Highlights of 6-foot-7 small forward Paul Jesperson at the Sabes Invitational in Bloomington, MN.
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Paul Jesperson Highlights from Sabes Invitational
Friday, July 23rd, 2010Congratulations to Paul Jesperson
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010Merrill’s Jesperson selects Virginia
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010posted by Mark Miller at 7/21/2010
By Mark Miller
WisSports.net Editor
The state’s top-ranked senior plans to play college basketball out of state, but not for an outsider.
Merrill senior forward Paul Jesperson announced tonight at a press conference in his hometown he will play for former Green Bay Preble and UW-Green Bay star Tony Bennett at the University of Virginia.
The 6-foot-7 Jesperson said Monday evening his decision basically boiled down to the trust he has in Bennett, one of the all-time great high school basketball players in state history.
“It came down what program I trusted the most,” Jesperson said. “Even though they’ve had a tough stretch of late, I believe in Virginia and I believe in coach Bennett. I know we will get it done there, and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
Bennett completed his first year as the head coach at Virginia last March, guiding the Cavaliers to a 15-16 overall record and a 5-11 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Prior to accepting the Virginia position, Bennett spent the previous three seasons as the head coach at Washington State where he was the 2007 National Coach of the Year.
“Virginia is a great situation for Paul,” said Jason Jesperson, Paul’s older brother and coach with the Wisconsin Playmakers travel team. “There are good people at Virginia with Wisconsin ties, and it’s a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
“When stuff goes wrong off the court, we know Tony Bennett will be there for Paul. It was a very tough decision for Paul, but it just felt right when he woke up this morning.”
Jesperson selected Virginia over offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Butler, Colorado State, Green Bay, Iowa, Loyola, Milwaukee, Minnesota, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Notre Dame, San Diego, South Dakota State and Vanderbilt, among others.
In the end, Jesperson said he selected Virginia over Minnesota, Notre Dame and Northwestern.
“I had a gut feeling Virginia was where I needed to be so I went with it,” Jesperson said. “It feels really good, and it feels like I made the right choice. I am glad to get it off my back so I can go out and play during this last evaluation period and have fun with my teammates.”
Jesperson attended a basketball camp at Virginia last month and was offered a scholarship by Bennett, who previously served as an assistant coach at Wisconsin and Washington State before becoming the Cougars’ head coach in 2006.
While at the camp, Jesperson developed a strong relationship with Bennett, who is familiar with Merrill after spending a good portion of his formative years in nearby Stevens Point.
“Coach Bennett and I have a very good relationship,” Jesperson said. “If I’m struggling in the classroom or have some difficulty outside of basketball, I feel I could talk to coach Bennett about anything. He is an honest person, and I can trust him. I believe he will get it done at Virginia.”
Ranked No. 1 among state prospects in the class of 2011 by WisSports.net, Jesperson played well in the early evaluation period this month and was beginning to receive strong recruiting interest from a number of other high-major programs.
But he decided to end his recruitment now rather than wait and see what additional offers might have come his way.
Jason Jesperson said schools from across the United States have called to inquire about Jesperson over the past week, including Duke and Kansas.
“My brother said you should go somewhere that, even if Duke and Kansas were to offer, you’d still want to go there,” Paul Jesperson said. “If Duke and Kansas were to offer, I’d still want to go to Virginia.
“The facilities and conditioning programs are fantastic. I feel this program couldn’t suit me any better. There isn’t another program I’d want to go to over Virginia.”
Ranked No. 92 nationally by Scout.com, Jesperson is a knock-down perimeter shooter who is a four-year varsity performer at Merrill for coach Kurt Soderberg. He averaged 20.5 points per game as a junior while leading the Bluejays to a 20-6 record.
In a game at D.C. Everest last February, Jesperson poured in a career-high 37 points while leading Merrill to a 47-42 victory.
Jesperson joins Milwaukee Hamilton’s Elgin Cook (Iowa State) and De Pere’s Chris Kading (North Dakota State) as state players from the class of 2011 to make verbal commitments to attend Division I schools.
Notre Dame extends scholarship offer to Merrill’s Jesperson, by Mark Miller
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010posted by Mark Miller at 7/7/2010
By Mark Miller
WisSports.net Editor
Merrill senior Paul Jesperson received yet another scholarship offer from a NCAA Division I high-major school on Tuesday.
Jesperson, a 6-foot-7 wing forward currently ranked No. 1 among prospects in Wisconsin in the class of 2011 by WisSports.net, received an offer from the University of Notre Dame while taking part in the NY2LA travel-team event in Mequon.
The offer from Notre Dame comes on the heels of previous scholarship offers to Jesperson from the likes of Arizona State, Butler, Minnesota, Northwestern, Northern Iowa and Virginia.
