Big East South Preview 2025-26

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024-25 Final Standings:</strong><br><br>1. Kohler 10-2 (21-4); 1. Oostburg 10-2 (20-7); 1. Sheboygan Lutheran 10-2 (25-5); 4. Sheboygan Christian 5-7 (13-14); 5. Cedar Grove 4-8 (16-13); 6. Ozaukee 3-9 (5-19); 7. Random Lake 0-12 (0-25). <br><br><strong>2025-26 Picks</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1. <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/oostburg/">Oostburg </a></strong>-- With one of the state's best leaders and point guards back in NCAA Division II Hillsdale College commit [player_tooltip player_id='1970502' first='Cade' last='Dirkse'] (6-1, 22.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 6.5 apg) along with athletic, strong and productive Bethel College recruit [player_tooltip player_id='2117025' first='JJ' last='Zavatchin'] (6-5, 21.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg) leading the way, Oostburg has one of the top WIAA Division 3 teams in the state. Dirkse's toughness and strong desire to do whatever it takes to win will be huge assets for the Flying Dutchmen and coach Kevin Bruggink. And Zavatchin is consistently productive and has expanded his game to score from the perimeter in addition to getting points in the paint. His younger brother, sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2508205' first='Weston' last='Zavatchin'] (6-5, 7.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg), has seen his game grow by leaps and bounds since the end of last season. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2991280' first='Chase' last='Townsend'] (5-9, 6.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2991282' first='Isaiah' last='Mentink'] (5-11, 2.6 ppg), along with junior [player_tooltip player_id='2991281' first='Devon' last='Wilterdink'] (6-0, 3.3 ppg) also figure to play important roles for Oostburg. <br><br><strong>2.<a href="https://prephoops.com/team/sheboygan-area-luthe/"> Sheboygan Lutheran</a> </strong>-- Since finishing second to Cochrane-Fountain City in last year's WIAA Division 5 State Tournament, Sheboygan Lutheran sustained two huge losses. First, senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2641634' first='Zach' last='Leonhard'] (6-1, 12.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg) sustained an ACL injury over the summer. His return to the Crusaders' lineup this winter remains in doubt and his court presence, toughness and versatility will be sorely missed. Then, when school started in August, standout junior [player_tooltip player_id='2382133' first='Marion' last='Boyland'] (6-5, 15.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg), decided to transfer to Milwaukee Academy of Science. Even with those difficult losses, Sheboygan Lutheran remains one of the top teams in the Big East South. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2224503' first='Brennen' last='Hackbarth'] (6-5, 14.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg) is a talented forward who can score inside and outside while junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2509476' first='Oliver' last='Leibham'] (5-11, 9.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg) is exceptionally skilled and smart. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2562463' first='McCoy' last='Michael'] (5-10, 4.0 ppg) figures to take on a much bigger role than a year ago while coach Nick Verhagen's son, junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2828754' first='Ben' last='Verhagen'] (6-2), is a very good perimeter shooter with size and strength. <br><br><strong>3. </strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/cedar-grove-belgium/"><strong>Cedar Grove</strong> </a>-- After stumbling a bit during the regular season and finishing just 4-8 in league play, Cedar Grove got things together in a big way during the playoffs, advancing all the way to the WIAA Division 4 sectional finals before losing to The Prairie School, 61-58. Coach Jake Hock is hoping the magic of last March carries over into the 2025-26 campaign and he has four key returning players to work with in seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2224528' first='Owen' last='Gulke'] (6-1, 19.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg), [player_tooltip player_id='2991909' first='Carter' last='Schmitz'] (6-3, 17.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2822671' first='Thomas' last='Wiesner'] (6-4, 5.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg), all returning starters from a club that went 16-13. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2991915' first='Griffin' last='Knight'] (6-1, 6.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg) was the Rockets' top reserve and figures to move into the starting rotation. <br><br><strong>4.<a href="https://prephoops.com/team/kohler/"> Kohler </a></strong>-- The Blue Bombers have won 67 games over the past three seasons, including 21 a year ago. Coach Ken Roeder starts his 18th season needing to replace five key players, but he has two experienced performers back in juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2883490' first='Carter' last='Zimmermann'] (6-3, 11 ppg, 8 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2921014' first='Jackson' last='Mannon'] (5-11, 6 ppg, 4 rpg). While Zimmermann and Mannon figure to keep Kohler competitive, the Blue Bombers will need big seasons out of seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2991740' first='Lennon' last='Buzaitis'] (6-1, 3 ppg, 2 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2815125' first='Carmine' last='Moctezuma'] (6-1, 4 ppg, 5 rpg) along with junior [player_tooltip player_id='2921017' first='Aiden' last='Oldenhoff'] (5-11, 4 ppg, 2 rpg) in order to finsh near the top in a very difficult conference.