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Men's Basketball Alumni Round-Up: Division 1 Preview

11/02/2022, 5:00pm CDT
By Colton Wilson

Many high school basketball standouts in Wisconsin go on to big things at the college level and in the pros, and this is our spot to recognize those athletes each week and help you keep up with what is going down on some of your favorite players from the past. If you have alumni news, please send it to Colton Wilson by 6 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Division 1 Preview

College basketball is upon us, and per usual, many former Wisconsin High School standouts will be suiting up at the Division 1 level. 76 Wisconsin High School graduates will lace them up this season at the highest level of college basketball. Five others that played some level of high school basketball but didn't graduate in Wisconsin will also play.

Below are some preseason storylines.

At the bottom is a full table of all Division 1 players.

Click here to read the preview of the 12 former alumni playing in the NBA.


Ben Vander Plas of Ripon

High Profile Transfers

Ben Vander Plas is the top scorer in Division 1 returning this season. The Ripon grad scored 1,559 points and added 751 rebounds in four years at Ohio. This season, Vander Plas will lace them up at Virginia, taking advantage of the transfer rule and COVID year. While at Ohio, he was a three time All-MAC performer and the 2018-19 Freshman of the Year. He'll look to succeed in the ACC like both Storm Murphy (Middleton) and Alondes Williams (Milwaukee Riverside) did last season.

Grant Basile is another 1,000 point scorer transferring in to an ACC school from a mid-major. The Pewaukee grad transfers to Virginia Tech from Wright State after scoring 1,228 points and hauling in 616 rebounds. One of the sought after transfers this past season, Basile was a two-time All-Horizon League post. Like Vander Plas, expect Basile to shine against thew higher level competition this season.

Tyrese Hunter was one of the best freshman in all of college basketball last season at Iowa State. The Racine St. Catherine's grad averaged 11 points per game and 4.9 assists per game while also being a stellar defender and being named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Hunter announced his entry into the transfer portal and immediately become one of, if not the biggest name in the portal. He will suit up this season for Iowa State's Big 12 foe Texas and will immediately give the Longhorns stability and playmaking at the point guard position.

Kamari McGee was a teammate of Hunter at Racine St. Catherine's and spent last season excelling for UW-Green Bay. He was named to the All-Horizon Freshman Team after averaging 11.6 points per game. This season McGee will suit up for another home state school, the University of Wisconsin.

Max Klesmit scored 617 points in two seasons at Wofford before transferring back to the home state Wisconsin Badgers. The Neenah grad was a Third Team All-Southern athlete last season after averaging 14.9 points per game. Both McGee and Klesmit bring scoring and experience to a Badger squad that lost a lot of minutes to graduation and outgoing transfers.

James Graham III was one of the top recruits in the state in the 2021 class at Nicolet High School, leaving early his senior year to enroll at Maryland. Graham didn't see the floor much for the Terps, and entered the transfer portal partway through last year. He will now suit up for Missouri State where a change of scenery should bode well for the former four star recruit.

Patrick Cartier may not be a household name like others in this article, but it could be argued he's achieved the most success. The former Brookfield East standout scored 1,624 points and 506 points at Hillsdale College, which is a Division 2 school. Cartier is a two-time G-MAC Player of the Year and Division 2 All-American. This season, Cartier will suit up at Colorado State in the Mountain West Conference.


Marcus Domask of Waupun

Other Top Performers

Marcus Domask has had a stellar career at Southern Illinois over three years. The Waupun grad has already tallied 1,065 points, 374 rebounds and 231 assists for the Salukis. He averaged 15.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game last season and earned Second Team All-MVC honors. He also earned MVC Newcomer and Freshman of the year in 2019-20.

Jacob Ognacevic transferred two seasons ago from Valparaiso to Lipscomb where he averaged 11.2 points and 4 rebounds per game last season. The Sheboygan Lutheran grad will undoubtedly score 1,000 points in his career, the question is whether or not he'll do it this season. Ognacevic currently sits at 532 points in just two seasons of play, after scoring 2,501 points in his prep career.

Joey Hauser is another player who transferred in his college career, leaving Marquette for Michigan State after his freshman season. Hauser now enters his last season at Michigan State refocused and ready to improve upon his 7.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game from last season. Hauser has scored 854 points in his college career, meaning he'll surpass the 1,000 point threshold sometime this upcoming season.

Jordan Davis may not have the scoring totals like others in this list, but the former La Crosse Central grad is primed for a breakout season at Wisconsin. Seeing ever increasing minutes last year, Davis is slotted into a starting role for the Badgers and will be looked upon to score at a higher level.

