16-team field is set for Medford Men’s Basketball Classic April 1-2

MEDFORD BASKETBALL CLASSIC

The fifth annual Medford Basketball Classic is set for Saturday and Sunday at Medford Area Middle School and is expected to feature some of the top men’s basketball talent in the region.

This year’s tournament again features 16 teams, who will each play two preliminary games Saturday morning into early afternoon with results determining the seeds for a single-elimination bracketed tournament Saturday afternoon into Sunday afternoon. There will be a 3-point competition at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The semifinals are set by 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, followed by the third-place game at 1:15 p.m. and the championship at 2 p.m.

The tournament raises funds for Medford Area Senior High’s boys and girls basketball programs. Concessions will be available.

Julie Kay’s Kitchen, based out of the Minocqua area, won last year’s tournament to claim its second consecutive championship. The team beat Loppnow’s Sports Bar of Wausau 64-50 in the final. Streingth Sportswear and Northwestern Mutual are also returning semifinalists.

The early schedule

Saturday, 8 a.m.: Flagship Pontoons vs. Pro Designs (big gym); Backroad Basketball Club vs. Joe Frombach Construction (small gym).

Saturday, 8:45 a.m.: Fidelity Insurance vs. Loppnow’s Sports Bar (big gym); Streingth Sportwear vs. Undrafted Phenoms (small gym).

Saturday, 9:30 a.m.: Hog Creek Bar and Grill vs. Northwestern Mutual (big gym); Julie Kay’s Kitchen vs. Northside Grassland (small gym).

Saturday, 10:15 a.m.: LaCerte Team LLC vs. Teddy’s Little Generals (big gym); Davis Auto Sales vs. Dixon Greiner Realty (small gym).

Saturday, 11 a.m.: Backroad Basketball Club vs. Undrafted Phenoms (big gym); Pro Designs vs. Loppnow’s Sports Bar (small gym).

Saturday, 11:45 a.m.: Julie Kay’s Kitchen vs. Streingth Sportswear (big gym); Flagship Pontoons vs. Hog Creek Bar and Grill (small gym).

Saturday, 12:30 p.m.: Davis Auto Sales vs. Joe Frombach Construction (big gym); Fidelity Insurance vs. LaCerte Team LLC (small gym).

Saturday, 1:15 p.m.: Dixon Greiner Realty vs. Northside Grassland (big gym); Northwestern Mutual vs. Teddy’s Little Generals (small gym).

The teams

Here are the power rankings and scouting reports on the 16 teams, courtesy of Matt Wenzel, the tournament’s coorganizer along with Chris Clark.

1. Julie Kay’s Kitchen The reigning two-time champions are built to possibly win their third straight title. Last year’s Most Outstanding Player and slam dunk champion, 6-7 Jamar Hurdle, who once played for Linc Darner at UW-Green Bay is not listed on this year’s roster, neither are Joshua Shawanokasic or James Oshkeshequoam, but plenty of talent returns or has been added. Brothers Jeffrey and Jon Wergin are back as well as Stephen Boersen (6-3, Tri-Valley Christian, Mich.). Getting back 2021 firstteam all-tournament guard Shane Forrest (6-0, Lakeland) will help offset the loss of Hurdle. Whoever the Wergin brothers add to the squad, they play smart and have a well-built chemistry that has produced a 12-0 tournament record the past two years.

2. Loppnow’s Sports Bar The 2022 runner-up returns with a roster that looks similar to last year, aside from a couple player switches. 2022 firstteam all-tournament forward Brock Voigt (6-5, Sun Prairie), a key player for UWEau Claire, is back and is joined by his 6-5 brother Alex. Both once played with Jalen Johnson at Sun Prairie under former Medford Area Senior High coach Jeff Boos. Both Hanke brothers of Marathon, Cody (65) and Carter (6-4) are back to give the team a formidable frontline with four players 6-4 or taller. With plenty of size and balanced guard play, this team will be fun to watch throughout the tournament.

3. Northwestern Mutual After finishing third in last year’s tournament, the roster looks a little different, but co-captains Jake Schalow (64, Kaukauna) and Jim Schroeter (5-11, Wausau West) may have upgraded their team to a possible championship contender. It’s a balanced team of size and guard play and had five players who stand 6-4 or taller. The key additions are at the guard position though as Schalow adds two players he once coached at Merrill High School, Quinn Steckbauer (6-1) and Zach Mootz (62). Steckbauer plays at UW-Oshkosh and Mootz is at UW-Stevens Point and gives the team possibly the best guard tandem in the tournament.

4. Streingth Sportswear After losing to Loppnow’s and Northwestern Mutual and finishing fourth last year, Streingth Sportswear should make a push for a higher finish this year, though a slight roster shakeup will change the outlook a little bit. Owen White of Rhinelander, a 2022 first-team all-tournament pick, will not play this year as he finishes his grad transfer year at NCAA D-I South Alabama. Team manager Cam Wenzel (6-2, Medford) has Osy Ekwueme (6-1, Medford) and UW-Eau Claire guard Michael Capser (6-1, Merrill) returning, along with Oliver Barnes (6-6, Mosinee). The team has three players 6-5 or taller to help fill White’s departure, including 6-10 Colton Homan, a Waupun alum.

