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Boys Basketball Alumni Round-up: November 20th

11/20/2018, 7:45pm CST
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 Mondays.

Alumni Update

Tonight marks the first night of games in high school boys basketball around the state. As many athletes continue or start their prep careers, many in-state alumni have already began their post-high school seasons at the collegiate and professional levels. The boys basketball alumni round-up will spotlight those athletes throughout the season.

Last season, UMBC became the first ever 16-seed to upset a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament. Joe Sherburne was a huge piece of that puzzle. This season, Sherburne, a Whitefish Bay graduate has upped his game another notch. Through five games, he leads UMBC in scoring, averaging 14 points while also tallying 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

The extremely talented and highly lauded class of 2018 has shown up and out throughout Division 1 basketball in the early portion of the season.

Tyler Herro, the 2017-18 WSN Wing Player of the Year, has started all three games for Kentucky to begin his freshman season. The former Whitnall standout is averaging 9.3 points per game for the Wildcats and had a high of 18 in a 96-58 victory over North Dakota.

Tyrese Haliburton has been a huge piece of the Iowa State basketball team early on this year. The Oshkosh North alum and two-time all state selection is averaging 7.7 points, 5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists for the Cyclones.

Madison East graduate Keshawn Justice has started the year off shooting excellent from the field for Santa Clara University. Through three games, Justice is averaging 13.7 points while shooting 54 percent from the field, and 50 percent from beyond the arc.

Joey Hauser left Stevens Point High School early last season to enroll in the spring semester at Marquette alongside older brother Sam Hauser. After ten or so months of preparation and recovery from an injury, Joey has shown his patience and hard work pay off. He is currently averaging 12 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3 assists for the Golden Eagles. Older brother Sam is averaging 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2 assists through the first four games.

The WIAC is once again scattered with many in-state athletes across all teams.

Derek Rongstad has led UW-Whitewater to a 3-0 start to the season. The Middleton grad is averaging 19 points and 4.7 rebounds thus far. He was named the WIAC Player of the Week in week two following his hot start.

UW-Stevens Point has been aided to a 2-0 start to its season by four in-state prospects. Nate Dodge (East Troy), Canon O’Heron (Bangor), Ethan Bublitz (Kettle Moraine Lutheran), and Drew Frederickson (Mount Horeb) are all averaging double digit points in the early goings.

Division 3 runner up UW-Oshkosh has also had four in-state alumni average double digit points through two games. Ben Boots (Kimberly), Brett Wittchow (Laconia), Adam Fravert (Marshfield), and Jack Flynn (Appleton West) all average at least ten points a game, while Flynn has also tallied double digit rebounds in both games.

UW-Green Bay has been led offensively by former De Pere grad Cody Schwartz and Seymour grad Sandy Cohen III. Cohen who is averaging 13.6 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists through the first five games, also made the game-tying layup to force overtime in an 82-78 win over Eastern Washington. Schwartz is averaging 15.5 points a game in their last two contests.

In other Horizon League play, Drake University transfer and Regis High School alum Billy Wampler is leading Wright State in scoring through its first four games, averaging 16.8 points per contest.

The Northern Sun Conference has always been loaded with Badger state alumni.

Harrison Cleary of Oak Creek has been an absolute scoring machine for Minnesota Crookston through his first two seasons. In the early parts of his junior season, Cleary, who came into the season with 1,342 points, is averaging 20.6 points through the first five games.

Minnesota Duluth is spearheaded by many in-state alumni throughout its roster. Superior High School’s Brandon Myer leads the team averaging 20 points and 7.5 rebounds a game early on. He recorded 27 points and 14 rebounds in a 61-56 win over Michigan Tech. Myer was named the Northern Sun-North Player of the Week in week 2.

Former Milwaukee Riverside standout and current Loyal Marymount guard, James Batemon averaged 17.8 points a game en route to earning second team all-conference in the West Coast Conference last season. This season he is averaging 22.8 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists through the first five games. In a 79-64 win over CSU Northridge, Batemon had 21 points and 10 assists.

A pair of in-state athletes are shining at Grambling University. Devante Jackson (Brown Deer) and Dallas Polk-Hillard (Messmer) are each averaging over 10 points and 5 rebounds a game through the teams first three contests.

Levi Bradley has had a solid collegiate career at Northern Illinois. The former Pius XI standout is averaging 17.3 points and 10 rebounds through the first three games this season. In an 88-85 overtime loss to Northern Kentucky, Bradley recorded his first double double of the season as well as passing the 1,000 point mark in his collegiate career.

Bradley wasn’t the only player to pass that 1,000 point milestone in the first weeks of the season. Isaiah Johnson, formerly of Whitefish Bay, has been lighting up the scoreboard for Division 2 Northern Michigan. Johnson is averaging over 25 points a game and notched a career high 33 in a 77-59 win over Lewis. As he eclipsed the 1,000 point career mark, Isaiah was named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference-North’s Player of the Week in week one.

Through the first two games of the season, Koreem Ozier was averaging 23 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists for Sacred Heart. The freshman and former Racine Case standout, was named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week on November twelfth.

The alumni round-up wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the second oldest Wisconsin state athlete competing in the NBA currently. Wes Matthews, a Madison Memorial graduate is starting off his tenth NBA season on a high note. Wes is averaging over 16 points a game through the first 13 games for the Dallas Mavericks. He has tallied 20 or more points in six of those outings.

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