Ranking the 2022 Mr. Basketball Contenders

<p>We’re past the halfway point in the 2021-22 season. Who are the top contenders for Mr. Basketball, given to the top senior in the state of Wisconsin annually?  Prep Hoops Wisconsin ranks our top six candidates...</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>1.  [player_tooltip player_id="801148" first="Andrew" last="Rohde"] (Brookfield Central)</p> <p>The Lancers lost a ton off last season’s squad. Rohde has led Central to an 11-2 mark thus far and the inside track in the Greater Metro Conference with a tie-breaker against Menomonee Falls. The St. Thomas commit is averaging  29.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. Rohde had a  32-point, 12-rebound, and 10-assist triple-double in a win over the Phoenix earlier this year. He also dropped 38 points, six rebounds, and five assists against top-ranked Wisconsin Lutheran on Jan. 18. Given the roster around him, there’s a strong argument that Rohde has elevated his teammates more than any other player in the state this season.</p> <p>2. [player_tooltip player_id="1129756" first="Seth" last="Trimble"]  (Menomonee Falls)<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Trimble.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1339698" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Trimble-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a></p> <p>Trimble is posting 26.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. The North Carolina commit has Falls a half-game ahead of Brookfield Central in the Greater Metro Conference standings at this time. The Phoenix are 12-2 overall, but got handled by Pewaukee at home and fell somewhat surprisingly to the Lancers on Dec. 14.  A victory in the rematch against Central on Jan. 28 would likely push Trimble to the forefront. There are also big games looming against Kimberly, Madison La Follette, and Wauwatosa West still ahead.</p> <p>3. [player_tooltip player_id="761417" first="Danilo" last="Jovanovich"] (Whitnall)</p> <p>All the talk in Division 2 coming into the season was about Pewaukee and Wisconsin Lutheran. Jovanovich has Whitnall right in the thick of the state championship hunt. The Miami (FL) commit is putting up 30.5 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. The Falcons are 13-1 with only a loss to Menomonee Falls. Whitnall has a very manageable schedule the rest of the way, but Jovanovich has already dropped 42 points on Kimberly, 29 points versus Falls, and has scored 30 points or more in four other outings.</p> <p>4. [player_tooltip player_id="761407" first="Luke" last="Haertle"] (Lake Country Lutheran)</p> <p>Haertle has Lake Country Lutheran undefeated on the season  No. 1 in the Division 3 rankings. The Wisconsin commit is averaging 23.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. Not an overly stacked field in Division 3 this season, which probably hurts his stock, but Haertle  has run through his schedule thus far as the Lightning have beaten 12 of 14 opponents by double digits and been just as solid against Division 2 and Division 1 competition. A trip to Pewaukee on Feb. 5 could be Haertle’s make-or-break game in this race.</p> <p>5. [player_tooltip player_id="865837" first="Chevalier" last="Emery Jr"] (Neenah)<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Emery.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1340520" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Emery-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a></p> <p>Emery has Neenah at 15-1 and currently in the top spot of the Division 1 rankings. The Merrimack commit is averaging 17.9 points and 3.6 assists per game. The Rockets are out-performing pre-season expectations, including a win over defending state champion Pewaukee. Most impressively, Emery is leading the charge without [player_tooltip player_id="963148" first="Cal" last="Klesmit"] in the lineup as the top five junior suffered a season-ending injury.</p> <p>6. [player_tooltip player_id="801149" first="Jackson" last="Paveletzke"] (Kimberly)</p> <p>Don’t look now, but Kimberly is starting to turn things around, which means Paveletzke’s stock in this race is rising. The Wofford commit has been phenomenal this season, posting 30.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 5.3 rebounds. He’s been great against the best teams on the schedule as well, scoring 27 against Whitnall,  27 versus Oshkosh North,  37 against Pewaukee,  50 against De Pere, and 45 versus Appleton East. The Papermakers are only 8-5 at this point, but just one game back in the Fox Valley Association. Kimberly just picked up a win over a ranked Appleton East team and have won four straight.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Others:  [player_tooltip player_id="865854" first="Marcus" last="Tomashek"] (Ashwaubenon), [player_tooltip player_id="1021573" first="Colin" last="Hardrick"] (Wauwatosa West), [player_tooltip player_id="801146" first="Max" last="Weisbrod"] (DeForest), [player_tooltip player_id="865836" first="Jack" last="Campion"] (Milton),  [player_tooltip player_id="801141" first="Casey" last="Verhagen"] (Sheboygan Lutheran), [player_tooltip player_id="727964" first="Jack" last="Rose"] (Westosha Central), [player_tooltip player_id="801136" first="Maximus" last="Nelson"] (Appleton North), [player_tooltip player_id="950097" first="Learic" last="Davis"] (Milwaukee Bradley Tech)</p>