Cloverbelt East Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023-24 Final Standings</strong><br><br>1. Columbus Catholic 14-0 (29-2); 2. Neillsville 10-4 (14-12); 3. Colby 9-5 (12-13); 3. Owen-Withee 9-5 (19-10); 5. Loyal 8-6 (12-14); 6. Spencer 4-10 (7-18); 7. Gilman 2-12 (3-21); 8. Greenwood 0-14 (0-24). <br><br><strong>2024-25 Picks</strong><br><br><strong>1. Loyal </strong>-- The race for the top in the Cloverbelt East figures to be extremely tight, which is in sharp contrast to a year ago when Columbus Catholic won the crown by four games. Loyal has three starters and several key backups back and coach Brandon DeSmet's squad performed well over the summer, making the Greyhounds a slight favorite to win the 2024-25 title. Juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2500036' first='Bryce' last='Deegan'] (6-2, 11 ppg, 5 rpg), [player_tooltip player_id='2622846' first='Reed' last='Stieglitz'] (6-0, 10 ppg, 2 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2622838' first='Cain' last='Toufar'] (6-3, 8 ppg, 8 rpg) are returning regulars while juniors Joe Treffinger (6-3, 3 ppg, 2 rpg) and Hunter Walter (6-3, 5 ppg, 3 rpg) along with sophomore Rhett Lamovek (6-3, 3 ppg) saw plenty of action off the bench. Senior Parker Smith (5-11) could also factor into the playing rotation after missing last year with an injury.<br><br><strong>2. Neillsville </strong>-- Mike Gaier's teams at Neillsville are always well prepared and highly competitive, and those attributes figure to be big assets once again this season. Despite losing four starters, the Warriors bring back one of the league's best players in junior [player_tooltip player_id='2492535' first='Andrew' last='Hoeser'] (6-6, 12.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg). Hoeser has improved his perimeter jump shot and become more consistent. He could become one of the more dominant players in the league. Junior Collin Knoff (6-3) and freshman Landon Rakestraw (5-8) also figure to play prominent roles for Neillsville. <br><br><strong>3. Owen-Withee</strong> -- Russ Weiler, the dean of coaches in the Cloverbelt East as he enters his 25th season, has three senior backcourt starters returning from a squad that went 19-10 in [player_tooltip player_id='2622844' first='Mason' last='Gay'] (5-10, 10 ppg, 3 rpg), Dominic Sherwood (5-11, 9 ppg, 5 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2826030' first='Colin' last='Fritz'] (5-10, 8 ppg, 3 rpg). With the senior class taking care of duties at the guard positions, juniors Jack Wendler (6-3, 4 ppg, 3 rpg) and Winston Poehler (6-2, 3 ppg, 3 rpg) look to handle things on the frontline. <br><br><strong>4. Columbus Catholic</strong> --The Dons have won three of the last four league titles, including last year when Columbus Catholic went 14-0 in conference play and 29-2 overall, beating Abundant Life Christian in the WIAA Division 5 state-title contest. A very talented and deep senior class that included nine players and all five starters graduated last spring, leaving long-time coach Joe Konieczny with a rebuilding job for 2024-25. Two players return who saw extensive action a year ago in senior forward Sam Dums (6-2, 2.0 rpg) and junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2500034' first='Mac' last='Konieczny'] (5-11, 5.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg). Dums is the lone senior in the program and will provide leadership for a young but talented group of underclassmen that includes gifted sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='2509448' first='Ben' last='Weiland'] (5-11) and [player_tooltip player_id='2509449' first='Carter' last='Sommer'] (6-3), among others. <br><br><strong>5. Colby </strong>-- Even though Colby must replace its top three scorers lost to graduation, the Hornets figure to field a very competitive and balanced team under coach James Flink. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2515131' first='Tucker' last='Hayes'] (6-7, 5 ppg, 4 rpg) is one of the league's most improved players and could be a stalwart on defense for the Hornets. Seniors Miguel Morillon (5-11, 5 ppg, 4 rpg) and Landon Steinman (5-10, 4 ppg) along with junior [player_tooltip player_id='2412802' first='Reed' last='Fleischmann'] (5-11, 6 ppg 3.5 rpg) also figure to be key performers. <br><br><strong>6. Spencer </strong>-- Coaches Charles Jennings has the benefit of working with the top returning scorer and rebounder in the league in talented junior [player_tooltip player_id='2622833' first='Sam' last='Bezlyk'] (6-3, 18.2 ppg, 12.3 rpg). While Bezlyk is certainly the Rockets' go-to player, several others also return with plenty of varsity experience, incuding juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2610601' first='Mathers' last='McHone'] (6-5, 5.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg), Breckin Miller (6-2, 6.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg) and Noah Anderson (6-0, 4.3 ppg) along with senior Drake Johnson (5-10, 2.7 ppg) and sophomore Wes Nieman (5-10, 6.7 ppg). Spencer won just seven games last season, but could reach double figures in wins this time around with a team that features scoring punch and strong rebounding.<br><br><strong>7. Gilman</strong> -- The Pirates got the monkey off their back last season, snapping a 44-game league losing streak with a win over Greenwood in mid December. Coach Tuler Pockat's squad hopes to continue moving forward in 2024-25 behind the return of five starters in seniors Joey Syryczuk (6-0, 4 ppg, 8 rpg), Brayden Olynick (6-4, 4 ppg, 8 rpg) and Max Ustanowski (6-4, 4 ppg, 6 rpg) along with junior Anthony Syryczuk (5-9, 2 ppg, 5 rpg) and sophomore Logan Halida (5-10, 6.4 ppg, 2 rpg).<br><br><strong>8. Greenwood </strong>-- Another long season appears likely for Greenwood, which begins the campaign with a 25-game losing skid after finishing 0-24 in 2023-24. Coach Hayden Hinker does welcome back his top scorer in sophomore Keegan Gipe (12.1 ppg) while James Durrstein (6.8 ppg) and Carter Johnson (4.0 ppg) also return. <br><br><strong>Top Returning Scorers</strong><br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2622833' first='Sam' last='Bezlyk'], Spencer (18.2 ppg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2492535' first='Andrew' last='Hoeser'], Neillsville (12.6 ppg)<br>Keegan Gipe, Greenwood (12.1 ppg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2500036' first='Bryce' last='Deegan'], Loyal (11.0 ppg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2622846' first='Reed' last='Stieglitz'], Loyal (10.5 ppg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2622844' first='Mason' last='Gay'], Owen-Withee (10.0 ppg)<br><br><strong>Projected All-Conference Teams"<br>First Team</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2500034' first='Mac' last='Konieczny'], 5-11, Jr., Columbus Catholic<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2500036' first='Bryce' last='Deegan'], 6-2, Jr. Loyal<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2622844' first='Mason' last='Gay'], 5-10, Sr., Owen-Withee<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2492535' first='Andrew' last='Hoeser'], 6-6, Jr., Neillsville<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2622833' first='Sam' last='Bezlyk'], 6-3, Jr., Spencer<br><br><strong>Second Team</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2515131' first='Tucker' last='Hayes'], 6-7, Sr. Colby<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2412802' first='Reed' last='Fleischmann'], 5-11, Jr., Colby<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2509448' first='Ben' last='Weiland'], 5-11, Soph., Columbus Catholic<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2622838' first='Cain' last='Toufar'], 6-3, Jr., Loyal<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2622846' first='Reed' last='Stieglitz'], 6-0, Jr., Loyal<br><br><strong>The Big Five</strong><br><br><strong>Best Shooter:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2500034' first='Mac' last='Konieczny'], Columbus Catholic<br><strong>Best Rebounder: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2622833' first='Sam' last='Bezlyk'], Spencer<br><strong>Best Defender:</strong> Miguel Morillon, Colby<br><strong>Best Collegiate Prospect:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2492535' first='Andrew' last='Hoeser'], Neillsville<br><strong>Most Improved Player:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2515131' first='Tucker' last='Hayes'], Colby</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->