COLLECTION: All-Decade Boys Basketball Team, Moments of the Decade
With a new decade upon us (and time on his hands due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Kenosha News Sports Editor Mike Johnson figured there'd never be a better time to do Kenosha County All-Decade teams than right now.
Over the next weeks and months, he will be unveiling the top athletes to grace the fields, courts and gyms of Kenosha high school sports during the 2010s.
Here are the athletes who have been featured so far.
The 2010s were full of memorable moments for Kenosha County boys basketball.
The decade began with Quardell Young leading Bradford to back-to-back WIAA Division-1 sectional finals in 2010 and 2011. The middle of the decade featured Andre Brown and his Indian Trail teammates making their own memorable run to the sectional finals in 2015.
Individual accomplishments also marked the decade.
In 2016, DeAndre Johns broke the great Nick Van Exel's St. Joseph career scoring record and Wilmot's Latrell Glass dazzled Delavan-Darien with a 49-point game. Wilmot's Bobby Brenner averaged 25.5 points per game and scored a staggering 1,248 points in just two seasons from 2014-16, and Bradford's De'Monte Nelson averaged 28.7 points per game in 2017-18 and with 1,641 points broke the school's career scoring mark of Jeff Cohen, which had stood since 1957.
The decade ended on a memorable note, too, for different reasons.
The 2019-20 Tremper squad streaked to the sectional finals and was a victory away from the program's first State Tournament berth since 2001, but the COVID-19 pandemic put a painful halt to the Trojans' remarkable run before they could finish it.
That's a lot of memories for a decade, but there's one that stands above the rest.
Really, could there be another choice?
In 2017-18, Central rode the sterling starting five of Jaeden Zackery, Adam Simmons, Dylan Anderson, Cooper Brinkman and Nic Frederick to the WIAA Division-2 State Tournament, the first state berth for the county since St. Joseph in 2003 — Tremper and St. Joseph both went in 2001 — and the only state appearance of the 2010s for a county team.
It's hard to imagine a county team playing more beautiful basketball than the Falcons did on March 10, 2018, when they dismantled Monona Grove, 76-55, in a sectional final at Oregon for the first State Tournament berth in program history.
The ride came to an end the next weekend in a hard-fought 75-63 state semifinal loss to Kaukauna, but that season came in the middle of a stupendous three-year run from 2016-19 in which Central went 65-13, won two Southern Lakes Conference titles and reached sectionals three times.
At the center of that was Zackery, the talented guard who controlled games on both ends of the floor and was a key cog for the Falcons all three of those seasons.
For that, Zackery has been named the Kenosha News County Player of the Decade for boys basketball. The 10-player All-Decade team was selected by Kenosha News sports editor Mike Johnson.
Capsules on the first five players, in alphabetical order, are below. Capsules on the other five players will appear in Monday's edition of the News. Each player's senior year is in parentheses. Available statistics are provided and were compiled via records from the News and WisSports.net.
Bobby Brenner, Wilmot (2015-16)
VARSITY STATISTICS
SEASON;GAMES;POINTS;REBOUNDS;ASSISTS;STEALS
2014-15;25;569;143;16;35
2015-16;24;679;202;43;59
CAREER;49;1,248;345;59;94
PER GAME;;25.5;;7.0;1.2;1.9
Honors: First-team All-County (2014-15 and 2015-16); first-team All-Southern Lakes Conference (2014-15 and 2015-16); Southern Lakes Conference Player of the Year (2015-16); Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Division-2 All-State honorable mention (2015-16).
Lowdown: Brenner played just two varsity seasons, but in those two seasons he became one of the most prolific pure scorers in county annals, pouring in a remarkable 1,248 points and averaging 25.5 points per game. ... The 679 points he scored during his senior season of 2015-16 are believed to be the most during a single season in county history since former St. Joseph star and future NBA All-Star Nick Van Exel scored 772 in 1988-89. ... Scored 20 or more points 42 times in 49 games, including in all 24 games of his senior season. ... Also had 10 games of 30 or more points in his career. ... Scored a career-high 39 against Central on 12-15-15. ... In the Panthers' run to the WIAA Division-2 sectional semifinals during his junior season, Brenner scored 20 points against Union Grove in a regional semifinal on 3-6-15, 22 against Central in a regional final on 3-7-15 and 23 against Monona Grove in a sectional semifinal on 3-12-15. ... Appeared in 16 games for NCAA Division III UW-Whitewater over two seasons from 2016-18.
