Medford Basketball Classic returns Saturday featuring plenty of local talent

It took awhile but the third annual Medford Basketball Classic is finally happening Saturday at Medford Area Middle School.

Originally planned for April of 2020, the tournament had to be scrapped at the time when the COVID pandemic hit. Finally, it returns with what organizer Matt Wenzel calls the deepest 12-team field in the tourney’s brief history, which should produce a competitive and entertaining men’s basketball tournament.

The teams are broken down into three four-team pools, that will feature roundrobin play in 34-minute games. The firstplace team in each pool will advance to the semifinals, along with a second-place team that wins a pre-determined tiebreaker criteria. The four semifinalists will be seeded by random draw.

Pool play starts at 8 a.m. The semifinals are planned for 5:20 p.m. in each gym, followed by the championship game at about 6:15 p.m.

Pool A consists of Combined Carpentry, Johnny’s Vapes, Johnson Creek Cattle Company and Success Realty. Pool B features BW Express, Dixon Greiner Realty, Oil Exchange Quick Lube and Auto Repair and Weather Shield. Pool C includes Davis Auto, Julie Kay’s Kitchen, Nicolet Bank and Rib Lake.

The schedule

8 a.m.: Dixon Greiner Realty vs. Weather Shield (big gym); Nicolet Bank vs. Rib Lake (small gym).

8:55 a.m.: BW Express vs. Oil Exchange Quick Lube and Repair (big gym); Combined Carpentry vs. Johnson Creek Cattle Company (small gym).

9:50 a.m.: Davis Auto vs. Julie Kay’s Kitchen (big gym); Johnny’s Vapes vs. Success Realty (small gym).

10:45 a.m.: BW Express vs. Weather Shield (big gym); Dixon Greiner Realty vs. Oil Exchange Quick Lube and Repair (small gym).

11:40 a.m.: Combined Carpentry vs. Johnny’s Vapes (big gym); Davis Auto vs. Nicolet Bank (small gym).

12:35 p.m.: 3-point shootout/raffle drawings. 1:30 p.m.: Julie Kay’s Kitchen vs. Rib Lake (big gym); Johnson Creek Cattle Company vs. Success Realty (small gym).

2:25 p.m.: Oil Exchange Quick Lube and Repair vs. Weather Shield (big gym); BW Express vs. Dixon Greiner Realty (small gym).

3:20 p.m.: Combined Carpentry vs. Success Realty (big gym); Johnny’s Vapes vs. Johnson Creek Cattle

Company (small gym).

4:15 p.m.: Julie Kay’s Kitchen vs. Nicolet Bank (big gym); Davis Auto vs. Rib Lake (small gym).

5:20 p.m.: Semifinal 1, seed 1 vs. seed 4 (big gym); Semifinal 2, seed 2 vs. seed 3 (small gym).

6:15 p.m.: Championship game (big gym).

The teams

Here are the power rankings and scouting reports on the 12 teams, courtesy of tournament organizer Matt Wenzel.

1. Weather Shield Roster: Russ Bahr, Evan Commodore, Ronnie Ferguson, Patrick Lang, Connor Miller, Mitchell Schield, Braden McKee.

Scouting report: Wenzel predicts this will be the team to escape the brutal depth of Pool B, and advance to the four-team playoff. The biggest reason is Connor Miller. A 2011 Eau Claire Regis grad, the 6’4” Connor Miller played at Samford University, before eventually transferring to Minnesota-Duluth. Miller, along with Toby Hegner of Oil Exchange, are the two best players in the entire tournament. Miller joins the Weather Shield squad for the first time, but also has family ties to the company, as his dad and 1984 Medford graduate, Mark Miller, is part of the corporate staff. The rest of the team for Weather Shield, a Medford sponsor, with no Medford natives on the roster, are a little unknown. Team manager Mitchell Schield, a Sturgeon Bay native, and family member of the founding Weather Shield family has three players from the state of Kansas on his roster, that he met in college at Kansas University. All of the guys play pick-up consistently, but none have played at the college level like Miller has.

2. Oil Exchange Quick Lube and Auto Repair Roster: Joshua Rottscheit, Riley Boushak, Preston Wagner, Leo Braun, Jacob Scheppler, Brady Turner, Toby Hegner, Tyler Derfus.

