Who has the edge in Mr. Basketball race? Here's a look at the six finalists nominated for the award.

The six finalists for the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association's Mr. Basketball Award were announced Feb. 1, with all six coming from the Milwaukee area.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spoke with Dennis Uppena, a WBCA Hall of Fame coach, former WBCA president and current Mr. Basketball committee member, to discuss the criteria looked at by the committee for the senior-only award.

Eleven current and former high school coaches, a college coach and two sportswriters have met and will continue to meet over the remainder of the regular season and postseason to evaluate the cases of the six finalists, with the winner set to be announced during the WIAA boys basketball state tournament in March.

Among the criteria highlighted by Uppena as the committee's biggest considerations during a finalist's career were: individual statistics, team success, head-to-head play with other finalists and the finalist's recruitment interest/projection as a college prospect. He added that the statistical averages are rarely viewed in isolation.

"You can have an outstanding player on a team where they’re doing everything, and it doesn’t really reflect necessarily what the situation might be when you have multiple talented players on the same team," Uppena said. "We take a look at all of that."

With that criteria established, who among the six have the strongest cases? Here is the tale of the tape on all six seniors, listed in alphabetical order.

Dupree Fletcher Jr., Carmen Northwest

College commitment: Grambling State

2023-24 statistical highlights: 31.0 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game, 5.1 assists per game, 2.9 steals per game

Fletcher's strongest case may be his improvement from junior to senior year, as well as the critical role he has played in Carmen Northwest's success over the past couple seasons. After consecutive respectable seasons hovering around 22 points per game his sophomore and junior seasons, Fletcher has shown he can carry an offense with his scoring as a senior. He has managed to do so while maintaining strong averages across the board in other areas of his game, including rebounding at a level well above what may be expected of his 6-foot frame. He has just one game against a fellow finalist this season, a 78-73 loss to St. Thomas More in which Fletcher outscored Amari McCottry 34 to 18.

Tim Franks, Homestead

College commitment: St. Thomas

2023-24 statistical highlights: 28.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.8 apg

Homestead is closing in on its third straight North Shore Conference title due in no small part to the school's all-time scoring leader Franks, who had 1,768 career points entering Friday. He has put together some impressive performances from beyond the arc this season, shooting 45.6% from distance. The 6-foot-5 guard also has proven to convert efficiently at all levels of the floor, shooting 56.1% from the field. Consecutive regional titles underscore a successful run for the Highlanders with Franks at the helm.

Nick Janowski, Pewaukee

College commitment: Nebraska

2023-24 statistical highlights: 32.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 4.2 apg, 2.1 spg

When the question was posed to Uppena of whether the totality of a finalist's career was considered in the selection of a winner of Mr. Basketball, it was certainly with Janowski's three WIAA Division 2 state title rings with Pewaukee in mind. Team success does not rise to a much higher level, and Janowski's impact on it is unquestionable. The case undoubtedly will be made that having 2023 Co-Mr. Basketball winner Milan Momcilovic as a teammate for those three seasons is context that does not help Janowski for this individual award. Flipping that argument on its head, however, if it did not discount Milan's candidacy in the eyes of the committee last year, Janowski should be given every bit of the same consideration. Even without Milan as a reliable second option this year, the 6-3 guard has shown why he is still a top college prospect in the state. He also has passed Momcilovic to become the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,019 points and counting. Through Friday his career record against the other finalists in games both players played is 16-3. Highlights from this season's meetings include two 40-point games in wins over Pius XI Catholic and 45 points in a narrow 72-69 affair over Franks and Homestead.

Jaquan Johnson, Pius XI Catholic

College commitment: Bradley

2023-24 statistical highlights: 32.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 8.2 apg, 3.9 spg

Johnson has not received as much fanfare as his highly touted finalist peers in the Woodland West but is nonetheless a competitive selection for nomination based on his growth. One of the steadiest climbers among all nominees, Johnson has seen his points per game rise from 15.7 to 22.7 to 27.2 from freshman to junior year, along with another five points per game to 32.9 this season. The 5-11 guard has a propensity for the pilfer on defense, making him a tough draw for any offensive assignment. His career scoring total of 2,259 points and counting entering Friday also makes him the highest scorer in school history.

Kon Knueppel, Wisconsin Lutheran

College commitment: Duke

2023-24 statistical highlights: 26.4 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 4.8 apg

The blue-chip recruit of Wisconsin's statewide 2024 class, Knueppel has put together a compelling case over the other finalists this season. His prospect standing alone speaks volumes of the nationwide perception of Knueppel, not the least of which was a 22nd ranking on ESPN's top 100 nationwide class of 2024 recruits. When the 2024 McDonald's All American Games rosters were announced, Knueppel's omission drew loud criticism both locally and nationally. The 6-6 guard also has seen his opening and taken it in the post-Milan era of Pewaukee basketball this season, beating Janowski's Pirates twice. Wisconsin Lutheran is 21-0, matching the longest undefeated start in program history (1965-66). Besides the wins over Pewaukee, another notable victory came against reigning Division 1 champion De Pere on the road Jan. 13, snapping a 42-game winning streak for the Redbirds. The Vikings also defeated St. Thomas More, 83-73, in a game Knueppel outscored McCottry 30 to 25. His 1,729 career points and counting through Friday also make him the school's all-time leading scorer.

Amari McCottry, St. Thomas More

College commitment: Uncommitted, reporting offers from Arizona State, Arkansas State, Grambling State, Indiana State, Louisiana Tech, Miami (Ohio) and UW-Milwaukee

2023-24 statistical highlights: 23.9 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 4.9 apg, 2.4 spg

Seemingly from the moment he stepped on campus at STM, McCottry has looked and performed at a level that has set the pace for Cavaliers basketball. A WIAA Division 3 state appearance as a sophomore and coming within a game of a second last year in a hard-fought D3 sectional final with Milwaukee Academy of Science have preceded a dominant 18-1 start to the 2023-24 season entering Saturday. The 6-6 guard has formed an elite tandem with fellow senior Sekou Konneh, but McCottry has stood out even amidst Konneh's ascension. While the two matchups with other finalists this season did not go in his favor in terms of individual stats, high outputs in both wins over Dominican and other premier matchups with Nicolet (37 points in 86-79 win), MAS (21 points in 78-71 win) and Whitnall (32 points in 85-60 win) showed he can raise his game to the task at hand. His 2,098 career points and counting also are a program record.