A terrific perimeter shooter who can get on an absolute roll from beyond the three-point arc, Jesperson scored 45 points in a game for the Wisconsin Playmakers this spring. He has improved his strength and as a result has more athleticism and quickness off the dribble.
Jesperson boasts outstanding intangibles both on and off the court as he is a strong student and an extremely unselfish player. He averaged 20.5 points per game for coach Kurt Soderberg as a junior for a Merrill squad that went 20-6.
Eau Claire Regis’ Miller earns another scholarship offer
Eau Claire Regis senior Connor Miller continued to garner scholarship offers from NCAA Division II schools on Tuesday.
The latest school to extend an offer to the skilled 6-3 point guard is the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota. Sioux Falls is currently an NAIA school, but will make the move to Division II beginning August 1.
Miller now has Division II scholarship offers from Augustana, Minnesota-Duluth, Minnesota State-Moorhead, Sioux Falls and the University of Mary.
Lazar Hayward and Steve Novak Prep for NBA Season
Sunday, July 4th, 2010Here is a video of some of the workouts I did this spring with Brian James, now an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers. Lazar Hayward and Steve Novak both talk about the upcoming NBA season.
Merrill’s Jesperson receives scholarship offer from Virginia
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010Posted by Mark Miller on wishoops.net
Merrill’s Jesperson receives scholarship offer from Virginia
Merrill senior Paul Jesperson attended the Virginia Elite Camp earlier this week and received a scholarship offer from Cavaliers head coach Tony Bennett.
Jesperson (6-7), ranked No. 1 among state prospects in the class of 2011 by WisSports.net, had previously earned scholarship offers from Arizona State, Butler, Colorado State, Green Bay, Loyola, Milwaukee, Minnesota, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, San Diego and South Dakota State.
One of the top perimeter shooters in the Midwest, Jesperson is also receiving recent recruiting interest from Purdue, according to his brother and travel-team coach with the Wisconsin Playmakers, Jason Jesperson.
Paul Jesperson is attending the NBA Players Association Top 100 camp today through Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, along with Menomonee Falls junior J.P. Tokoto and 98 other top players from across the United States.
Jesperson, Tokoto to take part in NBA Players Association Camp
Tuesday, June 1st, 2010Jesperson, Tokoto to take part in NBA Players Association Camp
Merrill junior Paul Jesperson and Menomonee Falls sophomore J.P. Tokoto have been invited to participate in the prestigious NBA Players Association Camp, set for June 16-20 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The NBA Players Association Camp annually invites 100 of the top players in the nation from the rising senior and junior classes.
Jesperson, 6-7 wing player who no less than 12 NCAA Division I scholarship offers, is ranked No. 1 among prospects from the state in the class of 2011 by WisSports.net.
Tokoto, a 6-6 wing player with offers from the likes of Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette, Michigan State and Wisconsin, among many others, is ranked No. 1 in the state in the class of 2012 by WisSports.net.
Jesperson, Tokoto, Burton earn highest honors in updated Player Rankings, by Mark Miller
Thursday, May 27th, 2010posted by Mark Miller at 5/26/2010 on wissports.net
By Mark Miller
WisSports.net Editor
Paul Jesperson of Merrill, Jean-Pierre Tokoto of Menomonee Falls and Deonte Burton of Milwaukee Vincent earned the highest honors in their respective classes in the updated WisSports.net Player Rankings released today.
The 6-foot-7 Jesperson tops the class of 2011 rankings, while the 6-6 Tokoto sits on top of the class of 2012 and the 6-4 Burton is No. 1 in the class of 2013.
An updated top 50 for the classes of 2011 and 2012, along with the top 25 in the class of 2013, can be viewed by clicking on the appropriate link below:
Class of 2011
Class of 2012
Class of 2013
In addition, other players to watch in each of the three classes can be viewed via the Players link.
Here is an updated listing of the top 10 collegiate prospects in Wisconsin from our Player Rankings of May 26, 2010:
1. Jean-Pierre Tokoto, 6-6, WG/WF, Class of 2012, Menomonee Falls
One of the most talked about and heavily recruited high school basketball player from Wisconsin since Joe Wolf graduated from Kohler in 1983 … Ranked fourth nationally among prospects in 2012 by Rivals.com … Has scholarship offers from a large-number of high-major NCAA Division I schools, including Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette, Michigan State and Wisconsin … North Carolina also showing very strong interest … Athletic and skilled wing prospect who can play in the backcourt or frontcourt… Outstanding rebounder who can lead the break and finish above the rim or find open teammates … Averaged 18.6 points per game as a sophomore and earned first-team all-state honors from the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association.
