D3 Top 10: Summer Edition
Brett Pickarts - Wisconsin High School Basketball Content Manager
Before we get rolling into my first article for V3, I want to thank Coach Price for giving me this platform to discuss the great things happening in the state of Wisconsin. Our state has amazing writers and content producers that already do such a great job of promoting our student athletes.
In the summer of hot button issues that may have restructured the state tournament and added a shot clock, I know everyone wants to read a division three basketball rankings article in the middle of the summer. Thanks to wissports.net for stat credits within the scope of the article and the WIAA website who provided some results that I could reference various historical pieces in this article. Alright let’s get to it:
#1 Freedom
24-25 Record- 28-2 State Runner Up
The Guys Coming Back:
-Donovan Davis, 6-8 Jr. 22.7ppg, 12.0rpg, 4.3apg, ranking nationally at 44 with major Power 5 offers from Cal, Iowa State, Iowa, Marquette, Syracuse and Wisconsin.
-Kaden Vandenburg 6-1 Jr. , 2nd team all conference, 10.3ppg, 2.2rpg, 2.3apg 37% 3.
-Owen Henkel, 6-2, great athlete with a high scoring capability.
The Bottom Line: Freedom is going to miss all time leading scorer Drew Kortz who had an amazing run in Madison that gave Freedom a real shot to take down powerhouse Milwaukee Academy of Science in the state championship game. Donovan Davis could quickly replace Kortz as the all time leading scorer, and is the best player in division three this year. The trio of Davis, Henkel, and Vandenburg have serious firepower to justify the #1 ranking for the Irish. Shotmaking and young talent coming up to develop will provide a plentiful pantry for third year coach Andrew Gibbons.
#2 Racine St. Cats
24-25 Record- 21-5, lost to Racine Lutheran in the Regional Final
The Guys Coming Back:
-All five starters on a team that already plays up tempo with a 1-2-2 and incorporates dribble drive and capitalizing in transition. The obvious guy to highlight is 6-0 foot standout LaMont Hamiliton who is an elite athlete on the football field and well worth the price of admission on the basketball court. Hamilton holds D1 football offers from Ill. State, Kent State, Minnesota, N. Iowa, and Western Illinois while boasting a 30.1ppg for St. Cats.
The Bottom Line: Hamilton has a real shot at winning Mr. Basketball if he continues to put up the numbers he has while leading St. Cats’ to state. He is arguably the best shot they have had at Mr. Basketball since Tyrese Hunter in 2021, and Dave Mueller who won the award in 1985.
#3 Lake Mills
24-25 Record- 24-5, lost to MAS in the semifinal at the Kohl Center
The Guys Coming Back:
-Sharpshooter Brady Benish who competes with one of the better AAU programs in the state, Wisconsin Swing. Brady is a 4 year standout player.
-Tyler Wollin- a bonafide superstar passer both in football and in basketball. Wollin is an elite athlete with great vision on the basketball court (7.0apg). Look for him to up his scoring production going into this year.
The Bottom Line: Listen, anytime you lose AJ Bender things are going to be tougher, but Lake Mills has a great coaching staff and leader in Steve Hicklin. Don’t be surprised if Wollin and Benish enter another level while younger players like junior Collin Chrisitan and incoming freshman Jenner Wellman step into massive roles for the L-Cats.
#4 Seymour
24-25 Record- 19-7, lost in the regional final to Wrightstown.
The Guys Coming Back:
-This is the part I will struggle keeping this to a short paragraph because the Thunder are loaded with talent coming back into the fold this season. Kyler Marks is a Bay Conference front court staple who averaged 21.2ppg, and 8.9 rpg. Issac Feske is not much further behind him (14.5ppg, 7.4rpg) and had an outstanding AAU season with the Wisconsin Legends. Jordan Krause, Xavier Salzman and Tege Cornell are major contributors coming back for Seymour who have arguably the deepest roster in division three in terms of scoring threats.
The Bottom Line: Seymour was a bit snake-bitten by the injury bug last year in which now sophomore point guard Tege Cornell had to miss several games in the middle of the season while Kyler Marks did not play in their regional final loss. The scary thing about Seymour is their back court were just freshman last year and they will only continue to get better. Do not be surprised to see them ranked #1 at point next season, or a potential sectional semifinal matchup with Freedom in 2026.
#5 Oostburg
24-25- 20-7 sectional semifinal loss to Carmen Northwest
The Guys Coming Back- A massive dynamic duo who feature two one thousand point scorers already in Cade Dirksee and Jamison Zavatchin. Zavatchin has a legitimate shot to reach 2000 this year (1581 points) and Dirkse if he goes full Tracy McGrady in 2003 could also eclipse the 2000 mark. The Flying Dutchmen will rely on their depth and their dynamic duo to compete in the Big-East South conference, which is always competitive.
