Every high school basketball season brings change. Seniors graduate, roles expand and players who spent the previous winter watching from the stands suddenly find themselves under the varsity lights. But every once in a while, a freshman class arrives that has a chance to change more than a lineup.
Wisconsin’s Class of 2030 has been on the radar for several years through club basketball, AAU tournaments, camps and showcases. Now comes the next test. They are entering high school, where the players are older, the game is more physical and winning becomes less about individual recognition and more about finding a role within a team.
There are talented freshmen entering programs across Wisconsin, but five teams particularly caught my attention. Some are already championship contenders adding another piece. Others may be building something that could become special over the next four years.
Here are five teams we will be watching this season.
Edgewood
The present is already good. The freshmen could make it even better. Edgewood enters this season with something most teams in Wisconsin would love to have: two proven senior leaders who already know what it takes to win in March.
Anna Miller and Beanie Thompson have formed one of the state’s best duos over the past three seasons. During that stretch, Edgewood has reached the state tournament twice, winning the Division 3 state championship in 2024 and finishing as the Division 2 runner-up in 2025. Miller, a Wisconsin commit, is currently ranked No. 2 in Wisconsin’s Class of 2027 by Prep Girls Hoops, while Thompson will continue her career at Bradley. Now reinforcements are arriving.
Talia Sanders, the No. 3 ranked player in the TYBC Wisconsin Class of 2030 rankings, brings another dimension to the backcourt. Sanders is a 5’9″ guard with athleticism, the ability to create off the dribble and the versatility to play multiple guard positions.
Edgewood also adds freshman Clara Milesko, a skilled guard who should have an opportunity to make an immediate impact. For Sanders and Milesko, there may not be a better way to begin a high school career than learning alongside two seniors who have already experienced championship basketball.
The Crusaders have the established stars. If their young guards can provide another layer around them, Edgewood could be a difficult team to deal with when the games matter most.
Dominican
If you’re looking beyond this season and asking which Wisconsin program could look dramatically different over the next few years, keep an eye on Dominican. This freshman class is loaded.
The headliner is Madison Morris. Morris established herself as one of the top players in Wisconsin’s 2030 class during the 2026 AAU season. Playing for Team Herro, she consistently produced against high-level competition on the Nike Jr. EYBL circuit and earned Madison365 Sports 2026 AAU Player of the Year honors for Wisconsin’s Class of 2030.
Her summer wasn’t just about scoring. Morris showed the ability to impact the game in multiple ways and proved she could produce against some of the best players her age.
But Morris isn’t arriving alone. Dominican also adds twins Ma’kenzie Lee and Ma’riah Lee, two guards who already understand winning after collecting numerous championships at the Milwaukee city level. There is something to be said for young players who have spent years playing meaningful games together. They bring familiarity, toughness and an expectation of winning with them. Then add Madisyn Brooks to the equation.
Dominican lost significant production from last year’s team, so there will be opportunities for younger players. This could be one of those freshman classes we look back on four years from now and remember when they first walked through the doors together.
Wisconsin Lutheran
There may not be another program on this list where the words present and future fit together quite like Wisconsin Lutheran.
The Vikings return considerable varsity talent, including Western Illinois commit Kaelyn Nommensen and Beth Langebartels, along with Londyn Hollins, the No. 6 ranked player in Wisconsin’s Class of 2028 according to Prep Girls Hoops. Now look at the freshman class coming behind them.
Ana Gouge, ranked No. 2 in the TYBC Wisconsin Class of 2030 rankings, arrives as one of the state’s most accomplished young point guards. At 5’4″, she plays with pace, sees the floor and understands how to control a basketball game.
Then there is Hannah Langebartles, a 6’0″ wing who was ranked No. 9 in the original Top 75. Her size immediately stands out, but so does her ability to shoot the basketball from three. She gives Wisconsin Lutheran another long perimeter player with the potential to affect the game on both ends. Don’t forget Loxley Chasco, who entered the rankings at No. 14.
Three highly regarded freshmen entering a program that already has established upperclassmen creates an interesting situation. Wisconsin Lutheran has an opportunity to be very good this season. Its future might be even brighter.
Columbus Catholic
Sometimes one freshman can change the possibilities for an entire team. Xoey Bluth could be that player for Columbus Catholic.
Bluth’s stock continued to rise throughout the club and AAU season as she established herself as one of Wisconsin’s most productive young guards. At 5’9″, she has good size for the position and consistently showed the ability to score, including 20-point performances throughout the AAU season.
Now put her alongside Elly Gardner, ranked No. 11 in Wisconsin’s Class of 2029 by Prep Girls Hoops. Gardner is coming off an outstanding freshman season and has already established herself as one of Wisconsin’s top players in the Class of 2029. She can handle the basketball, create for others and score at multiple levels.
Bluth gives Columbus Catholic another talented guard who can create offense. Defenses may be able to load up against one playmaker. It becomes much harder when there are multiple players on the floor capable of creating advantages.
Bluth doesn’t need to arrive and become the entire offense. She has the opportunity to play alongside an established young player and add another weapon. That could make Columbus Catholic a fun team to watch this winter.
Madison La Follette
La Follette might be adding the most athletic freshman group in Wisconsin. Start with Nyagol Riak, the No. 10 ranked player in the TYBC Wisconsin Class of 2030 rankings.
The 6’2″ freshman has become one of the most intriguing young prospects in the state. Her combination of size, length and athleticism gives her tremendous upside, and college programs have already noticed. Riak has received scholarship offers from the University of Wisconsin and the University of Florida.
She’ll also have an opportunity to learn alongside her older sister, Nyajuacni “Nya” Riak, who has established herself as one of the premier players in the country in the Class of 2028. Nya’s résumé is already remarkable. The 6’2″ forward represented the United States at the 2026 FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup.
That gives La Follette an unusual combination: an older sister already competing on the international stage and a younger sister arriving as one of Wisconsin’s most intriguing freshmen.
But Nyagol isn’t the only freshman arriving. Desyre Bundrage is an athletic shooting guard who can knock down the three. Maliah Collins brings a different skill set. She’s more of a traditional point guard, a floor general who can organize an offense and get the basketball where it needs to go.
Then there’s Arianna Eddins, a 5’11” player whose value isn’t always going to be measured by points. She does the little things that help teams win.
That’s four freshmen with four different skill sets. The interesting question for La Follette isn’t whether the young talent exists. It’s how quickly those players can earn opportunities on a varsity team that already has established talent.
What La Follette could eventually have is frightening: length, speed, athleticism and versatility throughout its lineup. Add those freshmen to the talent already in the program, and the Lancers have the ingredients to become one of the most athletic teams in the state.
High school basketball presents challenges AAU basketball can’t completely replicate. Freshmen will compete against players who are stronger, older and more experienced. Some will start immediately. Some will come off the bench. Others may spend much of their freshman seasons learning and developing.
What makes this season exciting is that we get to watch that story begin. Edgewood, Dominican, Wisconsin Lutheran, Columbus Catholic and La Follette already had reasons for optimism.
