Opening Week Individual Matchups To Watch

<p>Boy’s basketball is back in Wisconsin as games get tipped off across the state tonight. I’ll be taking a look at five games that feature some intriguing individual matchups occurring throughout the week!</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1021576" first="William" last="Whorton"] (Milwaukee Rufus King) vs [player_tooltip player_id="1024441" first="Mohamed" last="Alidu-Ball"] (Madison East)</strong></p> <p>It’s a battle of 2023 forwards on Friday night at West Allis Central, as Milwaukee Rufus King takes on Madison East. [player_tooltip player_id="1021576" first="William" last="Whorton"] really started to take off over the summer, and looks ready to have a breakout season at the varsity level. He’s as long as they come with some impressive athleticism at his size that makes him a constant above-the-rim threat. Alidu-Ball is one of the few players in the state who can match up with Whorton’s length, and will provide a much needed post presence for East. He can beat other players up the floor in transition, and use his length to block/alter shots around the rim.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="865834" first="Amari" last="Jedkins"] (Racine Case) vs [player_tooltip player_id="980996" first="Robert" last="Peters"] (West Allis Hale)</strong></p> <p>It’s another frontcourt battle as two of the top forwards in their classes face off Saturday morning. [player_tooltip player_id="865834" first="Amari" last="Jedkins"] is one of the most athletic forwards in the state, as he dunks everything in the open floor and can guard just about every spot on the floor at the high school level. His offensive game made a big jump last season as he averaged 14.8 ppg as a junior. [player_tooltip player_id="980996" first="Robert" last="Peters"] has put on a lot of muscle over the last year, making him a physical presence down low while also possessing some versatility. He can out-muscle players in the paint, step out and hit open jumpers, and put the ball on the floor to make some plays off the dribble. He’s coming off of a 13.4 ppg sophomore year.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="865836" first="Jack" last="Campion"] (Milton) vs [player_tooltip player_id="981038" first="Demerius" last="Shakur"] (Martin Luther)</strong></p> <p>Milton vs Martin Luther on Saturday night figures to feature one of the top point guard matchups you’ll find all season. [player_tooltip player_id="865836" first="Jack" last="Campion"] will be on of the most exciting players to watch this winter in Wisconsin, as he has a shifty handle, can make flashy passes look easy, and makes defense exciting with his constant energy on that end of the floor. Averaged 22.6 points and 6.7 assists as a junior. He squares of with [player_tooltip player_id="981038" first="Demerius" last="Shakur"], the well rounded floor general for Martin Luther. Shakur may not be a big time scorer, but he impacts the game in so many ways. He can get to the rim to finish when needed, is so good at facilitating in transition, and is the type of defender that a coach can rely upon to slow down an opposing team’s best player.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1138436" first="Jordan" last="Malmlov"] (Prescott) vs [player_tooltip player_id="988962" first="C.J." last="Campbell"] (New Richmond)</strong></p> <p>It’s not likely that these two will guard each other because of the size difference, but I’m including them in this list because they could go score-for-score as two of the best scorers in the state. They face off tonight at New Richmond in the season opener. Malmlov is coming off a sophomore year that saw him put up 21.9 points per game while knocking down 82 shots from deep. His range extends well beyond the arc, and he doesn’t need much space to get off a shot. CJ Campbell recently committed to Northern Michigan, and averaged 25.3 ppg last season as a junior. He’s a long and explosive wing who will dunk everything in transition, can take players off the dribble and score at the rim or from three, and has a career high of 49 which shows he can take over a game at any time.</p> <p><strong>Donavan Short (Denmark) vs [player_tooltip player_id="981028" first="Ethan" last="Thomas"] (Whitnall)</strong></p> <p>Donavan Short was one of the most productive post players in the state last season, and recently committed to Green Bay for his college ball. He moves well at his 6’9-6’10 size, with the ability to run the floor in transition or step out and knock down threes in the half-court. He averaged 21.7 ppg as a junior using his physical abilities and versatile skill-set. He faces off with emerging forward [player_tooltip player_id="981028" first="Ethan" last="Thomas"] of Whitnall on Saturday night at Oak Creek. The 6’9 junior didn’t see big minutes last year, but was in the starting lineup for all of Whitnall’s scrimmages over the weekend. He moves well at his size and has some explosiveness to finish above the rim or provide a shot blocking threat. May not be a big scorer this year but will be willing to do the dirty work inside to clean up on the glass, play physical defense, and run the floor hard in transition.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>