2021-22 Season Preview: Woodland East

<p>Looking ahead to the 2021-22 season, Prep Hoops Wisconsin breaks down the race in the Woodland East Conference...</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH</strong></p> <p>1.  Whitnall</p> <p>2. Brown Deer</p> <p>3. Milwaukee Lutheran</p> <p>4. South Milwaukee</p> <p>5. Greenfield</p> <p>6. Shorewood</p> <p>7. Cudahy</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>THE FAVORITE -- Whitnall </strong></p> <p>Most of the league is going through  a substantial roster turnover. Whitnall is not.  [player_tooltip player_id="761417" first="Danilo" last="Jovanovich"] (22.0 ppg) is the leading returning scorer in the league.  He’ll have a strong supporting cast  in [player_tooltip player_id="1089729" first="John" last="Pitta"], [player_tooltip player_id="981028" first="Ethan" last="Thomas"], [player_tooltip player_id="963147" first="Austin" last="Herro"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1300316" first="Myles" last="Herro"].  The Falcons are a sneaky contender to reach the state tournament.</p> <p><strong>TOP CONTENDER - Brown Deer</strong></p> [caption id="attachment_1054589" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/20200204_204007-e1586123021674.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1054589" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/20200204_204007-e1586123021674-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="801138" first="Armani" last="Jones"][/caption] <p>The Falcons lose four of their top five scorers from last season, but do return [player_tooltip player_id="801138" first="Armani" last="Jones"] (12.8 ppg). An explosive scorer with lightning-quick handles, Jones  will be in the hunt for Player of the Year Contention.  Brown Deer will need to establish some depth, starting with junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1039297" first="Jamar" last="Lampley"], who contributed around six points per game to a senior-laden group last season.</p> <p><strong>DARK HORSE - Milwaukee Lutheran</strong></p> <p>Think there’s a large drop off after the top two teams going into the season, but Milwaukee Lutheran has a lot of young pieces with the potential to get better as the season wears on. The Knights have had a couple guys that have stood out in fall league action. We’ll see if they can put it together when things get real.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE</strong></p> <p><em>First Team</em></p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="801138" first="Armani" last="Jones"] - Sr. (Brown Deer)</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="1089729" first="John" last="Pitta"] - Sr. (Whitnall)</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="1214393" first="Isaiah" last="Allen"] - So. (Milwaukee Lutheran)</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="1138284" first="Anthony" last="Carter"] - Jr. (Greenfield)</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="981022" first="Jacob" last="Dunham"] - Jr. (South Milwaukee)</p> <p>F [player_tooltip player_id="761417" first="Danilo" last="Jovanovich"] - Sr. (Whitnall)</p> <p><em>Second Team</em></p> <p>G Donald Chapman - Jr. (Milwaukee Lutheran)</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="1039297" first="Jamar" last="Lampley"] - Jr. (Brown Deer)</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="1300316" first="Myles" last="Herro"] - Fr. (Whitnall)</p> <p>G Hakeem Salem - Sr. (Greenfield)</p> <p>G [player_tooltip player_id="963147" first="Austin" last="Herro"] - Jr. (Whitnall)</p> <p>F Jack Trost - Sr. (Shorewood)</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PLAYER OF THE YEAR - [player_tooltip player_id="761417" first="Danilo" last="Jovanovich"]</strong></p> <p>The Miami (FL) commit averaged 22.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 68.4 percent from the field. The 6-foot-8 lefty is a dangerous matchup problem with inside-out scoring ability and versatility.</p> <p><strong>BREAKOUT PLAYER -  </strong> [player_tooltip player_id="1089729" first="John" last="Pitta"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/46-John-Pitta.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1290060" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/46-John-Pitta-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a></p> <p>Pitta averaged just shy of 10 points per game as a junior. Coming off a big summer, the senior guard has shown to be an electric uptempo scorer. Pitta is playing really well off the ball this fall and thriving around point guards with a strong feel for the game. Think that’s just going to make Pitta’s numbers and efficiency increase. If Jovanovich is having an off night, Pitta can definitely carry the load offensively. </p> <p><strong>SURPRISE PLAYER -  </strong> [player_tooltip player_id="1214393" first="Isaiah" last="Allen"]</p> <p>Milwaukee Lutheran loses its top four scorers from last season. That’ll give Allen a chance to grab the keys to the car. As a freshman, Allen averaged around four points per game. The 6-foot-3 guard is a little advanced physically, can handle the point duties,  shoot it from the outside, and finish against contact at the rim.</p>