Looking ahead to the 2024-25 season, NY2LA Sports breaks down the race in the Fox Valley Association
PROJECTED STANDINGS
1. Appleton North
2. Oshkosh North
3. Kaukauna
4. Hortonville
5. Kimberly
6. Fond du Lac
7. Neenah
8. Appleton East
9. Appleton West
10. Oshkosh West
THE FAVORITE – Appleton North
This core has been together for a while now and have steadily gotten better over the last two seasons. Is this now the year for the Lightning to take home the hardware? North returns pretty much all of its scoring back from last season and is one of the few teams that didn’t suffer any major losses. The nucleus of Will Sweeney (13.6 ppg), Abraham Tomori (13.2 ppg), Grant Hardy (10.7 ppg), and Nate Ramus (9.7 ppg) should give the Lightning the best lineup in the FVA.
DARK HORSE – Oshkosh North
The Spartans won the FVA last season, but are moving on without Colgate’s Stevie Clark. North should have one of the top frontcourts in the state between senior Xzavion Mitchell (25.7 ppg) and junior Bryce Ott (10.2 ppg).
MOST IMPROVED – Hortonville
The Polar Bears were sixth in the league last season, but finished a respectable .500 in conference play and were 15-11 overall. Junior guard Ethan Joling (16.1 ppg) has some special ability as a 6-foot-6 point guard. His running mate, senior guard Riley Mueller (15.4 ppg) also returns.
PRESEASON ALl-CONFERENCE
FIRST TEAM
G Ethan Joling – Jr. – Hortonville
G Nathan Ramus – Jr. – Appleton North
G Keegan Van Kauwenberg – Sr. – Kaukauna
G Abraham Tomori – Sr. – Appleton North
F Bryce Ott – Jr. – Oshkosh North
F Xzavion Mitchell – Sr. – Oshkosh North
C Andrew Jensen – Jr. – Kaukauna
SECOND TEAM
G Grant Hardy – Jr. – Appleton North
G Marvin Haslett III – Sr. – Fond du Lac
G Cade Prestigiacomo – Sr. – Appleton East
G Riley Mueller – Sr. – Hortonville
G Will Sweeney – Sr. – Appleton North
G Mikey Wildes – Sr. – Kimberly
F Luke Jung – Sr. – Neenah
PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Xzavion Mitchell
Great chance that Mitchell repeats. The Iowa State commit won the award as a junior after posting 26 points and nine rebounds per game. Mitchell shot 55.2 percent from the floor and also knocked down 31 3-pointers.
BREAKOUT PLAYER – Bryce Ott
We’ll stay with Oskoosh North. Ott had a terrific spring and summer and is really developing quickly as a prospect. The 6-foot-6 combo forward averaged 10 points, six rebounds, and two assists per game while playing alongside two other Division 1 players last season.
SURPRISE PLAYER – Nate Ramus
Ramus was fourth on the Lightning in scoring last season. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him lead North in that department as a junior. It’s a balanced attack, but Ramus has improved his game rapidly. The silky-smooth lefty is a dangerous three-level scorer with some deceptive athleticism.