2020-21 Preview: Mississippi Valley

<p>Looking ahead to the 2020-21 season, Prep Hoops Wisconsin breaks down the race in the Mississippi Valley Conference...</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH</strong></p> <p>1.  Onalaska</p> <p>2. La Crosse Central</p> <p>3. Tomah</p> <p>4. Holmen</p> <p>5. Aquinas</p> <p>6. La Crosse Logan</p> <p>7. Sparta</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>FAVORITE - ONALASKA</strong></p> <p>Despite losing [player_tooltip player_id="811026" first="Carson" last="Arenz"] and [player_tooltip player_id="811021" first="Tyrell" last="Stuttley"], the Hilltoppers are still in good shape to repeat as conference champions. Onalaska returns a strong senior trio of [player_tooltip player_id="764106" first="Gavin" last="McGrath"], [player_tooltip player_id="879989" first="Sam" last="Kick"], and Victory Desmond who have played a ton of basketball over the last three years on the varsity level and been in some of the biggest environments.</p> <p><strong>TOP CONTENDER - LA CROSSE CENTRAL</strong></p> <p>The Red Raiders are going to take a step back after losing three Division 1 players, but they’re still one of the frontrunners in the Mississippi Valley Conference.  It’s probably a rebuilding year in terms of trying to get back to the Division 2 title race, but Central has some nice pieces to work with. Juniors [player_tooltip player_id="865862" first="Noah" last="Compan"] and [player_tooltip player_id="990740" first="Devon" last="Fielding"] got their feet wet last season. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="1022499" first="Bennett" last="Fried"] is a top 50 player in his class and someone oozing with upside.</p> <p><strong>DARK HORSE - TOMAH</strong></p> <p>The focus of this conference has been Onalaska and La Crosse Central for so long that nobody really paid attention to Tomah last season. The Timberwolves quietly won  17 games in 2019-20 and return two of their top three scorers.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PRESEASON FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE</strong></p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="879989" first="Sam" last="Kick"] - Sr. - Onalaska</p> <p><strong>G Dustin  Derousseau - Jr. - Tomah</strong></p> <p>W [player_tooltip player_id="865862" first="Noah" last="Compan"] - Jr-  La Crosse Central</p> <p>F [player_tooltip player_id="880003" first="Victor" last="Desmond"] -   Sr. - Onalaska</p> <p>C [player_tooltip player_id="764106" first="Gavin" last="McGrath"] -  Sr. - Onalaska</p> <p><strong>SECOND TEAM</strong></p> <p><strong>G Quinn Miskowski -  Jr. - Aquinas</strong></p> <p><strong>W Carson Lindauer - Sr.  - Tomah</strong></p> <p>W [player_tooltip player_id="1022499" first="Bennett" last="Fried"] -  So. - La Crosse Central</p> <p><strong>F Cole Kalander - Sr. - Holmen</strong></p> <p><strong>F Max Hammond - Sr. - Holmen</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PLAYER OF THE YEAR - VICTOR DESMOND</strong></p> <p>Desmond likely takes over as the go-to player for Onalaska this season. Mississippi Valley foes aren't going to like that he's sprouted to 6-foot-6 and seems to have had a great summer in the weight room as well. An athletic slashing wing, Desmond averaged 6.8 points and 2.7 rebounds per game last season for a stacked Hilltopper squad.</p> <p><strong>BREAKOUT PLAYER -  NOAH COMPAN</strong></p> <p>Compan looks ready to lead the charge for Central this season. He's been limited to a role player with all the talent the Red Raiders have had each of his two seasons at the varsity level, but  Compan showed at the Prep Hoops Top250 Expo that he can play with some of the best talent in the state. Compan has the size, athleticism, and tools to score in isolation.  He also does a nice job of mixing it up as a spot-up 3-point shooter and a slasher that can generate easy buckets at the rim.</p> <p><strong>SURPRISE PLAYER -  COLE KALANDER</strong></p> <p>Less concerned about Kalander's points per game, although he shouldn't certainly  improve on his 2.7 ppg average from last season. This is one of the biggest hidden gems in the state right now. The 6-foot-7 forward is a bouncy shot blocker  who can also run the floor and make exciting plays in transition. Kalander opened a lot of eyes over the summer. As a raw, rapidly developing forward with  a lot of things you can't teach, Kalander should give Holmen a strong interior presence this season.</p>