Verona-Madison Memorial Prospect Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Hoops Wisconsin takes a look at some prospect standouts from Verona vs. Madison Memorial:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='951132' first='Braylen' last='Blue'] -- PG -- Madison Memorial </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blue played really, really well on Thursday night. At one point the point guard was considered an elite prospect in the 2023 class. In Madison Memorial's win, Blue showed flashes of greatness. He got off to an excellent start in this matchup. He knocked down several three-point shots early. With the ball in his hands, the PG is incredibly talented. He possesses great court vision, which he uses to locate open teammates. Blue also stands at 6-foot-4 and is a very good ball handler. Moving forward, keep an eye on Blue. The Madison Memorial product owns a lot of potential. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tre Poteat -- SG -- Verona</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Poteat missed his first couple shots on Thursday night. But this didn't shake his confidence. The Verona shooting guard continued to seek out his own shot. Eventually, the SG caught fire. He knocked down a couple of outside shots and then started to finish well inside. Even though Verona was not able to walk away with the victory, I still thought that Poteat raised his stock significantly. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1260947' first='Sam' last='Mickelson'] -- PF -- Madison Memorial </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I don't think that Mickelson had his best game from a scoring perspective. But he was still very effective. The power forward played solid, physical defense. He did a really nice job of using his size and strength to protect the paint. Overall, I was impressed with how well Mickelson moved. The PF is a smooth athlete who runs the court well. Mickelson also flashed potential as a passer. On a couple of occasions, the PF made some slick passes to open teammates. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1183682' first='Finley' last='Deischer'] -- SG -- Verona </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I thought that Deischer played a solid game despite Verona's loss. The shooting guard made a couple of nice plays on defense, which led to easy scoring opportunities on the other end. Deischer has been an important piece for Verona this season. As the year goes on, I expect the SG to raise his stock and help his team win some games. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Caleb Watkins -- G -- Madison Memorial</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I really loved how Watkins played on Thursday night. The guard entered the matchup and brought a lot of energy on both ends. On offense, I thought that Watkins was aggressive and smart. He was able to score while also making some high-IQ passes. On defense, Watkins played hard. He fought for rebounds and guarded well on the perimeter. Even though he hasn't put up huge stats this season, I still think that the Madison Memorial guard is a prospect to keep an eye on. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bradyn Taylor -- SF -- Madison Memorial</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taylor's performance on Thursday might not blow you away on the stat sheet. But I can promise you that the 2024 small forward made a major impact on the game. Using his 6-foot-5 frame, I really loved how Taylor attempted to take over the paint. He rebounded well and also played great defense. Taylor was also able to finish a couple of difficult layups through contact. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Zack Zimmerman -- SG -- Verona</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Madison Memorial's zone appeared to bother Verona all night. The Wildcats just couldn't get into an offensive rhythm. One of the few bright spots for Verona on the offensive end was Zimmerman. The shooting guard was able to drain some outside shots, which opened up opportunities for teammates. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->