisconsin. A long, athletic 6-foot-5 small forward, Nation shows terrific flashes as a mid-range and isolation scorer. Nation could give Nicolet yet another viable threat this season.