Way-Too-Early Top 10 For 2020-21: Division 2

<p>An early look at the top 10 teams to beat in Division 2 for the 2020-21 season…</p> <p><strong>1. Nicolet</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="804897" first="James" last="Graham"] (20.6 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id="929231" first="Kobe" last="Johnson"] (19.6 ppg) enter their senior years and went more than half the season without [player_tooltip player_id="544492" first="Jalen" last="Johnson"] during their 22-3 campaign, so losing the Duke commit won’t be as big of a blow.  Most of the core for the Knights returns as well including [player_tooltip player_id="865841" first="Donovan" last="Sparks"] (12.0 ppg) and Darrius Bolden (6.4 ppg) -- two of the more undervalued talents in the state. </p> <p><strong>2. Pewaukee</strong></p> <p>This was a young team that’s going to be scary over the next two seasons. The Pirates will have a dangerous trip of junior [player_tooltip player_id="761419" first="Ashton" last="Janowski"] (12.5), junior [player_tooltip player_id="801168" first="Josh" last="Terrian"] (12.2 ppg) and sophomore Milan Momcilovic (14.6 ppg), who may be the top player in the 2023 class.  Pewaukee won a share of the Woodland West Conference title last season and won eight of their last 10 games to close the 2019-20 campaign. </p> <p><strong>3. New Berlin Eisenhower</strong></p> <p>This group went 20-5 last season and won a share of the Woodland West Conference title.  The Lions also get two of their top three scorers back in [player_tooltip player_id="880038" first="Sam" last="Ludwig"] (18.6 ppg) and honorable mention All-State pick in 2019-20 and [player_tooltip player_id="880007" first="Josh" last="Crubaugh"] (12.6 ppg), who hit 69 3-pointers and shot 43.4 percent from downtown as a junior. </p> <p><strong>4. River Falls</strong></p> <p>The Wildcats didn’t quite live up to expectations this season, but a big part of that was just being in the grind of a very strong Big Rivers Conference. River Falls will likely go into 2020-21 as the overwhelming favorite in the league after finishing in second place this year, including an 18-6 overall record.  [player_tooltip player_id="804899" first="Zac" last="Johnson"] (20.8 ppg) is back for his senior season as are the twin towers  [player_tooltip player_id="879999" first="Jameson" last="Dougherty"] (10.2 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id="880013" first="Liam" last="Dougherty"] (6.0 ppg). If their sectional stays relatively similar, Falls also has a very nice path to the state tournament. </p> <p><strong>5. Monroe</strong></p> <p>The Cheesemakers were 18-6 last season, but had an up and down year.  On paper, this is one of the most talented teams in Division 2, featuring  [player_tooltip player_id="701965" first="Cade" last="Meyer"] (18.7 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="801151" first="Carson" last="Leuzinger"] (15.2 ppg), and [player_tooltip player_id="801147" first="J.T." last="Seagreaves"] (11.8 ppg). All in all, Monroe will return its top five scorers from last season and should be favored strongly in the Badger South Conference. </p> <p><strong>6. Wauwatosa East</strong></p> <p>This team was much better than its 12-12 record, having to play in the Greater Metro Conference with three ranked Division 1 teams at the top. That was proven in the regional final where the Red Raiders nearly took down top seed Milwaukee Lutheran on the road. Leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="764118" first="John" last="Lovelace"] transferred to Brown Deer, which will hurt, but Tosa East gets back [player_tooltip player_id="804904" first="Brian" last="Parzych"] (11.8 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="761404" first="Leon" last="Bond"] (11.8 ppg), who may be the top player in the 2022 class,  Alex Singleton (8.9 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="804959" first="Jay" last="Hinson"]  (6.6 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="950650" first="Parker" last="Thompson"] (6.6 ppg), and [player_tooltip player_id="764135" first="Marcus" last="Mbow"] (4.1 ppg), who are all ranked prospects. </p> <p><strong>7. Cedarburg</strong></p> <p>The Bulldogs are going to have one of the top 1-2 punches in the state. After improving by 11 wins from 2018-19, Cedarburg is going to add Brookfield Academy transfer [player_tooltip player_id="879982" first="Logan" last="Landers"] to the fold.  Landers (18.8 ppg) nearly averaged a double-double last season in a starting lineup that had  two other college prospects on it.  Oh, and then there’s  [player_tooltip player_id="879984" first="Drew" last="Biber"], a top 20 prospect in 2021, who averaged 20.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game last season. </p> <p><strong> 8. Waukesha West</strong></p> <p>Thought this team would fall off after losing four starters, including three college prospects.  It was still a rebuilding year for the Wolverines, but  they definitely didn’t roll over in the Classic Eight Conference, finishing with a 13-12 record and taking 1-seed Elkhorn down to the wire in the sectional semifinals.  This team also played a portion of its season without do-it-all guard [player_tooltip player_id="830582" first="Cameron" last="Palesse"] (24.5 ppg), who will be back for his senior season.  West will also return its top four scorers from last season. </p> <p><strong>9. Westosha Central</strong></p> <p>This season was supposed to be a bit of a rebuilding project. Despite their youth, the Falcons still went 15-9 and won a share of the Southern Lakes Conference. Central was led by four sophomores in [player_tooltip player_id="727964" first="Jack" last="Rose"] (17.5 ppg),  [player_tooltip player_id="945811" first="Kenny" last="Garth"] (11.9 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="865852" first="Bradley" last="Bell"] (5.8 ppg), and <strong>Devin Griffin</strong> (5.5 ppg) and will get their top five scorers back. </p> <p><strong>10. Luxemburg-Casco</strong></p> <p><strong>Logan Doell</strong> (18.3 ppg)  and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="880024" first="Ryan" last="Robillard"]</strong> (17.6 ppg) are both back as are a couple of younger pieces who could make some sizable jumps.  The  Spartans had an impressive playoff win over Ashwaubenon, dismantling the Jaguars by 33 points and then hung with 1-seed Seymour in the regional finals. Playing in a strong North Eastern conference that featured three of the top teams in Division 3, things should clear out for Casco quite a bit in 2020-21. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Honorable Mention: Onalaska, Hortonville, DeForest, Stoughton, Elkhorn, Whitnall, Milwaukee Bay View, Wisconsin Lutheran, Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee Washington, Kaukauna, Seymour, Milwaukee Vincent, Milton, Ashwaubenon, New Richmond, Tomah, Medford, Mosinee, Notre Dame</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>