WI Blizzard Blog

This past month has come and gone with a few Blizzard players committing to D2 schools. Matt Iverson, a very skilled 6’10 post player from Lakeland, has committed to Northern Michigan. Matt had a tremendous summer as he burst onto the scene playing for Blizzard-Kellett. He put in a lot of work, and his skill level has clearly shown that. Unknown before the AAU season started, he let his play do the talking, and multiple D1/D2 schools came calling. Congrats to Matt!

Mike Fisher started the summer being overshadowed by Iverson, and others in the state. However, his tenacity showed as he continually shut down scholarship post players. At 6’7, Fisher is an athletic post player with a lot of room to grow offensively. He never allowed another player to outwork him, and he earned every accolade that he has received.

Congrats to both Mike and Matt for their accomplishments. I am looking forward to seeing how they progress during their high school season, and beyond.

Josiah had an excellent finish to the 2011 AAU season. He really played well while playing up for the 17/u team, and hit multiple game winning shots at the buzzer. Josiah is a very intriguing prospect in the state of Wisconsin as he is 6’9, and might not be done growing. He is not a true post player, as I see him more as a small forward, or shooting 4man. He handles the ball extremely well for his size, and has 3point range. He creates multiple matchup problems each game.

Josiah is currently getting recruited my multiple D2 programs, and I expect more to follow. He recently had an unofficial visit to Butler. At 6’9, and still growing, and is a player who may garner a D1 scholarship by the time his high school career is over. A player of his size/skill will be a hot commodity on the circuit in 2012.

Ethan Guske joined our program for the end of the 2011 aau season. He played for the 17/u Blizzard Kellett team and was a key reason for their success at the end of the season. Ethan showed up with a chip on his shoulder and produced right away. He hit multiple shots for our team, and was our leading scorer in Vegas, and NY2LA. Ethan is without question a scholarship player. He is a tremendous competitor, who can shoot the ball from anywhere in the gym. I am looking forward to a HUGE summer for him next year, and his recruiting has skyrocketed. He is currently getting recruited by multiple D2 schools, and I expect more to come in the next year.

Wisconsin Blizzard  traveled to Las Vegas, for the Fab 48 basketball tournament. It was a team put together randomly, and they performed extremely well. Dylan Heemstra, Ethan Guske, Jason Miller, Josiah Vervelde, Eric Weis, Matt Iverson, Kirk Emmer were the 7 that traveled to Vegas. They started out the tournament with a tough game against a very athletic team. Blizzard started the game down 20-2 at the start, but stormed back with the excellent play of Ethan Guske who had 26 points at half. Ethan knocked down multiple three’s, and when the defense finally keyed on him Josiah Vervelde stepped up. He scored the last 8 points for the Blizzard. He knocked down a game winning three at the buzzer.

That win set the tone for the week as the Blizzard went on to go 5-1 in the tournament. Each player has games where he stepped up. Ethan Guske, Josiah Vervelde and Matt Iverson continually had scouts watching, and really impressive.

The 17/u teams will certainly be missed, as many of the players have been with our program for multiple years. I want to personally thank all Blizzard Kellett players for a fantastic summer. I am looking forward to seeing how well they progress during the HS season, and beyond!

This past week, three 17/u Wisconsin Blizzard teams traveled to Sioux Falls for the Mister Basketball tournament. Wisconsin Blizzard-Emery made the top bracket before falling to a talented Minnesota Glory team, Wisconsin Blizzard-Kellett won the second bracket, and Blizzard-Berger lost in the final 4 of the second bracket. Multiple players stepped up for their squads, and a few made quite a name among scouts present. Players who played well included Wisconsin Blizzard-Emery’s Konor Kulas and  Kyle Schue, Blizzard-Bergers’s Boston Johnson and Izaiah Anderson, and Blizzard-Kellett Mike Fisher and Jason Miller.

Trace Sonnleitner and Walter Woods lead their respective teams in scoring and both were well deserving for their spot on the All Tournament Team. Both Walter and Trace shot the ball exceptionally well, and managed to get to the free throw line.

This past week Blizzard-Kellett participated in the ultra talented NY2LA Invite. They went 3-0 in their pool before falling to BTI out of LA in the top bracket. Mike Fisher had another tremendous weekend and opened the eyes of multiple D2 scouts. Fisher, who won state for high jump in D1, is a tremendous athlete who gets off the ground to alter every shot. He plays as hard as he is capable of, and with continued offensive work, he will turn out to be a steal for D2 programs.  Jason Miller also had a good weekend in Mequon. While many people watching might not realize how well he plays, after the game his stat line is certainly filled up. He continually got to the rim and converted tough lay ups or finished at the free throw line. He hit multiple three’s throughout the weekend, and should be in line to showcase his skills one more time for some D2 programs. Finally, Juac Majok had a terrific weekend defensively for us, as he guarded the other teams top play on a regular basis. He finished multiple dunks in transition, and had one of the top highlights of the tournament jumping over a player for an emphatic dunk.

Blizzard-Emery is currently 1-0 in Kentucky, and Blizzard-Kellett plays at the NY2LA Summer Jam in a few days. Updates will be coming regularly.

TJ Hemauer recently won the Dunk contest and the 3 point contest at the Exposure Camp at Viterbo University. Tj has been getting calls by nearly all D3 programs, and a few D2′s have started to take notice!

Congrats TJ!

Matt received his first offer from Augustana this past week! He is currently attending SDSU Elite Camp in South Dakota, and is close to securing multiple offers from numerous D2 schools. Some D1 programs are starting to create interest as well!

Iverson, a 6’10 post player with 3 Point range, has an opportunity to garner multiple offers in South Dakota, and the upcoming NY2LA tournaments.

Recruiting interest for Matt Iverson has started to heat up recently. Following his solid performance in Indiana for the Spiece Run & Slam tournament, numorous D1 and D2 schools have started to contact us. A 6’10 post player, with 3 point range, has a bright future ahead of him!

The Wisconsin Blizzard had a great weekend at the Hugh Roberts Classic in the Dells. The Blizzard 10U Stiede, 11U Pronschinske, 12U Schabo and 16U Mielke all won the age division championships. 16U Hawley and 17U Emery took 2nd place in their respective age divisions.

Please check back often to see what’s new!