Five Teams Who Will Be Better Than Expected in 2018-19: Green Bay Southwest
Looking ahead to the 2018-19 WIAA basketball campaign, Prep Hoops Wisconsin examines 10 teams who will be better than expected this season, continuing with Green Bay Southwest.
2017-18 Rewind
Overall Record: 15-9
Conference Record (Fox River Classic): 12-6 (T-3rd)
WIAA State Tournament Finish: Lost 83-41 to Kaukauna in the Division 2 Regional Final
Key Losses: Cole Bouche (17.3 ppg)
Projected Starting Lineup
G Lucas Stieber – Sr. (11.1 ppg)
G Ty Melchert – Jr. (7.6 ppg)
G Carson Landry – Sr. (5.7 ppg)
F Will Pytleski – Sr. (13.5 ppg)
F Ian Way – Sr. (3.0 ppg)
Why Green Bay Southwest?
Leading scorer Cole Bouche is gone, but the Trojans return their next top five scorers.
The 1-2 punch of Will Pytleski and Lucas Stieber looked strong over the summer, both in high school and AAU events.
Pytleski, a do-it-all forward that can play bigger than his size, can help overcome some potential size issues for Southwest. Last season, Pytleski was second on the team in rebounding (6.2), second in assists (2.2), third in steals (.9), and third in blocks (1.2).
One of the best kept secrets in Wisconsin, Stieber could emerge as one of the state’s top playmakers. A flashy passer with a deep bag of tricks, Stieber averaged just short of five assists per game as a junior and still was able to average north of 11 points per game, while shooting 52.1 percent from the floor from the guard position.
Biggest Question
Can this team get over the hump in marquee games?
Looking back at last season, Green Bay Southwest didn’t always hold their own against premier teams in the state. They were routed by Kaukauna by 42 points in a playoff game. Stevens Point also dropped them by 21 points. Of their nine losses, five came by double digits — a little bit of a red flag for a team that we view to be pretty talented and had plenty of upperclassmen.
The Fox River Classic will continue to be tough night in and night out. On top of that, the Trojans will be in the same sectional as Kaukauna and Nicolet — two of the top contenders in Division 2.
Final Word
Along with Pulaski and Sheboygan North, Southwest seems to reload the best in the Fox River Classic and could be considered the preseason favorite within the conference.
This team is battle tested as well. Finishing third in the Fox River Classic last season was no easy task. In fact, six of the teams won 10 conference games or more and four Fox River Classic squads won at least 15 games overall.
Following a year in which there were plenty of top ranked teams upset in the WIAA Tournament, keep an eye on Southwest as a potential spoiler this season.
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