Top Performers: Deer District Prep Showcase Pt. 1

After Saturday's event with so many fantastic players it was hard to pick just ten players that stood out to me over the weekend. We will break up the top performers into two different articles, highlighting eight players in each article. These prospects stood out on the court for their play all around from Saturday's premier event at the Fiserv Forum.    Chapman was very dynamic on Saturday in a matchup against a very talented Lodi squad. The 6'5 junior was able to showcase his diverse skill set scoring in many different ways. Chapman hit two first half threes from deep and was able to stretch the Blue Devil defense the rest of the game because of it. Alex had 11 second half points including some clutch free throws towards the end of the game. Chapman hit 4 of 4 free throws the last minute of the game to put the game on ice for the Vikings to secure the victory against a scrappy Lodi team. Chapman, who competes with Swing in the club season, is extremely tough, physically strong and skilled. When [player_tooltip player_id='1561888' first='Josh' last='Manchester'] returns from injury this week, Chapman will be ready to compliment Manchester's scoring as he stepped up in the prolific scorer's absence.     Davis is the #1 ranked prospect in the 2027 class in the most recent rankings released. Donovan has earned this ranking not only due to his scoring, but his ability to impact the game in other ways. Davis was held to only four points on four shots, but secured 12 rebounds, and five assists in his game versus an extremely talented Slinger squad. There are not many prospects that will gain that much attention from opposing defenses at the high school level. Davis still has the skillset, athleticism, and leadership qualities to lead Freedom to more wins the rest of the season and a deep run in the postseason. He has a very interesting matchup with [player_tooltip player_id='2025184' first='Wes' last='Rahn'] of Lakeside Lutheran at another event coming up on February 14th in Beaver Dam.     Feske is one player that just gets better every time I see him play. The 6'3 junior plays more as a traditional high school front court player but has added several components to his game over the off-season and in this current season. Feske is a knockdown three point shooter and an absolute force inside for the Thunder, who have not dropped a game yet in 25-26. Issac is super patient and physical in the post utilizing a deep bag of moves in the mid and low post to score efficiently. He finished 14 points and 7 rebounds in this game in limited minutes, as Seymour pushed their lead against TPS to running clock. Feske is not only part of a loaded high school team in Seymour, but competes with [program_tooltip program_id='2512324' first='Wisconsin' last='Legends'] in the club season that features a lot of premier top talent in the Fox Valley.     Anderson is a multi-sport standout and is headed to the twin cities next school year to play tight end for St. Thomas. Anderson is another player that has stepped for the Vikings in the absence of [player_tooltip player_id='1561888' first='Josh' last='Manchester']. Anderson was ultra effective around the rim against Lodi and had 15 points for the Vikings who compete in the Badger Conference. Anderson was relentless on the offensive glass generating multiple extra opportunities for himself and his teammates on Saturday. He stood out as a very physical finisher capitalizing on some and 1s and demonstrated his skill set by driving double gaps in the halfcourt. Mount Horeb with Anderson, Chapman, and Manchester is not a team I would want to see when they are fully healthy later in the season and in the playoffs.     The elite brother duo of Joey and [player_tooltip player_id='2351190' first='Jack' last='Kohnen'] was fully on display on Saturday in Milwaukee. The younger of the dynamic duo was extremely solid for the Owls, who are coached by Alex Lavine. Joey had one of the bigger moments of the event on Saturday when he jumped a pass cross court, took a few dribbles and jammed a massive contact dunk down in transition. Kohnen competes harder than anyone on the floor and finished with 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals. Iowa assistant coaches were in the gym on Saturday, and Kohnen picked up a scholarship offer from the Hawkeyes following his stellar performance. Joey also has offers from Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Iowa State. The 6'5 sophomore is bound to pick up significant power five interest this club season as he competes on the EYBL circuit with [program_tooltip program_id='2391400' first='Team' last='Herro'].     Schwalbach would be a batman on 95 percent of the teams in the state of Wisconsin. Fortunately for the Ghosts, they have Tyler and standout [player_tooltip player_id='1561925' first='Andrew' last='Jensen'] with some other talented players on their roster. Schwalbach was all over the floor on Saturday Night on both offensively and defensively. Offensively, Schwalbach has great feet around the basket and operating out of the midpost. The 6'3 sophomore is so shifty going to the basket and can stop on a dime to rise up and hit pull-up jumpers making him very dangerous and so difficult to guard. Where Schwalbach is so underrated, is his ability to steal the basketball from his matchup at any given time. He was in the passing lanes all night and finished with five steals to go along with his 17 points. The 6'3 guard will be an important piece for the Ghosts and first year coach Ryan Bowers, as they try to get to Madison for the state tournament in March.     Another player that improves every single season, Traeder is a prospect that collegiate programs should absolutely be monitoring the rest of the season. The 6'4 guard is silky smooth and has added strength to his frame from his junior to senior year. Theo truly has unlimited range behind the three point arc. Traeder was averaging 21.0ppg on an eye popping 48% from 3 coming into this game. The 6'4 senior showcased other parts of his offensive game utilizing up and under footwork and finishing through physical contact on Saturday. Traeder is one of the better unsigned shooters/guards in the state of Wisconsin in the 2026 class.     Another quality prospect for a top ranked division three team and Head Coach Bobby Kuchta. Krause is the third leading scorer on the ultra talented Seymour squad, but in most programs would easily be the leading scorer. Seymour is 14-0, and a big reason is because of Krause's ability to stretch the defense. The sharpshooting guard had four first half threes, with most of them from the NBA distance on the Bucks' home court. Krause finished the game with 16 points. In addition to his range, Krause has an extremely shifty and quick first step that allows him to get downhill and create off the bounce. The Seymour program has legitimately five or six guys that can get 20 or more each night. Krause is certainly one of those scoring weapons that can turn into scoring microwaves at any given moment.

After Saturday's event with so many fantastic players it was hard to pick just ten players that stood out to me over the weekend. We will break up the top performers into two different articles, highlighting eight players in each article. These prospects stood out on the court for their play all around from Saturday's premier event at the Fiserv Forum.