WBY Tournament at Viterbo: Noteworthy Players - Next Up

I spent Saturday, June 1 at Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI, taking in the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Tournament, which featured nine Wisconsin high school teams. This was a great opportunity to see both established and emerging talent, as schools begin their summer programs and are looking to evaluate players for the winter season. I covered five players who stood out to me in part one of this coverage. Here are five more who I felt also performed at a high level.    Kaiden made an impression from the opening tip... literally. Holmen started their game with an undersized lineup and at 5'11, Wilber stepped into the center circle to take on the tipoff duty. He smiled, there were a few chuckles and then he almost won against a significantly taller player. He has springs and he put them on display throughout the game, whether high-pointing rebounds or converting on quick and smooth takes to the hoop. He always has his eyes up when the ball is in his hands, allowing him to make timely passes, identify driving lanes or pull up to hit a shot. Before going down on a hard foul, I had Kaiden at 4-5 from beyond the arc. He finished that particular game with 18 points, before sitting out the balance of the game. Thankfully, he seemed to be fine later in the afternoon.     Ellison was a formidable presence from midrange and in for the Menomonie Mustangs on Saturday. He is strong and decisive, using a variety of moves around the rim. He also has a nice touch in the 10-15 foot range and displays the quickness to take defenders off the dribble if they contest his jump shot too closely. Ellison uses his athleticism to get into moves quickly and will spin, shake or shimmy to create opportunities, whether going baseline or making space for his shot. He put all of this together to average 18 ppg in the three games he played at the tournament.       Playing on the wing at 6'3", Owen showed the ability to score at all three levels, posting a double-digit average ppg on the day. In the first half of the game I watched, he had a couple of nice pull-up jumpers from the elbow that looked extremely natural. He can also shoot the three, but I didn't see that as the centerpiece of his game. As the contest went on and the score remained tight, I saw a more assertive style from him on the offensive end, highlighting what I perceived to be his competitive nature. Down the stretch, he hit the boards hard and converted under the basket. In crunch time, Owen took a hard shot on an aggressive drive and glided across the block to sink an acrobatic bank shot from just outside the lane.     For anyone who has been paying attention to the class of 2026 in Wisconsin, you know this name and likely his game. Saturday was the first time I've seen Josh play in person since his 8th grade year. He did not disappoint. While he didn't come out of the gate on fire, he settled in and posted an impressive 34 points once he got a bit of a lather going. (He also had 24 and 15 in subsequent games). He can clearly fill it up, but he also plays sound defense and can pick a guy's pocket and score in transition. In addition to his outside shooting, Josh has excellent body control and exhibits impressive creativity in converting drives to the hoop. I really liked his demeanor on the court as well; he was fiery and competitive, but not arrogant. Glad to have had this opportunity to catch him in action.       I was only able to catch Gavin once on Saturday, but I saw a lot of potential in his game. He is a long 6'5" wing, who has a good handle and a fluid athleticism that indicates there may be opportunities for versatility in where his coaches may choose to use him. While he spent most of his time on the wing, Gavin also brought the ball up on several occasions. On one possession he slid to the corner and took his defender baseline, finishing with a smooth reverse layup. While Gavin didn't post big scoring numbers in the game I watched and didn't appear to have many varsity minutes with Eau Claire North last season, I would not be surprised to see him be a significant contributor for the Huskies in his junior year.

I spent Saturday, June 1 at Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI, taking in the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Tournament, which featured nine Wisconsin high school teams. This was a great opportunity to see both established and emerging talent, as schools begin their summer programs and are looking to evaluate players for the winter season. I covered five players who stood out to me in part one of this coverage. Here are five more who I felt also performed at a high level.