2020-21 Preseason Top 10: Division 3

<p>The 2020-21 season will get underway later this month with actual competition kicking off on Dec. 1.  Prep Hoops  Wisconsin breaks down the race in Division 3 with our preseason top 10 teams…</p> <h4>1. Racine St. Catherine’s</h4> <p>2019-20 Record: 25-0 (16-0 Metro Classic)</p> [caption id="attachment_1005155" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/06/Tyrese-Hunter-3.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1005155" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/06/Tyrese-Hunter-3-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="804895" first="Tyrese" last="Hunter"][/caption] <p>Key Returners: [player_tooltip player_id="804895" first="Tyrese" last="Hunter"] (21.3 ppg),   [player_tooltip player_id="994508" first="Jameer" last="Barker"] (14.3 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="879981" first="Kamari" last="McGee"] (11.2 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses: [player_tooltip player_id="935422" first="Elijah" last="Lambert"] (10.1 ppg). </p> <p>This team was surging towards the Division 3 state title prior to the COVID-19 pandemic last season.  The Angels were not only undefeated, but only played in two games decided by single digits. Led by [player_tooltip player_id="804895" first="Tyrese" last="Hunter"], an Iowa State commit, St. Catherine’s has arguably the best backcourt in the state. [player_tooltip player_id="879981" first="Kamari" last="McGee"], a UW-Green Bay commit, and [player_tooltip player_id="994508" first="Jameer" last="Barker"] are both capable of leading the charge on any given night. [player_tooltip player_id="935422" first="Elijah" last="Lambert"] was maybe the best on-ball defender in the state last season and the Angels will need to fill that void in one way or another.</p> <h4>2. Brown Deer</h4> <p>2019-20 Record: 15-10 (8-4 Woodland East)</p> <p>Key Returners: [player_tooltip player_id="801138" first="Armani" last="Jones"] (20.4 ppg),  [player_tooltip player_id="804918" first="Jeremiah" last="Dotson"] (14.9 ppg),  [player_tooltip player_id="804917" first="Mark" last="Wade"] (12.0 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses: [player_tooltip player_id="881034" first="Justin" last="Greenlee"] (12.1 ppg)</p> <p>The Falcons could be one of the most improved teams in the state. Brown Deer has its trio of stars back, but also adds Wauwatosa East transfer [player_tooltip player_id="764118" first="John" last="Lovelace"], a Division 1 prospect that averaged in double figures last season on a very deep team. Dotson and Wade are steady seniors who have played a ton of basketball together. The electrifying Jones is one of the fastest players on the ball in the state.</p> <h4>3. St. John’s Northwestern Academies</h4> <p>2019-20 Record:  19-6 (14-1 Midwest Classic)</p> [caption id="attachment_1063678" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/BRENNAN-TIMM-113.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1063678" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/BRENNAN-TIMM-113-300x213.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="213" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="879998" first="Brennan" last="Timm"][/caption] <p>Key Returners: [player_tooltip player_id="804898" first="Brandin" last="Podziemski"]  (27.6 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="879998" first="Brennan" last="Timm"] (15.7 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses: [player_tooltip player_id="694801" first="Gerald" last="Gittens"] (14.5 ppg)</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="694801" first="Gerald" last="Gittens"] is going to be tough to replace, but [player_tooltip player_id="804898" first="Brandin" last="Podziemski"] and [player_tooltip player_id="879998" first="Brennan" last="Timm"] make an excellent 1-2 punch.  The state’s top uncommitted prospect, Podziemski very well could improve upon a huge junior year. Timm is one of the most consistently productive players in the state and  is a walking double-double.</p> <h4>4. Martin Luther</h4> <p>2019-20 Record: 17-6 (12-4 Metro Classic)</p> <p>Key Returners: Tre Burris (12.3 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="981038" first="Demerius" last="Shakur"] (5.8 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses: [player_tooltip player_id="880995" first="Joey" last="Immekus"] (18.2 ppg), Ryan Schofield (13.4 ppg)</p> <p>The Spartans lose their top two scorers, but add Milwaukee Destiny transfer [player_tooltip player_id="727955" first="Jeffery" last="Brazziel"], the state’s top ranked player in 2022.  Whether or not Brazziel gets eligibility this semester is still TBD,  but either way, Martin Luther has a lot of talent. Sophomore point guard  [player_tooltip player_id="981038" first="Demerius" last="Shakur"] is coming off a big summer. Freshman guard <strong>Nas Beamon</strong> is a high major prospect that will hit the ground running.  Guard <strong>Tre Burris</strong> can also provide senior leadership.</p> <h4>5. Lake Mills</h4> <p>2019-20 Record: 21-4 (9-1 Capitol North)</p> [caption id="attachment_1082872" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/20200704_134024.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1082872" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/20200704_134024-300x154.