SPASH's Hauser named first team AP All-State
MILWAUKEE - For a third straight season, a Stevens Point Area Senior High athlete has been selected as one of the top five boys basketball players in Wisconsin.
Panthers junior Joey Hauser was named to first team in the Associated Press All-State boys basketball team, which was released Friday night. Hauser, who helped SPASH to a third straight WIAA Division 1 state championship, received the second-highest vote total on the first team behind La Crosse Central's Kobe King, who was an unanimous selection.
King, a senior who capped his career by scoring 28 points to help Central win the Division 2 title, the school's first state title in 92 years, was the AP's player of the year. King is a University of Wisconsin recruit.
Barneveld’s Jim Myers, who led his school to a Division 5 title to complete the rare feat of winning both boys and girls championships in his career, was named the top coach. La Crosse Central's Todd Fergot and Appleton Xavier's Matt Klarner were also finalists for the coach of the year award.
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Hauser was a second-team all-state selection last year as a sophomore and one of three Panthers picked among the Top 10 players. Hauser's older brother, Sam, along with Trev Anderson, were both first-team selections last year as seniors, and Anderson , last year's AP player of the year, was a first-team pick two seasons ago as well.
Hauser scored 32 points and had 21 rebounds in the state championship game against Arrowhead is joined on the all-state team by junior teammate, Drew Blair, who was a fourth-team selection. Blair's signature game came in a sectional semifinal win over Oshkosh North in which he had 33 points and six 3-pointers.
Columbus Catholic senior Tyler Fuerlinger, who helped the Dons reach the Division 5 state semifinals, was a honorable mention selection as was Medford senior Osy Ekwueme. Two other players from conferences in the central Wisconsin area, Gresham's Neal Cerveny and Shiocton's Nate Schmidt, were honorable mention picks as well.
Myers moved over to coach the Barneveld boys two seasons ago after 38 years of coaching the girls team. He had six state titles as the girls coach.
The shift gave Myers an opportunity to coach his son, Matthew. A senior this season, Matthew Myers scored 20 points in the 58-28 win over Shullsburg to win the Division 5 crown on March 18 in Madison.
“The opportunity to coach the boys came at a really good time for me ... especially with Matthew,” Myers said. “It was an opportunity that I couldn’t let go. It worked.”
King’s big game in the Division 2 title game against Cedarburg came at Kohl Center in Madison, where the 6-4 guard will be playing next season for the Badgers. He averaged 28 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists this season, shooting 61 percent overall and 45 percent from 3-point range.
“He was always a good shooter and we wanted him to become a great perimeter shooter,” coach Todd Fergot said. “Anything you challenge him with, he just rises up and continues to grow.”
At Barneveld, Myers had already won 699 games as coach of the girls program. This season, an already tight-knit boys team grew closer after sophomore Malcolm Reed’s mother died before the state tournament.
Myers said he never had to deal with such a situation in four decades of coaching.
“We pulled back and we put the situation first and not the basketball,” Myers said. “They were all there for one another, that was the biggest thing, and they knew they had the community behind them.”
2017 ASSOCIATED PRESS ALL-STATE BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM
Player of the year: Kobe King, La Crosse Central (unanimous).
Coach of the year: Jim Myers, Barneveld.
FIRST TEAM
Kobe King, 6-4, sr., La Crosse Central; Joey Hauser, 6-8, jr., Stevens Point; Terrence Lewis, 6-6, sr., Milwaukee Riverside; John Diener, 6-4, jr., Cedarburg; Jordan McCabe, 6-0, jr., Kaukauna
SECOND TEAM
Chris Knight, 6-8, sr., Madison Memorial; Tyrese Haliburton, 6-5, jr., Oshkosh North; Mitch Listau, 6-4, jr., Waunakee; Koreem Ozier, 6-1, sr., Racine Case; Hunter Plamann, 6-1, jr., Appleton Xavier
THIRD TEAM
JC Butler, 6-5, jr., Racine Prairie; Bennett Vander Plas, 6-8, sr., Ripon; Tyler Herro, 6-5, jr., Whitnall; Tyree Eady, 6-5, sr., Middleton; Bailey Kale, 6-0, sr., La Crosse Central
FOURTH TEAM
Trevell Cunningham, 5-11, sr., Arrowhead; Owen Hamilton, 7-1, sr., Prescott; Will Chevalier, 6-8, sr., Kimberly; Drew Blair, 6-3, jr., Stevens Point; Alex Arians, 6-4, sr., Madison Edgewood
HONORABLE MENTION
Brennen Banks, sr., Evansville; Mandela Deang, jr., Madison Edgewood; Alec Fruin, sr., Beloit Turner; Will Schwartz, sr., Darlington; Jake Schroeckenthaler, jr., Monona Grove; Tyler Hughes, sr., Onalaska; Luke Reader, jr., Bangor; CJ Siegel, jr., La Crosse Logan; Chris Thompson, jr., Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau; Jalen Zubich, sr., Onalaska; Tyler Fuerlinger, sr., Columbus Catholic; Osy Ekwueme, sr.,Medford; Neal Cerveny, sr., Gresham; Nate Schmidt,sr., Shiocton; Trevor Cook, sr., Washburn; Ryan Krueger, sr., Hortonville; Nate Schmidt, sr., Shiocton; Bryce TeKulve, sr., Luxemburg-Casco; Jordan Nolle, sr., Bay Port; Sam Ferris, jr., Appleton Xavier; Alex Ohde, sr., Chippewa Falls McDonell; Jaxon Knotek, jr., River Falls; Xavier Cummings, sr., Hayward; A.J. Hendrickson, sr., Pecatonica; Marlon Ruffin, jr., Sun Prairie; Matthew Myers, sr., Barneveld; Alex Ranney, sr., Lake Mills; Storm Murphy, sr., Middleton; Keshawn Justice, jr. Madison East; Brady Wagner, sr., Lake Mills; Luke Loewe, sr., Fond du Lac; Marcus Domask, soph., Waupun; Luke Goedeke, sr., Valders; Shane Wissink, sr., Oshkosh North; Eddie Muench, sr., Ripon; Gage Malensek, soph., Brookfield Central; Carlos Curtis, jr., Milwaukee Riverside; Andrew Lewis, sr., Milwaukee Vincent; Deontay Long, soph., Milwaukee Washington; Garrett Nelson, sr., Beaver Dam; Brandon Hau, sr., Mukwonago; Alou Dillion, sr., Wauwatosa West; Terrance Banyard, sr., Destiny; Tyree Ellis, sr., Milwaukee Washington; Drew Yetka, sr., Oak Creek.