Rock Spring Classic: Sunday Standouts
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Breaking down the top individual performances from Sunday’s action at The Rock Spring Classic… Levi Birkholz Levi Birkholz 5'2" | SG Lakeside Luthersn | 2023 State #290 Nation WI – 2023 – SF – Wisconsin Crusaders Birkholz led the Wisconsin…
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Continue ReadingBreaking down the top individual performances from Sunday’s action at The Rock Spring Classic…
Levi Birkholz Levi Birkholz 5'2" | SG Lakeside Luthersn | 2023 State #290 Nation WI – 2023 – SF – Wisconsin Crusaders
Birkholz led the Wisconsin Crusaders to the 16U title and scored a game-high 16 points in a win over PGC. Not many guys in the 2023 class attack the rim as well as Birkholz. A plus athlete that can put it on your head, the Lakeside Lutheran wing has some of the most explosive athleticism in his class. It doesn’t matter how big the defender is, Birkholz is attacking the bucket with everything he’s got. Birkholz also paired his slashing ability with a couple of outside shots. If he gets consistent as a perimeter/mid-range shooter, Birkholz’s game should just take off. Also a gritty, high motor defender/rebounder, Birkholz gets the job done on that end of the floor as well.
Jeffery Brazziel Jeffery Brazziel 6'4" | SF Martin Luther | 2022 #159 Nation AZ – 2022 – SF – Wisconsin Playground Club
After not being able to play varsity last season due to WIAA transfer rules, Brazziel started to shake off the rust on Sunday. The state’s top ranked player took over late in the first half during a 17U semifinal win over Martin Bros. with a flurry of buckets. Brazziel went uncontested in the open floor as the silky smooth long-striding wing covers a lot of ground in transition in a hurry. In the halfcourt, the lefty is still able to get to his strong hand consistently. Brazziel is so good at setting up defenders to the right and crossing back over to his left and once he gets on the defender’s hip…it’s over. Holding a few high-major offers, Brazziel is one of the top scorers in the Midwest who can fill it up from all three levels and has rapidly improved as a 3-point shooter over the last year.
Josiah Butler Josiah Butler 6'3" | CG Fox Valley Lutheran | 2022 State WI – 2022 – SG – Wisconsin Crusaders
Butler only had 12 points in the 17U Gold Championship, but they were 12 huge points. With his team down by double-digits, Butler started to put on a show to almost single-handedly erase the deficit in the second half. Scoring all 12 late in the second half, Butler also had the game-winning lay-in during a tight victory over the Wisconsin Blizzard. A kid that can put the ball in the bucket in a variety of ways, Butler spaces the floor and knocks down rhythm triples, has a quick first step off the dribble and blow by defenders to the rim, and score efficiently in the paint, often unfazed by contact or tight coverage.
Stevie Clark Stevie Clark 6'6" | SF Oshkosh North | 2024 State #322 Nation WI – 2024 – SF – Wisconsin Playground Club
The Oshkosh North wing had a terrific semifinal performance. Clark scored 13 of his 18 points after halftime to help PGC survive a scare from Closed Gyms. Clark had the game-tying 3-pointer with 12.7 seconds left. On the next possession, he came up with a clutch steal and an assist to lift PGC to victory. The lefty is a versatile scorer that plays with an edge. He can shoot the rock from the outside, handle the ball and make decisions in transition, generates second-chance buckets, and rip from the wing and slash to the hole. A top 10 prospect in the 2024 class, Clark got better and better as the weekend wore on.
Ty Fernholz Ty Fernholz 6'2" | SG Stoughton | 2024 State WI – 2024 – SG – Wisconsin Academy
Fernholz had 20 points in the gold semifinals and followed that up with 35 in the title game to lift Wisconsin Academy. After a relatively quiet first half against the Runnin’ Rebels, Fernholz dropped 22 in the second half in the championship game. The Stoughton guard shot the opposition right out of their zone defense. After not getting many quality looks in the halfcourt, Fernholz countered by taking early shots in transition, hitting gaps and pulling up off the dribble, and extending his range beyond the arc. Looking like one of the top shooters in the 2024 class, Fernholz capped off a strong weekend in a big way.
