College Season Begins Tonight

The college basketball season tips off this evening for three of Wisconsin's five scholarship institutions. Marquette (NCAA Division I - Big East Conference) is hosting Centenary at the Bradley Center while Milwaukee (NCAA Division I - Horizon League) welcomes Concordia-St. Paul across the street at U.S. Cellular Arena. Green Bay (NCAA Division I - Horizon League) is playing against UAB tonight in Kent, Ohio while taking part in the Hispanic College Fund Classic.

The state's other two scholarship institutions open up on Sunday. Wisconsin (NCAA Division I - Big Ten Conference) welcomes IPFW to the Kohl Center while UW-Parkside (Great Lakes Valley Conference) begins the season at home against Concordia-Wisconsin (Mequon).

I will be at the Bradley Center taking in the Marquette game with some of my current players. The MU coaching staff has been kind enough to invite Jean-Pierre Tokoto (Menomonee Falls), Wally Ellenson (Eau Claire Memorial), Nick Arenz (Onalaska), Jamar "Popcorn" Morris (Madison Memorial) and Bronson Koenig (La Crosse Aquinas). I am interested to watch Jerrone Maymon (2009 - Madison Memorial) play especially. Jerrone DID play with our organization in a few select events during the summer of 2007 at the 16U level. He is the only player currently on the Marquette roster to have ever worn a Playground Warriors jersey.

Coach Jeter and his staff at Milwaukee were also kind enough to invite some of our players to see their opening game of the season. Trevor Jorgenson (La Crosse Logan), Connor Miller (Eau Claire Regis), Sheldon Cooks (Kenosha Bradford), Sam Dekker (Sheboygan Lutheran), C.J. Malone (Menomonee Falls), Sawyer Mosley (Port Washington), Nic Stokes (Milwaukee Rufus King), Brett Vandenbergh (De Pere) and Austin Mecca (Manitowoc Lincoln) will all be in attednace tonight to see the Panthers play. Our guys will be cheering extra loud for former PGC standouts Anthony Hill (2007 - Milwaukee Bradley Tech) and Christian Wolf (2008 - Kohler). Anthony and Christian are the only two PGC alumni playing for the Panthers this season.

I will be doing my best to follow the Green Bay and Milwaukee games closely via my phone throughout the night. Hopefully, all three teams start their seasons with impressive victories. My most sincere interest when following the Green Bay team will be with Cordero Barkley (2005 - Racine Saint Catherine's). Due to an injury, Cordero was unable to play with the team last season. He has worked extremely hard to get back to this point tonight and I know he will make the most of the season. Bryquis Perine (2007 - Milwaukee Harold S. Vincent) also played for me during his 14U, 15U and 16U seasons. I wish Bryquis the very best of luck this season as he is poised for success with an expanded role.

On Sunday, I will be making the trip to Kenosha to see Coach Reigel and the Parkside Rangers start their season. UW-Parkside is the only NCAA Division II school located in the state of Wisconsin. Coach Reigel, Coach Wolfe and the entire UWP staff do a fantastic job of trying to build their program with "Wisconsin kids" and therefore, I make it a point to support their program whenever possible. Parkside redshirt freshmen, Steve Jaskulske (2008 - Racine J.I. Case) is the only former PGC player suiting up for the Rangers this season. I truly believe that Steve will enjoy a very fun and successful career at UW-Parkside.

Finally, Coach Ryan and the Badgers begin their 2009-2010 season this Sunday. None of our current players will be attending this game. Wisconsin's roster contains five players have played for me and/or the Playground Warriors including three starters. Trevon Hughes (2006 - Delafield St. John's Northwestern Military Academy), Tim Jarmusz (2007 - Oshkosh West) and Keaton Nankivil (2007 - Madison Memorial) will all be on the floor for the opening tip. I am very proud of all three of these players and both Tim and Keaton were certainly a significant part of one of the greatest AAU teams ever assembled in this state top to bottom (12 players). J.P. Gavinski (2006 - Wisconsin Dells) and J.D. Wise (2008 - Whitefish Bay Dominican) are also part of the Wisconsin men's basketball team this year.


Off topic slightly...I am a very firm believer that each of these schools can actually play one another in some capacity EVERY single season!!! Wisconsin plays Marquette, Milwaukee and Green Bay every year. I think it's great that Coach Ryan plays one of the nine schools from the WIAC each season as well. If/when possible, I know they will schedule Parkside.

Marquette plays Wisconsin and Milwaukee now each year. The hot rumor floating around recently is that Marquette will finally resume playing Green Bay again beginning in 2011-2012. Coach Williams needs to include Green Bay on his schedule and Coach Kowalczyk needs to make sure that this game happens as well. I'd like to see Marquette play Parkside in an exhibition game on occassion too.

Green Bay and Milwaukee play one another twice each year as members of the Horizon League. The games are competitive and very exciting and the rivalry is genuine. Both schools play NCAA Division II schools again this year during the regular season. I'd love to see Milwaukee play Parkside in the regular season instead of an exhibition game but at least they play every year. Once again, Green Bay needs to add Parkside to their schedule. If UWGB can play Northern Michigan, then I see absolutely NO reason why the Phoenix can't schedule Parkside in some capacity.

Speaking of Parkside, the Rangers seem to play a few NCAA Division III schools every single year during the regular season. Wouldn't it be fun for fans around the state if Parkside were to play UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater every year? What about Carthage?


It's Friday and the weather is fantastic once again here in southeastern Wisconsin. Did I mention that I am making the trip on Saturday to Madison for Senior Day as our beloved football Badgers (only NCAA Division I team in Wisconsin) host Michigan in key game with Bowl implications looming. Let the weekend begin.....