Memorable: Over a six-game stretch during his senior season, Brenner took his scoring to an amazing level. Over a six-game stretch from 1-5-16 to 1-22-16, he averaged 32.3 points per game.
Quotable: "He had an outstanding year, meeting the challenge of everyone else's best defense and still (managing) to score for us. It was an honor to coach him." Wilmot coach Jake Erbentraut, after Brenner was named first-team All-County his senior year.
Andre Brown, Indian Trail (2014-15)
VARSITY STATISTICS
SEASON;GAMES;POINTS
2014-15;23;209
2015-16;24;497
CAREER;47;706
PER GAME;;15.0
Honors: First-team All-County (2014-15); first-team All-Southeast Conference (2014-15); Southeast Conference Player of the Year (2014-15); Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Division-1 first-team All-State (2014-15); Associated Press second-team All-State (2014-15).
Lowdown: Perhaps Brown didn't have the overall varsity career that the others on this list had, but his senior season was one of the most productive in county history. Brown led the Hawks to a three-way tie atop the Southeast Conference standings and the WIAA Division-1 sectional finals and was named first-team All-County, the SEC Player of the Year, WBCA Division-1 first-team All-State and AP second-team All-State in the process. ... He scored 20 or more points 12 times that season, 30 or more four times and 40 or more once, and his 20.7 points per game led the SEC. ... His 45 points during the season opener on 12-2-14 against Central tied for the 10th-most in a game that season by a state player. ... Also scored 38 on 1-24-15 against Lake Geneva Badger and 34 on 2-26-15 against Racine Case. ... Had a stellar four-year career at NCAA Division III UW-Whitewater, collecting All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference first-team honors in 2017-18 and honorable mention accolades in 2018-19. Finished eighth in Warhawks history in free throws attempted, 10th in free throws made, 12th in steals, 14th in assists and 17th in field goal attempts. His 1,152 points also ranked 20th in program annals.
Memorable: Brown poured in a game-high 34 points on 2-26-15 at Racine Case as Indian Trail clinched a share of the Southeast Conference title in its regular-season finale.
Quotable: "I'm just so proud of everybody. I was listening to a podcast for our sectional and we weren't even mentioned. That motivated me, and when you're not getting a lot of respect, you earn it." Andre Brown, after he scored 34 points at Racine Case and Indian Trail clinched a share of the SEC title during his senior season.
Adam Freitag, Shoreland Lutheran (2012-13)
VARSITY STATISTICS
SEASON;GAMES;POINTS
2010-11;25;97
2011-12;20;233
2012-13;23;421
CAREER;68;751
PER GAME;;11.0
Honors: First-team All-County (2011-12 and 2012-13); second-team All-Midwest Classic Conference South Division (2011-12); first-team All-Metro Classic Conference (2012-13); Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Division-4 All-State honorable mention (2012-13).
Lowdown: The sharp-shooting Freitag is the only player in Shoreland boys basketball history to be named first-team All-County in consecutive seasons. ... In Freitag's three varsity seasons, the Pacers went 45-27 (.625 winning percentage) and reached the WIAA Division-4 regional finals twice. ... In his senior season, Freitag scored in double figures in all 23 of the Pacers' games and averaged 18.3 points per game. ... For his career, Freitag scored 20 or more points seven times and 30 or more once. ... He scored 29 points against St. Joseph on 12-11-12 and a career-high 31 in his final high school game, a loss to Milwaukee Young Coggs Prep in a regional semifinal on 2-22-13. ... Also played varsity soccer for four years and helped the Pacers to three regional titles. ... Played four years of basketball at NCAA Division III Edgewood College and led the team in 3-pointers made, 3-pointers attempted and free-throw percentage and finished second in scoring during his senior year of 2016-17.
Memorable: How automatic was Freitag from the free-throw line during his senior season? He shot 87.1 percent (101-of-116), including 93.2 percent (82-of-88) over his final 17 games.
