MBB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[ChickenHoops]

Point in the top 4......let the chickens roost !

[tomt4525]

Will do a separate post for each of the top 4.

4)  Platteville - Danny Wresinski 6'7" Nazareth Academy(IL)
                  Elliot Bessen 6'1" Eau Claire North
                  Caleb Cunico 6'4" Rockridge(IL)
                  Ryan Prowicz 6'2" Hampshire(IL)
                  SaVont Johnson 6'3" Adams Friendship
                  Ben Forbes 6'9" McFarland
                  Cooper Hoffman 6'1" Pecatonica(IL)
                  Eli Selk 6'4" Waunakee
                  Nick Madema 6'7" Randolph
                  Kaden McKenzie 6'4"

Relied pretty heavily on Illinois kids, which I obviously don't know as much about as Wisconsin kids.  I know the Illinois kids were heavily recruited at the D3 level, so this ranking could be low if they end up being big contributors.  McKenzie is the star of this group, he's a great athlete that will bring an all around game to the Pioneers.  If Forbes develops at his size, he's also a steal at the D3 level.

[tomt4525]

3) Stevens Point -

    Drew Daoust (6'2, Southern Door)
        Wisconsin's 2nd All-Time leading scorer with 3,096 career points
        Averaged 32+ ppg, 8 rpg, 5 apg last season
        All-State selection, led his team to a 23-4 record and conference title
    Zach Orr (5'11, Rice Lake)
        Two-time Big Rivers All-Conference honoree
        Averaged 16 ppg, 5 apg — accounting for nearly 50% of his team's scoring
        WBCA All-Star Game selection
    Bobby Grganto (6'6, Downers Grove North, IL)
        All-Area selections in Illinois prep career
        Averaged 14 ppg, 7 rpg, shot 62% FG, 37% from 3
        Led team to a Sweet 16 finish (26-9 record)
    Isaiah Moore (6'5, Evanston HS / Oakton CC)
        1st Team Illinois Skyway Conference
        Led Oakton in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks
        Shot 46% FG, 47% from 3 (over 2 made per game)
    Emmitt Huhn (6'7, St. Mary's Springs)
        Averaged 17 ppg, 10 rpg, unanimous Flyway All-Conference pick
        Led team to 21-5 record and conference title
        WBCA All-Star Game selection
    Max Raimer (6'4, Sun Prairie East)
        1st Team All-Big Eight Conference
        Averaged 19 ppg, 7 rpg, helped lead team to 21-7 record and conference championship
    Tyler Orr (5'11, Rice Lake / Winona State)
        Big Rivers Player of the Year (2022-23), All-State selection
        1,600 career points
        Transferring from Winona State with 3 years of eligibility remaining

In my mind, this class is really tight with Platteville.  Daoust is the star of this group but I struggle with his lack of athleticism.  He is a good shooter, but not great.  Many of his points came going to the rim, he will face a lot more size going to the rim in the WIAC.  I am higher on Raimer than the rankings are, you are no slouch averaging almost 20 a game in the Big 8.  Tyler Orr is better offensively than Combs is and I hope Orr can take over that job, but I would expect Combs at PG because he is a returner.  Zach Orr was possibly the best player in the Big Rivers as a Junior, but not as efficient as a Senior.  I suspect he had some lingering football injuries, have to wait and see how his career progresses.  The key to this class, for next year anyways, might come with Isaiah Moore.  I would much rather have 3 more years of Tyshawn Teague-Johnson but I hope Moore can bring those same things to Point that Johnson did or could.

Maybe I shouldn't mention this, as I don't have a name.  But, UWSP is also waiting on the NCAA to make a decision on another possible recruit and his eligibility.  He is enrolling at UWSP next year but it's still up in the air if he will be able to play.

[tomt4525]

2) Whitewater - Trent Grunewald 6'4" Howards Grove
                Agape Keys Jr 6'3" Milwaukee Academy of Science
                Mikey Wildes 6'2" Kimberly
                Isaiah Robinson 6'0" Racine Park
                Tyshawn Teague-Johnson 6'5" UWSP transfer
                Zay Howard 5'11" Simpson transfer

This class doesn't have any size coming in and I would expect the frontcourt to be Whitewater's weakness next season.  With that said, this class is loaded in the backcourt and as I've said multiple times already, Teague-Johnson is a huge loss for the Pointers.  Keys, Robinson and Teague-Johnson all have the potential to be stars in this league with All-Conference laurels as strong possibilities.  Grunewald is also a highly regarded recruit with a lot of WIAC interest before committing to the Warhawks.

This leaves the Blugolds and their new facilities as my top dog recruiting class this season.

[tomt4525]

Well...this is really early.  Class of 2026 Marshfield 6'7" F, Valin Ramberg, has committed to La Crosse.  This is a really good get this early for the Eagles.

[Mitch Hall]

Again, thank you for all this information.

