Winters, Tokoto shine in Whiz Kids League of Champions playoffs
posted by Mark Miller at 7/1/2009
By Mark Miller Wishoops.net Editor A pair of underclassmen emerged as the clear-cut standout performers during the quarterfinal round of the prestigious Whiz Kids League of Champion playoffs held Tuesday evening at the Kern Center on the campus of Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Junior Quevyn Winters of Milwaukee Washington and sophomore J.P. Tokoto of Menomonee Falls had the look of sure-fire high-major NCAA Division I recruits as they led their respective teams to victories.
Winters scored 27 points and helped rally Washington to a 69-63 victory over upstart Milwaukee Riverside while Tokoto poured in 28 points as Menomonee Falls pulled away from Milwaukee Vincent in the second half to register a 78-50 victory.
In other games, Whitefish Bay Dominican used balanced scoring to upend Racine St. Catherine’s 66-58, while Zach Tranchita of New Berlin Eisenhower hit a game-winning three-pointer in overtime to propel the Lions to a 59-56 triumph over Sussex Hamilton.
Washington will square off against Dominican and Menomonee Falls takes on Eisenhower in semifinal games at 6 p.m. Thursday at MSOE with the winners meeting at 7:30 p.m. for the championship.
Following are some observations from Tuesday’s games:
Winters takes game to another level Quevyn Winters has always been a productive player, and now that he is maturing physically, he has taken his game to the next level.
As a result, the gifted 6-foot-5, 190-pound wing guard is beginning to receive strong recruiting attention from a number of high-major Division I schools.
“Marquette and Wisconsin have shown the most interest,” said Anthony McHenry, Winters’ coach on the grassroots scene with the Milwaukee Spartans. “He took part in Marquette’s elite camp a few weeks ago and has been on campus several times. He has also taken a couple of unofficial visits to Wisconsin and they like him enough to offer a scholarship once they see his transcripts.
“Minnesota and Purdue are also involved. Quevyn plans to take part in Purdue’s elite camp at the end of the summer and he’ll also take a trip to Minnesota in the near future.”
Winters scored in virtually every way against Riverside. He knocked down three shots from beyond the three-point arc, scored on aggressive moves to the basket and got to the foul line. He made mid-range jumpers and finished with contact under the basket.
Though not an explosive athlete, Winters is a very skilled ball handler and shooter. He was more than willing to pass the ball to open teammates and he stayed engaged in the contest from opening tip to the final horn.
“He’s improved in every area of the game,” McHenry said. “He’s a player who does everything well. He’s a physical player, which allows him to be a very good rebounder. He’s also one of the top outside shooters in the state. He finished second in the three-point shooting contest at Marquette’s camp and they had a lot of outstanding shooters in that camp.
“He can score in a variety of ways, but he’s also a very unselfish player. He is very willing to distribute the ball.”
Currently ranked No. 1 among state players in the class of 2011 by Wishoops.net, Winters averaged 18.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game at Washington as a sophomore as he helped the Purgolders to a 22-2 record and a spot in the WIAA Division 1 State Tournament. He shot 56 percent from the field, 53 percent from three-point range and 79 percent from the foul line for coach Jay Kenseth.
Winters and his Milwaukee Spartans teammates have a busy July planned. Winters will team with Madison Memorial senior Vander Blue in a pair of NY2LA tournaments in Milwaukee while also taking part in the Center Stage Tournament in Las Vegas and the Kansas Prep Invitational.
“I know Quevyn really likes Marquette and Wisconsin … they have shown the most interest in him to date,” McHenry said. “But he’s a wise kid. He understands the process and knows his value will continue to rise.”
Tokoto off the charts good in victory over Milwaukee Vincent J.P. Tokoto might very well be the best sophomore-to-be that I’ve seen in 25 years of covering prep basketball in Wisconsin.
The kid simply has the whole package.
He’s a tremendous teammate, a solid student and a very, very talented basketball player. He’s also a freakish athlete.
The 6-5 Tokoto is still growing into his frame and maturing physically. He has big feet so he could add another inch or two. But even at this point, his ability to get up in a hurry is truly breathtaking.
In a most impressive sequence against Vincent, Tokoto caught the ball on the baseline, made a long sweeping move to the hoop and went up for a two-handed dunk in traffic. A few possessions later, he grabbed a half-court pass from a teammate near the rim and stuffed it through for another basket.
Tokoto made a couple of three-point shots, scored off the dribble, blocked shots, rebounded, found open teammates and played with outstanding court sense and poise. Tokoto has tremendous fluidity to his movements on the basketball court. He appears to almost glide up and down the court and then explodes in the blink of an eye for a crowd-pleasing dunk or blocked shot.
Menomonee Falls coach Ben Siebert knows he has a special player in his program over the next three years.
"He's special," Siebert said Tuesday while watching Tokoto dominate on both ends of the floor. "He keeps a smile on my face from ear-to-ear."
Tokoto will spent a good portion of July traveling with the Wisconsin Playground Warriors talented 15U squad that also includes Wally Ellenson of Eau Claire and Nick Arenz of Onalaska, among others.
Kansas, Marquette and Wisconsin have taken the lead in the recruitment of Tokoto, but I’d be surprised if high-major programs from all over the country don’t eventually get involved with this special player.
Quick Hitters … Milwaukee Washington senior point guard Terry Taylor (5-9) and senior forward Jon Cathey-Macklin (6-7) played well for the Purgolders along with junior forward Dominique Williams (6-5) … Look for big seasons out of seniors John Cording (6-1) and Jonathan Phillips (6-6) at Menomonee Falls … Sussex Hamilton seniors Kameron Cerroni (6-2) and Brett Meinecke (6-2) scored 27 and 23 points, respectively, in the Chargers’ overtime loss to Eisenhower … Mitch Sperka had 20 points and Justin Weiland added 16 for Eisenhower, which has a roster loaded with physical all-around athletes … Dominican sophomore Jamall Taylor (6-1) went toe-to-toe with Racine St. Catherine’s senior Steve McWhorter (6-2) is an entertaining matchup of outstanding backcourt performers … McWhorter had 21 points for the Angels and appears to be the next St. Catherine’s player to play at the scholarship level beyond high school … Riverside is definitely a team to keep an eye on in 2009-10. Coach Tyrone Lewis has a young, hungry and smart basketball team, led by seniors Jeremy Gordon and Paul Clemons, junior Tristan White and sophomore twins Bakari and Shamari Triggs … Steve Durham of Milwaukee Vincent has gained an extra year of eligibility through the WIAA and figures to be the top performer for the Vikings in 2009-10 … Vincent sophomore Philip Nolan (6-8) shows plenty of promise for such a young player. He moves exceptionally well and has advanced ball handling and shooting skills.
Comments 2
On
7/1/2009 3:09:28 PM
bayviewcat wrote:
JP Tokoto plays in a way that is very similar to former Falls star Tyler Schulz (2002)
On
7/3/2009 2:23:11 PM
Memhoops714 wrote:
Tokoto>Okey?
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