Looking ahead to the 2024-25 season, NY2LA Sports breaks down the race in the Woodland West Conference..
PROJECTED STANDINGS
1. Pewaukee
2. Wisconsin Lutheran
3. West Allis Central
4. New Berlin West
5. Greendale
6. New Berlin Eisenhower
7. Pius XI
THE FAVORITE – Pewaukee
Can the Pirates get back on top of the Woodland West? Although Nick Janowski is off to Nebraska, Pewaukee may return enough to put them back in the driver’s seat. Senior forward Luka Momcilovic (12.3 ppg), a St. Thomas commit, is getting better and better with time. There are a couple of role players from last season ready for bigger things in the winter, including junior forward Tyler Tiutczenko (7.4 ppg) and junior guard Isaiah Robinson (5.7 ppg).
Dark Horse – Wisconsin Lutheran
Kon Knueppel and company finally got over the hump in 2023-24, winning the league and taking home the gold ball in Division 2. It’s not back to square one, but the Vikings do need to rebuild a bit after an undefeated 30-0 season. Junior wing Zavier Zens (9.9 ppg) had a breakout summer, adding a few Division 1 offers. He’ll get the keys to the car of a roster that still has enough in the cupboard to compete atop the league.
Most Improved – West Allis Central
The Bulldogs have fielded a very young team the last two seasons, taken their lumps, and are now ready to make some noise. Central posted a respectable 5-7 mark in the Woodland West in 2023-24. That might not sound great, but remember, the league fielded two state qualifiers and their third place team, Pius XI, won 19 games. Quietly, WAC went 16-12 overall despite five of their top six scorers being underclassmen. Heading into this winter, just about everything is back for the Bulldogs, who could be a sneak pick to take home the title.
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE
FIRST TEAM
G Yusef Gray Jr. – Jr. – West Allis Central
G Isaiah Mellock – Sr. – Wisconsin Lutheran
G Devin Isaj – Sr. – Greendale
W Max Jones – So. – West Allis Central
W Zavier Zens – Jr. – Wisconsin Lutheran
SECOND TEAM
G Jayce Cook – So. – New Berlin West
G Jake Veley – Jr. – New Berlin Eisenhower
G Evan Kern – Jr. New Berlin West
G Isaiah Fox – So. – West Allis Central
F Kevin Pittman – Jr. – West Allis Central
PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Luka Momcilovic
Momcilovic averaged 12 points and seven rebounds per game while playing next to a 31 ppg scorer last season. As a junior, Momcilovic shot 55 percent from the field. The 6-foot-7 combo forward also hit 3’s at a 41 percent clip. Coming into his own as a player over the last year, Momcilovic is going to be a big mismatch problem for the Woodland West this winter.
BREAKOUT PLAYER – Isaiah Mellock
The Woodland West is going to see a new and improved version of Mellock and don’t be surprised if he’s in the POY hunt either. The senior is coming off a monster summer on the AAU circuit. While Mellock was Wisconsin Lutheran’s fourth-leading scorer last season at 8.6 ppg, I think he’s going to form a dangerous 1-2 punch with Zens and catch the state by surprise.
SURPRISE PLAYER – Kagner Knueppel
Going to stay at Wisconsin Lutheran and look to Knueppel for a vastly improved sophomore season. He wasn’t used a ton as a freshman, but on the AAU circuit, Knueppel showed he could replicate a lot of his older brother’s shooting ability with sweet, effortless mechanics. Long way to go to catch his older brother, who is arguably the best player I’ve seen since covering Wisconsin high school hoops, but Kager is a little taller and lankier than Kon, which might speak to some more long-term upside.