Potential Sleepers in 2022

<p>Examining prospects outside the top 25 of the Prep Hoops Wisconsin player rankings that could be underrated or poised to make a jump this summer...</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>No.  37 [player_tooltip player_id="950098" first="Juok" last="Riak"] - Madison La Follette</strong></p> <p>Riak just screams upside.  More of a project prospect right now, the 6-foot-7 forward is very raw, but oozing with potential. He played on a very senior-laden Madison La Follette squad and came off the bench, which kept him under the radar this season.  I’m probably being a little conservative with  his ranking right now, because prospects like this are  generally hit or miss.  This summer will be key for his ranking and development just to see where Riak is really at. </p> <p><strong>No. 39 [player_tooltip player_id="865840" first="Nathan" last="Gapinski"] - Watertown</strong></p> <p>Really liked what I saw from Gapinski at the Prep Hoops Top250 expo that put his name on the map.  I don’t know the dynamics of his high school team, but from a talent standpoint, I expected him to be one of the feature players for the Goslings. Gapinski averaged 7.0 ppg as a sophomore and was  a little gunshy when we saw him in matchups against Beaver Dam and Monroe. At 6-foot-5, Gapinski has a good-looking frame and moves well for his size. He’s also a plus-athlete who can get up and down the floor and  play above the rim.  If he breaks out of his shell a bit, I’d expect Gapinski to turn some heads this summer. </p> <p><strong>No. 41 [player_tooltip player_id="950099" first="Carter" last="Thomas"] - Neenah</strong></p> <p>Very good chance that Thomas emerges as the next go-to player for the Rockets. The sophomore forward averaged nearly 12 points per game for a 23-2 Neenah squad.  He’s a little undersized, but is an athletic forward that can score in the paint or pull bigs away from the rim and cause mismatch problems.  Thomas shot an impressive 60.7 percent from the field this season and  started to show some flashes of being able to knock down shots outside the paint. </p> <p><strong>No. 49 [player_tooltip player_id="865855" first="Joah" last="Filardo"] - Mineral Point</strong></p> <p>When UNLV signee [player_tooltip player_id="774466" first="Isaac" last="Lindsey"] was lost for the season due to injury, Filardo really stepped up.  The sophomore guard had one of the better seasons most people didn’t hear about, averaging 20.1 points per game and keeping the Pointers relevant in a very tough SWAL conference. Filardo has good size (6-1) and can find different ways to put the ball in the hoop and contribute across the board. He hit 59 triples in 2019-20 and also contributed 4.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game from the guard spot. </p> <p><strong>No. 58 [player_tooltip player_id="950644" first="Marshaun" last="Harriel"] - Janesville Craig</strong></p> <p>In my first viewing of Harriel, I saw him hold his own against Big Eight champion La Follette and put on a show in stretches. A playmaking guard who can make decisions at top end speed,  Harriel’s stats don’t tell the story of what type of talent he is. Very quick on the ball, Harriel has break-you-down ability in isolation settings. He also loves to push the pace in transition and get coast-to-coast. Also an unselfish lead guard, Harriel makes others around him better and forces defenses to get out of position, even if he’s not taking a ton of shots. </p> <p><strong>No. 66 [player_tooltip player_id="881002" first="Ben" last="Olson"] - Sun Prairie</strong></p> <p>The Cardinals had a couple of really good seniors, but Olson was able to carve out a nice role and play big minutes this season.  Olson averaged 11.5 points per game, including a 25-point effort against Madison East.  Olson knocked down 30 triples as a sophomore and shot nearly 60 percent from the floor. The lefty is very powerful when he puts the ball on the deck and has a sweet pull-up game off the bounce. </p> <p><strong>Jacob Dietz - Neenah</strong></p> <p>I don’t have Dietz ranked, but he’s a guy  that I’m continuously told needs to be.  The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 12.8 points  and 6.2 rebounds per game alongside Wofford commit [player_tooltip player_id="544541" first="Max" last="Klesmit"] this season.  The son of former Penn State forward Jon Dietz, Jacob is a strong catch-and-shoot presence on the perimeter and two-way guard who gets it done on both ends. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>