Quotable: "I hung up the cleats. I'm playing basketball." Adam Freitag, on his decision to play basketball instead of soccer at Edgewood College.
Latrell Glass, Wilmot (2017-18)
VARSITY STATISTICS
SEASON;GAMES;POINTS;REBOUNDS;ASSISTS;STEALS
2014-15;25;140;41;17;19
2015-16;24;297;93;53;32
2016-17;25;436;101;56;43
2017-18;22;418;97;43;43
CAREER;96;1,291;332;169;137
PER GAME;;13.4;3.5;1.8;1.4
Honors: All-County honorable mention (2015-16); first-team All-County (2016-17 and 2017-18); first-team All-Southern Lakes Conference (2016-17 and 2017-18).
Lowdown: The high scorer played varsity for four seasons, averaging 17.4 points per game as a junior and 19.0 per game as a senior. ... Scored 20 or more points 22 times in his career, 30 or more twice and 40 or more once. ... Played on two teams that reached the WIAA Division-2 sectional semifinals and scored 26 points to lead the Panthers to a regional final upset of Burlington on 3-4-17 during his junior year. ... Two highest scoring games came as a junior when he made nine 3s and poured in 49 against Delavan-Darien on 12-13-16 and made six 3s and scored 35 against Racine Park on 1-31-17.
Memorable: Glass put on one of the most electrifying performances in county history on 12-13-16. In an 89-84 Southern Lakes Conference overtime loss at Delavan-Darien, Glass set the Panthers' single-game record with 49 points, topping the 45 scored by Brandon Schattner on 1-17-14. Glass canned nine 3-pointers and went 8-of-8 from the free-throw line in finishing just a point shy of the 50-point mark.
Quotable: “The kid was unconscious. It was fun to watch — and he was on the other team. I found myself watching the kid. It’s not like we weren’t guarding him. We had a hand up in the face … you could see he was feeling it. It was incredible.” Delavan-Darien athletic director Guy Otte after Glass' 49-point game against the Comets.
DeAndre Johns, St. Joseph (2016-17)
VARSITY STATISTICS
SEASON;GAMES;POINTS;REBOUNDS;ASSISTS;STEALS
2013-14;24;320;102;46;44
2014-15;24;440;136;56;45
2015-16;23;503;188;99;53
2016-17;24;593;172;85;48
CAREER;95;1,856;598;286;190
PER GAME;;19.5;6.3;3.0;2.0
Honors: First-team All-County (2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17); first-team All-Metro Classic Conference (2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17); Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Division-4 first-team All-State (2015-16 and 2016-17); Associated Press All-State honorable mention (2015-16).
Lowdown: There isn't a more decorated player in terms of honors and awards in county annals than Johns. He was named first-team All-County and first-team All-Metro Classic Conference four times, WBCA Division-4 first-team All-State twice and AP All-State honorable mention once. ... In 2013-14, he became just the second freshman in county history and the first since St. Joseph's Andre Speed in 1993-94 to be named first-team All-County. ... The point guard scored a school record 1,856 points for his career, breaking the mark set by future NBA All-Star Nick Van Exel during the Lancers' season opener on 12-1-16. ... Scored 20 or more points 43 times, 30 or more seven times and 40 or more once. ... His career high of 42 came in his final high school game, an 82-80 OT loss to Milwaukee Destiny in a WIAA Division-4 regional final on 3-4-17. ... Averaged 20.7 points over seven career postseason games. ... His 24.7 points per game during his senior season of 2016-17 tied for 21st in the state. ... Played in all 95 of St. Joseph's varsity games from 2013 through 2017, averaging 19.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. ... Played the 2017-18 season at Hillcrest Prep School in Phoenix, Ariz., and in 2018-19 averaged 7.4 points in 11 games for Frank Phillips (Texas), an NJCAA Division I program.
Memorable: Gave county hoops fans something to remember during the Doctors of PT Holiday Classic at Carthage's Tarble Arena during his senior year, scoring 32 points against Indian Trail on 12-29-16 and 33 against Tremper on 12-30-16.
Quotable: "I'm pretty blessed to even be able to have a chance to break it. I guess you could say records are made to be broken. It's just a pleasure to be able to be put into the same category as an NBA All-Star, as (Van Exel) was." DeAndre Johns, on breaking Nick Van Exel's St. Joseph career scoring record during his senior year.
