Wisconsin High School Basketball Greats

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Mike Lucas recently caught Badger alum Sam Dekker hit the game-winning shot for the London Lions in the British Basketball League. 

“Isn’t it great to see him still playing the game and still having success at it?”asks Lucas, a Cap Times sports freelance writer and former radio color analyst for the Badgers. “My question to you, Oatesy, where does Sam Dekker fit in the greatest high school players of all-time in the state of Wisconsin?”

Oates thinks Dekker leading Sheboygan Lutheran to a WIAA state title in 2012 qualifies him for the top ten. 

“He’s one of the best athletes that has ever played basketball in Wisconsin. His whole game is predicated on movement,” says Oates, a former Wisconsin State Journal sports columnist. “Bo Ryan rode him hard but he could never wipe the smile off of Sam Dekker’s face. He was born to play basketball and you could tell the way he plays.” 

Lucas likes that Dekker remains a diehard Milwaukee Brewers fan. 

“He loves his Brewers. You talk about a fanatic,” says Lucas. “He’ll get into it with any troll on the internet.” 

When pressed by Lucas, Oates says Messmer High School’s John Johnson tops the list of Wisconsin basketball greats. Johnson led Messmer to a state title in 1966.

“John Johnson was just a phenomenal player. He played center, he played point guard, he played everything. He was a great passer, great rebounder, and a great defender,” says Oates. “He ended up averaging 28 points a game in his two seasons at Iowa. And then he had a lengthy NBA career.”

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Dylan Brogan. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

A weekly podcast with insights and analysis on the Wisconsin Badgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Bucks from two of Wisconsin’s most experienced sports journalists. Mike Lucas is a veteran sports columnist for the Cap Times and was a Badgers radio color commentator for over 25 years. Tom Oates was a sports reporter and columnist for the Wisconsin State Journal for 40 years.