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Week 1 Coaches Poll



The 2008-2009 boys basketball season is off with a bang.  There have already been some great games played and even a couple upsets along the way.  The first WSN Coaches Poll of the season has been released, and there are some familiar names in the Top 15 of each division.  Here is a full breakdown:



Division 1

Top-ranked Madison Memorial has perhaps the highest elite talent level of any team in recent memory.  With two players having already accepted high-major Division 1 offers (Jeronne Maymon-Marquette, Vander Blue-Wisconsin) and a freshman who could end up the top-ranked in-state player in his class (Junior Lomomba), it's easy to see why the Spartans have been picked at the top.  They'll need their role players and bench to develop during the year to provide support for the marquee players.  Milwaukee King is an intriging team in that they are ineligible for tournament play due to WIAA sanctions, but find themselves ranked #2.  Defending state champion Wauwatosa East lost to King over the holiday weekend, but still find themselves at #6.  Other familiar faces include Oshkosh West, Milwaukee Vincent, Milwaukee Washington, and more.  Perhaps the most amazing thing about Division 1 this year, and especially the teams in the Top 15, is the incredible depth of talent of individual players on these teams.  In addition to the above-mentioned players there is also Jamil Wilson at Racine Horlick (#3), Evan Anderson and Tyler Brown at Eau Claire North (#8), Ben Averkamp at Germantown (9), and Kameron Cerroni at Hamilton (#13) among others.  All of these players have or will likely be playing at Division 1 colleges soon.



Division 2

Wisconsin Lutheran spent the entire regular season of the football season as the top-ranked team, and open the basketball season #1 as well.  Junior Flavien Davis is the lone returning starter for the Vikings, but he's a good one that is ranked among the country's best in his class.  Defending state champion New Berlin Eisenhower is right on their heels at #2.  The Lions also return just one starter from last year, but feature a deep and talented roster plus an early season win over a very good Manitowoc Lincoln team.  Milwaukee Lutheran (#3) plays in one of the toughest conferences in the state (North Shore) and will be led by Iowa State recruit Chim Kadima.  Monroe (#4) has been to the state tournament the past two seasons, and will rely on brothers Mitch and Bryan Tordorff to guide them back.  They've already suffered a tough loss to a solid Elkhorn squad however.  Fifth-ranked Port Washington boasts a fast-rising junior player in Josh Gasser and will battle Germantown and Milwaukee Lutheran for the North Shore title.  They've already secured a nice early season win over Catholic Memorial.  Northwestern could be a sleeper.  The seventh-ranked Tigers return four starters from last year's 15-7 squad, with three of them being over 6'4''.  Not many teams will be able to matchup with their size.  #13 Seymour is an interesting team.  After putting together perhaps the best tournament run in state history by making the state tournament eight consecutive years, the Thunder had that streak snapped last year.  They'll look to start a new streak behind senior Jamie Koebe and some talented underclassmen.



Division 3

The private vs. public debaters have always targeted Division 3 as the prime example of the issue.  They'll have plenty of ammunition again this year as the top three, five of the top seven, and six of the top twelve teams are private schools.  Leading the charge once again is top-ranked Racine St. Catherine's.  The Angels return four starters and look to get back on track after missing the state tournament last season.  They had won the state title the previous three years.  Second-ranked LaCrosse Aquinas won the Division 3 crown last year and return two outstanding players in seniors Jimmy Whitehead and Michael Hanson.  Cuba City if the first public school in the rankings, coming in at #4.  The Cubans return three starters, including junior Evan Richard who can score from all over the court.  #7 Eau Claire Regis was a state tournament team last year, but already lost to Aquinas this year. 



Division 4

Top-ranked Randolph and second-ranked Benton appear on a collision course this year.  Unfortunately their potential playoff matchups will come before the state tournament.  #3 Barneveld makes it two Six Rivers team in the top three, although the teams are actually in different divisions of the conference.  They could matchup in a crossover game midway through the year though.  #5 Blair-Taylor appears poised to step into the vacuum in the Dairyland Conference by the departure of so many great players from defending state champion Eleva-Strum.  #8 Hillsboro returns a deep roster but has already been upset by Viroqua this year.  Black Hawk and Pecatonica make it four teams total for the Six Rivers Conference.  #6 Spring Valley and #13 Clayton should represent the northwest part of the state very well this year.  #15 Princeton has picked up some nice wins over Rio and Fall River on the young season and could be a surprise team.