The 2010s were full of memorable moments for Kenosha County boys basketball.
The decade began with Quardell Young leading Bradford to back-to-back WIAA Division-1 sectional finals in 2010 and 2011. The middle of the decade featured Andre Brown and his Indian Trail teammates making their own memorable run to the sectional finals in 2015.
Individual accomplishments also marked the decade.
In 2016, DeAndre Johns broke the great Nick Van Exel's St. Joseph career scoring record and Wilmot's Latrell Glass dazzled Delavan-Darien with a 49-point game. Wilmot's Bobby Brenner averaged 25.5 points per game and scored a staggering 1,248 points in just two seasons from 2014-16, and Bradford's De'Monte Nelson averaged 28.7 points per game in 2017-18 and with 1,641 points broke the school's career scoring mark of Jeff Cohen, which had stood since 1957.
The decade ended on a memorable note, too, for different reasons.
The 2019-20 Tremper squad streaked to the sectional finals and was a victory away from the program's first State Tournament berth since 2001, but the COVID-19 pandemic put a painful halt to the Trojans' remarkable run before they could finish it.
That's a lot of memories for a decade, but there's one that stands above the rest.
Really, could there be another choice?
In 2017-18, Central rode the sterling starting five of Jaeden Zackery, Adam Simmons, Dylan Anderson, Cooper Brinkman and Nic Frederick to the WIAA Division-2 State Tournament, the first state berth for the county since St. Joseph in 2003 — Tremper and St. Joseph both went in 2001 — and the only state appearance of the 2010s for a county team.
It's hard to imagine a county team playing more beautiful basketball than the Falcons did on March 10, 2018, when they dismantled Monona Grove, 76-55, in a sectional final at Oregon for the first State Tournament berth in program history.
The ride came to an end the next weekend in a hard-fought 75-63 state semifinal loss to Kaukauna, but that season came in the middle of a stupendous three-year run from 2016-19 in which Central went 65-13, won two Southern Lakes Conference titles and and reached sectionals three times.
At the center of that was Zackery, the talented guard who controlled games on both ends of the floor and was a key cog for the Falcons all three of those seasons.
For that, Zackery has been named the Kenosha News County Player of the Decade for boys basketball. The 10-player All-Decade team was selected by Kenosha News sports editor Mike Johnson.
Capsules on the second five players, in alphabetical order, are below. Capsules on the first five players appeared in Sunday's edition of the News. Each player's senior year is in parentheses. Available statistics are provided and were compiled via records from the News and WisSports.net.
De'Monte Nelson, Bradford (2017-18)
VARSITY STATISTICS
SEASON;GAMES;POINTS
2014-15;14;27
2015-16;21;418
2016-17;23;508
2017-18;24;688
CAREER;82;1,641
PER GAME;;20.0
Honors: Second-team All-County (2015-16); first-team All-County (2016-17 and 2017-18); second-team All-Conference (2016-17); first-team All-Southeast Conference (2017-18); Co-Southeast Conference Player of the Year (2017-18); Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Division-1 All-State honorable mention (2017-18); Associated Press All-State honorable mention (2017-18).
Lowdown: With 1,641 career points, Nelson broke the Red Devils' career scoring mark set by Jeff Cohen from 1954-57. ... One of the most prolific scorers in county annals, he finished with a career average of 20 points per game over four varsity seasons, and his 28.7 per game during his senior season of 2017-18 led the Southeast Conference and was 12th in the state. ... Combined over his junior and senior years, compiled 35 games of at least 20 points, 13 of 30 or more and two of 40 or more. ... Scored a career-high 41 against Wilmot on 1-2-18. ... Led Bradford to a 16-8 overall record and an 11-3 Southeast Conference mark during his senior year. ... Played the 2018-19 season at NJCAA Division I Pensacola (Fla.) State College, averaging 11.3 points over 27 games.
Memorable: Prior to a Southeast Conference game against Franklin at the Bradford Fieldhouse on 12-15-17, Nelson was honored with a commemorative ball for surpassing the 1,000-point mark for his career. He then went out and scored 21 points in the first half and 28 overall and banked in a 3-pointer from just inside halfcourt at the buzzer in the Red Devils' 74-71 victory.