The Bottom Line- Oostburg returns all five of their starters and have the 1-2 punch needed to contend in the tough Sectional 4. The Flying Dutchmen play a great brand of fundamental basketball that features flare screens and hard nosed defense. Their physical strength and experience earns them some preseason accolades.
#6 Aquinas
24-25 Record- 26-3, Division 4 state champs. Moved up due to competitive balance.
The Guys Coming Back: Logan Becker is one player that has to be mentioned in this article. Logan is a triple C player- cool, calm and collected in a day in age where this is not popular and flash gets more notoriety on social media . He has been a steady force for the Blugolds and competes with D1 Minnesota Gold where he had a very nice summer improving his game and impressing college coaches. Becker is one of the most underrated collegiate prospects in the state.
The Bottom Line: Replacing Treyten Bahr will be difficult, however wing/guard Calvin Bahr looks to step into a secondary scoring role. Coach Brad Reinhart is experienced and has consistently put together winning seasons in the difficult MVC year after year. Look for Becker’s leadership and talent to help the Blugolds early and help them roll into a potential sectional final matchup with Lake Mills in March.
#7 Mosinee
24-25 Record- 18-8 lost to Onalaska in the D2 Regional Final.
The Guys Coming Back:
-Brayden Reinke- 20.1ppg, versatile wing/forward who scores with a bit of an old school style playing out of the midpost and perimeter.
-Treve Stoffel- 14.5ppg, lockdown defender and versatile downhill creator.
-Carson Balgard- sharp shooter who plays a great #3 scoring option role for Mosinee
The Bottom Line: Much like a lot of the teams mentioned in this article, Mosinee returns five starters and a good balance of scoring. They benefit greatly after being stuck in a very unique geographic sectional in D2 and have a real shot of getting to Madison for the first time. Head Coach Matt Lindsay has been really close, and is one of the state’s better coaches over the past few seasons featuring some deeper playoff runs. Is this the year Mosinee can go to Madison?
#8 Racine Lutheran
24-25 Record: 24-3 lost to MAS in the Sectional Semi.
The Guys Coming Back: Without pulling a Charles Barkley on Inside the NBA, two words: Sam Pitroff. An elite combo guard prospect, who without a doubt will be playing college basketball. Competes with energy and skill for a talented UAA Playground team. Pitroff will be one of the elite players in Southeastern Wisconsin again this upcoming season.
The Bottom Line: Racine Lutheran will need to replace second option Justin Jones who had 32 points in the sectional semis against MAS. However, the Crusaders bring back four of their five starters and are legitimate challengers in Sectional 4 that features St. Cats and Oostburg along with other strong contenders like USM and KML. I would start planning on how to get down to see a Lutheran and St. Cats’ game this winter if you live in the Racine area.
#9 Lodi
24-25 Record: 16-9, lost to the Dells in the Regional Final.
The Guys Coming Back: Another dynamic duo in senior guard Theo Traeder and junior guard Kale Schneider. Theo has gotten a little bit better each season and looks to cement himself as a leader and big time scorer for Lodi this year. Schneider is lightning quick and could make for a very good 1-2 punch for the Blue Devils.
The Bottom Line: The Blue Devils made the state tournament in 2012, 2013, and 2014 with some outstanding players, this is arguably the best Lodi team since then. Schneider and Traeder are great backcourt prospects and their offense gets them looks through staggers and roll and replace actions. Lodi could be a sleeper against Aquinas in Sectional 3 this season.
#10 Watertown Luther Prep
24-25 Record: 11-14, lost in the regionals to Lake Mills.
The Guys Coming Back: I sound like a broken record with dynamic duos, but we will focus on another set of brothers that could make some noise in d3 in the Nottling brothers. The two brothers (Gabe and Levi) could provide a formidable 1-2 punch for the Phoenix this year. They are long, athletic, and quite frankly can torch the nets when they both get going. They will be reliable scoring options for Luther Prep this season.
The Bottom Line: Coach Vasvold runs a great system (Race and Space) that emphasizes modern concepts. Without sounding like every new coach press conference, they play fast, they shoot 3s and they like to play a lot of guys. By the way, they do this well. The Phoenix emphasize modern analytics and look to dominate downhill or find kick out 3s to willing and capable three point shooters. They are physical and play great defense as well. Sectional 3 again is loaded and Luther Prep should be in the conversation of making a deep run in 25-26.
Thanks for reading and be sure to follow my X (Twitter) account @Coach_Pickarts for more updates in regards to high school basketball content in Wisconsin.
