November 16, 2022 at 9:19 a.m.
winter practice notebook
Hodag Hoops big on numbers, low on experience as practice begins
winter practice notebook
The good news is the Hodags will have plenty of candidates to choose from as they look to fill those roles. Coach Derek Lemmens said he had 51 players registered as practice for the season opened on Monday.
"We've got decent numbers with the younger grades and our junior class. We have a couple of gaps in the other classes but, overall, we're pretty pleased with the numbers," he said. "A lot of minutes graduated, but this is new opportunities and we've got a lot of guys fighting for those minutes. Hopefully that competitiveness really steers guys into giving it their all during these practices."
The Hodags have a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it. The first week of practice has been similar to what the squad has done the past few years, with two-a-day sessions every day culminating with a scrimmage tonight at Wausau West.
The morning sessions have focused on individual skills and conditioning while the afternoon sessions have focused on team offense and defense. Lemmens said he is gauging the team's progression to determine what he implements, and when he implements it.
"We'll continue to start at the fundamentals and build up from there," he said. "We'll go over the foundational things and then, as wee see fit, we'll add more and more to it. But it all depends on what these guys can demonstrate and show us. Then we build from there. There's a lot to get in. I think I want our basic stuff in by Friday so we can practice some of that. Then we can start to look to refine that a little bit right before Marshfield."
Marshfield, Rhinelander's season-opening opponent, travels to the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium this coming Tuesday night - the earliest date the Hodags can gave a game under WIAA regulations. It is one of three non-conference games the Hodags will have before opening the GNC slate at Northland Pines on Dec. 9.
"Let's be honest, they've got some great experience returning but all teams are starting," Lemmens said, looking ahead to the opener against the Tigers. "We're all going to be rusty. No one's going to be doing anything that great, so can we just go and execute some of the finer details, and then we'll build on it from there."
Boys' swim: Hodags have quality over quantity
Ten swimmers is not enough for the Rhinelander High School boy's swim team to fill out a full lineup for a dual meet. But, considering the experience those 10 swimmers have, that might not matter all that much for the Hodags as they look to continue their dominance in the northern half of the state.
It's an experienced squad for coach Jenny Heck, with nearly everyone back from a squad that finished third at the WIAA D2 state meet last year. That made Monday's first day of practice a breeze for the team.
"For me, this is pretty easy to step in today. It was actually really enjoyable seeing these guys. Starting out this way is a lot of fun," she said. "We've got 10 strong. It's great in a way that I know all of these guys. I know what they can do. I know what they need to work on, and they do too. So we can get going right away. We don't have some of the things that sometimes take a lot of time. We're just ready to go right away. They're all experiences swimmers. They all can contribute points immediately. You don't have to have a huge team to have a lot of success."
Heck came in fresh off guiding the Hodag girls' team to their fourth straight top-five finish at the D2 state meet last Friday. While she focused on the girls' squad, Heck said a number of the boys were gearing up for the start of their season independently.
"They're anxious and they've been swimming. I think every one of them has high goals and expectations," she said. "This is not their first day - maybe their first day with me, but not their first day. They've been swimming a lot offseason. Even the guys who were in other sports have been trying to keep in the water and the weight room. That'll be really critical for our season this year."
Being able to jump in right away will be a benefit for the team, which has a non-conference pentathlon meet at D.C. Everest this coming Tuesday. The Hodags begin GNC play Nov. 29 against Lakeland.
Wrestlers get back in the room
The wrestling room up in the James Williams Middle School balcony was a little quieter than Scottie Arneson would have hoped on Monday, but that does not mean his energy level isn't high as he begins his seconds season as head coach.
"If anybody knows me they're like, 'That guy's a little bit crazy,' but that's my coaching style," Arneson quipped. "If they're all about it as well, it's going to be more fun at practice."
The team had 15 boys in the room on Monday, along with three girls as part of the newly-formed girls' wrestling team (see related story). Between injuries, absences and those needing to take care of some clerical items, Arneson said the team should pick up another six or so athletes once all is said and done.
"We have not the numbers that I thought but we have some people missing for hunter's safety, getting their forms filled out, that kind of stuff," he said. "It's the first week. I'm sure basketball and hockey all have the same thing with kids not having their forms filled out, but we'll have about six more people and it will look a lot different in the room."
The team has some time before its first competition, which will take place in Antigo Dec. 3. Arneson said the goal will be to have the fundamentals down by then and to continue working on moves and technique throughout the season.
"I think that's going to be the most beneficial for us this year, being able to have the coaches to show those different elevations of the techniques and just breaking to down so it does all make sense. I think we did do a good job of that last year and we saw it," he said.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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