Top 5 Teams and Players By Division

As the season approaches, prospects and programs look toward their competition for the year — and down the road, the playoffs. In preparation for the talent divide, Prep Hoops Wisconsin establishes the top-five teams and prospects in divisions one through five. Players - Division One: <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Patrick Baldwin Jr. - Sussex Hamilton - 2021</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Carter Gilmore - Arrowhead - 2020</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Dalton Banks - Eau Claire North - 2020</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Max Klesmit - Neenah- 2020</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">David Joplin - 2021</li> </ol> Division one’s talent monopoly remains as potent as it is consistent. Capped off by a top-three player in the country in Patrick Baldwin Jr. and backed by a high-major forward in Gilmore, there’s certainly a looming sense of starpower headlining the division. Banks and Klesmit each add their D1 commitments to the pool, while Joplin swoops in at five as a potential high-major commit. Division Two: <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Johnny Davis - La Crosse Central - 2020</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Terrance Thompson - La Crosse Central - 2020</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Cade Meyer - Monroe - 2021</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Jordan Davis - La Crosse Central - 2020</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Kobe Johnson - Nicolet - 2021</li> </ol> The La Crosse trio fills up three berths on this top-five, an understandable feat for three high-major kingpins. Cade Meyer squeaks in at three after he shot up the ranking this offseason, while Kobe Johnson looks to take the reins of a state title winner, campaigning his way into the top-five. Division Three: <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Tyrese Hunter - Racine St. Catherines - 2021</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Alex Antetokounmpo - Dominican - 2020</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Brandin Podziemski - SJNMA - 2021</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Kamari McGee - Racine St. Catherines - 2021</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Logan Landers - Brookfield Academy - 2021\</li> </ol> Division three is in position to usurp division one next season with a thickest strand of 2021 talent. Tyrese Hunter — who is currently the hottest trend in a particularly trendy high-major recruiting scene — helms this list, eking out Antetokounmpo for the number one spot. Podziemski and McGee are essentially shoulder to shoulder here, though the SJNMA guard showed more verve this summer and fall. Landers, despite missing out on a grassroots season, dominated enough in his sophomore season to land in the top-five. Division Four: <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Isaac Lindsey - Mineral Point - 2020</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Darius Hannah - MAS - 2020</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Kaleim Taylor - MAS - 2020</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Brayden Dailey - Cuba City - 2021</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Adam Larson - Fennimore - 2021</li> </ol> Milwaukee Academy of Science offers up two division one commits in Hannah and Taylor, though they fall, respectively, behind Lindsey. The UNLV commit sports the offensive arsenal to dominate with more resolve than both Hannah and Taylor. Dailey looks to capitalize on a transfer this offseason and remain among the top-tier of juniors and division four prospects, while Fennimore big Adam Larson springboards from fall league stardom into the fifth spot. Division Five: <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Jacob Ognacevic - Sheboygan Lutheran - 2020</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Carter Lomas - Wauzeka-Steuben - 2020</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Casey Verhagen - Sheboygan Lutheran - 2022</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Grant Manke - Bangor - 2020</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Caleb Williams - Wild Rose - 2020</li> </ol> Ognacevic is truly a lock at the top, while Lomas has sneakily mounted the 2020 rankings, falling closely behind in the two spot. Verhagen, the only sophomore in any top-five listed, has the passing and scoring chops to defy the age gap. Manke has proven to be an elite rebounder, enough to slot him in the top-five. Williams, too, has been a tad under the radar, though his scoring is enough currency for a spot here. Teams - Division One: <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Sussex Hamilton</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Brookfield Central</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Madison East</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Madison La Follete</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Sun Prairie</li> </ol> Baldwin leads a roster of tremendous depth, and returning talent puts them over a partially depleted Brookfield team. Madison East fell early in the State push last season, looking to rebound alongside a new contender in La Follete and an experienced Sun Prarie group. Division Two: <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;">La Crosse Central</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Onalaska</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Nicolet</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Kaukauna</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">River Falls</li> </ol> La Crosse Central and Onalaska, two conference rivals, lead the division going into next season. Nicolet will remain formidable even without Jalen Johnson and Jamari Sibley. Kaukauna and River Falls missed out on State last season, but have more room in their respective brackets to make a legitimate push. Division Three: <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Racine St. Catherines </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Brookfield Academy</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Saint John’s Northwest Military Academy (SJNMA)</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Dominican </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Prescott </li> </ol> Racine St. Catherines will see a young core mature in a newfound spotlight, but this conference is going to be remembered for its competitiveness. Any of the four teams could be a frontrunner right now, and separating the pack will likely come down to head-to-head matchups during the playoffs. Division Four: <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Milwaukee Academy of Science (MAS)</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Lourdes Academy</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Mineral Point</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Iola-Scandinavia</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Fennimore</li> </ol> MAS is the palpable favorite, but Lourdes returns with State experience and Mineral Point can hop onto the back of Isaac Lindsey at any point during the season. But with the talent glut at MAS, the contender list remains an exclusive bunch. Division Five: <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Sheboygan Lutheran</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Bangor</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Luck</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Wauzeka-Steuben</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Wild Rose</li> </ol> Division five has a few talented underdogs. Luck returns the bulk of their core, Bangor beings back Grant Manke and a youthful supporting cast. Too bad there’s a looming cap on their potential, as Ognaveic and Lutheran will (notice the lack of doubt in that statement) finish out its monopoly on State titles in his senior season.