Weekend Rewind: Top Standouts

The first week of the WIAA boy’s basketball season was an eventful one with a number of high-level matchups taking place across the state. Here’s a breakdown of the top individual standouts we saw in-person over the weekend... [player_tooltip player_id="1089679" first="Nas" last="Beamon"] - 2024 - G - Martin Luther The No. 2 ranked freshman in the state certainly lived up to the hype in a high-level matchup against Wisconsin Lutheran. A strong and powerful athlete, Beamon has such an advanced frame for his age. When he puts his head down and is determined to get to the rim, Beamon is extremely tough to stop. The 6-foot-2 freshman also shows signs of being a three-level scorer. He’s also a willing defender who can shut off straight-line drives to the rim and take contact right in the chest. This 2024 class has a chance to be pretty special at the top with Beamon being one of the headliners. [player_tooltip player_id="1095818" first="Tre" last="Burris"] - 2021 - G - Martin Luther Burris played well enough to get a spot in the next class of 2021 rankings update. The senior has some terrific playmaking ability on the ball. He’s very quick and decisive with the rock. Burris has a number of tools and exciting moves to operate in traffic. When he’s challenged at the rim, Burris does a great job of shielding the basketball, absorbing contact, and finishing off-balance. Burris also had some very fine assists in transition. He shoveled passes off to his teammates for easy buckets, using terrific last-second decision making, forcing defenders to pick him up just before he got to the rim. [player_tooltip player_id="994504" first="Jacob" last="Dietz"] - 2021 - SG - Neenah Was really impressed with Dietz defensively. Going head-to-head against a 6-foot-8 forward, Dietz did a tremendous job keeping his man away from the rim and also bothering the stretch forward on the perimeter. Offensively, he scored 13 points in a win over Appleton North, a game that got out of hand rather early. Dietz is a very intriguing prospect for Division 3 schools. The 6-foot-3 senior has a strong frame, can knock down shots all over the floor from any range off the dribble or off the catch. He has one of the most beautiful, high-arcing shots in the state as well and just doesn’t get fazed by tight coverage. [player_tooltip player_id="865837" first="Chevalier" last="Emery"] - 2022 - G - Neenah [caption id="attachment_1095830" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/Emery.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1095830" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/Emery-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="865837" first="Chevalier" last="Emery"][/caption] Emery had a big first half defensively and a big second half offensively as Neenah ran away from Appleton North. The junior guard scored 13 points, most of which came in the second half, and had a handful of steals as the Rockets blew out the Lightning. Emery was a pest defensively, getting his hands in and knocking the ball loose or taking calculated risks to leave his man and generate steals when ballhandlers turned their backs to him. Emery, who came up as more of a sharpshooter, has really improved his dribble-drive ability. An athletic guard with pop, Emery can slice into tight areas and doesn’t shy away from contact around the rim. [player_tooltip player_id="1089725" first="Jordan" last="Glenn"] - 2022 - G - Wisconsin Lutheran Glenn had a huge surge that included three-straight triples to help Wisconsin Lutheran separate from Martin Luther in Saturday’s win. A recent addition to the 2022 rankings, Glenn not only backed it up with a team-high 18 points, but probably boosted his stock as well. The lefty is a good-looking pull-up jump shooter with a sweet stroke. On the ball, he’s very quick and shifty. Glenn plays more off the ball for the Vikings, but certainly is capable of starting the break and making good decisions with the basketball. [player_tooltip player_id="953943" first="John" last="Kinziger"] - 2023 - G - De Pere Kinziger dropped 32 points as De Pere picked up a key conference win over Ashwaubenon. A crafty, skilled scorer, Kinziger finds all sorts of way to put the ball in the hole. The 5-foot-11 guard has in-the-gym range. He works very well off the ball and plays within the flow of the offense. Kinziger won’t wow anybody with speed or athletic ability, but he’s difficult to guard as someone who’s just never stagnant. Known for his scoring ability, there’s definitely more to him as a prospect. Kinziger makes some surprising gritty effort plays as well, recording a couple of blocked shots and a few putbacks. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"> 2023 guard [player_tooltip player_id="953943" first="John" last="Kinziger"] opened the season with 32 points in a win over Ashwaubenon. Holds an early offer from Toledo. <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnKinziger?