State's top prospects

Eight recruits headed for Division I

By Cliff Christl
of the Journal Sentinel staff

Feb. 8, 1997

Eight high school seniors in Wisconsin already have signed national letters of intent to play NCAA Division I men's basketball, and the number will grow by one, two or even more this spring.

The top seniors include two Big Ten recruits, Andy Kowske of Whitefish Bay Dominican and Mike Kelley of Milwaukee Pius; a 7-foot center, Ryan Duessler of Wausaukee; a much-heralded 6-9 native of Latvia, Kaspars Kambala of Homestead; and a point guard who is at least the equal of Kelley, Michael Wilks of Milwaukee King.

The state's junior class also has a good mix of talent, headed by 6-8 forward Robert Jackson of Milwaukee Washington. But there isn't a prospect in either class who appears likely to be an impact player, at least as a freshman.

Thus, if there is one blue-chip prospect in the state, it might just be a sophomore. Marshall Williams, a 6-4 swing player at Milwaukee Vincent, has a chance to be one of the most heavily recruited players in the state over the past decade or so.

"I think the best player in the state of Wisconsin is Marshall Williams," said Curtis Weathers, who runs an open gym at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee that, at times, draws the top players around the state and college recruiters from across the country.

"He's better than anybody in the senior class. He's going to be the next big-time player coming out of Wisconsin. I'm talking about going to a top-20 school, playing in the Magic Johnson all-star game, the McDonald's all-star game. He's special."

Both Weathers and John Evans, who runs a recruiting service out of his home in the Eau Claire area, rate the current senior class as solid but unspectacular.

"I see them all stepping up and being role players," Weathers said of the players likely to be with Division I programs next year. "It's a solid class. Kambala probably has the best chance of going in and starting and getting a ton of rebounds, but he's not going to score a whole lot in college."

Kambala is the biggest plum left among the seniors who haven't signed and are likely to be eligible as freshmen. He made four of his five official visits in the fall and came close to signing with UCLA, but declined an offer after Jim Harrick was fired as coach in early November.

The UCLA offer is still on the table as long as interim coach Steve Lavin stays, said John Chekouras, the Homestead coach. But a number of other schools have gotten into the running.

In the last two weeks, coaches from UCLA, Nevada-Las Vegas, Illinois and Oregon have traveled to the Milwaukee area to watch Kambala play or practice.

"There really is no list right now," Chekouras said. "He is open to listening to everybody and anybody. But I think if Lavin stays at UCLA, he'll go to UCLA."

Weathers said he thought that if the Class of '97 produced an impact player in the long run, it likely would be one of two players destined to begin their careers at a junior college: 6-5 Terry Black of Milwaukee Messmer and 6-6 Wayland White of Milwaukee Pulaski.

Black and White are among several seniors who may have Division I talent but aren't likely to meet the academic requirements to be eligible as freshmen. The list also includes Damien Ninkovic of Milwaukee King, Roy Boone of Madison East, Jovanti Brooks of Racine Horlick and Andre Speed of Kenosha St. Joseph.

"It's their versatility and their toughness mentally," Weathers said of Black and White. "Athletically, they can compete with anybody. Believe me, if they were eligible, these guys would be recruited by top-50 schools."

The junior class has about a handful of players who warrant a look from Marquette and Wisconsin, both Evans and Weathers said. But they also agree that the class of 1998 may not even measure up to the current seniors.

"It looks like the next few years, at minimum, are going to be solid," Evans said. "But whether the junior class will be as good as this class, I'd say it's a little bit doubtful. There is a lot more size this year."

Weathers and Evans agreed on five juniors who they thought would interest Marquette and / or Wisconsin.

The list included Jackson, Charlie Ramberg of tiny Granton High School and B.J. Brant of Portage, all of whom are forwards; and guards Jose Winston of Milwaukee Vincent and Marius Boyd of Whitefish Bay.

In addition, Evans said he thought two other guards, Benji Raymond of Oshkosh North and Drew Diener of Fond du Lac, also might have some appeal to the state's two most prestigious Division I programs.

In addition to Williams, the sophomore class includes Dave Mader, a 6-10 center at Appleton East; Clifton Gaines, a 6-2 guard at Madison West and son of former Wisconsin player Clyde Gaines; and Julian Swartz, a 6-4 scoring machine at Waukesha South.

Another sophomore likely to be a big-time recruit is point guard Mike Dunleavy Jr., son of the Milwaukee Bucks general manager.

Dunleavy and Fred Bell, a 5-9 shooting guard, started at University School as freshmen last season, then transferred to Homestead this season. Both are ineligible until next season because they don't live in the district -- Dunleavy is paying tuition to go there and Bell is living with his grandmother -- but they are allowed to practice with the team.

Dunleavy, who was listed at 6-0 last year, now stands 6-4 and weighs 165 pounds, Chekouras said. Dunleavy is expected to be Homestead's starting point guard next season as a junior.

"He may be as good as anybody I've ever had," Chekouras said.