2. Junior Lomomba, 6-5, WG, Class of 2012, Madison Memorial
Has put together an outstanding spring on the travel-team circuit while playing for The Family out of Detroit as well as the Wisconsin Gators Elite … Has secured recent scholarship offers from Baylor, Minnesota, New Mexico State, Nevada, Tennessee and Xavier, among others … Averaged 10.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Memorial after missing the first eight games of the season due to a wrist injury … Versatile backcourt player who can get to the basket and finish … Is working on his perimeter shooting and ball-handling skills and has played some point guard during the spring travel season … Uncle is former University of Wisconsin guard Hennssy Auriantal.
3. Paul Jesperson, 6-7, WF, Class of 2011, Merrill
Terrific perimeter shooter who can get on an absolute roll from beyond the three-point arc … Scored 45 points in a game for the Wisconsin Playmakers this spring … Improved strength has led to more athleticism and quickness off the dribble … Has scholarship offers from no less than 12 Division I schools, including Arizona State, Butler, Minnesota, Northwestern and Northern Iowa, among others … Outstanding intangibles both on and off the court … Averaged 20.5 points per game for coach Kurt Soderberg as a junior for a Merrill squad that went 20-6 … Excellent length and good overall feel for the game.
4. Elgin Cook, 6-6, WF, Class of 2011, Milwaukee Hamilton
An extremely athletic wing prospect who averaged 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest as a junior for a Milwaukee Hamilton squad that went 20-4 and won the Milwaukee City Conference championship … Verbally committed to Iowa State in 2009 … Son of former Milwaukee Buck guard Alvin Robertson … Can slash to the basket and finish with authority above the rim … Continues to work on his ball handling and perimeter shooting skills … Tough to contain on the glass because of his ability to get off the floor quickly and soar above others.
5. Sam Dekker, 6-7, WG/WF, Class of 2012, Sheboygan Lutheran
Without question the biggest stock-riser this spring among prospects from Wisconsin … Turned in one outstanding performance after another for the Wisconsin Playground Warriors on the travel-team circuit … Snaps rebounds off the rim, brings the ball down the floor and can either finish above the rim or pull-up and knock down a mid-range jump shot … Can also make shots from beyond the three-point line … Tremendous versatility on offense as he can post-up in the lane, play out of the high post or play on the wing … Unselfish player who likes to get his teammates involved … Recently received scholarship offers from Bradley and Northern Illinois … Averaged 26.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore while playing for his father, Todd, at Sheboygan Lutheran.
6. J.J. Panoske, 6-10, PF, Class of 2011, Brodhead
Tremendous shot blocker and three-point shooter … Can knock down perimeter shots with the best of them if left open … Has shown improvement in terms of his ability to guard away from the basket as well as post-up in the lane … Continues to add weight and strength to long, lanky frame … Has received recent recruiting interest from California, Cal-Poly and Southern Illinois to go with long-standing offers from Green Bay and Milwaukee, among others … Verbally committed to Green Bay in summer of 2009, but opted to re-open his recruitment several months ago … Averaged 21.8 points per game as a junior for a Brodhead squad that went 15-9.
7. Sam Mader, 6-8, WF, Class of 2012, Appleton East
An ever-improving and evolving wing forward prospect who can make perimeter shots, get to the basket off the bounce and block shots … Tremendous combination of length and skill … Needs to add weight and strength as well as become more physical in the lane … Averaged 7.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a sophomore for an Appleton East squad that went 22-6 and advanced to the semifinal round of the WIAA Division 1 State Tournament … Uncle, Dave, played at the University of Wisconsin … Receiving recruiting interest from a number of Division I schools, including Green Bay, Marquette, North Dakota and South Dakota State, among others.
8. Phillip Nolan, 6-10, WF/PF, Class of 2012, Milwaukee Vincent
A player with a great upside due to his length, skill and athleticism … Is receiving strong recruiting interest from a number of Division I schools, including DePaul, Iowa State, Marquette and Wisconsin, among others … Saw considerable action for coach John Allen at Vincent as a sophomore … Can be an intimidating presence under the basket because of his length and shot-blocking ability … Runs the floor exceptionally well for a player his size … Needs to add weight and strength and become more consistent, but has made great progress in virtually all areas of his game the past 12 months.
9. Darnell Harris, 6-8, WF, Class of 2011, Milwaukee Hamilton
Extremely skilled wing forward prospect who averaged 14.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game as a junior playing alongside Elgin Cook for coach Tom Diener at Milwaukee Hamilton … Can make shots from beyond the arc as well as mid-range jump shots … Length allows him to be a be a rebounding and shot-blocking presence in the lane … Is receiving recruiting interest from a number of Division I schools.