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JohnKinziger</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DePereHoops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DePereHoops</a> <a href="https://t.co/Hb33mBex35">pic.twitter.com/Hb33mBex35</a> — Prep Hoops Wisconsin (@PrepHoops_WI) <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepHoops_WI/status/1334927802177626115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> [player_tooltip player_id="880009" first="Kyle" last="Krueger"] - 2021 - PF - Ashwaubenon Krueger had 16 points in a loss to De Pere. When the Jaguars played through their senior big man, they seemed to be at their best. A strong, physical, and mobile post, Krueger is an excellent scorer on the block. While he’s a little undersized (6-5), Krueger can go to work 1-on-1 on the block. He’s also able to space the floor, put the ball on the deck, and take bigs off the dribble. A worker under the glass, Krueger is going constantly give effort and energy, battling for second chance opportunities. [player_tooltip player_id="830582" first="Cameron" last="Palesse"] - 2021 - G - Waukesha West There were a lot of stock risers in the class of 2021. Palesse, who sat out the summer due to injury, has been doing this for a long time and once again showed he can play with anybody in the state. The Valparaiso guard scored 29 points in a loss to Saint John’s. Palesse had the Wolverines ahead most of the game as well. A terrific mid-range scorer, Palesse is so efficient as a jump shooter off the bounce. He knows where his spots are on the floor and loves shooting in that 16-18 foot range. Against the zone, Palesse did a great job of hitting gaps, maneuvering in traffic, and generating easy buckets. When West puts the ball in Palesse’s hands, good things generally happen. There are few players in this state that mean more to their teams than Palesse. [player_tooltip player_id="804898" first="Brandin" last="Podziemski"] - 2021 - G - Saint John’s NW Academies Podziemski just absolutely exploded down the stretch to lift SJNA to a big non-conference win over Waukesha West. The flurry of buckets in crunch time will get the headlines, but it was Podziemski’s play at the top of the 1-3-1 zone that really shifted the game. The zone forced the ball out of the hands of Palesse and Podziemski used his length to disrupt passing lanes and come up with a few key steals. Offensively, Podziemski has the green light whenever he wants. 1-on-1, Podziemski can size you up and create a step-back jumper. Off the ball, he’s very smart and understands how to use screens based on the coverage. Podziemski really took advantage of defenders who cheated and tried to beat him to the spot. Always in attack mode, the 6-foot-5 guard likes to get ahead of the pack and score in transition off every miss if possible. Moving himself into the top five of the class of 2021 rankings, Podziemski appears poised to stay there. [caption id="attachment_1095829" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/Jonah-R.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1095829 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/Jonah-R-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="935491" first="Jonah" last="Rindfleisch"][/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="935491" first="Jonah" last="Rindfleisch"] - 2021 - F - Wisconsin Lutheran Whoever lands Rindfleisch might be hitting the jackpot. Currently a prospect with no scholarship offers, Rindfleisch might be the biggest sleeper in the state right now. Rindfleisch had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Martin Luther. A long, bouncy, and budding forward, Rindfleisch can do some exciting things. The 6-foot-8 senior showed some big flashes, running the floor in transition, attacking off the dribble, passing from the high post, and protecting the rim without fouling. If I’m a Division 2 program with scholarship space right now, Rindfleisch is a great prospect to potentially cap off a class and hit a home run with. [player_tooltip player_id="951467" first="Prentice" last="Young"] - 2023 - G - Wisconsin Lutheran Young had 15 points and five assists as the Vikings ran away from Martin Luther. Just like the way this kid approaches the point guard position. Young just plays high-level, fundamental ball and doesn’t make the game more complicated than it has to be. The 6-foot-4 sophomore doesn’t settle for shots a lot. He likes to get downhill and create easy stuff going to the rim. Young isn’t a point guard that dribbles a ton or looks to make flashy plays. If a guy is open, he’ll hit him with on-time and on-target passes. Jumper needs to be more consistent, especially from the free throw line, but when Young hits, it does look very pure.   Other Standouts: [player_tooltip player_id="963148" first="Cal" last="Klesmit"] (Neenah), [player_tooltip player_id="879998" first="Brennan" last="Timm"] (SJNA), Peter Skogman (Waukesha West), Max Nelson (Appleton North), [player_tooltip player_id="981038" first="Demerius" last="Shakur"] (Martin Luther), [player_tooltip player_id="1089756" first="Jack" last="Jorgensen"] (De Pere), [player_tooltip player_id="865854" first="Marcus" last="Tomashek"] (Ashwaubenon)