2020-21 Preview: Metro Classic

<p>Looking ahead to the 2020-21 season, Prep Hoops Wisconsin breaks down the race in the Metro Classic Conference...</p> <p><strong>PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH</strong></p> <p>1.  Racine St. Catherine’s</p> <p>2. The Prairie School</p> <p>3. Martin Luther</p> <p>4. Dominican</p> <p>5. Kenosha St. Joseph</p> <p>6.  Racine Lutheran</p> <p>7. St. Thomas More</p> <p>8. Catholic Central</p> <p>9. Shoreland Lutheran</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>THE FAVORITE - RACINE ST. CATHERINE’S</strong></p> <p>Without [player_tooltip player_id="935422" first="Elijah" last="Lambert"], the Angels may not be better than last season, but they’re still a</p> [caption id="attachment_1022929" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/WI-SHARKS-17U-Jameer-Barker.jpg?1600564630885"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1022929" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/WI-SHARKS-17U-Jameer-Barker-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="994508" first="Jameer" last="Barker"][/caption] <p>runaway favorite in the Metro Classic, perhaps in all of Division 3.  St. Catherine’s was 25-0 last season and only had two games within single digits.  The top three scorers -- [player_tooltip player_id="804895" first="Tyrese" last="Hunter"], [player_tooltip player_id="879981"</p> <p>first="Kamari" last="McGee"], and  [player_tooltip player_id="994508" first="Jameer" last="Barker"] are all back for their senior seasons. </p> <p><strong>TOP CONTENDER - THE PRAIRIE SCHOOL</strong></p> <p>The Hawks had an up and down year, but reload in a big way behind their top five scorers from last season.  Do-it-all guard/wing [player_tooltip player_id="879983" first="Antuan" last="Nesbitt"] will have a strong and experienced supporting cast, featuring [player_tooltip player_id="981021" first="Ashe" last="Oglesby"], [player_tooltip player_id="938202" first="Kody" last="Krekling"], Jacob Fallico, and [player_tooltip player_id="1041724" first="Asanjai" last="Hunter"].</p> <p><strong>DARK HORSE -  DOMINICAN </strong></p> <p>The Knights only had two league losses last season, both to St. Catherine’s. Coming off a 20-win season, Dominican returns  [player_tooltip player_id="804919" first="Delone" last="Austin"] and [player_tooltip player_id="880035" first="Ronald" last="Kirk"].  Dominican is losing a lot of depth from 2019-20, including Alex  Antetokounmpo and [player_tooltip player_id="881032" first="Ben" last="Jelacic"], but if sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="1041691" first="Taylor" last="Smith"] can  emerge, they’ll be fighting for a top spot in the league once again. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PRESEASON FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE</strong></p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="801144" first="Micah" last="Causey"] - Jr. - St. Thomas More</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="804895" first="Tyrese" last="Hunter"] - Sr. - Racine St. Catherine’s</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="879981" first="Kamari" last="McGee"] - Sr. -  Racine St. Catherine’s</p> <p><strong>G </strong> [player_tooltip player_id="994508" first="Jameer" last="Barker"] - Sr. - Racine St. Catherine’s</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="879983" first="Antuan" last="Nesbitt"] - Sr. - The Prairie School</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="727972" first="Andrew" last="Alia"] - Jr. - Kenosha St. Joseph</p> <p><strong>SECOND TEAM</strong></p> <p>G Brady Wilkes - Sr. - Racine Lutheran</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="981038" first="Demerius" last="Shakur"] - So. - Martin Luther</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="804919" first="Delone" last="Austin"] - Sr. - Dominican</p> <p>W [player_tooltip player_id="880035" first="Ronald" last="Kirk"] - Sr. - Dominican</p> <p>W [player_tooltip player_id="764101" first="Quentin" last="Bolton"] - Sr. -  Shoreland Lutheran</p> <p>F [player_tooltip player_id="981021" first="Ashe" last="Oglesby"] - So. -  The Prairie School</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PLAYER OF THE YEAR - TYRESE HUNTER</strong></p> <p>Hunter led the conference in scoring last season at 21.3 ppg. The Iowa State commit is one of the most explosive athletes in the state.  The reigning Metro Classic Player of the Year, Hunter led the Angels to a perfect 25-0 mark last season.</p> <p><strong>BREAKOUT PLAYER - RONALD KIRK</strong></p> [caption id="attachment_1030914" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Demerius-Shakur-2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1030914" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Demerius-Shakur-2-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="981038" first="Demerius" last="Shakur"][/caption] <p>Kirk finished fourth on Dominican in scoring as a junior. Wouldn’t be surprised if he led the way in 2020-21.  A strong, athletic slasher who just doesn’t get denied on his way to the rim, Kirk put up 11.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game last season.  If Kirk can shoot the ball consistently from the outside, he’s going to be a handful for defenders to match up with that 6-foot-5 frame.</p> <p><strong>SURPRISE PLAYER -  DEMERIUS SHAKUR</strong></p> <p>Shakur had a strong freshman season, averaging 5.8 points and 2.6 assists per game. Coming off a fantastic summer, Shakur is a terrific pick n’ roll guard who can get downhill, make plays for others, and just carve up the defense. With Martin Luther losing a couple of key seniors, Shakur could get the keys to the car during his sophomore campaign. </p>