[tomt4525]

1) Eau Claire -  Bryce Borowicz 6'1" West De Pere
                 Cole Wilcek 6'4" Farmington(MN)
                 Roan Demovski 6'1" De Pere
                 Roman Thompson 6'3" Kettle Moraine
                 Mondes Kelly 6'6" Bay Port
                 Tyler Haney 6'1" Sun Prairie West
                 Colin Shultz 6'2" Pulaski
                 Will Boser 6'5" Eau Claire Memorial(D2 CSP transfer)
                 Kenji Scales 6'2" D2 Sioux Falls transfer
                 Carter Koch 6'5" Oconto
                 Xavier Lewis 6'6" D2 University of Mary transfer
                 Luke Reder 6'5" D2 Missouri Western St transfer

4 D2 transfers is quite impressive for the Blugolds, I would expect these guys to provide some solid depth.  They did lose a lot of minutes played from last years' squad, so it was needed.  When you also include possible stars to build around in Demovsky and Thompson, that's what propelled the Blugolds to the top spot for me.

[tomt4525]

I mentioned that the recruiting rankings wouldn't be how I'd rank the WIAC teams heading into this season.  So, I'll do those rankings now and I'll be done for the time being then.

1) La Crosse -  They probably have the best trio returning with Derousseau, Paider and Greiger.  They have tons of experience making the postseason multiple times.  Getting Fielding and Butler transferring in adds to their depth.  I expect to see La Crosse as a top 10 team in the preseason

2) Stevens Point - Dern's 1st recruiting class is now in their 3rd year of playing together, they should hopefully take off this season because of it.  Butler, Krohn, Miron and Baumgartner provide a really solid core.  Tyler Orr and Isaiah Moore should provide some more depth to the roster.  I would expect to see UWSP ranked in the top 25 somewhere in the preseason, if not in the preseason they should work their way into it throughout the season.

3) Oshkosh  - Oshkosh returns too much to ignore, including Metcalf-Grassman coming off injury.  Beck, Lachapell, Metcalf-Grassman, Rindfleish, Thomas, Seckar, Imig and Johanknecht is a top notch returning core.  This team has enough firepower to win the league and make a deep run in the tourney.

4) Platteville - They have been on a crazy good run lately, but gone are Pearson, Probst and Olson.  They were the main parts that kept it going.  Still have some solid pieces with Love, Lewis, Hettinger and Fuhremann.  New players will need to step up but a little drop off here is inevitable.

5) Eau Claire - I don't think anybody can replicate what Huschka brought to the Blugolds on offense and defense.  He is a monumental loss.  This team will go as far as Renta and the incoming transfers can take them.  I don't like having to rely so much on players who haven't been in the system before, so I may be lower on them than other people.

6) Whitewater - I like what Whitewater has in the backcourt with their incoming recruiting class.  My worry is their frontcourt.  I would expect they have a transfer or two in the frontcourt coming that nobody knows about now.  If that is the case, they could easily move up here.

7) Stout - Getting another year out of Shore vaults them ahead of River Falls for me.  They also return more contributors than River Falls does.  It's tough to move up in the WIAC when you've been down but Stout has gotten more competitive.

8) River Falls - Losing Johnson is huge for the Falcons and I don't think they did enough with their recruiting class to avoid not being at the bottom.  River Falls is another school that seems to have some commits from Minnesota that are unknown to me until we see rosters, maybe that's the case again.

[ChickenHoops]

Oshkosh timing of recovery for MMG is a factor for 2025-26. Even if he's back for WIAC, I suspect the Titans will be a strong NCAA team.  I know NPI or whatever the metrics are, their tough nonconference schedule could be a factor.

I will be focused on Point women's team and trying to get the Hilltop Inn to sponsor a game. 

[Mitch Hall]

I hope these predictions are as accurate as they are interesting. Thanks yet again.

[Greek Tragedy]

Fantastic stuff like usual, Tomt4525! I appreciate your work. +1

[Kirbmania]

Although we did have a disagreement last season, I tip my hat to your contributions to this site Tomt4525. You provide insightful info that is informative and appreciated by the readers.  Thank you for your efforts Tomt4525, very nice work!

[PauldingLightUP]

I'm sorry to see Zorn Arena torn down. https://www.weau.com/2025/07/21/demolition-uw-eau-claires-zorn-arena-take-place-this-week/

[Mitch Hall]

I will also miss Zorn arena, the most venerable of WIAC venues. Which homecourt now deserves that title? I would say Quandt or Bo Ryan Court.   



















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[PauldingLightUP]

UW-Whitewater schedule is posted. Non cons at Ripon, at WashU Tournament (St. Thomas (TX), TBD), vs Aurora, vs Simpson, vs Elmhurst, at Lawrence, vs Carroll, at Hope, at Alma, at Coe.

https://uwwsports.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule/2025-26