2021-22 Season Preview: Badger West

<p>Looking ahead to the 2021-22 season, Prep Hoops Wisconsin breaks down the race in the Badger West Conference...</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PROJECTED STANDINGS</strong></p> <p>1.  Monroe</p> <p>2. Oregon</p> <p>3. Portage</p> <p>4. Edgewood</p> <p>5. Baraboo</p> <p>6. Reedsburg</p> <p>7. Mount Horeb</p> <p>8. Sauk Prairie</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>THE FAVORITE - MONROE</strong></p> <p>After a 16-2  record in 2020-21, the Cheesemakers should field another strong group this winter. Monroe likely has a bad taste in its mouth after being denied a trip to the state tournament last season as well. Their 1-2 punch of [player_tooltip player_id="801151" first="Carson" last="Leuzinger"] and [player_tooltip player_id="801147" first="J.T." last="Seagreaves"] will overwhelm teams in this league.</p> [caption id="attachment_1039069" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/J.T.-Seagreaves.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1039069 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/J.T.-Seagreaves-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="801147" first="J.T." last="Seagreaves"][/caption] <p><strong>TOP CONTENDER -  OREGON</strong></p> <p>Liked what I saw over the summer. Think Oregon has a very deep and athletic team. They can get up and down the floor and really hurt teams in transition. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1134928" first="Ryne" last="Panzer"] is back after averaging 19.2 ppg last season. During a shortened season, the Panthers started to play their best ball down the stretch, winning four of their last six, which included a win over Milton and a tough loss to a strong Grafton squad.</p> <p><strong>DARK HORSE -  PORTAGE</strong></p> <p>Portage was 7-17 last season, but get back their high-scoring duo of <strong>Erik Brouette</strong> (14.4 ppg) and  <strong>Cooper Roberts</strong> (16.2 ppg).  The Warriors also lost seven games by six points or less last year, which could have drastically altered their final record.</p> <p><strong>PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE</strong></p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="801151" first="Carson" last="Leuzinger"] - Sr. (Monroe)</p> <p>G Erik Brouette - Sr. (Portage)</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="1134928" first="Ryne" last="Panzer"] - Sr. (Oregon)</p> <p>G Cooper Roberts - Sr. (Portage)</p> <p>G Kaden Meyer - Jr. (Reedsburg)</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="1307531" first="Mateo" last="Jimenez"] - Jr. (Edgewood)</p> <p>F Gabe McReynolds - Sr.  (Baraboo)</p> <p>F J.T.  Seagreaves - Sr. (Monroe)</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PLAYER OF THE YEAR -  [player_tooltip player_id="801151" first="Carson" last="Leuzinger"]</strong></p> <p>Leuzinger averaged 15 points and over five assists per game as a junior and did that while playing alongside UW-Green Bay forward [player_tooltip player_id="701965" first="Cade" last="Meyer"] and Seagreaves, who had a number of Division 2 basketball offers before opting to play football at Wisconsin.  The lefty is an instant offense prospect who can thrive scoring off the dribble.</p> <p><strong>BREAKOUT PLAYER -  [player_tooltip player_id="1307531" first="Mateo" last="Jimenez"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Mateo-Jimenez-1.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1179974" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Mateo-Jimenez-1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a></strong></p> <p>Jimenez averaged just 2.2 ppg as a sophomore, but is coming off a strong summer. A skilled and quick guard with deep range, Jimenez  can carry a team offensively and appears to be one of Edgewood’s leaders this fall.</p> <p><strong>SURPRISE PLAYER -  [player_tooltip player_id="1267655" first="Brandon" last="Kerns"]</strong></p> <p>The Panthers are hoping Kerns  can provide a spark this season. Wasn’t healthy last year, but has started to emerge since the summer. A prospect that’s on our watch list, Kerns is an athletic 6-foot-5 wing who can run like a deer in transition and shoot it from deep.</p>