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="154" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="994395" first="Charlie" last="Bender"][/caption] <p>Key Returners: [player_tooltip player_id="994395" first="Charlie" last="Bender"] (15.3 ppg),  Drew Stoddard (11.7 ppg), Adam Moen (10.7 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses: Mike Herrington (11.9 ppg),  Matt Johnson (10.3 ppg)</p> <p>Among teams that won 20 games, no team probably flew under the radar more than Lake Mills.  The L-Cats played a tough schedule and also won a tough regional game over Martin Luther.  We’ll see if [player_tooltip player_id="994395" first="Charlie" last="Bender"] and company can take this program to the next level.</p> <h4>6. Dominican</h4> <p>2019-20 Record: 20-4 (14-2 Metro Classic)</p> <p>Key Returners: [player_tooltip player_id="804919" first="Delone" last="Austin"] (13.8 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="880035" first="Ronald" last="Kirk"] (11.0 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses: [player_tooltip player_id="811018" first="Alex" last="Antetokounmpo"] (20.0 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="881032" first="Ben" last="Jelacic"] (13.5 ppg)</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="811018" first="Alex" last="Antetokounmpo"] is gone, but this senior class led by [player_tooltip player_id="804919" first="Delone" last="Austin"] and [player_tooltip player_id="880035" first="Ronald" last="Kirk"] will step up. Both were double-figure scorers as juniors and have been through thick and thin with this Dominican program. </p> <h4>7. Wrightstown</h4> <p>2019-20 Record: 24-1 (17-1 North Eastern)</p> <p>Key Returners: [player_tooltip player_id="994492" first="Sam" last="Haese"] (14.7 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses: Tyler Kroes (14.2 ppg)</p> <p>The reigning North Eastern Conference champs have won the league each of the last three seasons. The Tigers aren’t an overly big or athletic team, but share the ball and shoot it well from 3-point range, led by [player_tooltip player_id="994492" first="Sam" last="Haese"], who hit 73 triples as a junior.</p> <h4>8. Xavier</h4> <p>2019-20 Record: 19-6 (11-3 Bay)</p> [caption id="attachment_1063696" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/CHARLIE-PFEFFERLE-49.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1063696" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/CHARLIE-PFEFFERLE-49-300x235.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="235" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="865856" first="Charlie" last="Pfefferle"][/caption] <p>Key Returners: [player_tooltip player_id="865856" first="Charlie" last="Pfefferle"] (14.5 ppg),  Ray Zuleger (11.6 ppg), Trent Twombly (10.6 ppg),   [player_tooltip player_id="1024438" first="Alex" last="Sherwood"] (4.7 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses: John Bunks (19.4 ppg),  Theo Douglas (12.6 ppg)</p> <p>Xavier gets three double-figure scorers back, including [player_tooltip player_id="865856" first="Charlie" last="Pfefferle"], who is an excellent leader at the point guard spot.  Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="1024438" first="Alex" last="Sherwood"] ended his summer with a bang and  could one of the bigger breakout players in the Bay Conference this season. </p> <h4>9. East Troy</h4> <p>2019-20 Record: 21-3 (17-1 Rock Valley)</p> <p>Key Returners: Ryan Nixon (13.0 ppg),  [player_tooltip player_id="865845" first="Chase" last="Cummings"] (11.0 ppg),  [player_tooltip player_id="950103" first="Colin" last="Terpstra"] (6.0 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses: [player_tooltip player_id="811023" first="A.J." last="Vukovic"]h (27.8 ppg), Quinten Lottig (12.9 ppg)</p> <p>The Trojans have two replace their top two scorers from last season, but there’s plenty of players on this roster who know how to win.  East Troy will feature a very strong backcourt. Look for Terpstra, a sniper at the wing position, to help replace the offensive firepower that Vukovich left behind. </p> <h4>10. Lake Country Lutheran</h4> <p><strong>2019-20 Record:</strong> 20-4 (13-2 Midwest Classic)</p> [caption id="attachment_1031545" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Luke-Haertle-1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1031545" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Luke-Haertle-1-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="761407" first="Luke" last="Haertle"][/caption] <p>Key Returners: [player_tooltip player_id="761407" first="Luke" last="Haertle"] (20.1 ppg),  Noah Howard (8.0 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses: Joey Bratz (17.8 ppg),  <a class="" title="View Zechariah Hans’s Player Profile" href="https://www.wissports.net/roster_players/33958413">Zechariah Hans</a> (13.2 ppg)</p> <p>Coming off  a 20-win season, Lake Country Lutheran also finished second in a strong Midwest Classic Conference. Leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="761407" first="Luke" last="Haertle"] is back for his junior season and has been an integral player for the past two seasons. The Lightning have a couple of tough losses to overcome,  but a deep junior class should alleviate some concerns.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Honorable Mention:</strong> Catholic Memorial, Carmen Northwest, Edgerton, Wisconsin Dells, Freedom, Kettle Moraine Lutheran, Black River Falls, Brillion,  Denmark, Altoona</p>