10 X-Factors Who Could Spark Deep Playoff Runs
In this article:
10 prospects who may not be considered go-to players, but could propel their teams to deep runs in the WIAA State Tournament this season…
Termarion Brumby
Termarion
Brumby
6'1" | CG
Racine Case | 2024
State
WI
– 2024 – G – Racine Case
The Eagles have a nice 1-2 punch in
Amari Jedkins
Amari
Jedkins
6'7" | PF
Racine Case | 2022
State
WI
and
Terryon Brumby
Terryon
Brumby
6'0" | PG
Racine Case | 2022
State
WI
. Termarion very well could emerge as a third go-to scorer as a sophomore. Brumby had a terrific summer and just got better and better as it wore on. A strong guard with a downhill scoring mindset, Brumby is physically advanced for his age and shifty on the ball, able to go through or around defenders. Brumby did not play varsity last season and could very well surprise in the Southeast Conference.
Cade Feldhausen
Cade
Feldhausen
6'7" | PF
Sandalwood | 2022
State
WI
– 2022 – PF – Appleton East
If Appleton East is going to contend for a Fox Valley Association title, Feldhausen is going to be a sneaky reason why. The Patriots have good guard play and an emerging junior forward. Feldhausen gives them a different element as a tone setter under the rim. The 6-foot-8 forward is playing some of his best ball right now. He’s a big, strong forward with nimble feet and can get up and down the floor. Starting to take his game away from the rim, Feldhausen shot the ball really well late in the summer. While he averaged 4.4 points per game as a junior, Feldhausen did shoot 57.1 percent and also hit 20 3-pointers.
Jalen Haynes
Jalen
Haynes
6'3" | SG
Martin Luther | 2023
State
WI
– 2023 – SG – Martin Luther
With Jeffrey Brazziel no longer enrolled at Martin Luther and
Nacir Beamon
Nacir
Beamon
6'2" | SG
Nicolet | 2024
State
WI
transferring, the Spartans are going to need a big year from Haynes. A guard that can heat up like a microwave, Haynes is an isolation scorer with a killer instinct. He’s got supreme confidence to make something happen when the ball is in his hands. Haynes averaged 8.4 points per game for an 18-win Martin Luther squad. Playing alongside a pass-first point guard in
Demerius Shakur
Demerius
Shakur
6'2" | CG
Martin Luther | 2023
State
WI
, Haynes should feast offensively this season.
Jack Jorgensen
Jack
Jorgensen
6'2" | SG
Depere | 2022
State
WI
– 2022 – SG – De Pere
So much attention is going to be on Johnny Kinziger this season. Jorgensen is probably licking his chops thinking about the amount of open looks he’s going to get. One of the elite 3-point shooters in the state, Jorgensen averaged 11 points per game while shooting 42 percent from downtown for a 22-win ball club last season. Jorgensen was on fire from the start of the travel season to the end of it to the point where four, five, and even six-triple games were the norm for him. If opponents forget about Jorgensen on the perimeter, he’s going to make them pay.
Jaiden Martin
Jaiden
Martin
6'1" | CG
Dominican | 2024
State
WI
– 2024 – G – Dominican
Dominican has a lot of sneaky good players this season. Martin is definitely one of them. Over the summer, he emerged as a consistent sniper and continued that role in fall league action. Martin quietly averaged 8.5 points per game as a freshman, knocking down 36 triples, while shooting nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc.
Brogan McIntyre
Brogan
McIntyre
6'5" | SF
Milton | 2023
State
WI
– 2023 – SF – Milton
When
Jack Campion
Jack
Campion
5'10" | PG
Milton | 2022
State
WI
is on the floor, opponents need to have eight feet in the paint and all four help defenders need to be aware. Expect McIntyre to really benefit from Campion’s floor awareness and ability to find the open man. The 6-foot-6 wing can space the floor as a 3-point shooter, hit gaps and slash to the bucket, and is a good-looking athlete in the open floor that will catch people by surprise with his above the rim ability.
J.J. Paider
J.J.
Paider
6'7" | PF
Neenah | 2022
State
WI
– 2022 – F – Neenah
Paider is peaking as a prospect going into his senior season. With
Cal Klesmit
Cal
Klesmit
6'2" | CG
Neenah | 2023
State
#235
Nation
WI
out for the year, Paider is one of many potential x-factors for Neenah this season. The 6-foot-7 forward is a long, bouncy athlete with some budding versatility. Paider can catch in traffic and gets off the ground very quickly. He’s gaining confidence in his outside shot and ability to take bigs off the dribble. Chevalier Emery and
Carter Thomas
Carter
Thomas
6'5" | PF
Neenah | 2022
State
WI
will be at the top of the opponent’s scouting report, but don’t be surprised if Paider has a few games this season where he shoulders the load offensively.
Jack Riley
Jack
Riley
6'0" | SF
Catholic Memorial | 2023
State
WI
– 2023 – SG – Catholic Memorial
Junior guards
Braden Mcglothlin
Braden
Mcglothlin
6'0" | PG
Catholic Memorial | 2023
State
WI
,
Antwan Burns-Jones
Antwan
Burns-Jones
6'2" | SG
Catholic Memorial | 2023
State
WI
, and
Bennett McCormick
Bennett
McCormick
6'3" | SG
Catholic Memorial | 2023
State
WI
are going to run the show for the Crusaders this season. Riley has emerged as a quality third scorer who can produce when those other guys are off the floor. The junior has really good positional size at 6-foot-5 and can score inside and out, including a unique fall away game in the post. Riley is a quality floor spacer and 3-point shooter who feeds off dribble penetration. Riley is a newer name, but played in 23 games as a sophomore, averaging around five points per contest. He’ll be a reason why Catholic Memorial is one of the most improved teams in the state following an 8-17 record.
Joe Stewart
Joe
Stewart
5'11" | SG
Brookfield East | 2023
State
WI
– 2023 – SG – Brookfield East
Matthew Schaminda and Dan Ghereznger are going to be a scary 1-2 punch in the Greater Metro Conference this season. The Spartans have a lot of guys who could fit in this category, but I’ll go with Stewart. This is a blue collar, hard-nosed prospect that isn’t afraid to stick his face in the fan. Offensively, he doesn’t look the part, but Stewart showed in the summer that he can be a silent assassin on that end of the floor. If East is slumping and their stars are having an off-night, Stewart is the type of player who can bail them out and help the Spartans steal some victories.
Ethan Wall-Atim
Ethan
Wall-Atim
6'4" | PF
Notre Dame De La Baie Academy | 2023
State
WI
– 2023 – PF – Notre Dame
This is exactly what Wall does — impact games in ways that go beyond scoring. Wahl is a kid that prides himself on doing the dirty work and is never consumed with how many points he scores in a game, which will fit Notre Dame well as the Tritons already feature
Chris Mitchell
Chris
Mitchell
6'1" | CG
Notre Dame | 2022
State
WI
,
Emmett Lawton
Emmett
Lawton
6'2" | SG
Notre Dame Academy | 2023
State
WI
, and
Daniel Hornacek
Daniel
Hornacek
5'11" | PG
Notre Dame | 2022
State
WI
. Wahl is an excellent interior defender and rebounder. Doesn’t have ideal positional size at 6-foot-5, but makes up for it with some added length, tenacity, and heart. His offensive skills are also improving as Wahl could emerge as a combo forward if his ball handling skills continue to develop.
