WBCA announces Division 2 Boys Basketball All-State Team

Three players who earned Player of the Year laurels in their respective conferences were also unanimous picks on the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Division 2 All-State squad released today.

Kobe King of La Crosse Central, Te’Jon Lucas of Milwaukee Washington and Jordan McCabe of Kaukauna each received first-team all-state votes from every member of the voting panel.

King is an athletic, skilled and smart 6-foot-4 junior wing player who has given new University of Wisconsin coach Greg Gard a verbal commitment to play for the Badgers. He led La Crosse Central to a 22-4 record, the Mississippi Valley Conference title and a spot in the WIAA State Tournament by averaging 26.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He is shooting 59 percent from the field and 84 percent from the foul line heading into Central’s state semifinal game against Kaukauna.

Lucas missed the last month of the season after sustaining a broken leg in a non-conference victory over Champaign, Ill., Central on February 6. The 6-1 senior point guard averaged 20.5 points and 8.1 assists, and had 31 points in the game prior to his injury, a win over Milwaukee Bradley Tech. The University of Illinois recruit helped Washington to a 19-6 record, including an 11-1 mark in the Milwaukee City Conference.

McCabe is a 5-11 sophomore point guard who helped Kaukauna to the Fox Valley Association title and a spot in the WIAA State Tournament. The ball-handling and passing phenom is shooting 44 percent (123 of 280) from three-point range and is averaging 24.8 points and 6.1 assists per game for a Kaukauna squad that is 24-2 under coach Mike Schalow.

John Diener is a 6-4 sophomore guard who helped Cedarburg improve from a 12-12 record two years ago to a 20-6 mark and sectional final appearance this season. He averaged 22.2 ppg while playing for his father and coach, Tom Diener. He had 27 points in the Bulldogs’ sectional semifinal victory over Grafton.

Jai’Vionne Green is an athletic 6-4 wing guard who played his best basketball of the season down the stretch for Wauwatosa East. He averaged 17.9 ppg and had a career-high 37 points in a 70-66 loss to highly regarded Racine Park. He also scored 29 points in the Red Raiders’ 65-64 loss to Whitefish Bay in the WIAA playoffs.

Tyler Herro is a 6-4 sophomore wing guard from Whitnall who already owns scholarship offers from a number of NCAA Division I schools, including Marquette and Wisconsin. His ability to impact a game with his shooting and passing helped Whitnall to a 20-6 record and a spot in the WIAA State Tournament. He is averaging 24.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 51 percent from the field, 82 percent from the free throw line and 44 percent (60 of 136) from three-point range.

Mitch Listau is a 6-3 sophomore wing guard who helped Waunakee to the title in the Northern Division of the Badger Conference and a spot in the WIAA State Tournament by averaging 17.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Listau is a left hander who can get to the basket and make three-point shots. He is shooting 46 percent (45 of 98) from three-point range for the Warriors, who enter the state tournament on a 19-game winning streak.

David Pulizos is a versatile 6-7 senior forward from Greendale who can score from beyond the three-point arc and in the post. He averaged 21.7 ppg for the Panthers and was chosen Player of the Year in the Western Division of the Woodland Conference. The Whitewater recruit scored 1,385 points in four years of varsity competition, including a career-high 45 points in a victory over New Berlin West this season.

Anthony Thomas is a 6-2 senior wing player from Milwaukee North Division who put up out-of-this-world numbers for Milwaukee North. The active, athletic player averaged a state-best 38.3 ppg a year after averaging 16.0 ppg. He scored a career-high 63 points in a victory over Milwaukee Golda Meier, but even more impressively, had 54 points in a 95-92 victory over perennial state powerhouse Milwaukee Rufus King.

Jake Zeitler is a 6-4 senior wing who averaged 22.0 ppg and 4.7 apg while helping Luxemburg-Casco to a 21-3 record and a share of the North Eastern Conference title with Wrightstown. He shot 44 percent from the field, 80 from the foul line and 39 percent (103 of 262) from three-point range for coach John Hampton and the Spartans, who finished 21-3.

WBCA Division 2 All-State

John Diener, Soph., Cedarburg
Jai’Vionne Green, Sr., Wauwatosa East
Tyler Herro, Soph., Whitnall
Kobe King, Jr., La Crosse Central *
Mitch Listau, Soph., Waunakee
Te’Jon Lucas, Sr., Milwaukee Washington *
Jordan McCabe, Soph., Kaukauna *
David Pulizos, Sr., Greendale
Anthony Thomas, Sr., Milwaukee North
Jake Zeitler, Sr., Luxemburg-Casco

Honorable Mention

Bobby Brenner, Sr., Wilmot
Wyatt Cook, Jr., Pewaukee
Alou Dillon, Jr., Wauwatosa West
Bailey Kale, Jr., La Crosse Central
Seth Kostrowski, Sr., Sauk Prairie
Ryan Krueger, Jr., Hortonville
J.P.. Lacy, Sr., Wausau East
Garrett Nelson, Jr., Beaver Dam
Benjamin Rounds, Sr., McFarland
Adam Smith, Jr., Kaukauna
Charlie Soule, Sr., Oregon
Nate Stanley, Sr., Menomonie
Kevion Taylor, Jr., Whitnall

* - Denotes unanimous selection
Voting Panel – Zac Campbell, River Falls; Derek Lemmens, Rhinelander; Bob Maronde, Grafton; Mike Schalow, Kaukauna; Jake Erbentraut, Wilmot; Todd Nesheim, Mount Horeb; Mike Basile, Pewaukee; Ryan Walz, Wisconsin Lutheran