Week 4 of the 2010 Breakfast of Champions fall basketball league tipped off this weekend with a new twist as rosters were adjusted and players had an opportunity to showcase their ability with new teams and new players around them.  Teams were aligned mainly by class as the majority of underclassmen competed against each other along with the upperclassmen.  This proved to be extremely beneficial for prospects like freshman lead guard Lamonte Bearden who made the most of the new opportunity by turning in a spectacular performance and proving first hand why he’s considered one of the top young talents in the Badger state.  Today we’ll take a look at the top 10 performers from the Western Conference this past weekend, which featured a majority of the young talent for the first time…

WESTERN CONFERENCE TOP 10 PERFORMANCES

POY – LAMONTE BEARDEN – 2014 – PG – HOMESTEAD
Continues to elevate his play with each passing week and this past weekend he turned in one of the best all around performances to date with a huge floor effort.  Wrapped his week 4 efforts with 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting, kicked out 12 assists, grabbed 6 rebounds, and collected 6 steals to lead his team to victory.  Add to the mix the fact that he only finished with a couple of turnovers and you can’t ask for much more from a young floor general.  He struggled a bit at the free throw line and made a few mistakes with lapses in effort but overall he came up big and made a strong statement in the process.

#2 – RILEY LACHANCE – 2014 – G – BROOKFIELD CENTRAL
Really thought his play elevated a bit this week in that he didn’t settle for jump shots and he was a bit more active and assertive across the board.  A lights out perimeter shooter, Lachance has been extremely hot and cold at times from beyond the arc this fall and while he struggled a bit this past weekend, his floor performance and overall effort were huge in pushing his team to victory.  Wrapped with 18 points on 8 of 12 shooting, grabbed 7 rebounds, kicked out 6 assists, and collected 2 steals.  Did not have one turnover, made solid decisions with the basketball, and contributed on a number of levels both with and without the basketball.  Nice performance this weekend.

#3 – ALEX NAJIEB – 2013 – G – MILWAUKEE NORTHWEST
Finally came up with a strong effort that brought to mind his performance this past July at the inaugural Futures Camp on the offensive end of the floor.  Scored 21 points on 9 of 14 shooting, grabbed 6 rebounds, collected 3 steals, and blocked a couple of shots.  Really liked the fact that he didn’t settle for long range shots and showcased a nice mid range stroke while also attacking the rim with consistency.  Solid performance this past weekend.

#4 – T.J. SCHLUNDT – 2014 – SF – OCONOMOWOC
Really like this young talent on a number of levels and despite the fact that he struggled from long range this weekend, his stroke looked smooth and he remained aggressive and active on both ends.  Finished with 12 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, kicked out 1 assist, and blocked a shot.  Hustled on both ends, did not turn the ball over, made nice decisions, and found ways to contribute both statistically and with intangibles this past weekend.

#5 – RICKY SANTIAGO – 2013 – PG – GREENFIELD
Continues to impress each week and with the reorganization of rosters it gave players like Santiago and opportunity to make a bigger impact and he took full advantage of that opportunity.  Scored 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting, collected 5 rebounds, kicked out 3 assists, and grabbed 1 steal in a winning effort.  Struggled a bit with turnovers but made a number of nice things happen and was extremely efficient from the field in a solid performance that was his best to date this fall.  He has solid instincts, nice vision, hits the mid range stroke, and is a solid young lead guard on the rise.

#6 – NILE BOLDEN – 2014 – F – HOMESTEAD
Really happy for Bolden as he was more assertive and aggressive this past weekend and it resulted in a quality performance.  Scored 12 points on 6 of 9 shooting and grabbed 8 rebounds while also dishing out 1 assist.  More importantly he was efficient from the field and made a huge contribution in a second half run that helped push his team to victory, largely in part to his activity and effort on both ends of the court.  Nice performance this past weekend and good hustle.

#7 – BRIAN BEARDEN JR. – 2014 – SG – HOMESTEAD
The bar is a bit higher for him as he had a couple of solid efforts in the earlier weeks so while his contribution was solid, he knows he can be even better than he was.  Nevertheless, still finished with 15 points on 4 of 7 shooting, grabbed 4 rebounds, collected 2 steals, and blocked 1 shot.  That’s a nice effort for most but he did the majority of his damage in the second half and by that time his team was trying to come back from a large deficit.  Still he attacked the rim well off the bounce, showed range, was active in the second half, and overall he gave a decent effort this past weekend.

#8 – BRADY ELLINGSON – 2014 – G/F – SUSSEX HAMILTON
One of the top young freshmen in the Badger state, Ellingson is a marksmen with big time range and the ability to take over the game on the offensive end.  This past weekend he was solid in a supporting role as he finished with 12 points on 5 of 11 shooting, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 assist.  Showed range and an ability to make big shots when it mattered the most as he was a key figure in a second half surge that pushed his team to victory this past weekend.

#9 – DEVIN JOHNSON – 2013 – PF – MILWAUKEE BRADLEY TECH
Continues to make progress with his game and this raw talent deserves to be recognized for his efforts this past weekend as he turned in a decent floor performance that impacted the game on both ends and helped his team to victory.  Scored 6 points but also collected 6 rebounds, grabbed 3 steals, and blocked 2 shots.  Struggled a bit with turnovers and finishing on the offensive end but this is all about taking steps forward and Johnson was active on both ends and made a solid contribution and nice improvement this past weekend.

#10 (TIE) – ALEC MABIE – 2013 – F – CLINTON H.S.
Has the instincts and ability to develop into a solid contributor across the board if he wants to and this past weekend he showed flashes of that as he finished with 11 points on 4 of 11 shooting, grabbed 5 rebounds, and blocked 1 shot.  Struggled a bit from the field but battled on both ends of the court at times and made a decent contribution to his team’s effort this past weekend.

#10 (TIE) – DARIUS MARSHALL – 2013 – PG – HOMESTEAD
Struggled a bit from the field but one thing he does is push the issue and he plays hard in the process.  Finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in a decent floor performance for the young lead guard.  Had some unforced turnovers but gives a nice effort each week and this past weekend it resulted in some solid floor production across the board.