With the 2024-25 WIAA boy’s basketball season on the horizon, NY2LA Sports takes a closer look at the race in the Big Eight Conference…
PROJECTED STANDINGS
1. Madison Memorial
2. Verona
3. Middleton
4. Sun Prairie West
5. Madison La Follette
6. Janesville Craig
7. Sun Prairie East
8. Madison West
9. Madison East
10. Janesville Craig
THE FAVORITE – Madison Memorial
Could this be the season the Spartans get back on top? After going 9-9 in league play and 12-14 overall last season, this young group could reload and take a huge step forward. The loss of Sam Mickelson will be tough, but the 1-2 punch of Ezra Liggon and Caleb Liggon at the forward spots is as good of a 1-2 punch as anyone in the Big Eight has. Between Ian Wischoff and Anthony Miller, Memorial also features heady guard play.
DARK HORSE – Verona
If the Wildcats can survive the loss of Tre Poteat, who’s enrolling early at Tennessee for football – and that’s a big “if,” Verona has a chance to a league that feels pretty wide open. Leading scorer Drew Murphy is back for his senior season. He’ll have experienced help in Cameron Williams, Kamarr Bridges-Miller, and Bennett Buss.
POTENTIAL SURPRISE – Middleton
For whatever reason, Middleton, the preseason favorite in 2023-24, just couldn’t put it together last season. A lot of the same faces are back, including Wisconsin commit WIll Garlock. However, he’ll be coming off a foot injury that cost him the entire spring/summer. A historically strong program, the Cardinals likely don’t underwhelm two years in a row.
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE
FIRST TEAM
G Michael Wilson – Jr. – Madison West
G Tavian Crawford – Sr. – Sun Prairie West
G Tyler Haney – Sr. – Sun Prairie West
F Drew Murphy – Sr. – Verona
F Thian Riak – Jr. – Madison La Follette
F Caleb Liggon – Jr. – Madison Memorial
F Judson Henkel – Sr. – Janesville Craig
C Will Garlock – Sr. – Middleton
SECOND TEAM
G Reece Jordan Jr. – So. – Madison La Follette
G Max Raimer – Sr. – Sun Prairie East
G Ian Wischoff – Sr. – Madison Memorial
G Quincey Mosley – Jr. – Madison West
G Isaiah Oliver – Jr. – Middleton
G Kamarr Bridges-Miller – Sr. – Verona
G Cameron Williams – Sr. – Verona
F Ezra Liggon – Jr. – Madison Memorial
PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Drew Murphy and Will Garlock
Murphy was fourth in the Big Eight in scoring last season, averaging 23 points per game. Garlock is coming off a season in which he averaged 17 points, nine rebounds, and 2.4 assists per outing.
BREAKOUT PLAYER – Judson Henkel
Thought Henkel was getting better and better in a hurry throughout the summer. With Craig losing a few key seniors, Henkel is going to get plenty of opportunities this winter. A high-upside forward who can shoot the ball, block shots, and cause matchup problems with his mid-range face-up game, Henkel averaged 15.4 ppg as a junior while sharing the spotlight with three other players who averaged in double figures.
SURPRISE PLAYER – Trystan Fry
Sun Prairie East has got to rebuild a little bit and move on after the loss of Gavin Van Wie. There are a few players the Cardinals could look to, but Fry is coming of a quietly strong junior season in which he averaged 11 points per game while shooting 46 percent from the field.