Mark Miller of the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook and WisSports.net previews the upcoming Wisconsin-Minnesota and Wisconsin-Illinois Border Battle events, as well as the John Chekouras Classic on February 2 at Homestead High School. Plus, who will be Mr. Basketball this year?
In the Wisconsin-Minnesota Border Battle, Waupun will take on Rochester Mayo. Rochester Mayo is coached by former Bloomer and Chippewa Falls head coach Luke Madsen, whose sons are the leading scorers on a team that's 9-4 this year. Brookfield East will face Apple Valley in another top contest in the event, and the nightcap is Brookfield Central battling East Ridge, as both teams have just two losses entering play Thursday night. The event is Saturday.
In the John Chekouras Classic, which will be held at Homestead High School, some of the intriguing match-ups between teams from the Milwaukee and Madison areas include Turner vs. Golda Meir, Grafton vs. Stoughton, Monroe vs. Milwaukee Academy of Science, and DeForest vs. Milwaukee Marquette. The nightcap is host Homestead vs. Pewaukee. The event is February 2.
Finally, the Wisconsin-Illinois Border Battle will feature some of Wisconsin's top teams taking on suburban Chicago squads, including Waupun in yet another event involving the Warriors as they face 14-4 Chicago Providence-St. Mel. Madison La Follette will square off with Niles North, a member of one of Chicago's top conferences. That conference, the Central Suburban South, will send New Trier against Racine Case. Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Hamilton will take on Loyola Academy, the school Baldwin would have attended had his family remained in Illinois. This event is February 9.
Mark offers thoughts on who could be Mr. Basketball this year, with a nod to the talent-laden classes of 2020 and 2021, as well as an update on the situation at Mineral Point, which could see the Pointers lose 40% of their starting lineup for the rest of the season.