<br><br><strong>5.</strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/ozaukee/"><strong> Ozaukee</strong> </a>-- The Warriors have a couple of talented frontline players back in senior [player_tooltip player_id='2862158' first='Chase' last='Mills'] (6-3, 14.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2140888' first='Braydon' last='Lowrance-Eischen'] (6-5, 13.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg), but depth along the frontline is a concern for coach Bob Domach. Guard depth is a strength, however, with seniors Mason Schroeder (5-8), Dylan Budzisz (5-9) and Jackson Szydel (5-9), along with juniors Nick Schubert (5-7) and [player_tooltip player_id='2140904' first='CJ' last='Dvorak'] (5-9) playing big roles. <br><br><strong>6. <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/sheboygan-christian/">Sheboygan Christian </a></strong>-- Year No. 30 for coach Brett Flipse looks like it might be a bit of a rebuild as four starters from last year's 13-14 squad graduated. The lone returning regular -- senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2700579' first='Cameron' last='Ferraino'] (5-11, 13.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg) -- will have to take on an even bigger role for the Eagles to help offset the significant losses. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2990573' first='Jonathan' last='Engels'] (6-5, 2.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2990574' first='Chase' last='DeBlaey'] (5-11, 4.5 ppg) also figure to play prominent roles for Flipse, who has 337 career victories at the school. <br><br><strong>7. <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/random-lake/">Random Lake </a></strong>-- Coming off a very difficult season that included zero wins in 25 outings, there is no place to go but up for the Rams. Matt Merlo has returned as head coach of the program and has some promising young players to work with. And although instant results might be a lot to ask, the long-term prognosis for Random Lake is positive. Juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2991098' first='Griffin' last='Donahue'] (5-11, 4.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg), [player_tooltip player_id='2991099' first='Jackson' last='Mayer'] (5-11, 4.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2991100' first='Aaron' last='Arndt'] (6-3, 2.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg) all gained valuable experience as sophomores and provide Merlo with a solid core to build around in 2025-26.<br><br><strong>Top Returning Scorers</strong><br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='1970502' first='Cade' last='Dirkse'] (Oostburg) 22.0 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2117025' first='JJ' last='Zavatchin'] (Oosburg) 21.2 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2224528' first='Owen' last='Gulke'] (Cedar Grove) 19.3 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2991909' first='Carter' last='Schmitz'] (Cedar Grove) 17.1 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2862158' first='Chase' last='Mills'] (Ozaukee) 14.8 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2224503' first='Brennen' last='Hackbarth'] (Sheboygan LUtheran) 14.8 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2700579' first='Cameron' last='Ferraino'] (Sheboygan Christian) 13.8 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2140888' first='Braydon' last='Lowrance-Eischen'] (Ozaukee) 13.3 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2641634' first='Zach' last='Leonhard'] (Sheboygan Lutheran) 12.6 ppg (Injured)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2883490' first='Carter' last='Zimmermann'] (Kohler) 11.0 ppg<br><br><strong>Projected All-Conference Teams<br>First Team</strong><br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2224503' first='Brennen' last='Hackbarth'], 6-5, Sr., Sheboygan Lutheran<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1970502' first='Cade' last='Dirkse'], 6-1, Sr., Oostburg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2117025' first='JJ' last='Zavatchin'], 6-3, Sr., Oosburg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2883490' first='Carter' last='Zimmermann'], 6-3, Jr., Kohler<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2224528' first='Owen' last='Gulke'], 6-1, Sr., Cedar Grove<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2991909' first='Carter' last='Schmitz'], 6-3, Sr., Cedar Grove<br><br><strong>Second Team</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2509476' first='Oliver' last='Leibham'], 5-11, Jr., Sheboygan Lutheran<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2700579' first='Cameron' last='Ferraino'], 5-11, Sr., Sheboygan Christian<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2862158' first='Chase' last='Mills'], 6-3, Sr., Ozaukee<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2508205' first='Weston' last='Zavatchin'], 6-5, Soph., Oostburg<br>Braydon Lawrance-Eisen, 6-5, Jr., Ozaukee<br><br><strong>The Big Five</strong><br><br><strong>Best Shooter: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1970502' first='Cade' last='Dirkse'], Oostburg<br><strong>Best Rebounder: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2822671' first='Thomas' last='Wiesner'], Cedar Grove<br><strong>Best Defender: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2862158' first='Chase' last='Mills'], Ozaukee<br><strong>Best Collegiate Prospect: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2508205' first='Weston' last='Zavatchin'], Oostburg<br><strong>Most Improved Player: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2562463' first='McCoy' last='Michael'], Sheboygan Lutheran</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->