The Wisconsin Lakers are proud to participate in two of the three best basketball platforms for players in Wisconsin and two of the top four platforms in the nation. We are a premier program that positions our athletes to play at the most competitive levels– it makes a difference who you play for.
The Wisconsin Lakers is an elite program, and we are proud of the hard work by our former and current athletes to establish us as a nationally-competitive organization. Unfortunately a lot of information is spread throughout club basketball that depicts teams, clubs and platforms falsely, but we are confident in our results. Here is the level at which we compete:
Under Armour Association (commonly referred to as UAA). We are Wisconsin’s only UAA program participating on a platform with 32 top-tier programs across the country.
Power 24, tthe newly formed Elite division within Select 40 events. We are Wisconsin’s only Power 24 program, which consists of the top-performing programs of the Select 40 league. The 2022 and 2023 Select 40 Champions are both a part of the Power 24 Division.
The other premier platforms are:
Elite Youth Basketball League, commonly referred to as EYBL
A common misconception is that athletes can play for any program and achieve the same results, and furthermore, college coaches will find the athlete regardless of program. Unfortunately we have found this not to be true.
Although players can be recruited while playing for any program, we position our players to compete in front of the widest audience of college coaches. This is what UAA and Power 24 provides. Our athletes play against top competition, and those tournaments draw national attention from college programs. Certain college programs focus on Wisconsin athletes, but we want to provide players the chance to be seen coast to coast. The only way to become the best is to compete against the best.
It is crucial players maximize their tournament schedule to align with the “viewing period” for NCAA coaches (April 19-21, May 17-21, July 12-15 and July 19-22). For programs that do not compete in one of the top four national platforms, limits exist. For the Wisconsin Lakers playing in UAA and Power 24, we compete against many of the best programs and players in the country. Between the 3 platforms in Wisconsin we’ve talked about of the top 300 players year in and year out 80% plus play on those platforms. With that being said if you’re not on one of those platforms it greatly limits your ability to play against the best in front of college coaches.
We have players recruited from all conferences from coast to coast, and even more exciting, we have former and current players that have offers from all power five conferences. Our club directors have established relationships with the coaching staffs from many schools throughout the power five conferences, and they trust the skill development and fundamentals we teach from fourth grade through our top high school teams.
The level of our practices and skills training is unmatched. We push our players very hard in training, from shooting at game speed to working on strength and conditioning. Our practices are ultra competitive in order to prepare players for the toughness required at the college level. This commitment is not for everyone, but we understand this is what is required to play at the next level. Currently we have four players in the 2025 class committed to D1 programs:
Amy/Anna Terrian: Division 1 Michigan State in the Big Ten
Ella Todd (Illinois High School): Division 1 University of Utah from the Pac 12 (going to the Big 12 in 2024)
Jordan Fenske: Division 1 Illinois State from the Missouri Valley.
We have 13 other players from the 2028-2025 classes with Division 1 offers, and this number will continue to grow. We are proud of the hard work these athletes have demonstrated over many years to become the best they can be.
Not only do we prepare athletes to play at the collegiate level, but we set up our players to SUCCEED at the college level. And this is our passion– we want our players to achieve their dreams of becoming a college athlete and playing at this level.
The transfer portal has made recruiting even more challenging for the high school athlete. To earn a scholarship and play as a college freshman is increasingly difficult, but by accelerating skill development in high school by competing at the UAA and Power 24 levels better prepare athletes for day-to-day competitiveness in college. No other program in Wisconsin provides this same advantage.
Our job is never done. Each year we are committed to playing at the highest levels, and if you want the same, contact us. We have openings for players to join our teams participating in UAA and Power 24, specifically in the 2025-2028 classes. If you want to be the best, compete against the best.
Mike Elles (702) 759-5918 or Lakersbball05@gmail.com