March Madness: Top X-Factors

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that the calendar has flipped to March, playoff basketball has arrived. Intensity will be raised as teams look to play their best basketball during the most critical time of the year. Prep Hoops Wisconsin take a look at several prospects who are poised to be major X-Factors during the stretch run...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1203035' first='Quinn' last='Burns'] -- G -- Westosha Central </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I became a huge fan of Burns while watching him on the Prep Hoops Circuit the past handful of summers. Now, the Westosha Central guard is ready to make a significant impact in March. The sharpshooting prospect almost always makes opposing defenses pay when left open. If Westosha Central is to make a deep run, Burns will play a significant role. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1418518' first='Jeremiah' last='Johnson'] -- G -- Marquette University</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Teams can never have too many quality ballhandlers in March. For Marquette University, Johnson is a quality player who does a lot of solid things for his squad on both ends of the court. Offensively, Johnson scores opportunistically, passes well, and is more than capable of running his squad's offense. Defensively, Johnson thrives as a pesky point of attack defender. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1552512' first='Zavier' last='Zens'] -- F -- Wisconsin Lutheran </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Playing for a loaded Wisconsin Lutheran squad, Zens has carved out a solid role for himself this season. The young forward is scoring just under ten points per game on an extremely efficient 66 percent shooting from the field. With opposing teams looking to shift its defense towards Lutheran's top end talent, opportunities will come Zens' way. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1893314' first='Evan' last='Oleson'] -- G -- Saint Thomas Moore</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saint Thomas Moore has played excellent basketball this season. Oleson has been a major reason for his team's success. Whenever his Moore needs a big play or shot to fall, Oleson often steps up and delivers. He is capable of swishing open long range shots and is a crafty finisher at the rim.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2288469' first='Jalen' last='Brown'] -- G -- Wauwatosa West </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brown is one of the best young prospects in the state. Now that he fully has established himself as legitimate high school talent, I am looking for the 6-foot-4 guard to make the leap in March. With the ball in his hands, Brown is a multi-faceted talent. He scores, passes, and makes smart cuts off of the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1412223' first='Sawyer' last='Schipper'] -- PG -- Stoughton </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Schipper is the ultimate energy prospect. The Stoughton point guard has impressed me in the past with his effort and hustle on both ends of the court. I predict that Schipper's play style will shine in March. His ability to drive and dish, knock down open threes, and play excellent defense will prove valuable for Stoughton. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2426092' first='Landon' last='Lee'] -- G -- Marshfield</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Although his frame and stature may not jump off the board, Lee has put together a very solid season at the guard position for Marshfield. He is averaging over 11 points per game this season and I predict that his production will be necessary for Marshfield this March. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->