Scouting report: The reigning champs from 2019, the Marshfield squad will look to repeat. One of the top teams in Stratford STAR League, this team will look a lot different than it did in 2019. Keegan Fassler is gone, as is 2019 Medford Basketball Classic Co-MVP Nick Sawasky. Jake Scheppler, the other Co-MVP is back, and should be one of the tournament’s best scorers. The big addition for the squad is the 6-10 Toby Hegner of Berlin. A former three-star recruit, Hegner committed to Creighton head basketball Coach Greg McDermott in high school, and was a meaningful player for McDermott’s squad in both Hegner’s junior and senior seasons. While the rest of the team is guard-oriented and should be able to knock down shots when given, the squad is going to need its supporting cast to show up. If Hegner and Scheppler aren’t scoring or are seeing double teams, the team could have trouble scoring, especially playing in Pool B, the tournament’s best and deepest section.

3. Success Realty Roster: Carter Hanke, Braden Trunkel, Brady Nelson, Cain Trunkel, Monty Perry, Karter Underwood, Dan Dargenio, Ryan Benoy, Cody Hanke.

Scouting report: Two-time Medford Basketball Classic runner-up, Success Realty returns with another talented team. This Marshfield-based sponsor, is usually one of the best teams in the Stratford STAR League. When you look at this team, it is hard to tell who its best player is, as all nine of the players on the roster are capable of leading the way in every statistical category. Team manager Cody Hanke, a 2011 Marathon grad, who won a state championship in basketball his senior year for coach Jeff Reiche, might be the best pure athlete in the tournament. He was all-state in football, basketball, and baseball in his senior year before attending UW-Stevens Point for baseball. The Trunkel brothers from Neillsvile, Cain and Braden, will be two of the top scorers. Co-team manager Dan Dargenio and Hanke’s younger brother, Carter Hanke, will look to do most of the work inside. Look for guys like Ryan Benoy and Monty Perry to do some work for this deep team.

4. Combined Carpentry Roster: Levi Ewan, Peyton Kuhn, Justin Sullivan, Cam Wenzel, Osy Ekwueme, Zach Haynes, Cade Faber, Zach Mootz.

Scouting report: The highest-rated Medford team in this year’s Medford Basketball Classic and the youngest team in the entire tournament. Five of the eight players on this squad are Medford graduates, and all five were all-conference players under Medford head basketball coach Ryan Brown, (Ekwueme, Wenzel, Haynes, Sullivan and Kuhn), including two Players of the Year in Ekwueme and Kuhn. Rib Lake 2020 grad Levi Ewan, who plays for Coach Bob Semling at UW-Stevens Point, and Abbotsford 2021 grad Cade Faber, who will be attending Knox College in Illinois, were both Marawood North Players of the Year, This is one talented squad, that will use its youth, stamina, speed, quickness, and athleticism to control the tempo. This team will play fast and will let the ball fly. Can this team take good shots, make good decisions consistently, and rebound the ball for their lack of size?

5. Davis Auto Roster: Covon Rudolph, Ethan Posteluk, Anthony Posteluk, Nathan Kunze, Bill Hanson, Joey Northup, Kyle Davis.

Scouting report: One of our consistent Marshfield teams, these guys have some of the best ambition and team chemistry in the tournament field. They play ball every weekend, whether it is inside or outside, and even drive up from Marshfield to play Wednesday nights in Medford Men’s City League, as the Ghost Ballers team. It also is one of the top teams in Stratford STAR League. The seven guys on the squad are all capable of scoring 20 themselves in any given game. The team boasts a blend of both size and guard play, especially on the guard side with the Posteluk guards, both Marshfi eld grads. Ohio native Covon Rudolph is one of, if not, the most athletic player in the entire tournament, and is everywhere on the court on and off the ball. While Abbotsford grad Nathan Kunze and Marshfield grad Joey Northup anchor the paint for this club, Marshfield grad Kyle Davis and Mondovi grad Bill Hanson control the 3-point line.

6. BW Express Roster: DeWayne Hanson, Ryan LaCerte, Branson Witucki, Jordan Vredeveld, Bob Heldt, Caleb Oster, Tim Mathson, Justin Witucki.

Scouting report: In the stacked Pool B, the majority of BW Express hails from the Kronenwetter/ Mosinee area. While most of this team is a bit unknown, team manager Branson Witucki, who formerly played with Success Realty, is a playmaker and impact player and is trusted to have put together a solid, impactful group. Ryan LaCerte is a recent Wausau East grad who played under coaches Paul Dimka and Troy Pieper, and also played AAU ball every summer. He will give this squad a boost in both shooting, passing, and ball handling. Witucki helps the club out at 6-3 and can play both inside and out. The 6-6 Caleb Oster, from Eau Claire, will give the team a size boost inside as both a scorer and rim protector.

7. Julie Kay’s Kitchen Roster: Stephen Boersen, Jeffrey Wergin, Jeff Minnerly, Jon Wergin, Tristan Stevens, Nate Erickson, Shaner McBuck Forrest.

