Previous Ranking: Unranked
New Ranking: 199

Wisconsin is the home to roughly 500 high school boys’ basketball teams. If you average five class of 2026 players per team, that would amount to 2,500 players. So to be ranked among the top eight percent or so of all those players is an accomplishment. Hermsen definitely qualifies as an accomplished player. He owns a smooth jump shot, runs the floor like a deer and can put the ball in the basket from the perimeter and in the lane. His length is a big asset, but his best attribute just might be his basketball instincts. He has a nose for the ball and seems to come up with several steals each game for the Wisconsin Hoops Select squad.

Hermsen continues to show improvement in his game as he had several steals, a few assists, a handful of rebounds and 15 points for Wisconsin Hoops Select in its loss to a solid squad from Sanford Sports out of North Dakota. Hermsen has a soft shooting touch from both mid range and from outside the three-point arc. He also is good at getting to the basket and the foul line. He went five-of-six from the foul line Friday evening.

An emerging player in the state’s 2026 class, Hermsen can do it all on the basketball court. He can rip down rebounds and lead the fast break with his ball handling skill and speed with the ball. He can score from the perimeter with his shooting skill or in the paint with his size and verticality. And he can defend bigs near the hoop or go outside and guard wings. Hermsen’s combination of size, skill and mobility are major assets for a Lancaster squad that is hoping to end Platteville’s three-year stranglehold on the Southwest Wisconsin Conference championship.

At 6’4″, Hermsen has nice size at the guard position. He regularly brought the ball up for the Flying Arrows and looked very comfortable doing so. He also has very good body control and uses his length well to make tough finishes in traffic look easy. Hermsen, who also plays on the Prep Hoops Circuit for Wisconsin Hoops Select , was effective on the glass and on defense. He blocked a shot and picked up several loose balls to start fast breaks, including one where he went coast-to-coast. He was an easy double-digit scorer in the game I watched, which is on track with the 10.4 ppg average he put up during the 2023-24 high school season.