10. Cinmeon Bowers, 6-7, WF/PF, Class of 2012, Milwaukee Rufus King
A man-sized combination forward at 6-7 and 230 pounds … Attended Racine Case as a freshman in 2007-08 and Nicolet as a sophomore in 2008-09 before sitting out last season … Recently reclassified to the class of 2012 and enrolled at Milwaukee King … Extremely difficult to keep out of the lane and off the offensive glass due to his impressive physical strength and determination … Continues to work on his skills away from the basket … Has been an unstoppable force at times this spring for the Wisconsin Playground Elite.
WisSports.net Player Rankings will be updated next in early August.
Parlow to Augustana; Division I offers abound for state prospects, by Mark Miller
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010posted by Mark Miller at 5/18/2010 on wissports.net
By Mark Miller
WisSports.net Editor
Fox Valley Lutheran senior Micah Parlow has decided to attend Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and play basketball at the NCAA Division II school.
Parlow, who selected Augustana over Division II South Minnesota State, averaged 12.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game as a senior while leading Fox Valley Lutheran to an 18-6 record under coach Matt Koepsell.
The 6-foot-7 Parlow earned first-team all-league honors in the Eastern Valley Conference and is a three-year varsity letter winner for the Foxes.
“Micah chose Augustana because it is a very good academic fit as there are and have been others on the basketball team who are in the pre-med program, which is Micah’s field of study,” said Parlow’s father, John Parlow. “The city is also very similar in feel and size to the Green Bay area, and the he had a very positive experience with the coaches and other guys on the team when he did his official visit.”
Former Luck standout Brennan Olson and New London senior Trevor Hass are also slated to be members of the Augustana program in 2010-11.
Parlow is the 18th player from Wisconsin in the class of 2010 to sign with a Division II school.
Merrill’s Jesperson earns second Big Ten offer
Merrill junior Paul Jesperson secured his second offer from a Big Ten Conference school over the weekend when Northwestern coach Bill Carmody extended an offer to the 6-foot-7 sharpshooter.
Ranked second among prospects from Wisconsin in the class of 2011 by WisSports.net, Jesperson earned an offer from Minnesota last week. He know has 12 offers from NCAA Division I schools.
Jesperson and his brother, Jason, took unofficial visits to Northwestern, Notre Dame and Butler last weekend. Jason Jesperson is the head coach of the Wisconsin Playmakers 17U program that includes Paul Jesperson.
University of Mary extends scholarship offers to Miller
University of Mary coach Randall Herbst, a Beaver Dam native, has been busy watching many of Wisconsin’s top class of 2011 prospects at travel-team events over the past few weeks.
Herbst recently extended scholarship offers to Wisconsin prep standout Connor Miller of Eau Claire Regis. Miller (6-2), who now has offers from Minnesota-Duluth and Mary along with strong interest from Division I schools Idaho State and South Dakota, is a skilled combination guard who competes for the Wisconsin Playground Warriors 17U squad.
Observations from the Hugh Roberts Classic, by Mark Miller
Monday, May 17th, 2010posted by Mark Miller at 5/17/2010
By Mark Miller
WisSports.net Editor
Connor Miller, 6-2, PG/WG, Class of 2011, Eau Claire Regis (Playground Warriors)
Miller has offers from NCAA Division II schools and figures to receive plenty of looks from Division I schools as well because of his high skill level, his basketball savvy and court sense and his future physical growth. Miller went on a scoring spree late in the game against the Blaze, helping the Playground Warriors overcome a large deficit by scoring 15 straight points en route to advancing to the semifinals against the Panthers.
Brandon Marquardt, 6-2, PG/WG, Class of 2012, Oshkosh West (Randolph Boys Club)
Marquardt is, without a doubt, the most under-rated player in the state in the class of 2012. Though he is currently not among the top 25 in the WisSports.net Player Rankings for his class, look for him to shoot into that grouping when the rankings are updated later this month. Once again, Marquardt made jump shot after jump shot, while also defending at a high level. He finished with a team-high 12 points against the Playground Warriors and utilized his eye-popping leaping ability to gain separation from defenders on his jump shot.
Zak Showalter, 6-2, WG, Class of 2012, Germantown (Wisconsin Swing)
While you’d like to see Showalter become more consistent with his jump shot, there isn’t a player in the state in any class who consistently competes with as much passion, heart and determination as Showalter. Simply put, Showalter is all energy all of the time and that work ethic pays off in going for rebounds and loose balls. Few players spend as much time on the floor battling as Showalter.
Matt Van Scyoc, 6-6, WF, Class of 2012, Green Lake (Randolph Boys Club)
The number of outstanding prospects in Wisconsin in 2012 is a bit mind boggling. Van Scyoc may not get the publicity of a Tokoto or Dekker or Mader, but he is a very, very good player who can play inside or outside while finishing above the rim and making three-point shots. Becoming a bit more consistent is the key for Van Scyoc, who had nine points in the title game without missing a single shot.
