After losing its two tallest players from last year’s squad to graduation, the Oconto Falls High School boys basketball lineup this year will be shorter and quicker.
The Panthers lost four seniors, including 6-foot-8 Michael Fifield and 6-foot-5 Riley Gruetzmacher, from last year’s team, which compiled a 5-18 record and placed eighth in the Bay Conference with a 2-14 mark.
“You can’t make up 6-8 and 6-5. As I was telling these guys, what we have to do this year is play better defense,” Oconto Falls boys basketball head coach Kirk Hirst said. “I think we’re quicker this year, being smaller. Defense … they’re going to have to want to play it this year.”
Seniors Tyler Hagemeier and Jack Huberty are the tallest returnees, each at 6-foot-2.
“This year is a totally different team,” Hirst said. “I think these guys have a lot of heart, mental toughness that we’ve been lacking in the past couple of years.”
At a recent practice, the message was resonating with the players, who play their first game on Dec. 1.
“I think we have to focus on the little things and focus on working hard in practice and defense,” said Hagemeier, who averaged over 10 points per game last season and is the team’s leading returning scorer.
Throughout the first practice, Hirst, with the help of girls basketball coach Mike Kaczmarek, challenged the players to move their feet and hustle on defense.
The players struggled to keep up initially and will have to work themselves back into basketball shape.
“Right now, we are extremely out of shape,” senior Michael Manns said. “Over time, I believe we can do it.”
Hirst hopes his players respond and can play continuous, strong defense for the full game.
“It’s either, they’ll have to play defense or we’re going to get beat every night,” Hirst said. “We’re just not as athletic as we have been in the past, so they’ve got to play good, solid team defense.”
The defense, the Panthers hope, can help generate some easy offense.
Manns, who played in 20 games and averaged 6.2 points per game, said that the team will have to play more of an up-tempo style this season.
“We don’t really have big offensive threats like down in the post … so I think most of our offense is going to have to be created from our defense, getting steals and turnovers and all that,” Manns said.
The Panthers also face the challenge of moving to the new North Eastern Conference and playing teams they’ve not scouted on a regular basis.
Oconto Falls could struggle if it cannot stop some of the sharpshooters in the new conference, which Hirst believes will be stronger than the Bay.
“It’s nice playing against schools your size, but that means nothing.,” Hirst said. “They throw the ball up, and you’ve still got to play. It will still be tougher top to bottom.”
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