Quotable: “I was looking forward to playing JC. Earlier in the year, he told me he’s the only one that can guard me. He made that a tweet on Twitter, so I was looking forward to playing against him. We always have friendly 'convos.' Me and him, he’s like like my best friend. It was fun, kind of getting the crowd into it and watching almost the NBA All-Star Game, or whatever. You see the guys play one-on-one, or bucket for bucket. He’s a great player, and I’m a great offensive superstar. It’s always fun with me and him playing against each other.” De'Monte Nelson, after scoring a game-high 36 points and battling head-to-head with Racine Prairie star JC Butler in the 2018 MARK Your Moment Showcase Kenosha County vs. Racine County All-Star Game.
Lucas Wendt, Shoreland Lutheran (2015-16)
VARSITY STATISTICS
SEASON;GAMES;POINTS
2013-14;21;314
2014-15;21;360
2015-16;11;135
CAREER;53;809
PER GAME;;15.3
Honors: Second-team All-County (2013-14); first-team All-County (2014-15); All-County honorable mention (2015-16); second-team All-Metro Classic Conference (2013-14 and 2015-16); first-team All-Metro Classic Conference (2014-15).
Lowdown: The talented Wendt almost certainly would've reached 1,000 career points but was limited to just 11 games during his senior season due to a broken thumb. Still, he scored 809 points and averaged 15.3 points per game for his career. ... Was named both first-team All-County and All-Metro Classic Conference as a junior and — despite the injury — was named second-team All-Metro Classic and honorable mention All-County after averaging 12.3 points over 11 games as a senior. ... Had 19 games of 20 or more points for his career, three of 30 or more and one of 40 or more. ... Scored 33 against Racine Prairie on 12-19-14 and a career-high 41 against Reuther on 2-22-16. ... Played one season at NCAA Division II Bemidji State (Minn.), averaging 7.2 points over 24 games as a freshman in 2016-17.
Memorable: After initially being told his senior season was over after just three games, Wendt made it back and returned with a bang. He scored 28 points in his first game back against Saint Thomas More on 2-9-16 and 32 in his third game back against St. Joseph on 2-16-16, as the Pacers notched a 77-68 home win over their county rivals.
Quotable: “Obviously I was happy for him. I’ve had some kids get hurt via other sports and not be able to play, a few of my own kids included. It’s tough for a high school kid who looks forward to something like that. In Lucas’ case, basketball is his thing.” Shoreland coach Paul Strutz, on Wendt returning from injury late in his senior season.
Tre' Williams, Central (2016-17)
VARSITY STATISTICS
SEASON;GAMES;POINTS
2014-15;25;245
2015-16;24;443
2016-17;26;431
CAREER;75;1,119
PER GAME;;14.9
Honors: All-County honorable mention (2014-15); first-team All-County (2015-16 and 2016-17); first-team All-Southern Lakes Conference (2015-16 and 2016-17); Southern Lakes Conference Player of the Year (2016-17).
Lowdown: Williams was a key figure during Central's turnaround over the decade, as the Falcons went 47-28 (.623 winning percentage) with two Southern Lakes Conference titles, three WIAA Division-2 regional final appearances and one WIAA Division-2 sectional final appearance over Williams' three varsity seasons. ... Scored 20 or more points 20 times in his career and 30 or more twice. ... Scored a career-high 34 against Wilmot on 12-15-15. ... Averaged 16.5 points in four postseason games during the Falcons' run to their first sectional final appearance in program history during his senior season, including 22 in a sectional semifinal victory over Wilmot on 3-9-17. ... Appeared in seven games as a freshman at NCAA Division III UW-Whitewater in 2017-18.
Memorable: Williams scored 22 points to lead Central to a 74-43 win over county rival Wilmot on 3-8-17 in a WIAA Division-2 sectional semifinal at Burlington, as the Falcons earned their first sectional final berth in program history.
Quotable: "Making history is just a great feeling. We all are so excited. It's a humbling achievement. We get to move on, and we're not done yet." Tre' Williams, after scoring 22 points as Central beat Wilmot on 3-9-17 to advance to the first WIAA Division-2 sectional final in program history.