Jack Jorgensen Jack Jorgensen 6'2" | SG Depere | 2022 State WI – 2022 – SG – Wisconsin Crusaders
Jorgensen had 22 points in the 17U Gold Championship win over the Wisconsin Blizzard. The Crusaders trailed most of the game, but it was Jorgensen’s shooting that kept his team hanging around. The De Pere sniper hit four triples in the first half and five for the game. Have seen this kid heat up like an oven numerous times over the last year to the point where three or four triples in a half can be relatively routine. Proving to be one of the top marksmen in the state, Jorgensen’s outside shooting has been extremely consistent. He’s used that to his advantage on the offensive end as well, improving as a dribble-drive threat when defenders fly out to the perimeter to try and challenge his shot.
Maximus Nelson Maximus Nelson 6'7" | PF Appleton North | 2022 State #236 Nation WI – 2022 – PF – Wisconsin Playground Club
Continue to like the trend Nelson is on. He’s gone from a stretch four to being able to incorporate a face-up game as well as scoring off the dribble in spurts. The 6-foot-8 junior is arguably the best shooting big in Wisconsin. He’ll kill teams in the pick n’ pop action all day long. Being an isolation 1-on-1 scorer and creating offense for himself is something that eluded Nelson in the past. Throughout the weekend, you could see Nelson start to take matters into his own hands. Nelson is also a good athlete as well. He can run the floor in transition and has some surprising bounce for his size/build.
Parker Prahl Parker Prahl 6'4" | SG Iola Scandanavia | 2022 State WI – 2022 – SG – Wisconsin Blizzard
Like the way Prahl can score the ball in different ways. He’s a strong spot-up shooter with some deceptive athleticism to put the ball on the deck and attack the rim. He can post up well for a guard and score with his back to the basket as well. Prahl looks a little bigger and more athletic than last season. He had some surprising finishes in traffic and scored 18 points in a Gold Semifinal win over Wisconsin Playmakers South. A multi-dimensional scorer with good positional size (6-4), Prahl looks like he should be a priority target for a number of Division 3 programs, including in the WIAC.
Luke Pautz Luke Pautz 6'4" | SF Roncalli | 2022 State WI – 2022 – SF – Wisconsin Blizzard
Pautz averaged 20.0 points per game at Roncalli as a junior, but I think he’s going to be a valuable prospect for different reasons. The Eastern Conference Player of the Year, Pautz can score, facilitate, rebound, and was often seen defending the other team’s best player. Love the way the 6-foot-4 wing sees the floor and dishes the basketball. He set up his teammates all day long and found guys for easy buckets around the rim of rhythm jumpers. Whoever gets Pautz is going to have a much more versatile lineup with his ability to play and defend multiple positions.
Logan Rindfleisch Logan Rindfleisch 6'5" | SF Wisconsin Lutheran | 2024 State WI – 2024 – F – Closed Gyms
Rindfleisch has the same type of mismatch ability as his older brother, Jonah, who was one of the biggest late bloomers in the 2021 class. Rindfleisch is a lanky, 6-foot-4 forward who can shoot and handle the ball. He’s able to take other bigs off the bounce and displays some excellent footwork in traffic. He’ll also step outside and shoot the basketball if given space. When he catches in the high post, Rindfleisch sees the floor and is a good decision-maker in those high percentage areas. Obviously, it’s still very early in his career, but Rindfleisch has the makings of a prospect that’s just going to steadily get better and better if he puts in the work with his best days still down well down the road.
Najashi Tolefree Najashi Tolefree 6'6" | SF West Allis Central | 2022 State WI – 2022 – SF – Playmakers South
Tolefree continues to be one of the bigger mismatch problems in the state. The 6-foot-5 junior is a scoring point forward who can put the ball in the hole from all three levels. What makes Tolefree so good is he can thrive pretty much anywhere on the floor. He’s an extra ball handler who can run the show, a physical post presence, a slasher, pick n’ pop threat, and an isolation mid-range scorer. The kid is also a junkyard dog with a high motor. Getting some Division 1 looks this spring, including from a few Ivy League programs, Tolefree will likely maintain his top 15 status in the 2022 class.
Kade Van Asten Kade Van Asten 6'4" | SF Little Chute | 2022 State WI – 2022 – SF – Wisconsin Blizzard
Don’t remember Van Asten shooting the ball this well in the past, but he was an absolute marksman on Sunday. The Little Chute star just would not miss times and was automatic from downtown. Someone has clearly been putting the time in the gym, because Van Asten was hitting all weekend long, showing it wasn’t a fluke. The 6-foot-4 junior has nice 3-and-D potential. He’s a gritty defender and stopper on the other end of the floor that makes hustle/toughness plays. Van Asten had 17 points in the Gold Semifinals and then put up 22 in the title game against a very talented Wisconsin Crusaders squad.