Cade Meyer and Nate Jenkins were both key players for UW-Green Bay last season and figure to be prominent players once again in 2022-23. Meyer, a Monroe grad, average 9.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game for the Phoenix en route to being named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team. Jenkins, a graduate of Kettle Moraine and transfer from Iowa State, averaged 6.4 points in his first year at UW-Green Bay and due to outgoing transfers, will be looked upon to handle a bigger role.

Kobe King found a new home last season at Valparaiso and was dominant for the Beacons. The La Crosse Central grad and former Wisconsin Badger averaged 14 points and 4.7 rebounds per game as he was named to the MVC All-Newcomer Team. In his college career, King has scored 707 points, putting 1,000 total in sight.

Preston Ruedinger is one of four alumni, along with King, on the Valparaiso roster. Last season, the Lourdes Academy standout who scored 2,349 points in high school, played a key role for the Beacons, starting 13 games. Though he only averaged 3.3 points per game, Ruedinger impressed enough to be named to the MVC All-Freshman Team.

Jordan McCabe enjoyed his best season of college ball last season at UNLV. The former Kaukauna standout and 2018 Mr. Basketball in Wisconsin had his best year scoring and assisting, averaging 6.4 points and 4.8 assists for the Runnin' Rebels. In his final season, McCabe will look to help UNLV to improve upon the 18 win season from last year.

Kobe Johnson may not have seen much playing time in his freshman season at USC, but the former Nicolet standout may be primed for a breakout year in his sophomore campaign. Johnson should see expanded minutes this season for a USC team that has higher aspirations than its first round exit from the tournament last season.

Alex Arians has been a steady performer for South Dakota State over the past four seasons. Taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility, the Edgewood grad has scored 1,022 points in his collegiate career. The Jackrabbits were 30-5 last season and Arians will look to lead SDSU to another Summit League title.

Keshawn Justice, like Arians, has put together a very good career in college. The Madison East grad has scored 1,180 career points at Santa Clara and averaged 13 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last season. Justice was a Second Team All-WCC performer and will cap off a great college career this year for the Broncos.

Jaeden Zackery transferred in to Boston College last year from the JUCO school of Chipola College. The Westosha Central grad started all 33 games for the Eagles and averaged 10.4 points per game. With three years of eligibility left, Zackery has a bright future ahead of him in the ACC.


Patrick Suemnick of Denmark

The Rest of the Transfers

As mentioned before, the transfer portal is a huge part of the college sports scene these days. Of the 75 players from Wisconsin on Division 1 rosters, 20 are at a new school this season. Six of those are transfers from lower levels. 30 of those 75 have transferred at least once in their college playing days.

Here is a list of transfers from last year that weren't mentioned above.

Tyree Eady transfers from North Dakota State to North Texas after four years with the Bison. The Middleton grad scored over 1,000 points and hauled in over 500 rebounds while playing at North Dakota State.

David Skogman transfers to Davidson from Buffalo. The Waukesha West grad averaged eight points and five rebounds per game last season.

Patrick Suemnick transfers into West Virginia from Triton College. The Denmark grad initially committed to Robert Morris before heading to the JUCO. He averaged 12 points and 6 rebounds per game last season.

Jasin Sinani transfers from UW-Milwaukee to Campbell after his freshman season. The Oak Creek grad played in 21 games and had four starts last season, but only averaged 8.8 minutes per game.

Zane Short transfers to UW-Green Bay from Indian River State College to play with younger brother Donavan this upcoming year. Dealing with injuries in his college years, Zane will look for a fresh start with the Phoenix.

Brock Heffner also transfers into UW-Green Bay, but from Hawaii. The Grafton grad redshirted last season before returning to the home state Phoenix. He will have four years of eligibility coming into this year.

Quincy Anderson makes the jump from Division 2 to Division 1 with his transfer from Minnesota State-Mankato to Murray State. Anderson, an Oshkosh North grad, was a two time All-Northern Sun performer while at Mankato and scored nearly 900 points for the Mavericks.

Alec Rosner also played in the Northern Sun last season for Division 2 Winona State, but will suit up for Western Illinois this year. The Kimberly grad averaged 18.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game last season at Winona and was a first-team all-conference performer.

Owen White also transfers from a Division 2 school, Michigan Tech to Division 1 South Alabama. The Rhinelander grad scored over 1,500 points for the Huskies over his career. He was the GLIAC Player of the year last season after averaging 17.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

Terrance Thompson will play for his third school in three years as he transfers from JUCO Navarro College to SIU Edwardsville this season. The former La Crosse Central standout spent his freshman season at UW-Green Bay before transferring out and eventually to Edwardsville.

Donovan Ivory is heading to his fourth school in as many years after transferring from UW-Green Bay to Southern Miss this offseason. The Kaukauna grad averaged 11.9 rebounds per game for the Phoenix and has also had stints at Boise State and UMass Lowell.

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