Quardell Young, Bradford (2010-11)
VARSITY STATISTICS
SEASON;GAMES;POINTS;REBOUNDS;ASSISTS;STEALS
2008-09;22;185;82;54;48
2009-10;26;309;130;73;54
2010-11;25;440;116;108;45
CAREER;73;934;328;235;147
PER GAME;;12.8;4.5;3.2;2.0
Honors: First-team All-County (2009-10 and 2010-11); first-team All-Southeast Conference (2009-10 and 2010-11); third-team Milwaukee Journal Sentinel All-Area (2010-11); Associated Press All-State honorable mention (2010-11).
Lowdown: Young was the consummate pass-first point guard and led the Red Devils to back-to-back WIAA Division-1 sectional final appearances in 2010 and 2011, including a school-record 20 wins in 2010-11. ... During his junior of 2009-10, Bradford won its first conference title since 1978-79, notched its first season sweep of Tremper since 1990-91 and reached its first sectional final since 1989. ... Could score when he needed to, totaling 934 points over three varsity seasons, including 16 games of at least 20 points between his junior and senior years. ... Matched his career high of 26 in back-to-back games during his junior year, against Racine Case on 2-16-10 and against Franklin on 2-19-10. ... His career numbers were remarkably balanced, as he averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.0 steals. ... Went on to a stellar career at UW-Whitewater, earning first-team All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Association honors following his junior and senior years, as well as first-team All-American honors and the Central Region Player of the Year award by D3hoops.com following his senior year. He helped the Warhawks win NCAA Division III national titles in 2012 and 2014.
Memorable: Technically, this moment didn't occur in high school, but how can you leave out a national championship-winning shot? On 3-22-14 in the D-III national title game against Williams College in Salem, Va., Young sliced through defenders down three-quarters of the court and delivered a do-or-die layup, was fouled and made the free throw with 0.9 seconds left to give Whitewater a 75-73 win and the title.
Quotable: "I saw him his junior year in high school, and I loved him there. We recruited him all last year. We just feel very fortunate to get him. He's a great kid. He works hard, he wants to get better, he's a great athlete." UW-Whitewater men's basketball coach Pat Miller, on Young during his freshman season with the Warhawks, in which they won the NCAA Division III national title.
Jaeden Zackery, Central (2018-19)
Player of the Decade
VARSITY STATISTICS
SEASON;GAMES;POINTS;REBOUNDS;ASSISTS;STEALS
2016-17;26;246;86;64;55
2017-18;27;467;128;101;99
2018-19;25;537;136;124;61
CAREER;78;1,250;350;289;215
PER GAME;;16.0;4.5;3.7;2.8
Honors: Honorable mention All-County (2016-17); first-team All-County (2017-18 and 2018-19); first-team All-Southern Lakes Conference (2017-18 and 2018-19); Southern Lakes Conference Player of the Year (2018-19); Associated Press All-State honorable mention (2017-18 and 2018-19); Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Division-2 first-team All-State (2018-19 and 2019-20).
Lowdown: The Falcons reached unprecedented heights during Zackery's three-year varsity tenure, compiling a 65-13 overall record (.833 winning percentage) and a 37-5 record in the Southern Lakes Conference (.881 winning percentage). They reached the WIAA Division-2 sectionals all three seasons after never reaching them before and won two SLC titles. Zackery led Central to its first State Tournament appearance during his junior year of 2017-18, the only state appearance for a county team during the decade. ... Zackery's 1,250 career points rank second in school history, just 15 behind 1989 graduate Tim Cates. ... Reached his career high of 34 points twice, on 1-13-18 against Bradford and on 2-8-19 against Waukesha West. ... Between his junior and senior seasons had 25 games of 20 points or more. ... Didn't go to a college program after leaving Central, instead opting to play a season at Scotland Campus Prep School in Pennsylvania. He's drawing interest from NCAA Division I programs.
Memorable: Zackery's defining performance came in the Falcons' 76-55 dismantling of Monona Grove in a sectional final on 3-10-18, as he notched 20 points, three rebounds, three assists and a whopping eight steals to lead Central to state. He then led all scorers with 21 points and added 11 rebounds, two assists and four steals in Central's 75-63 loss to Kaukauna in the state semifinals.
