There is still uncertainty around who the next coach of the Phoenix will be and whether all three of the program’s highly touted class of 2023 recruits will actually step foot on campus.

But if all three remain committed to Green Bay, it would certainly provide some nice building blocks for the new coach and for a program with an 8-54 record over the past two seasons.

Marcus Hall, a top 5 prospect in the state according to Mark Miller of WisSports.net, was recently named a finalist for the prestigious Mr. Basketball award by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association, which is given annually to the state’s best high school player.

Other finalists include John Kinzinger of De Pere (committed to Illinois State), Jeremy Lorenz of Brillion (Wofford), Milan Momcilovic of Pewaukee (Iowa State), Levi Birkholz of Lakeside Lutheran (The Citadel), and Gavyn Hurley of Middleton (Winona State). The winner of the award will be announced at the state tournament in Madison.

The 6’6″ Hall had a sensational senior season for DC Everest averaging 23.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for the Evergreens. He knocked down 43.3% (45/104) of his three point attempts and was an 80% free throw shooter.

He broke the DC Everest school record for career points this season surpassing 1,500 points for his career, breaking a 53-year old record in the process.

The Evergreens season ended in a regional final loss to Hudson this past Saturday. Hall was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points.

“I still plan to go and play at Green Bay,” he told Scott Venci of the Green Bay Press Gazette back on January 30th. “I definitely want to meet the new coach. But I don’t really see myself disliking any coach. It’s their job to come in and try to win games, and that’s what I’m going there to do also.”

“I don’t see myself disliking any coach enough not to go there.”

Green Bay’s other two committed prospects – ranked as the #6 and #7 prospects in the state’s 2023 class, respectively – will both take part in sectional semifinals on Thursday night.

Mac Wrecke, the 6’5″ guard from top-seeded Arrowhead, will face Brookfield East, the #12 seed in Sectional 3, in West Allis on Thursday night after East upset the #5 seed Sussex Hamilton.

Arrowhead won the Classic Eight Conference and ranked as the #3 team in Division I in the most recent coaches poll thanks in part to 17.7 points per game from Wrecke. If the Warhawks can get past Brookfield East, they will likely face #2 seed Middleton, the #2 ranked team in the state, in the sectional final on Saturday to determine who will go to state.

As for Wrecke’s plans to attend UW-Green Bay in the fall, “as of right now, I’d say it’s my plan to still go there,” he told the Press Gazette. “I’m just waiting to see who the coach is going to be and make sure he still feels like I’m wanted there. But I’d say I still want to go to Green Bay.”

He attended Green Bay’s 80-79 overtime victory over rival Milwaukee on February 7th at UWM Panther Arena.

“We are going to be able to be, hopefully, be part of something special and the complete turnaround of the program,” Wrecke added. “Hopefully, bring a Horizon League championship in a couple years. That would be super cool to be a part of seeing where the program is at right now.”

Over in Sectional #1, the defending state champion Neenah Rockets are the #6 seed but are just two wins away from a return to the state tournament in Madison. Green Bay commit Cal Klesmit is the team’s leading scorer and helped guide the Rockets to a fourth place finish in the gauntlet that is the Fox Valley Association.

The 6’2″ guard is having quite the bounce back season after missing all of last year due to torn ACL and leads the team in points (19.1), rebounds (5.8), and assists (3.9) per game. Neenah easily dispatched Stevens Point and Appleton West en route to Thursday night’s showdown with #2 seeded Hudson in the sectional semifinals.

Will we see all three prospects in a Phoenix jersey next season? It remains to be seen.

“Hopefully, with those two, I want the best for them, but there is nothing more I’d want than to play with them,” Klesmit told the Press Gazette last month about playing with his fellow recruits. “I’ve already got to know them a little bit. They are great people. I feel like us three coming in and some of the new coaching staff, we could really change what Green Bay basketball is all about and get it to where they want it to be, where we want it to be and really where the whole state wants it to be.”

“Back on the winning side and back where it was before.”