10 TEAMS TO WATCH IN WIAA STATE TOURNAMENT
By Antonio Curro - NY2LA Sports
February 19, 2008
The WIAA Boys state basketball tournament kicks off tonight and here's a look at 10 teams in the greater Milwaukee area who may turn some heads:
1. Milwaukee Washington
Coach Kenseth has the City Conference's best player in DeMarcus Phillips but he also has the City Conference's best team as well, which pretty much explains why they ran through the season unscathed. The only thing that would prevent them from a Sectional Final trip and perhaps state title run would be complacency. Phillips is gonna get it done but the other guys have to play well to end up in Madison. Key Player - Patrick Davis
2. Wauwatosa East
We said Wauwatosa East was the top team before the season began and we see no reason to change that prediction today as they rolled through the regular season with 1 loss. They have the depth, versatility, and senior leadership to end up in Madison. They have shown a tendency to give up big leads however and must do a better job of protecting leads and closing out games if they expect to make a deep run. Consistency, depth, balance, and defense = State championship. Key Player - Jake Barnett.
3. Milwaukee Pius XI
The team with the top player in the state is on a six game roll and so is Michigan State bound Korie Lucious. Lucious has the ability to scare anyone (ask Tosa East and Catholic Memorial) and with him on the court the game is never over. If he's hot they can make a deep run. In big situations Lucious must have the ball for Pius XI to have a shot. Key Player - Korie Lucious
4. Milwaukee Custer
The best potential second round matchup could see Milwaukee Pius XI against Milwaukee Custer. Coach Mitchell has done a solid job this season behind strong play from PG Michael Harper and solid play from the likes of Devereaux Ingram and Calvin Godfrey. For them to make a deep run, Godfrey has got to control the boards and block shots. Key Player - Calvin Godfrey
5. Racine Horlick
We put Horlick in the top 5 to start the year and everyone thought we were way out there. Now at 17-3 we look a little smarter. One of those loses came to King during a huge snowstorm where the lights went out and the gym was cleared at halftime. Horlick has the best player in the Class of 2009 and one of the most difficult matchups in 6'7" Jamil Wilson but the play of Antwon Oliver will determine how far they go. Wilson will get his and if Oliver is consistent then they have two excellent athletes that are very difficult to matchup with. Brookfield Central is the only team that can prevent them from ending up in Madison and this is a chance for Wilson to take his game and team to the next level before he rocks the grassroots travel scene. Key Player - Antwon Oliver
6. Germantown
Let's see...we told you about Tosa East before the season, we told you about Horlick before the season, and we also told you about Germantown as well! The only blemish on an otherwise outstanding season was an early loss to Menomonee Falls at Menomonee Falls. Coach Showalter is one of the very best young coaches in Wisconsin and you can expect his teams to execute and be very tough to beat when they take the court. Of course having a PG like Rick Bowers and one of the top 09' prospects in Ben Averkamp doesn't hurt either. He gets the most out of his role players and he's going to need it to get past Milwaukee Vincent and end up in Madison. Key Player - Ben Averkamp
7. Milwaukee Vincent
A strong schedule this year prepares them for a deep run. While it's still a mystery that pretty much everyone else has to battle through the brutal Sectional #8 and Vincent doesn't, they still will have to get past potential troubling matchups of Menomonee Falls and Germantown who all have the big interior guy that Vincent doesn't this year. Vincent has a lot of depth and also one of the most underrated players in the state (by some) in the likes of Marvin Fitzgerald. Will need strong consistent guard play every game to end up in Madison.
8. Milwaukee Madison
The only thing preventing this team from a top 4 finish in the City Conference this year was the fact that frosh Bobby Evans and junior Thomas King were on and off the court. Evans and King are back and if Madison can bring everything together and play as a team, they could shock everyone. A potential second round matchup with Germantown could make Coach Showalter and the Germantown faithful very nervous. Key Player - Adegambe Courtney
9. Wisconsin Lutheran
They have the top Class of 2010 prospect in the state in Flavien Davis and other than a loss in one of the most mysterious and controversial games of the year a couple weeks back, they have really played excellent basketball. It would be a surprise to see them not end up in Madison but don't count out Keith Stewart and Milwaukee North as they will be a formidable Sectional Final opponent. Key Player - Flavien Davis
10. Milwaukee Northwest
Probably the saddest thing to watch is going to be Dominican against Milwaukee Northwest in the 3rd round of the Division 3 tournament as both are good enough to get to Madison and both have a shot at winning the whole thing. Coach Hubbard has one of the top players in senior Lamar Wall and their play this year is one of the best stories of the year. They play hard with heart and the kids are just fun to watch. Their potential matchup against Dominican could be one of the most exciting ones of the whole season. Key Player - Vontrell Seroyer
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Note: Antonio Curro of NY2LA Sports is the editor of NY2LASports.com and the Midwest Editor (i.e. Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota) for the HoopScoop Online