Quotable: “He was upset from the Elkhorn (sectional semifinal) game when he didn’t score (a first-half field goal). I looked at him in the locker room. He didn’t look (back). Usually he says something, or looks at me or winks. He didn’t give me a look. I was like, ‘All right, he’s ready.’” Central assistant coach Marcus Zackery, Jaeden's dad, on Jaeden's performance against Monona Grove in the 2018 sectional finals.
I credit Bradford football coach Troy Bowe with giving me the idea. I credit the COVID-19 pandemic for giving me the time.
Hey, at least it's good for something.
A while back, Bowe contacted me and others for input on an all-decade team he's compiling for the Red Devils for the 2010s. I was happy to help, and it was fun to take a look back at the great players who've suited up for Bradford on the gridiron in just the last 10 years.
And it got me thinking: What if I did Kenosha News All-Decade teams for the 2010s? Well, what I'm launching into is quite the ambitious project, and that's where the time comes in.
Unless you've been living in a bubble that's socially isolated from the entire universe, you're aware that a big old pause button has been hit on the sports world right now. Locally, I've been able to drum up enough features, updates and news stories on how the COVID-19 situation affects Kenosha sports to stay pretty busy.
The "Who We'd Be Watching" feature, which highlights spring athletes who'd be competing now, has already been well received, for example.
Still, I have some time on my hands, and given the facts of the situation, I don't see local sports starting back up for a while. So, with a new decade upon us, I figured there'd never be a better time to do All-Decade teams than right now. Over the next weeks and months, I will be unveiling the top athletes to grace the fields, courts and gyms of Kenosha high school sports during the 2010s.
This town saw two current NFL players, Bradford's Melvin Gordon and Trae Waynes, on the football field in the early part of the decade. The middle part of the decade featured one of Major League Baseball's top prospects in Indian Trail's Gavin Lux, a McDonald's Girls Basketball All-American in St. Joseph's Sidney Cooks and one of the best softball players in state history in Central's Kayla Konwent. Shoreland Lutheran's Chelby Koker, the only 2,000-point scorer in county basketball history — boys or girls — was a girls basketball star in the latter part of the decade.
That's just a sampling. The list of talent runs deep.
Now, I would like to say I'm more organized and have a rollout date for each All-Decade team, but I don't yet. I'm not even sure specifically how many players I'll have on each team. But I'll figure it out as I go along. The fluidity of this project makes it fun.
I've got time.
The basic guidelines, however, are this: I've asked for minimal or even no input from coaches for each team. Coaches come and go in each sport over 10 years, so getting in contact with everyone and reaching some type of consensus was too much. Besides, by going through the All-County and All-Conference teams, I have a pretty good idea of what the coaches thought.
I'm just doing my best here. By no means will everyone agree. I also plan to delegate one or more sports to staff and will work with them on the project, so it won't be a one-man job.
I'm starting with the winter sports, since that was the most recently completed — well, almost completed — season, followed by spring and fall. Only team sports will be on the All-Decade list, but I'm certainly open to doing an All-Decade: Individual Sports edition.
Today and Monday will feature the boys basketball All-Decade team. It's comprised of 10 players, because, well, that just seemed like a good number for basketball.
Hope you enjoy it, and feel free to give me input any time at mjohnson@kenoshanews.com.
In conjunction with the Boys Basketball All-Decade Team, the Kenosha News is also taking a look at the most memorable moment of the 2010s for the UW-Parkside and Carthage men's basketball programs.
Here is the top moment for Parkside, as chosen by sports editor Mike Johnson. The top Carthage moment will run Monday.
UW-PARKSIDE TOP MOMENT
March 12, 2016
By this point, the Rangers had established their success, with three consecutive trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament and four overall.
But that national tournament victory remained elusive going into the 2016 postseason, as the Rangers had previously gone 0-4.
In 2016, Parkside ensured its first-round national tournament game would be at home after capturing its fourth consecutive Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division title and locking up the top seed in the Midwest Region to host the NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional at the DeSimone Gymnasium.
The Rangers drew no easy first-round opponent, however, in eighth-seeded Kentucky Wesleyan, which was actually the highest ranked team nationally in the region at No. 9.
