The annual NY2LA Sports Classic hits the hardwood in Wisconsin again on Saturday and once again it promises to be the measuring stick for high school platforms this season in the state of Wisconsin. Hosted by Brookfield Central High School, here’s a breakdown of what to look for on Saturday December 14, 2019 in the gym…
DATE – December 14, 2019
LOCATION – Brookfield Central HS (Brookfield, WI)
DOORS OPEN – 12:15 PM CST to the general public
SCHEDULE (All times are CST)
1:00 pm – Appleton North vs. Pewaukee
2:30 pm – Brown Deer vs. Menomonee Falls
4:00 pm – Bay Port vs. St. Johns NW Military Academy
5:30 pm – Wauwatosa East vs. Homestead
7:00 pm – Arrowhead vs. Brookfield Central
8:45 pm – Brookfield East vs. Franklin
(Note – Teams listed second will be the home team and will wear white uniforms)
TOP 25 PROSPECTS TO WATCH
Note – Listed in alphabetical order
Malik Abdul-Wahid – 2020 – SF – Brookfield Central
Leon Bond – 2022 – F – Wauwatosa East
Carter Capstran – 2021 – F - Franklin
Steven Clay – 2022 – G/F – Menomonee Falls
Declan Ciurlik – 2020 – G/F - Homestead
Hayden Doyle – 2021 – G – Brookfield East
Jeremiah Dotson – 2021 – F – Brown Deer
Logan Geissler – 2020 – G – Bay Port
Carter Gilmore – 2020 – F – Arrowhead
Gerald Gittens Jr. – 2020 – PG – St. Johns NW Military Academy
Ashton Janowski – 2022 – G - Pewaukee
Armani Jones – 2022 – PG – Brown Deer
David Joplin – 2021 – F – Brookfield Central
John Lovelace Jr. – 2021 – G/F – Wauwatosa East
Ben Nau – 2021 – G – Brookfield Central
Maximus Nelson – 2022 – F – Appleton North
Brian Parzych – 2021 – G – Wauwatosa East
Brandin Podziemski – 2021 – SG – St. Johns NW Military Academy
Andrew Rohde – 2022 – SG – Brookfield Central
Alex Singleton – 2021 – F – Wauwatosa East
Josh Terrian – 2022 – SG – Pewaukee
Brennan Timm – 2021 – SF – St. Johns NW Military Academy
Seth Trimble – 2022 – PG – Menomonee Falls
Mark Wade – 2021 – G – Brown Deer
Mac Wrecke – 2023 – G/F – Arrowhead
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH
(1) ARROWHEAD VS. BROOKFIELD CENTRAL
The defending Division 1 state champions from BC may have senior do everything guard Cole Nau but they return another loaded squad powered by senior wing Malik Abdul-Wahid, juniors Ben Nau and David Joplin, and sophomore sharpshooter Andrew Rohde. Wisconsin bound senior forward Carter Gilmore will need to be at his best Saturday and the supporting cast that includes talented freshman Mac Wrecke will need to be on point as well. Gilmore can do everything and he can do it well and his ability to contribute across the board makes everyone else better. Both teams are ranked in the top 10 of the state early this season and this is an excellent early season test for both teams to see where they’re at.
(2) THE RE-EMERGENCE OF WAUWATOSA EAST
The past couple of years have been building to this season and the Red Raiders from Wauwatosa could very well have a state championship contender on their hands when it’s all said and done. They are loaded on paper with junior wing John Lovelace Jr. being the alpha so to speak but juniors Alex Singleton and Brian Parzych and sophomore Leon Bond are talented in their own right. Lovelace is one of the fastest rising prospects in the state and easily one of the most athletic. I really like this team on paper and if they put it all together they could be very dangerous in March.
(3) THE FUTURE COLLIDES
The first two games of the day offer up a peek into the future as Appleton North takes on Pewaukee with Brown Deer lining up against Menomonee Falls right after. A host of highly talented sophomores will be on the hardwood in both games with Maximus Nelson (Appleton North), Ashton Janowski (Pewaukee), Josh Terrian (Pewaukee), Seth Trimble (MF), Steven Clay (MF), and Armani Jones (Brown Deer) all taking the court. All are talented, skilled, and already producing at a high level for their teams this season.
(4) BAY PORT VS. ST. JOHNS NW MILITARY ACADEMY
This one is a really interesting matchup on paper as senior guard Logan Geissler of Bay Port is very talented and impactful on both ends. A first team All-Conference selection a year ago, he’s off so a strong start this season. One thing that Geissler can bring beyond the obvious offensive exploits is his defense. The conference defensive player of the year last season, Geissler will have his hands full defensively regardless of the matchup as SJNMA features a talented and explosive scoring trio of Gittens, Podziemski, and Timm amongst others. Geissler won’t be in it a alone though as Bay Port has depth and their very well coached. In addition to Geissler, Bay Port boasts senior wing Andrew Thomas, junior guard Gunnar DeCleene, and sophomore big Nate Forystek. This is one to watch on Saturday.
(5) THE SLEEPERS
Two talented prospects to watch on Saturday that probably don’t get their fair share of love so to speak are junior guard Hayden Doyle of Brookfield East and senior wing Declan Ciurlik of Homestead. Doyle erupted for a career and school high 42 points in his opening game and Ciurlik has been quietly dominating for the past couple of seasons. Ciurlik had to take a break this summer due to injury so he’s still playing his way back into form but when he’s going he’s really good and he contributes across the board. Where the attention for the day will most likely center on some of the bigger names, Doyle and Ciurlik are two guys to watch very closely as they both can play and if they find their rhythm they have the ability to deliver some high caliber performances on Saturday.