Badger Large Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023-24 Final Standings</strong><br><br>1. Waunakee 12-2 (18-8); 2. Milton 11-3 (17-9); 3. Beaver Dam 8-6 (18-8); 3. Monona Grove 8-6 (14-12); 5. Oregon 7-7 (15-11); 6. De Forest 5-9 (12-13); 7. Fort Atkinson 5-9 (11-15); 8. Watertown 0-14 (4-21).<br><br><strong>2024-25 Picks<br><br>1. Waunakee</strong> -- Waunakee goes after third straight league championship behind the return of an extraordinarily deep roster led by seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2042435' first='Kaden' last='MacKenzie'] (6-4, 12.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg), [player_tooltip player_id='1749696' first='Eli' last='Selk'] (6-4, 11.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg), [player_tooltip player_id='1853678' first='Vance' last='Johnson'] (6-3, 4.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2765155' first='Jack' last='Ellickson'] (6-4, 5.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg).<br><br><strong>2. Fort Atkinson</strong> -- The Blackhawks composite league record over the past three seasons is a rather pedestrian 16-26. Fort Atkinson is looking to take a giant step forward this time around as coach Mike Hintz welcomes back all five starters from a year ago. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2493675' first='Owen' last='Geiger'] (6-0, 14.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg), [player_tooltip player_id='2492727' first='Brennan' last='Dempsey'] (6-5, 14.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='1598976' first='Lakyn' last='Hintz'] (6-0, 9.3 ppg) headline an experienced roster hungry for success.<br><br><strong>3. Oregon</strong> -- Led by talented junior [player_tooltip player_id='2045301' first='Vaughn' last='Karvala'], Oregon is hoping to push for an upper-division finish in the highly competitive Badger Large. Karvala, a 6-foot-6 junior ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the state in the 2026 class, averaged 24.1 points and 6.5 rebounds as a sophomore. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1561905' first='Nolan' last='Erfurth'] (6-1) also returns to the starting rotation. Junior Brayden Hermsdorf (6-6), who played big minutes as a freshman before missing last season with an injury, is expected to miss the 2024-25 campaign as well after again suffering an ACL injury in football.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>4. Beaver Dam</strong> -- Guard play is a big asset for the Beavers and you can win a ton of games at the high school level with superior backcourt performances. Senior Parker Stobbe (5-9, 7.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2391088' first='EJ' last='Salettel'] (6-3, 16.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2496335' first='Parker' last='Blank'] (6-0, 8.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg) are multi-year varsity contributors and form a solid core for coach Tim Ladron. Senior Jeffrey Freund (6-1) and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2140933' first='Jaxon' last='Ladron'] (6-0) figure to play roles as will Dodgeland transfer [player_tooltip player_id='2371701' first='Isaiah' last='Yuenger'], a 6-foot-4 wing who averaged 21.0 points and 5.8 rebounds for the Trojans as a freshman.<br><br><strong>5. Monona Grove</strong> -- Losing three double-figure scorers to graduation will be tough to overcome, but the Silver Eagles boast one of the top young players in the Badger Large in sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2140876' first='Austin' last='Luchetti'] (6-6), who averaged 8.5 points and 5.2 rebounds as a freshman and then had a very strong spring/summer on the club circuit. Luchetti is one of three returning starters for coach Dan Zweifel along with seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2562069' first='Cal' last='Woerth'] (6-1, 7.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2415497' first='AJ' last='Nelson'] (6-3, Sr., 6.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg). <br><br><strong>6. Milton </strong>-- The Red Hawks might be predicted to finish sixth in the Badger Large, but take this team lightly and you'll likely walk out of the gym with a loss. Coach Ian Kirst's squad plays with toughness and grit and is led by senior [player_tooltip player_id='2492820' first='Karson' last='Lueck'] (6-2, 8.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1561895' first='Collin' last='Branch'] (5-10, 4.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg).<br><br><strong>7. De Forest </strong>-- The Norskies sustained a big loss when senior [player_tooltip player_id='1347538' first='Jackson' last='Accuardi'] (6-7, 17.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg) decided to forgo his senior basketball season so that he could enroll in January as a football recruit for West Virginia. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2493701' first='Lincoln' last='Hottmann'] (6-1, 16.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg) is one of the top backcourt players in the league and will need to carry a heavy load for coach Eric Stewart's squad. <br><br><strong>8. Watertown </strong>-- The Goslings own just two league wins over the past two seasons as coach Chad Hayes went with youth and played a lot of underclassmen the past two seasons. Watertown does have a strong core of returning seniors, led by [player_tooltip player_id='2492750' first='Brett' last='Schwefel'] (6-2, 15 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and Calvin Hurtgen (5-11, 13.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg). The Goslings also boast a strong sophomore class, keyed by quick guard [player_tooltip player_id='2140956' first='Macallister' last='Hayes'] (5-9, 5.1 ppg).<br><br><strong>Top Returning Scorers</strong><br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2045301' first='Vaughn' last='Karvala'], Oregon (24.1 ppg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2391088' first='EJ' last='Salettel'], Beaver Dam (16.7 ppg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2493701' first='Lincoln' last='Hottmann'], De Forest (16.7 ppg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2492750' first='Brett' last='Schwefel'], Watertown (15.0 ppg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2493675' first='Owen' last='Geiger'], Fort Atkinson (14.3 ppg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2492727' first='Brennan' last='Dempsey'], Fort Atkinson (14.2 ppg)<br>Calvin Hurtgen, Watertown (13.1 ppg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2042435' first='Kaden' last='MacKenzie'], Waunakee (12.7 ppg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1749696' first='Eli' last='Selk'], Waunakee (11.4 ppg)<br><br><strong>Projected All-Conference Teams<br>First Team</strong><br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2042435' first='Kaden' last='MacKenzie'], 6-4, Sr., Waunakee<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2045301' first='Vaughn' last='Karvala'], 6-6, Jr., Oregon<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2391088' first='EJ' last='Salettel'], 6-3, Jr., Beaver Dam<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2492727' first='Brennan' last='Dempsey'], 6-5, Sr., Fort Atkinson<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2493701' first='Lincoln' last='Hottmann'], 6-1, Sr., De Forest<br><br><strong>Second Team</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2493675' first='Owen' last='Geiger'], 6-0, Sr., Fort Atkinson<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1749696' first='Eli' last='Selk'], 6-4, Sr., Waunakee<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2492820' first='Karson' last='Lueck'], 6-2, Sr., Milton<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2140876' first='Austin' last='Luchetti'], 6-6, Soph., Monona Grove<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2492750' first='Brett' last='Schwefel'], 6-2, Sr., Watertown<br><br><strong>The Big Five</strong><br><br><strong>Best Shooter:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2391088' first='EJ' last='Salettel'], Beaver Dam<br><strong>Best Rebounder:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2045301' first='Vaughn' last='Karvala'], Oregon<br><strong>Best Defender:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2042435' first='Kaden' last='MacKenzie'], Waunakee<br><strong>Best College Prospect:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2045301' first='Vaughn' last='Karvala'], Oregon<br><strong>Most Improved Player:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2492820' first='Karson' last='Lueck'], Milton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->