Arrowhead-Wisconsin Lutheran Prospect Standouts

<p><strong>MILWAUKEE --   </strong>Wisconsin Lutheran (9-1) hosted Arrowhead (8-3) in an intriguing non-conference matchup Tuesday night. The Vikings came out on top with a  76-69 win at home...</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1012675" first="Jamiir" last="Allen"] - 2023 - G - Wisconsin Lutheran</p> <p>With the Vikings losing their starting point guard last week, Allen is going to be relied upon heavily for the foreseeable future. He came up big down the stretch for Wisconsin Lutheran on Tuesday. Allen had a number of key baskets, including a late 3-pointer that helped the Vikings gain control. An attacking, shifty guard, Allen is very slithery when he gets 1-on-1 opportunities. The junior guard can plant, change direction,  and break down defenders with ease. Allen may lack prototypical size/strength, but he's got tremendous touch in the paint and has all but perfected a running floater to evade shot blockers.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1142119" first="Bennett" last="Basich"] - 2024 - G - Arrowhead</p> <p>You could tell during the summer that Basich was hitting a new level. After getting his feet wet on varsity as a freshman, Basich came into this season ready to hit the ground running. He took over a large stretch of the second half, and for a while, looked like he’d lead the Warhawks to a win. Playing with a very high motor throughout, Basich finished with 21 points and a handful of assists. Basich might project more as a two-guard at the next level, but he can play on the ball just as well.  An advanced shot creator off the dribble, Basich gets defenders leaning and pulls it right back off the bounce.  He’s a quality scorer from all three levels and seeks out contact when going to the rim. Wisconsin Lutheran was throwing a bunch of different defenders at him, but Basich continued to find different ways to make plays. By the end of the game, he was essentially having to play 1-on-2 and the Vikings were forced to get the ball out of his hands.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1364523" first="Jace" last="Gilbert"] - 2024 - PF - Arrowhead</p> <p>Gilbert was big time for Arrowhead despite the loss. The sophomore forward had a huge second half and made a number of winning plays. He finished with 18 points, which doubled his season average entering the game. Gilbert has some junkyard dog ability, just willing to work his tail off under the rim. He’s a little undersized at 6-foot-5, but has a big, strong frame and is nimble in traffic. Gilbert also showed really good hands, making some tough catches away from his body and multiple bodies around him. When he puts his shoulder down and goes hard to the rim, it’s tough for defenders to not get knocked off balance. Gilbert had a coupe of and-one finishes and it didn’t appear as if he even felt the contact.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="963145" first="Landon" last="Key"] - 2023 - G/W - Wisconsin Lutheran</p> <p>Key had a lot of hype around his name early. Think he’s starting to now come into his own and find his niche on the floor. The junior had a terrific defensive effort against Arrowhead and came up with a steal in the closing possessions that sealed it for the Vikings. A long, 6-foot-4 guard/wing who can play and defend three positions, Key’s versatility, especially defensively, is a big weapon for Lutheran.  Thought Key was outstanding all game long at shutting off straight-line drives and getting his hands in the passing lanes. When possessions were at a premium late, his intensity went up a few notches. Key also contributed 12 points to go along with four steals.  Key looked smooth handling the ball and creating off the dribble. Needs to work on his finishing, but had some tough, contested shots go down with both hands on Tuesday.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1142123" first="Kon" last="Knueppel"] - 2024 - SG - Wisconsin Lutheran</p> <p>Knueppel doesn’t play an overly loud game despite being productive across the board. However, loved that when Wisconsin Lutheran was struggling and on the verge of dropping the game, Knueppel essentially demanded the basketball without really demanding it vocally. After the Vikings fell behind by eight, Knueppel was the most aggressive he was all night, hitting two 3’s, including a step-back and an and-one finish  by way of a nasty crossover. Knueppel had another all-around performance, going for 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and three blocks.  One of the top 3-point shooters in the state/country, Knueppel is virtually automatic when he gets in rhythm. Even his misses are often so dead-on, Knueppel gets a number of reload opportunities when the ball hits the front or back of the rim. The sophomore wing just never seems to be in a hurry. When he attacks, he’s not looking to blow by people, but does have some deceptive explosiveness off the bounce.  Unselfish by nature, Knueppel’s first instinct when he gets into high percentage areas always seems to be passing up a good shot for himself in order to get a teammate a great one. Defensively, thought Knueppel had a solid effort as well against some really tough opponents. Adding to his value as a college prospect, he can guard three, maybe four positions right now.</p> <p>M.J. Townsend - 2022 - PG - Wisconsin Lutheran</p> <p>Townsend only scored four points on two shots, but made timely plays throughout the game. Most notably, Townsend tracked down a miss in transition and followed for a putback that gave the Vikings some late breathing room. The senior guard did a little bit of everything, tallying five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Even though he wasn’t taking a lot of shots, you felt Townsend’s presence on the floor.  Wisconsin Lutheran has a lot of good defenders. They certainly rely on Townsend to get up into people and throw off the opposition’s flow. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="953945" first="Mac" last="Wrecke"] - 2023 - W - Arrowhead</p> <p>An athletic slasher with  a vastly improved perimeter game, Wrecke has been scoring the ball at a very high level over the last year-plus. He might not be as smooth as your prototypical shooting guard, but you can’t argue with the results. You don’t refer to many 6-foot-3 wings as matchup problems, but that’s what Wrecke is. He’s an athletic, physical wing that can shoot from the outside, attack off the bounce, and also play 1-on-1 on the block. Wrecke chipped in with 19 points. He had a great spurt near the end of the first half to help Arrowhead rally and take a lead going into the locker room after knocking down two triples. Holding a scholarship offer from UW-Milwaukee, Wrecke is a two-way player that gives you everything he's got on both ends of the floor.</p>