WI Freshman Showcase: Team 9 Evaluations

Overcoming a slow start in a very competitive game with Team 10, Pruitt put it together big time in the second half to help rally his team. The physical wing prospect used his strength, quick first step and aggressiveness to get into the lane to score or earn trips to the free-throw line. He scored the majority of his 16 points in the second half of the contest as his confidence began to soar. Pruitt definitely is advanced from a physical standpoint for a ninth grader. And you can easily ascertain that he has played a lot of basketball in his young life. Look for Pruitt to contend for varsity minutes at Martin Luther from the get go.     Smart, skilled and savvy, Bowers has good length, a deft shooting touch and a very good understanding of the game. The son of new Kaukauna coach Ryan Bowers, Drew flashed very deep shooting range at the Prep Hoops Freshman Showcase, and he buried a couple of threes in a close game against Team 10. He also did a good job of keeping his head up with the ball in his hands and finding open teammates slashing to the basket or coming off screens. Defensively, Bowers has the length and mobility to make things hard for opposing backcourt players. A good all-around prospect who is mostly noted for his deep shooting range, Bowers likely will earn some varsity minutes this winter for the Ghosts.     Another very good player coming through the ranks at Arrowhead, Toepel is a versatile wing who can score inside or outside. He runs the floor well, can guard multiple positions due to his lateral movement and also does a good job of grabbing rebounds on both ends of the floor. The younger brother of Arrowhead junior standout [player_tooltip player_id='2412856' first='Theo' last='Toepel'], [player_tooltip player_id='2401280' first='Thomas' last='Toepel'] figures to be one of the better class of 2029 prospects in the always competitive Classic Eight Conference.     A left-handed backcourt prospect who moves well, handles the ball well and shoots it well, Eisenberg stood out in the 3x3 and 5x5 portions of the Prep Hoops Freshman Showcase at the Champions Center in Appleton. Eisenberg can play either guard position and is always hunting his three-point shot, and that paid off for Team 9 as he swished a couple of big triples in a heated battle with Team 10. There is a deep well of talent at the present time at Appleton North, so Eisenberg is looking at a JV1 or JV2 spot in 2025-26, but his future with the Lightning is very bright, particularly as he gains weight and strength.     One thing about all of the players on Team 9, they play for highly successful high school programs with stellar coaches and thus each player will show vast improvement over the next four years. Hedtke definitely fits that bill at Brookfield Central. A high energy player who scored from the mid range and off of offensive rebounds, Hedtke also got to the basket and was able to finish through contact. He already possesses good physical strength and that asset allowed him to compete for each rebound and loose ball in Appleton at the Prep Hoops Freshman Showcase.     When you are small, you need to be quick and skilled and smart. Holtz checked all of those areas for Team 9 at the Prep Hoops Freshman Showcase. A point guard who handled the ball and shot it very well, Holtz has good acceleration in the open court with the ball. He also can run a team in the half court with his excellent feel for the game. Milton has had some stellar guards come through its program over the last decade or so and Holtz appears to be trending in that direction as well, particularly as he grows and adds strength to his frame.     One of a few members of the Kettle Moraine Lutheran program who took part in Saturday's Prep Hoops event at the Champions Center in Appleton, Netzel appears to have a very good future ahead of him as a skilled backcourt prospect for the Chargers. He spotted up and knocked down a three-point shot for Team 9 in its battle with Team 10 while also moving the ball when it came his way and defending on the perimeter with his quickness. Netzel is a key part of a very promising 2029 class at KML.     Team 9 was loaded with talented guards so Ramirez fit in well with his teammates. He had very good quickness with the ball and consistently showed the ability to get to the basket and foul line for his team. Ramirez is a good outside shooter who just needs to add a few inches before becoming a key player in the Greater Metro Conference for West Allis Hale.