Team 4 Evaluation: Wisconsin Freshman Showcase

This team brought the energy in Appleton on Saturday at the Wisconsin Freshman Showcase. Let's breakdown the play of the prospects on Team Four as they prepare for their first season of high school basketball.    Manny, who attends Racine Case High School, was one of the quicker lead guards at the Freshman Showcase in Appleton. What stands out other than Carbajal's quickness, is his ability to knock down threes from deep three point range. With a quick release, good feet, and nice rotation on the ball Manny's shot is very efficient and consistent despite his size. The five-foot-seven guard hit a pair of side step three point buckets in the 3 on 3 session.     Ty came a long distance to the Champions Center over Labor Day weekend, and stood out in the process. The five-foot-eight prospect out of Sparta, was able to showcase his offensive skill set in a variety of ways. Nichols has a smooth handle allowing him to penetrate the paint in the half court, and remain shifty in the transition game. His ball handling allowed him to find teammates and score at the rim. When he was not on the attack off the bounce, Nichols' had a smooth stroke from the perimeter as he knocked down some shots from behind the arc.     The five-foot- ten prospect out of New Berlin West was a high energy defensive standout on Saturday in Appleton. Tincher was getting his hands on the ball in passing lanes, and on the ball to help generate easy offense for his teammates. On the offensive end, Gavin spaced the floor well, ran rim to rim in transition and showcased his hustle once again, by crashing the offensive glass.     Affayroux was an unofficial co-MVP of Team Four on Saturday at this showcase. Mason has a wide range of skills, especially in decision making opportunities. The six-foot guard attending Catholic Memorial, was a great decision maker in pick and roll situations. Whether it was finding a teammate on a pocket pass, pulling up for a jumper, or getting to the rack, Affayroux seemed to always be in control, something rare for players of his age. Mason was the best communicator I saw out of any prospect on Saturday, hyping up his teammates, talking on defense, and leading with his voice to help his team win in critical situations. This energy led into him getting some great steals on and off the ball. With the combination of Mason's developed skills and intangibles, he could be a player to monitor in the 2030 class.     Ferguson shared the unofficial co-MVP honors with Affayroux and was turning some heads all Saturday morning and afternoon. Ronmel is smooth as they come offensively in the freshman class, always under control and using a hesitation dribble to completely freeze defenders. Ferguson on his 1-2 crossover can pull-up, make a decisive pass to an open teammate, or get downhill making him a nightmare to guard in the half court and in transition. His balance and his ability to gain advantage is already so developed, making him a lethal scoring threat when given the opportunity. The six-foot point guard has a nice looking jump shot to round out his offensive game. Ferguson figures to be in the mix for immediate playing time at Wisconsin Rapids, and should be considered in the 2030 initial rankings.     Chace is still growing as a freshman at Ashwaubenon High School, and had some nice plays in Appleton over Labor Day Weekend. The five-foot-two guard holds space well in the half court, has a quick first step, and is unselfish with the basketball. On the defensive end Polk was very scrappy on the ball causing some issues for his matchup.     Nowak, who attends De Pere has great positional size for a freshman and he was able to use that size to his advantage when he had opportunities to playmake. I saw Nowak play in both 3 on 3 and 5 on 5 evaluation games, and was impressed with his ability to shoot off the bounce and catch and shoot opportunities. Dylan had a really nice mid range bucket off a pick and roll chance early in the morning on Saturday. The six-foot-three prospect plays well off of two feet as he finished through contact a handful of times during the showcase.

This team brought the energy in Appleton on Saturday at the Wisconsin Freshman Showcase. Let's breakdown the play of the prospects on Team Four as they prepare for their first season of high school basketball.