Experience is on Ozaukee’s side

After rebuilding last year, the Ozaukee High School Warriors boys’ basketball team returns a more experienced group of players and should be able to improve on last year’s record of 5-18.

Ozaukee coach Bob Domach will look to solid guard play to lead the way.

“We should have a very solid and deep group of guards. Shooting and ball handing will be two bright spots for us,” he said.

“We return all of our perimeter players from last year, and that year of experience will be important for our continued growth.”

Included in that group are four of the top six scorers from a year ago.

Sophomore Noah Miller led the Warriors last year with 12 points per game and dished out 1.4 assists per game as a freshman. Senior Brent Hoffmann averaged 9.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game last season. Senior Ivan Garcia scored 5.9 points per game last year.

All three return with proven ability to score from outside.

Junior Jotham Higgenbotham averaged 5.3 points per game last season, and sophomore guard Simon Bares returns with a year of varsity experience under his belt.

Junior Jon Behrens rounds out the guard roster.

“Our post players are working hard and are developing nicely,” Domach said.

Leading the post players is 6-foot-1-inch senior forward Mitchell Weyker, who scored 5.4 points per game a season ago, and had 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

In addition, senior forward Blake West is back.

New to the team this season are senior forwards Jesse Behrens and Carter Schmit, junior forward Logan Bell, senior center Tayvius Davis and freshman center Braxton Gahan.

The Warriors once again battle a lack of height.

“We are not a tall team. We will have to focus hard on rebounding,” Domach said.

Bell is the tallest player on the roster at 6-2.

“We are working really hard in practice. If we continue the hard work, it will translate to success on the court,” Domach said.

The Warriors had only two seniors on the team a year ago in twins Ben and Brady Stadler. Ben averaged 5.4 points per game, tied for the fourth-highest scorer on the team. Ozaukee also a lost solid athlete in foreign exchange student Edoardo Campus of Italy.

This year’s team, Domach said, has shown cohesiveness early.

“I really like the togetherness of the team. It’s early, but the players seem to be forming a bond and genuinely seem to like each other. Not every team has that,” he said.

Domach expects the Big East Conference to be competitive this year.

“Sheboygan Lutheran and Howards Grove are probably the favorites, but the top half of the conference is loaded,” he said.

Domach will get coaching assistance from Joe Frinzi and Sean Job, who are back for another year as assistant coaches.

Ozaukee is seeing high interest in boys’ basketball.

“We have 33 kids in the high school program. It’s very exciting to see the program growing,” Domach said.

The Warriors were scheduled to open their season on Tuesday with a conference game at Random Lake. On Friday, November 30, Ozaukee will host Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah in another league game.