Division 2, Sectional 2: First Look

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We continue a late summer trek through the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association sectionals, today looking at Division 2, Sectional 2.<br><br><strong>Top Teams:</strong><br><br>Ashwaubenon<br>Cedarburg<br>Nicolet<br>Notre Dame<br>Plymouth<br>Pulaski<br>Slinger<br>West De Pere<br><br><strong>Overview:</strong><br><br>This sectional is noted as much as anything for which players are in and which players are out. In is possibly [player_tooltip player_id='1240336' first='Amari' last='Allen'], a 6-foot-7 small forward who played at Kaukauna as a freshman before transferring to the IMG prep school program in Florida for the past two seasons. Allen, who owns scholarship offers from a number of high-major NCAA Division I programs including Minnesota and Wisconsin, announced Sunday on Twitter he would be spending his senior year at Ashwaubenon. If he is cleared to play, he immediately becomes the top player in the sectional. However, he has yet to be cleared to play by the WIAA. And, in light of the WIAA's recent decision to deny the eligibility of senior [player_tooltip player_id='1390114' first='T.J.' last='Stuttley'], who left Link Academy in Missouri after his junior year and tried to enroll at his old school, Onalaska, for his senior season, it seems doubtful Allen would gain eligibility from the WIAA. Out for sure is [player_tooltip player_id='1390443' first='Davion' last='Hannah'], a 6-foot-6 forward from Nicolet and top 35 national recruit who announced earlier in the summer he would attend Link Academy for his senior season. Even without Hannah, Nicolet remains one of the top teams in the sectional. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1598239' first='David' last='Bolden'] picked up D1 offers from Milwaukee and Wright State over the summer and leads a talented group that also includes junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1781157' first='Rashaad' last='Davis'] and promising sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='2140912' first='Edward' last='Bullock III']. Cedarburg and possibly Slinger figure to push Nicolet in the North Shore Conference while Notre Dame and Pulaski rank among the top-tier teams in the Fox River Classic Conference behind Division 1 De Pere.<br><br><strong>Pre-Season All-Sectional Team:</strong><br><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1544731"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66c3804093f94"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Explosive around the basket. Dependable from the perimeter. And as competitive as they come on the defensive end of the floor. That pretty much sums up Zahour, a returning first-team all-league pick in the highly regarded North Shore Conference. As a three-year letter winner in the Cedarburg program, Zahour will be asked to provide senior leadership for a very good Bulldogs' team in 2024-25. He is one of three returning regulars along with Griffin French and [player_tooltip player_id='2817257' first='Mitchell' last='Czajkowski'] from a club that went 18-9 under coach Nick Mueller. Zahour, who surpassed 1,000 career points as a junior and owns a NCAA Division II scholarship offer from Parkside, can guard multiple positions because of his physical strength and athleticism. On offense, he put up big numbers last season, averaging 21.1 points to go along with 7.5 rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2045263"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66c3804093feb"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Schultz doesn't compete in an elite league like the North Shore so the media blitz around his game isn't always as high as some others. But make no mistake, he can play with the best of them. He has proved that the last two years while playing for Plymouth and the [program_tooltip program_id='2076501' first='Chapman' last='Basketball Academy'] club program. At 6-foot-2, Schultz has good size for a lead guard. And he can do a lot of things with the ball in his hands. He can score at all three levels, but he's equally comfortable with setting up his teammates. He's a good rebounder for a guard and can put defensive pressure on backcourt opponents with his quick hands and lateral movement. Schultz is a two-time first-team all-league player and the returning Player of the Year in the East Central Conference. He averaged 19.1 points and 5.4 rebounds as a sophomore.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2351190"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66c380409402a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">When you are just a freshman and earn first-team all-conference recognition in a league as good and as deep as the North Shore, you know you have accomplished something pretty special. Such was the case for Kohnen last season as the exceptionally talented 6-foot-6 wing was voted to the first team by league coaches after averaging 18.8 points and 12.3 rebounds while competing against older players with very good talent. He then took his game to the club circuit with [program_tooltip program_id='2391400' first='Team' last='Herro'] and turned in one outstanding performance after another for a team loaded with the state's best class of 2027 talent. It might just be a matter of time before Kohnen starts to rake in scholarship offers from high-major NCAA Division I programs. He definitely is one of the elite players in the state's talented 2027 class. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1598239"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66c3804094064"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Bolden put it all together over the spring/summer for Kevin Looney Power 5, exhibiting his toughness, grittiness and ability to run a team against top-level competition. He also used his strength and confidence off the dribble to get into the lane and score or dish off to his talented teammates. Bolden's strong play on the circuit resulted in a couple of scholarship offers from Horizon League schools as both Milwaukee and Wright State offered the point guard. He also had a strong junior season for Nicolet, helping the Knights to a 24-5 record, the North Shore Conference title and a spot in the WIAA Division 2 State Tournament. He averaged 10.3 points, 3.9 points and 4.8 assists in 2023-24.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1412884"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66c380409409b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Rader is hoping to remain healthy for an entire high school season after undergoing successful foot surgery. He was able to return to the Notre Dame lineup for 20 games last season and put up some good numbers, including a breakout 27-point performance in a 93-83 loss to eventual WIAA Division 1 state champion Marquette. Rader, who has a soft shooting touch out to 15 feet, averaged 12.2 points and 7.6 rebounds for the Tritons. He then played on the EYBL circuit, coming off the bench for [program_tooltip program_id='2391400' first='Team' last='Herro'] and providing the squad with solid play in the post. He picked up several NCAA DII scholarship offers over the spring and summer before recently committing to Minnesota-Duluth. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pre-Season Pick to Click:</strong><br><br>Even though West De Pere doesn't have a player listed on the Pre-Season All-Sectional team, the Phantoms might have the balance, depth and experience to make a deep run in the playoffs and potentially earn the school's first trip to the WIAA State Tournament since 2015. West De Pere finished four games behind league-champion Xavier in the Bay Conference a year ago, but returns three all-league performers in senior [player_tooltip player_id='1598950' first='Bryce' last='Borowicz'] (first team), sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2140983' first='Tref' last='Rademaker'] (second team) and senior [player_tooltip player_id='2386198' first='Riley' last='Kraft'] (honorable mention). Borowicz is one of the state's premier three-point shooters and averaged 16.9 ppg as a junior. Rademaker is a 6-foot-9 post player with good passing skills and the ability to dominant at times in the paint. He averaged 13.8 points and 8.4 rebounds as a freshman and played well for the talented [program_tooltip program_id='2391400' first='Team' last='Herro'] squad on the 15U circuit. Kraft pitched in 10.1 ppg and 7.8 rpg as West De Pere finished 16-9 under coach Todd Deschane. Joining Borowicz, Rademaker and Kraft as returning starters are seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2616470' first='Easton' last='Deschane'] and Collin Jindra. Depth is a huge asset as seniors Patrick Greisen and Mason Werner earned significant playing time off the bench as did sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='2140897' first='Carson' last='Samson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2399057' first='Cooper' last='Borowicz'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->