The high school season in Wisconsin got underway last week and while cities like Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, etc. are not moving forward other areas are and some talented prospects and teams have already left a huge footprint after week 1.  We take a look at that and more in today’s news and notes…

MESSAGE TO SCHOOLS, ATHLETIC DIRECTORS, AND COACHES
This is a very difficult and unique time for everyone in the world of sports and with that comes a responsibility to do what you can to go over and above to create the best possible experience for your kids, parents, grandparents, extended families, college coaches, scouts, etc.  With cities like Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, etc. already shutting down their activities for their kids, that means so many are already negatively impacted.  A number of people aren’t able to attend the games be it due to restrictions, health concerns, NCAA restrictions, etc. so I implore all of you to please provide the best possible live stream possible, utilize your social media to provide statistical information after the games on your player’s performances, and please see that the results are uploaded into the various newspaper and/or high school sports systems (i.e. WisSports) that apply to your schools.  Also if you attach our Twitter @ny2lawisconsin to your tweets after games we will gladly retweet and post on our end consistently.  While some kids may not move forward with playing after school, improving the quality of the live stream and getting this information out in a timely fashion is greatly appreciate by all the families, scouts, and college coaches who are not able to attend the games regularly this season for whatever the reason.   

1 – TOSA EAST SENDS A MESSAGE
Early last season Wauwatosa East looked like a team that could make noise by season’s end and while the season never finished up with state championships, the Red Raiders never got it together.  Fast forward a year later and that has already flipped as they sent an early message to the rest of the state with an impressive win over Sussex Hamilton in their opening game.  Senior guard Brian Parzych is a creative scoring threat and Alex Singleton is a do it all forward with a max effort mentality that creates problems for opposing teams.  The crown jewel prospect wise is junior Leon Bond III a high major caliber prospect with versatility, athleticism, instincts, and skill.  All three will be counted on to deliver big numbers this season and a solid supporting cast makes Wauwatosa East an elite team potentially if they can get their consistency together.  They were outstanding in their opening contest and the versatility and skill of their roster make them a tough matchup moving forward.

2 – SENIORS SETTING THE BAR
Way too early to discuss Mr. Basketball candidates in the state of Wisconsin but after week one it isn’t hard to see that Racine St. Catherine’s Tyrese Hunter, Brookfield Central’s David Joplin, SJNWMA’s Brandin Podziemski, and Nicolet’s Kobe Johnson will be leading the pack when it comes to that award.  A couple of outside candidates could be Oak Creek’s Jasin Sinani, Brookfield Central’s Ben Nau and Kimberly’s Grant Asman but for now Hunter, Joplin, Podziemski, and Johnson are setting the bard in the state for the senior class in no particular order.  Hunter posted 33-7 in his opening game, Joplin stood out in two victories for BC with a 30 & 10 effort in his second game, Podziemski posted a near quadruple double and dropped 36 in back to back games, and Johnson posted a triple double in his second game of the season while helping Nicolet to a 2-0 mark to start the year.  Each was exceptional in his own right as was Sinani, Nau, Asman, etc.  

3 – JUNIORS OFF TO QUICK START
Denmark’s Donavan Short, Menomonee Falls Steven Clay, Pewaukee’s Ashton Janowski, Whitnall’s Danilo Jovanovich, West Allis Central’s Najashi Tolefree, etc. are a few juniors already off the solid starts but the play of Wauwatosa East’s Leon Bond III, Menomonee Fall’s Seth Trimble, and Kimberly’s Jackson Paveletzke were exceptional during the opening week.  Trimble posted two 30 plus efforts while playing elite defense, Bond was versatile and dominant at times in helping Tosa East defeat Sussex Hamilton, and Paveletzke put on a clinic as Kimberly scored over 100 points in a victory last week.  All of those named above have Division 1 ability and potential and each of those along with a few others have already made strong impressions to start the season.

4 – UNSIGNED SENIORS STEPPING UP EARLY
The casualties of the COVID-19 recruiting year are without question the 2021 prospects from coast to coast that lost out on opportunities to be seen in person by coaches and this season offers up a remaining opportunity for them to either do just that via live stream or simply close out their high school careers in a fashion that the 2020 prospects never got a chance to do.  While some of the top names performing are off the board and committed, a handful of unsigned ones were busy putting forth quality efforts on their end.  Singleton for Wauwatosa East stepped up as mentioned earlier as did SJNWMA’s Brennan Timm, Wisconsin Lutheran’s Jonah Rindfleish, Sussex Hamilton’s Nolan Rieder, Milwaukee Pius XI’s Tre Valeriano, and Arrowhead's Sam Hytinen.  Singleton dropped a powerful double double in an opening game win, Timm was outstanding at scoring and filling the box score in two wins, Rindfleisch continued to build on the momentum from this fall with a quality 16 point 11 rebound effort, Rieder stepped up big down the stretch against Sussex Hamilton scoring 16 points in a victory over Menomonee Falls, Tre dropped a 45 piece in electric fashion to open the season for Pius XI, and Hytinen posted a strong double double in a winning effort for Arrowhead.  While these names aren’t exclusive to those that delivered in the senior class, each of them continued to impress with their performances this past week.

5 – SOPHOMORES STANDING OUT 
With most of the attention going towards the juniors and seniors in the state as they stand to be the primary focus recruiting wise over the next 4-6 months, a handful of sophomore are continuing to emerge in the state as well and their performances to start the season were noteworthy as well.  Brillion’s Jeremy Lorenz, Wisco’s Prentice Young Jr., Arrowhead’s Mac Wrecke, Catholic Memorial’s Bennett McCormick and Braden McGlothlin, and Milan Momcilovic are just a few that stood out right off the bat as Lorenz scored with dominance, Wrecke dropped a near 30 point performance in a win, the Catholic Memorial duo was consistently solid in two games, and Momcilovic continued to look the part of a quality up and coming talent in the state.  Each was solid in their own right and all are deserving of any attention coming their way early in the season.