2021-22 Season Preview: Big Eight Conference
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Looking ahead to the 2021-22 season, Prep Hoops Wisconsin breaks down the race in the Big Eight Conference… PROJECTED STANDINGS 1. Madison La Follette 2. Middleton 3. Sun Prairie 4. Madison Memorial 5. Beloit Memorial 6. Janesville Craig 7.…
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Continue ReadingLooking ahead to the 2021-22 season, Prep Hoops Wisconsin breaks down the race in the Big Eight Conference…
PROJECTED STANDINGS
1. Madison La Follette
2. Middleton
3. Sun Prairie
4. Madison Memorial
5. Beloit Memorial
6. Janesville Craig
7. Verona
8. Madison East
9. Janesville Parker
10. Madison West
THE FAVORITE — Madison La Follette
There’s not a clear-cut favorite heading into the season. The Lancers also didn’t play in 2020-21, which further complicates things. However, on paper, La Follette appears to have the most in its arsenal. Junior guard Arhman Lewis Arhman Lewis 5'9" | PG Madiosn Laffollette | 2023 State WI was ready to break out last season, but had to put his coming out party on hold. Sophomore Quinton Lomack Quinton Lomack 6'1" | CG Madison La Follette | 2024 WI is one of the top players in his class. The Lancers also have some terrific toughness and athleticism up front with Juok Riak Juok Riak 6'5" | PF Madison Lafollette | 2022 State WI and Cameron Yahnke, who can control the glass and generate second-chance points.
TOP CONTENDER – Middleton
The Cardinals get their leading scorer, Logan Raffel Logan Raffel 5'11" | PG Middleton | 2022 State WI (13.4 ppg) back. Juniors Gavyn Hurley Gavyn Hurley 6'4" | CG Middleton | 2023 State WI and Kaden Fosdick Kaden Fosdick 6'4" | PF Middleton | 2023 State WI are also both coming off good summers to give Middleton a strong trio. Nick Meinholz also played big minutes as a junior. The Cardinals were just 4-7 last season, but came close against powers such as De Pere, Monroe, and Edgerton, dropping all of those games by six points or less.
DARK HORSE – Sun Prairie
On paper, Sun Prairie doesn’t have the same depth and talent as some of the other teams beyond Ben Olson Ben Olson 6'4" | SF Dmc | 2022 State WI , but the Cardinals always seem to find guys who buy in and make a difference as upperclassmen.
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE
First Team
G Arhman Lewis Arhman Lewis 5'9" | PG Madiosn Laffollette | 2023 State WI – Jr. (Madison La Follette)
G Clevon Easton Clevon Easton 6'0" | CG Madison East | 2025 WI – Fr. (Madison East)
G Gavyn Hurley Gavyn Hurley 6'4" | CG Middleton | 2023 State WI – Jr. (Middleton)
G Marshaun Harriel Marshaun Harriel 5'11" | PG Janesville Craig | 2022 WI – Sr. (Janesville Craig)
G Braylen Blue Braylen Blue 6'3" | PG Madison Memorial | 2023 State WI – Jr. (Madison Memorial)
G Jerome Jacobs Jerome Jacobs 6'3" | SG Madison West | 2022 State WI – Sr. (Madison West)
W Ben Olson Ben Olson 6'4" | SF Dmc | 2022 State WI – Sr. (Sun Prairie)
F Carlos Harris Carlos Harris 6'9" | SF Beloit Memorial | 2022 WI – Sr. (Beloit Memorial)
F Jacob Naber Jacob Naber 6'7" | PF Janesville Parker | 2022 State WI – Sr. (Janesville Parker)
F Juok Riak Juok Riak 6'5" | PF Madison Lafollette | 2022 State WI – Sr. (Madison La Follette)
Second Team
G Da’Marcus DeValk – Sr. (Janesville Craig)
G Logan Raffel Logan Raffel 5'11" | PG Middleton | 2022 State WI – Sr. (Middleton)
G Jonah Anderson Jonah Anderson 5'11" | PG Verona | 2022 State WI – Sr. (Verona)
G Massimo Malterer Massimo Malterer 6'0" | CG Madison East | 2022 State WI – Sr. (Madison East)
G Gavin Farrell Gavin Farrell 6'2" | SG Verona Area | 2023 State WI – Jr. (Verona)
G Quinton Lomack Quinton Lomack 6'1" | CG Madison La Follette | 2024 WI – Sr. (Madison La Follette)
G K’shawn Gibbs K’shawn Gibbs 6'1" | SG Madison La Follette | 2022 State WI – Sr. (Madison La Follette)
G Faizon Farr Faizon Farr 6'1" | CG Beloit Memorial | 2023 State WI – Jr. (Beloit Memorial)
G Drew Murphy Drew Murphy 6'4" | SF Verona | 2025 State WI – Fr. (Verona)
F Kaden Fosdick Kaden Fosdick 6'4" | PF Middleton | 2023 State WI – Jr. (Middleton)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Ben Olson Ben Olson 6'4" | SF Dmc | 2022 State WI
Olson averaged 18.6 points per game as a junior. He’s also the top returning scorer in the league. The 6-foot-4 wing is a physical, athletic prospect who can score inside and out and a slasher and 3-point marksman.
BREAKOUT PLAYER – Gavyn Hurley Gavyn Hurley 6'4" | CG Middleton | 2023 State WI
Hurley only averaged 5.8 points per game last season, but was one of the biggest stock boosters in the state over the AAU travel season. A floor general with excellent positional size (6-4), Hurley is a well-rounded prospect that can do a little bit of everything on the floor.
SLEEPER TO WATCH – Carlos Harris Carlos Harris 6'9" | SF Beloit Memorial | 2022 WI
Back at Beloit Memorial after a stint at Hillcrest Prep, Harris isn’t ranked yet, but should finish as a top 50 prospect. An extremely athletic and long wing, the 6-foot-7 senior can do some scary things in the open floor. Despite being such a raw athlete, Harris shoots it better than people expect and is probably going to be the most difficult player to match up with in the league.