2020-21 Preview: North Shore

<p>Looking ahead to the 2020-21 season, Prep Hoops Wisconsin breaks down the race in the North Shore Conference...</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH</strong></p> <p>1.  Nicolet</p> <p>2. Cedarburg</p> <p>3. Whitefish Bay</p> <p>4. Grafton</p> <p>5.  Hartford</p> <p>6. West Bend East</p> <p>7. Homestead</p> <p>8. Slinger</p> <p>9.  West Bend West</p> <p>10. Port Washington</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>THE FAVORITE -  NICOLET</strong></p> <p>There’s unfinished business with this team after they were denied to repeat as Division 2 state champions. The loss of [player_tooltip player_id="544492" first="Jalen" last="Johnson"], now at Duke, won’t make them much less of a favorite in the North Shore this season. Maryland commit [player_tooltip player_id="804897" first="James" last="Graham"] and USC commit [player_tooltip player_id="929231" first="Kobe" last="Johnson"] make up the top 1-2 punch in the state. The Knights have a bevy of young players as well who  will break out in the next year or so. </p> <p><strong>TOP CHALLENGER -  CEDARBURG</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="879984" first="Drew" last="Biber"] gets some major help in the form of Brookfield Academy transfer [player_tooltip player_id="879982" first="Logan" last="Landers"].  The Bulldogs need to revamp most of its starting five, but the inside-outside combo of Biber and Landers keeps them right in the hunt.</p> [caption id="attachment_1019216" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Drew-Biber.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1019216" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Drew-Biber-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="879984" first="Drew" last="Biber"][/caption] <p><strong>DARK HORSE - GRAFTON/WHITEFISH BAY</strong></p> <p>The Blackhawks could be sneaky good once again. They’ll have to replace Wright State commit [player_tooltip player_id="553385" first="Alex" last="Huibregtse"], but the frontcourt pair of IUPUI commit [player_tooltip player_id="879995" first="Brock" last="Heffner"] and Wisconsin football commit JP Benzschawel will force opponents to play from outside the paint.  Grafton returns three starters and there’s a young player or two in the program that head coach <strong>Damon James</strong> is excited about.</p> <p>As for Whitefish Bay, they seemed to give everyone trouble last season. The Blue Dukes finished one game out of first place and return one of the state’s top uncommitted players [player_tooltip player_id="804902" first="Jayden" last="Jackson"]. Whitefish Bay also ended the season by winning six of their last seven games. This is a team that believes in its system and took on the state’s best in 2019-20, including Nicolet, Milwaukee King, Dominican, Martin Luther, and Grafton.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PRESEASON FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE</strong></p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="929231" first="Kobe" last="Johnson"] - Sr. - Nicolet</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="804902" first="Jayden" last="Jackson"] - Sr. - Whitefish Bay</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="879984" first="Drew" last="Biber"] - Sr. - Cedarburg</p> <p>F [player_tooltip player_id="804897" first="James" last="Graham"]  - Sr. - Nicolet</p> <p>F [player_tooltip player_id="879995" first="Brock" last="Heffner"] - Sr. - Grafton</p> <p>F [player_tooltip player_id="879982" first="Logan" last="Landers"] - Jr. - Cedarburg</p> <p><strong>SECOND TEAM</strong></p> <p><strong>G Darrius Bolden - Sr. - Nicolet</strong></p> <p><strong>G Sam Geldnich - Sr. - West Bend East</strong></p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="880019" first="Aaron" last="Tennies"] - Sr. - West Bend West</p> <p>W [player_tooltip player_id="879996" first="Jadon" last="Melvin"] - Sr. - Hartford</p> <p><strong>F Cullen Starker - Sr. Whitefish Bay</strong></p> <p><strong>HONORABLE MENTION</strong></p> <p>F [player_tooltip player_id="1041690" first="Miles" last="Nation"] - Jr. - Nicolet</p> <p>F Derek Erdmann - Sr. - Slinger</p> <p>F [player_tooltip player_id="865841" first="Donovan" last="Sparks"] - Jr. - Nicolet</p> <p>F [player_tooltip player_id="1012674" first="Chris" last="Djurasovic"] - So. - Homestead</p> <p>F [player_tooltip player_id="880000" first="J.P." last="Benzschawel"] - Sr. - Grafton</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PLAYER OF THE YEAR - KOBE JOHNSON AND JAMES GRAHAM</strong></p> <p>Could definitely see the two Nicolet standouts sharing the award. It’ll be tough for North Shore coaches to choose between either of them. Graham was second in the league last season in scoring, posting 20.6 points per game.  Johnson checked in at fifth, averaging 19.6 ppg and could potentially lead the North Shore in assists as well.</p> <p><strong>BREAKOUT PLAYER -  JADON MELVIN</strong></p> [caption id="attachment_1041700" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/20200830_105014.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1041700" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/20200830_105014-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1041690" first="Miles" last="Nation"][/caption] <p>Melvin quietly had a very strong summer. He did average 16.5 ppg last season, but lost his number two [player_tooltip player_id="880985" first="James" last="Randolph"].  That said, there’s going to be a lot more opportunities for Melvin to thrive for Hartford in 2020-21. A versatile wing who can play and defend multiple positions, Melvin will push for a spot on the first-team despite all the senior talent in the North Shore.</p> <p><strong>SLEEPER TO WATCH -  MILES NATION</strong></p> <p>Yet another top player could be rolling through Nicolet. Caught Nation late in the summer and he’s got the makeup to be a special player in Wisconsin. A long, athletic 6-foot-5 small forward, Nation shows terrific flashes as a mid-range and isolation scorer. Nation could give Nicolet yet another viable threat this season.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>