Scouting report: One of the mystery teams in the tournament, the bulk of the roster either hails from Minocqua or out of state. However, these guys play plenty of ball on a yearly basis. Both Lakeland Union grads and brothers, Jeffrey and Jon Wergin, are deadly perimeter shooters who will not hesitate to let shots fly. While they don’t have as much size, which could be tricky against other fellow Pool C teams such as Davis Auto and Nicolet Bank, their guard play could be some the best we see in the tournament.

8. Nicolet Bank Roster: Mason Rudolph, Cody Blomberg, Bob Komanec, Nate Retterath, Cody Bowe, Chris Laduron, Justin Bleck, Jaxon Mickow, Josh Fredrikson.

Scouting report: Year after year, Nicolet Bank dominates the Medford Men’s City League, only obtaining one loss in the last seven or eight years in league play. However, they came up short in the Medford Basketball Classic in 2018 and 2019, losing to Success Realty in 2018, and Oil Exchange Quick Lube and Auto Repair, the 2019 champion. This tournament will look much different, as the team is missing its first and third-leading scorers, Amherst grad Jordan Lutz and Medford grad John Lange, as well as Ryan Brown, James Stokes and Erik Kozey, among others. This team should still be one of the bigger teams in terms of size, boasting four guys 6-4 or taller. Their league team’s second-leading scorer, Cody Bowe, leads the way and will not hesitate to pull up from Damian Lillard range. At 6-7, Cody Blomberg, the second-tallest player in the entire tournament joins the team, as he normally plays on the Rib Lake team. Team manager Chris Laduron, the 6-5 Nekoosa grad will also be asked to do a lot more on the inside. Minnesota native Jaxon Mickow, Medford grad Nate Retterath and Prentice grad Justin Bleck, will provide depth.

9. Rib Lake Roster: Kamari Baskin, Zane Schreiner, Tyler Messman, Dalton Strebig, Austin Ewan, Joe Scheithauer, Austin Zondlo, TrayVon Sutherland.

Scouting report: Half of this team competes annually in the Medford Men’s City League, but in tournament play will usually add to the roster. The team from Rib Lake relies on guard play and the interior play of its lone big man, Rib Lake grad Joe Scheithauer. Medford grad Tyler Messman joins the Rib Lake squad for the first time, and will give the squad another ball handler and perimeter shooter, while Milwaukee native Kamari Baskin and Rib Lake native Dalton Strebig will also push the guard play in their ability to play both sides of the ball. In 2019, these guys went 2-1, with their lone loss coming against the tournament runner-up Success Realty.

10. Dixon Greiner Realty Roster: Chris Clark, Adam Miller, Matt Kock, Rob Seidel, Shaun Smith, Taylor Reinhardt, Ben Meier, Matt Mitchell, Will Jefferson, Nate Jakel, Isaac Daniels, Ray Daniels, Jesse Lukewich, Joe Svedja, Matt Ried, Jake Brehm, Tony Schultz, Mason Stangl.

Scouting report: Typically one of the better teams from the Medford area, these guys will have some work to do. Playing in Pool B, the deepest section of the entire tournament, Medford alum and long-range sniper Ray Daniels’ squad will have the biggest challenge of any team in the tournament. Besides Daniels, they will heavily rely on the 6-5 Tony Schultz, who is a beast in the interior, and can very well step outside and hit perimeter shots. DGR will also need the scoring and defensive ability of Rob Seidel, Taylor Reinhardt, Matt Ried and Will Jefferson, among the many capable two-way players on the squad.

11. Johnny’s Vapes Roster: Michael Bargender, Michael Birkley, Robert Rogers, Keith Clater, Jake Skroch, Grant Bornbach, Daniel Bargender, Jack Bezlyk.

Scouting report: Johnny’s Vapes is led by its guards and doesn’t have as much size down low. The team led in scoring by the 6-3 Spencer grad Jack Bezlyk, who uses his athleticism to get to the rim. Bezlyk plays his winter ball at UW-Wood County. The team also gets a boost from Birkley, a 6-foot guard who hails from the Milwaukee area. The balance on this Marshfield team could propel them to at least two wins in Pool A.

12. Johnson Creek Cattle Company Roster: Liam Weller, Brant Johnson, Tristin Johnson, Taylor Brayton, Jeffrey Quednow, Derek Rohde, Drew Rohde.

Scouting report: These guys can easily pull at least two wins in Pool A, they’re that good. Led by their guards, they will use the strength and defense to help propel them against their opponents. They are led by Drew and Derek Rohde of Prentice, and the 6-6 Liam Weller of Athens, as the source of their scoring, plus the shooting of Taylor Brayton. The team from the Prentice area is a team to keep your eye out for.