Five Teams Poised to Make a Big Jump in 2019-20: No. 1 Tosa East
Looking ahead to the 2019-20 season, Prep Hoops Wisconsin is profiling five teams who are poised to make a big jump in 2019-20. We continue our series with Wauwatosa East, who returns a terrific trio of talent this season… …
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Continue ReadingLooking ahead to the 2019-20 season, Prep Hoops Wisconsin is profiling five teams who are poised to make a big jump in 2019-20. We continue our series with Wauwatosa East, who returns a terrific trio of talent this season…
2018-19 REWIND
Overall Record: 8-16
Conference Record: 3-13 (T-7th in Greater Metro)
WIAA Playoff Finish: Lost 61-55 to Wisconsin Lutheran in D1 Regional Finals
Key Losses: Jalen Griffin (10.1 ppg)
PROJECTED STARTERS
G Jay Hinson Jr. (N/A) – Jr.
G Brian Parzych (12.7 ppg) – Jr.
F John Lovelace Jr. (10.8 ppg) – Jr.
F Alex Singleton (5.5 ppg) – Jr.
F Leon Bond (5.5 ppg) – So.
WHY TOSA EAST?
They return three of the better players in the Greater Metro Conference, all of which are poised for breakout seasons.
Led by junior guard Brian Parzych, an honorable mention all-conference pick a season ago, the Red Raiders have a go-to player with a high motor on both ends of the floor. As he did a season ago, Parzych could very well lead East in scoring, rebounding, and assists.
“I think he started to assert himself into a leader last year. We definitely see that as being a big part of what he’ll bring to the table,” Tosa East head coach Tim Arndorfer told Prep Hoops Wisconsin. “He really improved his quickness. Offensively, that helped a lot. Really, his defense is something he really picked up on last year. We need the rest of the team to rally behind his defensive intensity.
“He’s just a kid that kind of does everything well. He sees the floor, gets other involved, defends, he can score if it’s needed. We’re pretty excited about what kind of year he’s going to have.”
Junior wing John Lovelace Jr. is also back. As a sophomore, Lovelace started every game for the Red Raiders and averaged in double figures. Coming off a terrific summer, the athletic, 6-foot-5 wing is now developing into a strong two-way player.
“John’s put in a lot of work,” Arndorfer said. “The biggest thing we’re looking for is that continued aggressiveness, especially on the offensive end. The confidence he’s starting to develop there — he score in a lot of different ways. His skillset is kind of catching up with his physical tools. Hopefully, that means really good things for us.
“On top that, I’m excited about his defense. As a freshman, and even at times last year, that was a concern. He’s going to be as good as he can defend. I think he took that to heart.”
Arguably one of the top two sophomores in the state, Leon Bond is poised for major things in 2019-20 and should start attracting Division 1 attention. While he was a little quiet as a freshman, Bond broke out of his shell over the summer and played a dominant brand of basketball.
“He’s realizing that he is that good,” Arndorfer stated. “I don’t know if he had that last year. We were waiting for that to come out last year. He was trying to find his place as the one freshman on a varsity team. That’s not an easy thing to ask of a kid.
“I think more than anything else, that’s catapulted him now. He’s put in a lot of work though too. The accolades he’s getting are well deserved. I really want him to look at himself as one of the best players on the floor, regardless of who’s out there with them.”
Tosa East is also going to add two quality players who should compete for starting jobs. After playing JV last year, junior center Marcus Mbow, also a standout offensive tackle in football, will bolster the frontcourt.
“He looks like somebody who’s going to be a significant contributor,” Arndorfer said.
The Red Raiders are also bringing in Tosa West transfer Jay Hinson Jr. at point guard.
“We’re hoping that he can slide in and fit in with all these guys,” said Arndorfer.
BIGGEST QUESTION
While Tosa East has plenty of individual talent, can they put it all together? After two consecutive losing seasons and in search of reaching sectionals for the first time since 2014-15, Arndorfer, who led the Red Raiders to a state title in 2008, hopes his squad takes more of a “we over me” mentality.
“I hope they can understand we have to play together if we’re going to be successful,” said Arndorfer. “As talented of individuals as we have, it’s still a team game. If you want to take one or two of our guys away, who else is going to step up? Are we willing to recognize, ‘Maybe it’s not my night, maybe it’s someone else’s night?’
“When we won the state championship in 2008, it was like that. It didn’t matter who scored or who got all the attention. The only thing mattered was we had more points than the other team at the end of the game.
“If we can get that mindset into these guys, then I think we’re going to be a team that’s really hard to beat.”
OUTLOOK
Tosa East would be a trendy pick to win a lot of conferences, but in the Greater Metro, just about every night is a battle. With Sussex Hamilton, Brookfield Central, and Brookfield East all fielding potential state tournament caliber squads once again, Arndorfer knows it’s an uphill battle just to get into that top four.
“I think you’re going to be hard-pressed to find a conference as challenging as ours,” Arndorfer said. “I think these guys are motivated to challenge for one of the top spots in the conference. Obviously, it’s easier said than done. You have to show up and show up big time against those teams.
“We realize there’s a challenge in front of us, but I think that motivates these guys. They’re not gonna back away from that challenge.”
It would be easy for Arndorfer and Tosa East to be looking ahead to 2020-21. The Red Raiders will return just about everything and reload one of the state’s deepest and most experienced squads.
However, East isn’t interested in another rebuilding year.
“We have our eyes set on a conference championship,” he said. “Regardless of whether you’re a conference champ or not, we’ve always had a goal of getting to sectionals. Once you get there, anything can happen.
“I know these guys are motivated to get Tosa East back to Madison. They’re really into the idea of bringing back the pride and tradition that maybe we’ve slipped with a little bit in terms of our wins and losses.
“I don’t want to say we’re a year away. I think our guys are pursuing both of those goals this year.”