The game was a physical battle from the start, as both teams fought tooth-and-nail for 40 minutes.
The Rangers were out-rebounded, 42-26, but their guard trio of Andy Mazurczak (19 points, seven assists, five rebounds), Kendale McCullum (17 points, four rebounds, three steals) and Alec Brown (22 points) made play after play to put Parkside ahead.
When Goran Zagorac's thunderous fastbreak dunk with less than 10 seconds left brought the crowd to a frenzy, Parkside's 74-65 win was sealed. Coach Luke Reigel punched his fist into the air, and the celebratory "Ring of Fire" to signal a win blared over the speakers as the Rangers notched their first NCAA Tournament win in five tries.
“You have to play a top-10 team in the country in the opening round, doesn’t seem right,” Reigel said. “They’re athletic, they got after it on the glass, and the great thing for us is we saw a lot of great teams throughout the year.
“… Our guards controlled the game, and we came out on the right end of things.”
Said Mazurzcak, who capped off his terrific Parkside career with GLVC Player of the Year honors: “This definitely meant everything to me. The atmosphere … I said it before, March means everything, and that’s where good teams are made. This was obviously the most important game we played this year.”
The season ended a night later with a 92-77 loss to eventual regional champion Saginaw Valley State, but Parkside's NCAA Tournament win over Kentucky Wesleyan — at home, no less — marked the high point in a victory-filled decade that saw five division titles and five NCAA Division II Tournament appearances.
In conjunction with the Boys Basketball All-Decade Team, the Kenosha News is also taking a look at the most memorable moment of the 2010s for the UW-Parkside and Carthage men's basketball programs.
Here is the top moment for Carthage, as chosen by sports editor Mike Johnson. The top Parkside moment ran Sunday.
CARTHAGE TOP MOMENT
March 6, 2010
The Red Men rang in the decade with a memorable run to the NCAA Division III Tournament Sweet 16.
Carthage went 12-2 in conference play to claim the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin regular-season title and went on to win the CCIW Tournament title at Tarble Arena as the No. 1 seed.
With an automatic berth in the national tournament, Carthage deposited Aurora (Ill.), 84-70, in the first round before hosting Anderson (Ind.) in second-round action at Tarble.
Behind scintillating junior Steve Djurickovic, Carthage cruised to a 76-58 victory.
As he was all season, Djurickovic was outstanding with 30 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. The young Red Men played four freshmen in their lineup around Djurickovic, but that didn't matter as they built a 35-23 halftime lead and used a late 14-2 run to seal the deal. Carthage shot 59 percent to Anderson's 38 percent, freshman center Tyler Pierce added 15 points, freshman guard Malcolm Kelly scored 12 and senior guard Cody Hilton led the defensive effort.
The run ended in the Sweet 16, however, when Carthage fell to CCIW rival Illinois Wesleyan, 77-72. Still, the Red Men finished with a 24-6 record and a Sweet 16 appearance.
In a larger sense, that season was about the brilliant play of Djurickovic.
A Bradford graduate, Djurickovic dominated opponents and scored at will that season, averaging 24.4 points per game. His 731 points were a single-season Carthage record, and he went off for 44 points — the second-most in a game in Carthage history — on Feb. 3, 2010, against Wheaton.
Djurickovic was named the CCIW Fred Young Most Outstanding Player and also found his name in the running for the D3hoops.com National Player of the Year. For that, Djurickovic had a reluctant lobbyist, Carthage coach Bosko Djurickovic, his dad.
"First of all, he's my player. Second of all, he's my kid," Bosko Djurickovic said. "I have tried very hard to not get involved in those kind of situations. If there are better players in Division III, I'd like to see them."
Well, according to D3hoops.com, there were no better players in Division III, as Steve Djurickovic indeed took home Player of the Year honors.
A year later, Djurickovic finished his decorated Carthage career as the third-leading scorer in CCIW history with 2,547 points.
“Who We’d Be Watching” highlights county athletes who would be competing in spring sports if not for their cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will run throughout the rest of spring, and residents can email suggestions to mjohnson@kenoshanews.com.
Here are the athletes that have been featured so far:
As featured on
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