Who are Wisconsin’s best-ever high school boys basketball players? Vote here
Who are Wisconsin’s best-ever high school boys basketball players? Vote here
Scott Venci and JR Radcliffe, Green Bay Press-GazetteFri, May 8, 2026 at 10:29 AM UTC
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As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, USA TODAY Sports will celebrate the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time. Alongside that national recognition, the USA TODAY Network will spotlight the roots of the country’s sports culture: the high school athletes and sports figures who shaped communities and defined their states and regions.
What's our rubric for determining the “defining” boys basketball players in Wisconsin history? Some players became local legends on the high school court but didn't translate that success to college or the pros. Some blossomed late, and their high school days offered only a hint of their eventual greatness. How do we compare or measure those things?
Our aim: Identifying trailblazers and trendsetters whose influence reaches beyond championships and statistics − and whose stories reflect a lasting impact on their state.
Our process is imperfect. Let us know at the bottom who should be on this list.
Tony Bennett is Green Bay Preble's all-time leading scorer with 1,340 points.Tony Bennett, Stevens Point/Green Bay Preble, (graduated in) 1988
The 6-foot guard grew up in Stevens Point after his father, Dick, was named the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point coach in 1976.
Bennett spent his freshman year at PJ Jacobs Junior High in 1984-85, only to move when Dick was named the coach at UW-Green Bay.
The kid wasn’t happy leaving his friends at the time, but Preble turned out to be the big winner.
Bennett scored a program-record 1,340 points and remains one of only four players in Preble boys history to record 1,000 career points.
Preble made the WIAA state tournament during Bennett’s senior season and was the top-ranked team in Class A, although it lost a quarterfinal to Stevens Point.
Bennett continued his notable career in college, graduating as UW-Green Bay’s all-time leading scorer with 2,285 points from 1988 to 1992. His career 49.7% shooting from 3-point range remains an NCAA record.
Bennett played three seasons for the Charolotte Hornets and entered the coaching world in the late 1990s.
He got his first head coaching job at Washington State in 2006 before landing at Virginia from 2009 to 2024. He won a national championship in 2019.
Fred Brown in 1966.Fred Brown, Milwaukee Lincoln, 1967
The 6-2 guard earned the nickname “Downtown Freddie Brown” because of his shooting ability from deep. Brown could score from anywhere on the court, but he arguably was an even better player on defense.
He led Lincoln to back-to-back state championships in 1966 and 1967 and averaged 21.2 points in six state tournament games in his career.
He scored 1,108 points, including 604 as a senior.
Brown was a star in college at the University of Iowa before playing 13 years in the NBA.
He won an NBA championship as a team captain with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979. When he retired in 1984, he was the team’s all-time leader in games, points, field goals and free throws.
Mickey Crowe, right, scored 1,001 points during the 1974-75 season.Mickey Crowe, St. Nazianz JFK Prep, 1975
The 6-5 Crowe scored 2,724 points during his prep career – there was no 3-point line yet – which stood as the state record for 18 years.
People flocked to watch the Pete Maravich-looking Crowe in what always ended up being packed gyms, including more than 10,000 when his team played Racine Lutheran in the WISAA Class B state title game at Milwaukee Arena his senior year.
Crowe’s chances of a notable basketball career after high school were derailed in large part because of a drinking problem and mental health issues. He said former Minnesota coach Bill Musselman offered him a full scholarship, but the time he spent in bars rather than on the basketball court ended any potential DI career.
Jim Chones in 1968.Jim Chones, Racine Park and Racine St. Catherine’s, 1969
The 6-11 forward-center scored 1,073 career points, including 630 during a senior season in which he led his team to a 26-0 record and a WISAA state championship.
He could shoot. He could rebound. He could dominate.
Chones played two-plus years at Marquette and was an All-American as a junior before spending two years in the ABA and eight in the NBA.
Sam Dekker led Sheboygan Lutheran to the WIAA Division 5 state title as a senior in 2012.Sam Dekker, Sheboygan Lutheran, 2012
The 6-8 forward is right at the top of the list of players who have had the biggest impact on basketball in the state, both at the high school and college level.
Dekker led Sheboygan Lutheran to its first WIAA state title as a senior in one of the most prolific individual title game performances in state history.
