Rock Spring Classic: Opening Night Standouts

WISCONSIN DELLS -- Breaking down the top individual performances from opening night of the Rock Spring Classic.   [caption id="attachment_1157464" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/John-Adams.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1157464 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/John-Adams-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1157465" first="John" last="Adams"][/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="1157465" first="John" last="Adams"] - 2024 - F/C - Wisconsin Playground Club A kid I didn’t know about coming in, Adams certainly looks like one of the better post prospects in the freshman class. Adams is very physically advanced and just can dominate in the paint right now. He’s a legit 6-6/6-7, lengthy, and has an intimidating build. Adams did a terrific job around the rim as a shot-blocker and rebounder all game long. He’s not overly skilled right now offensively, but you appreciate that he can catch in traffic, doesn’t hesitate, and just goes up with the basketball -- knowing if he goes hard, there’s not many bigs that are gonna bother his shot. [player_tooltip player_id="981201" first="Levi" last="Birkholz"] - 2023 - W - Wisconsin Crusaders The best athletes in the state generally don’t come out of Lakeside Lutheran High School, but that’s not the case in 2023. Don’t be fooled, Birkholz has some scary ability above the rim, whether it’s as a dunker or shot blocker. In a win over Martin Bros. Birkholz had some crazy finishes and transition blocks. A slasher, who attacks the rim with everything he’s got, Birkholz is a name more people in this state need to know. Not a guy that wants to take a lot of outside shots...he’s very rim-oriented. If that part of his game becomes consistent, Birkholz can really take off. Even without it, Birkholz can generate a lot of easy buckets, live at the foul line, and play aggressive defense. [player_tooltip player_id="1144570" first="Ty" last="Fernholz"] - 2024 - SG - Wisconsin Academy Had Fernholz in my initial top 25 for the class of 2024. Looks like he definitely backed up some strong freshman film. Fernholz is a sleeper right now who has a chance to be one of the bigger names in the state. The 6-foot-2 shooting guard looks really good as a shot creator...in fact, I think he needs to be even more aggressive than he was. If you go under a ball screen, he’s the type of player that will make you pay for it. He’s willing to move without the basketball and has solid catch-and-shoot ability. Fernholz is pretty shifty for his size and has a good in-out dribble which he can turn into a step-back or get to the rim. A prospect that can light it up from deep, quietly averaged 9.0 points per game for Stoughton last season. [player_tooltip player_id="986200" first="Kaden" last="Fosdick"] - 2023 - SF - Madison Spartans Fosdick is pretty scrappy. He’s listed at 6-foot-4, but plays bigger than his size. There’s a noticeable edge that Fosdick plays with and a toughness element that the Spartans benefited from despite Friday’s loss. Like his willingness to stick his face in the fan and battle for contested rebounds. Offensively, Fosdick creates some matchup problems. He’ll pull people away from the rim and is pretty smooth off the bounce. Didn’t finish as well as he probably would have liked, but Fosdick certainly created a lot of offense and second-chance opportunities. [caption id="attachment_1157463" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/Jake-Fisher-crop-3954x2597-1616844089.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1157463 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/Jake-Fisher-crop-3954x2597-1616844089-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1112164" first="Jake" last="Fisher"][/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="1112164" first="Jake" last="Fisher"] - 2022 - PG - Wisconsin Rap Fisher is kind of a rare breed of player. There’s not really anything he’ll wow you with, other than his ability to absorb contact and finish at the rim, but he just keeps putting up big numbers. In a win over D.F. Elite, Fisher blew the doors off the opposition with a big second half. Again, there’s not really any parts of Fisher’s game you look at and say, ’He’s great.’ But that’s okay, because he doesn’t necessarily have glaring weaknesses either -- Fisher does just about everything well. A kid that gets the game, makes high-IQ fundamental basketball plays, and doesn’t make mistakes with the basketball, Fisher can make his big performances look easy. He’s gonna create high percentage shots, drive and kick when the defense collapses, and knock down his open jumpers. It’s also worth mentioning that Fisher’s production is a product of hard work as well. He’s doing the extra stuff that puts him in areas to be successful. [player_tooltip player_id="1142142" first="Jaquan" last="Johnson"] - 2024 - PG - Wisconsin Playground Club I was told I better have Johnson in my top 15 of the early class of 2024 rankings. I’m glad I listened. The kid is a blur with the basketball in his hands. Johnson is undersized, but has a scary blend of speed and strength on the ball. Toughness oozes out of Johnson as well. He doesn’t care who you are, he’s coming at you and challenging people every minute he’s on the floor. In the open floor, Johnson knows when to give the ball up and when to take it all the way. With his quickness and burst, if PGC has a lead, it’s really tough to come back on them as Johnson will pull people 40 feet away from the rim, make them come out, and just go to work. Johnson knocked down a couple of 3’s, which was good to see, as defenders are going to constantly have to give him space to avoid the blow-by. [player_tooltip player_id="1024443" first="A.J." last="Lieuwen"] - 2023 - G - Team 1848 Safe to say the stock is going up here. Lieuwen has always impressed, but I think he took things to another level during Friday’s win over the Madison Spartans. Liked his moxy and killer instinct. Lieuwen smelled blood in the water and put the Spartans away with a couple of clutch triples. A shifty, playmaking guard, Lieuwen is a guy you want with the ball in his hands, because good things will happen. He’s got a sweet pull-up jumper off the bounce, has unique touch as a passer to thread the needle or float the ball over the top, and just changes speeds really well to keep defenders guessing. Lieuwen is currently top 50 in the 2023 class. Interested to see where he finishes this summer.