5. Hog Creek Bar and Grill This is a brand new team in the field. The players come from a wide variety of hometowns ranging from southeast Wisconsin to Minnesota. The majority have college experience at the D-III level. Dane Fronek (6-3) is a Newman Catholic grad. The skill set this team will bring could make this a team that goes undefeated or at least contend for the title.

6. LaCerte Team LLC Formerly playing as WE Hoops in last year’s tournament, team captain Ryan LaCerte has a new team name and new team. It’s a skilled roster of players from the Merrill, Stevens Point and Wausau areas and could be one of the tournament’s most talented teams. Keith Hoffman (6-7, Stevens Point) is one of the all-time leading scorers at Madison College.

7. Teddy’s Little Generals Another new team in the 2023 Classic, this is one of the tournament’s sleeper teams. Led by 2020 Stratford grad Teddy Redman, the team features a wide variety of players from around the state and nation. Several of them, including Redman, played their college ball at D-III Crown College in Minnesota. Based on the roster, with players ranging from 6-feet to 6-6 that have played college ball, the Little Generals could make some noise late in the tournament.

8. Backroad Basketball Club The Backroad Basketball Club is back after falling just short of the semifinals last year. The team lost in overtime to Streingth Sportwear. Team captain Jeffrey Quednow (6-2, Rib Lake) has added even more talent to his team. Led by former Kimberly standout and current UWStevens Point guard Jake Buchanan, this team could trip up any of the seven teams that are ranked ahead of them. The roster also features Rib Lake alumni Levi Ewan, Nick Gerstberger and Cody Blomberg (6-7) and former Phillips standout Austin Edwards.

9. Northside Grassland Back in the tournament for the second year, this team has the capability to sweep the field or fall short of expectations. All of the players hail from Clark County, so having team chemistry could propel the team to some key wins. Like Teddy’s Little Generals and the Backroad Basketball Club, Northside Grassland is a sleeper team that can shake things up deep into the tournament.

10. Pro Designs New team name, similar roster. The majority of the team is Medford-based, having played for current Medford head coach Ryan Brown, who also appears on the roster. Former Raiders include Zach Haynes, Mason Rudolph, Brady Hupf, Nate Retterath, Ty Baker, Spike Alexander, John Lange and current senior Charlie Kleist. Lakeland grad Michael Ouimette (6-4) and Rib Lake alum Butch Wiegel also are on the roster. Their combination of youth and experience make them an intriguing team.

11. Davis Auto Sales With a similar roster but a new name, this will be Davis Auto Sales’ third appearance in the Classic’s five-year history. Hailing from the Marshfield area, these guys have had plenty of opportunities to play with each other in leagues and tournaments, so they have as much chemistry as any team in the field. The majority of players on the team have played in the Medford Basketball Classic before, so having played at Medford Area Middle School before could be an advantage.

12. Flagship Pontoons This is a team that won multiple games in its first Medford Basketball Classic appearance last year, comes in with a similar roster and might be ranked too low here, especially with the addition of Cade Faber (6-3, Abbotsford), who played last year with TSF Construction. This team was knocked out of title contention last year late by Julie Kay’s Kitchen and could follow a similar route. Team consists of players who graduated from Abbotsford and Owen-Withee high schools.

13. Joe Frombach Construction The Joe Frombach Construction team is back for a second year and, like Flagship Pontoons, are probably better than this ranking shows. Joe Scheithauer (6-4, Rib Lake), Dalton Strebig (6-0, Rib Lake) and Kamari Baskin (6-2, Milwaukee School of Languages) all return. Their pool play games with the Backroad Basketball Club and Davis Auto Sales are toss-ups. Anyone facing this team will have to deal with its scrappy guard play if they want to advance.

14. Fidelity Insurance This is the team’s first tournament appearance though several players have competed in it in previous years. The entire team is from Prentice and know a thing or two about competitive basketball. They are led by the Rohde brothers, Drew, Derek and Dalton, and with its strong team chemistry, Fidelity Insurance figures to be one of the more hard-nosed, defensiveminded teams in the tournament.

15. Undrafted Phenoms A brand-new team in the MBC this year, this team is led by 2021 Medford graduate Peyton Kuhn. Some other familiar faces will be playing with the Undrafted Phenoms, including Justin Sullivan (5-9, Medford), Austin Salzgeber (6-2, Medford) and Cody Bowe (5-11, Fond du Lac) that will give this team consistent guard play with a touch of frontcourt size. It is hard to predict the potential outcome for this team. They bring a variety of offensive capabilities, but their strength is shooting. This may be one of the tournament’s best shooting teams.

16. Dixon Greiner Realty Dixon Greiner Realty is the only team to have played in the Medford Basketball Classic in all five years. It’s the most experienced team in this year’s field and is capable of upsetting any team it faces. Roster includes Medford alums Rob Seidel, Ray Daniels, Isaac Daniels and 6-4 Matt Ried as well as 6-6 Newman Catholic alum Tony Schultz and 6-5 forward Mason Stangl, a Ripon grad.