They may not be the best or flashiest prospects in the state but they are two of the most intriguing for an obvious reason.
They come from good pedigree.
The Chappell brothers, John and Jason, are sons of a former Wake Forest All-American and one of the original Milwaukee Bucks. Len Chappell, their father, played 10 years of pro basketball, including the 1968-'69 and '69-'70 seasons in Milwaukee.
John is a 6-foot-10 senior center and Jason a 6-8 junior forward. Both play for New Berlin West and figure to sign with NCAA Division I colleges in the future.
John has been offered a scholarship by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, according to Jeff Lewiston, his high school coach. He also is being recruited by Towson and Lafayette. Jason will establish his worth this summer but has been considered the better prospect of the two.
Neither one ranks among the elite players in his class but each has strengths that appeal to recruiters. John is a good athlete, shot-blocker and passer. Jason is more of a perimeter player with ball-handling skills and three-point range as a shooter.
"These two kids have an up side," Lewiston said. "I hate to put it this way but they come from a great gene pool. They display a certain presence that they haven't gotten from us."
When Len graduated from Portage High School in Pennsylvania, he stood 6-8, weighed close to 245 pounds and averaged better than 37 points per game. He was heavily recruited and landed at Wake Forest, where he played through 1962. John and Jason aren't anywhere near as hefty or as dominant.
But their father sees them having a bright future.
"It's all ahead of them," he said. "A lot of kids are already mature. These boys aren't fully developed physically. I was fully developed at 14."
The senior class this year is unusual in that three big men rank among the top 100 players in the country, according to Bob Gibbons, a national recruiting analyst based in North Carolina. They lend glamour to a class that otherwise would be average at best.
Eight players signed with Division I schools in the fall, including the three marquee names: Scott Merritt of Wauwatosa East, Michael Southall of West Salem and Michael Wilkinson of Wisconsin Heights. The others were forwards Bryan Bedford of Racine Case and Kyle Peterson of New Holstein and guards Sharif Chambliss of Racine St. Catherine's, Freddie Owens of Milwaukee Washington, Kyle Grusczynski of Seymour and Chris Sager of Milwaukee Pius.
John Chappell and up to a handful of others might receive offers during the spring period. In addition, a few others undoubtedly will surface at the Division I level two years from now after stints in junior college programs.
David Edwards, a 6-1 guard from Milwaukee Washington, might be the best guard prospect in the state but he isn't expected to meet the NCAA academic requirements in order to play next year. One area high school coach said one Division I recruiter compared Edwards to Nick Van Exel, a former standout at Kenosha St. Joseph who spent two years at a junior college en route to a career in the NBA.
"He is going to be big-time," Marty McGlothan, a local Amateur Athletic Union coach, said of Edwards. "He can shoot it; deep, too. He has a quick first step. He's a good defender."
The junior class might not match the senior group in terms of quality but it certainly appears deeper.
"I'm excited about that class," said Curtis Weathers, who runs an open gym for college recruiters in the fall and also the "Stay In The Game" program. "There are so many players.
"Granted, some guys might have some academic issues but from a Division I standpoint, we're probably looking at 10 guys and it could be more than that."
The top three prospects, according to Gibbons, will be Andy Grunst of Milwaukee Marquette, Latrell Fleming of Milwaukee Marshall and Quemont Greer of Milwaukee Vincent.
"I think all three are top 100 players," Gibbons said. "Grunst will be the guy Marquette and Wisconsin go to war over. And he'll get some looks from other schools, too. He's the best prospect.
"And who knows? Nobody ever heard of Michael Southall or Wilkinson at this time last year. There may be some of those kids."
Two juniors already have received offers. Grunst has an offer from Marquette, according to Kurt Soderberg, his high school coach; and Clayton Hanson, a 6-4 guard from Reedsburg, has an offer from UWM, according to Andy Gesteland, his high school coach.
In all, there might be 20 or more juniors who will be closely scrutinized this summer by Division I recruiters.
In addition to the 10 listed on the adjoining chart, some of the others include Chad Barfknecht of Ladysmith, Danny Boyle of Middleton, Terrell Caston of Kenosha Bradford, Drake Diener of Fond du Lac, Andrew Harmon of Germantown, James Johnson of Homestead, Gareth Malkowski of Oak Creek, Matt Rohde of Weyauwega-Fremont, Lester Simpson of La Crosse Central, Deonte Tatum of Milwaukee Vincent, Adrian Tigert of Oshkosh West, David Tolefree of Kenosha St. Joseph, Joe Tucker of Nicolet and Chris Verser of South Milwaukee.
The sophomore class also promises to be deep and talented. The top two prospects at this point appear to be Steve Novak, a 6-9 forward from Brown Deer, and J.R. Morris, a 6-4 forward from Milwaukee Washington.
McGlothan likened Novak to Mike Dunleavy Jr., a freshman standout at Duke who began playing in high school at University School of Milwaukee.
"He can't handle it like Mike but he can shoot it like Mike," McGlothan said.