Gretzinger named Hodag Hoops MVP

It took a number of players doing their part in key roles for the Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball team to earn its first Great Northern Conference championship in six years. Two seniors who had the biggest roles down the stretch received a couple of the team’s top honors on Wednesday.

Will Gretzinger was voted the team’s most valuable player while Will Quinn received the Mr. Defense award during the team’s season-ending banquet in the RHS commons.

Eight of the 15 players on the varsity roster walked away with one of the awards that was voted on by the team. Sophomore Devon Feck and Evan Shoeder shared the team’s most improved player award while Shoeder and Quinn shared the hustle award. There were four recipients of the team’s Hodag award — seniors James Heck, Noah Bell and John Currie and junior Seth Nofftz. 

“This is another year where we probably would have picked the same thing. They see it night in and night out and it’s always great to know they’re seeing exactly what we’re seeing,” Hodag coach Derek Lemmens said of his players’ selections.

Gretzinger and Quinn were both central figures in a 50-45 victory over Medford Feb. 22 at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium which earned the Hodags a share of the GNC title with Mosinee. Gretzinger scored 17 of the Hodags’ final 21 points as Rhinelander fended off a late rally by the Raiders while Quinn was tasked with slowing down Medford’s primary scorer, Tanner Hraby.

    Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball coach Derek Lemmens presents senior Will Gretzinger with the team’s most valuable player award during a banquet in the RHS commons Wednesday, March 6. Gretzinger was voted the team MVP by his peers and led the Hodags, averaging 17.0 points per game this winter. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Gretzinger surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his high school career on a late 3-pointer in a 64-63 upset win at Mosinee Feb. 16 that gave the Hodags a chance at the conference crown. He finished as the team’s leading scorer for a second straight year, averaging 17 points per game while making more than 35% of his attempts from 3-point range. He also led the team in total assists (88).

“It’s really exciting as a coach to see a player like Will have those individual kind of landmarks in his career and say ‘I accomplished this.’ I have seen, firsthand how much time he as poured into this game,” Lemmens said. “I’ve gotten multiple texts and calls about opening up the gym. He’s at every open gym. He’s on the Dr. Dish. He’s at Little Hodags. He’s doing everything he can to be the best basketball player that he can be. To see him accomplish the things he accomplished is extra special and very deserving.”

Quinn, who missed three games due to injury, led the Hodags in assists per game (3.5). He was also tops on the team in deflections per game (3.4) and steals per game (2.0), all while routinely drawing the man-to-man assignment against the opponent’s top guard. 

“He took these guys that were normally so confident, that stepped on the court and always said, ‘I’m better than you,’ and he made them feel uneasy,” Lemmens said. “He made them always reactive to him. They were never comfortable. He took the best guards and bothered them night in and night out. 

“Players like that change games and players like that help us as a team do the things we want to do. He can take the best player from the other team and make them a non-factor.”

Feck and Shoeder were part of a young bench that gave the Hodags a spark this year. Feck started only five games, but was key as the team’s sixth man. He was third on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg) while knocking down a team-best 49.2% of his attempts from beyond the arc. While the offensive part of the game has always been there, Lemmens said Feck made the biggest jump on the defensive end of the floor this season.

“We saw this guy we were kind of worried about as a defensive liability become one of our best defensive players,” Lemmens said. “He really kind of made that something else he does on the court. He already does so much and he just decided to add another element to it, which is going to make him that much more special moving forward.” 

Shoeder averaged 4.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, and made what proved to be the game-winning free throws in the Feb. 16 game at Mosinee. Lemmens said Shoeder was someone who was pegged for split minutes between the varsity and junior varsity at the start of the year, but very quickly established his spot in the rotation.

“Every single day he was showing more and more that he belonged on that varsity court and he needed more and more minutes,” Lemmens said. “By the end of the season he was a huge piece and had some enormous games for us. He just stepped up at some key times and you saw how much he improved.”

Lemmens added Shoeder had an knack for sprinting back into the front court off an opponent’s miss or turnover, which led to a number of transition baskets. That earned him a share of the hustle award with Quinn, who was praised for his shutdown defensive abilities. 

Lemmens noted 11 different players received votes for the team’s Hodag Award, for their contributions to the team. Heck, who averaged 4.8 points and 4.0 rebounds a game earned it for his leadership and willingness to execute the minute details on the court. Nofftz averaged 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds a contest and was noted for the energy he brought to the team. Both Bell and Currie were honored for their dedication to the program, despite seeing limited minutes in their senior seasons. 

“When you’re not getting minutes, it’s very difficult. It’s hard to maintain a positive attitude. It’s hard to continue to be a good teammate. It did not seem difficult for them,” Lemmens said.

In addition to the team awards, Lemmens recognized eight players on the team who earned Academic All-State recognition from the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. Gretzinger, Heck, Quinn, Nofftz, Truman Lamers, Greyson Gremban, Myles Eagleson and Caden Sieker were all honored for maintaining cumulative grade point averaged of 3.5 or better.

“These guys have really done what’s expected of them in the classroom and beyond,” Lemmens said.

Rhinelander finished the season 16-10 overall and was knocked out by Rice Lake in the regional semifinal round of the WIAA tournament, but this year’s group will be remembered as the one that snapped a six-year conference title drought and brought home the 25th conference championship in program history.

“It’s been an amazing ride and I can’t thank this group enough for all that they did and how special they made Rhinelander basketball this year,” Lemmens said.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].