Dekker had 40 points, including hitting a game-winning 3-pointer from the right wing with 2 seconds remaining, to help his team beat Racine Lutheran 67-66 in the D5 championship game.
He then played for the Badgers from 2012 to 2015. He helped lead them to back-to-back Final Four appearances, including a national runner-up finish as a junior before declaring for the NBA draft.
Dekker spent five seasons in the NBA with Houston, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland, Washington and Toronto.
Ex-Milwaukee Messmer High School star John Johnson competed against the Milwaukee Bucks' Marques Johnson in the NBA.John Johnson, Milwaukee St. Benedict/Milwaukee Messmer, 1966
Legendary state sports writer Cliff Christl believed Johnson was No. 1 on the all-time great list a few decades ago. That’s enough to still have him on this one.
The 6-8 forward led Messmer to a WISAA state championship as a senior, scoring 69 points and grabbing 64 rebounds in tournament play.
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He scored 1,493 career points and did everything well. He could shoot, rebound, drive to the basket. He could play anywhere on the court.
Johnson played two seasons of college ball at Iowa before spending 12 years in the NBA. He was a teammate with Brown on the SuperSonics squad that won the title in 1979.
Don Kojis played at Marquette from 1958-61.Don Kojis, Milwaukee Notre Dame, 1957
He was excellent during his entire prep career, but nothing like his senior season. The 6-5 forward averaged 31.3 points per game and was an easy all-state pick by the .
Kojis could score inside and out and was an extremely strong rebounder, something that became even more evident in college.
Kojis played at Marquette from 1958 to 1961. He led the team with 15.4 rebounds per game in 1959-60, only to average 17.1 the following season.
He played 12 years in the NBA.
Kon Knueppel averaged 26.4 points per game as a senior at Wisconsin Lutheran.Kon Knueppel, Wisconsin Lutheran, 2024
His basketball story is far from complete, but Knueppel on an all-time great list is not recency bias.
He already was a big factor as a freshman at Wisconsin Lutheran when he averaged 10.8 points and 4.7 rebounds, but his final two seasons made him the best player in the state.
The 6-6 guard-forward averaged 19.6 points as a junior. He was named Mr. Basketball as a senior after leading his team to the D2 state title and a 30-0 record, averaging 26.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists.
Knueppel spent one season at Duke before being drafted fourth overall by the Charlotte Hornets in 2025. He was one of the best newcomers in the league this season, finishing runner-up to former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg for rookie of the year.
Anthony Pieper scored 3,391 points during his career at Wausaukee High School, the top scoring mark in Wisconsin boys high school basketball history.Anthony Pieper, Wausaukee, 1993
The 6-3 guard broke Crowe’s all-time scoring record as a senior, and his 3,391 points will be difficult for anybody to surpass.
Pieper led the Rangers to the D4 state title in 1993 and started every game of his prep career.
He averaged 41.2 points as a junior and 39.9 as a senior.
Pieper played at Marquette in college, starting his final three years and scoring 1,234 career points.
Joe Wolf scored more than 2,000 points during his prep career at Kohler. Joe Wolf, Kohler, 1983
The 6-10 forward is considered by many the best boys high school basketball player in state history, and for good reason.
He scored more than 2,000 points, won three state championships, played in the McDonald’s All-American Game and was named the state player of the year by several outlets as a senior.
Wolf shined when the lights were brightest. It included a memorable couple of games in 1982 when he scored 34 points in a win over Thorp in the Class C Finals after he had 24 points in a semifinal against Washburn.
Wolf played at the University of North Carolina from 1983 to 1987 before the Los Angeles Clippers selected him with the 13th overall pick in 1987. He played 11 seasons in the NBA.
Who else should be on this list? Some suggestions
Brian Butch, Appleton West, 2003
Travis Diener, Fond du Lac, 2001
Henry Ellenson, Rice Lake, 2015
Bill Hanzlik, Beloit, 1976
Devin Harris, Wauwatosa East, 2001
Tyler Herro, Whitnall, 2018
Wesley Matthews, Madison Memorial, 2005
Kurt Nimphius, South Milwaukee, 1976
Steve Novak, Brown Deer, 2002
Sam Okey, Cassville, 1995
Clarence Sherrod, Milwaukee Lincoln, 1967
Nick Van Exel, Kenosha St. Joseph, 1989
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Vote for Wisconsin’s best-ever high school boys basketball players
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
