Miller, Wonser earn Big East praise

Neither Ozaukee nor Cedar Grove-Belgium boys’ basketball teams reached .500 in the Big East Conference this season, but they had a few players who impressed the league’s coaches.

Ozaukee sophomore Noah Miller and Cedar Grove-Belgium senior Ethan Wonser made the Big East’s second team.

Miller led the Warriors with 16 points per game and shot better than 40%.

“He was a huge part of our offense. Every game he was being guarded by the other teams’ best defender.  As the season went on, Noah really learned how to get open.  He learned how hard he had to work to put himself in a position to score,” coach Bob Domach said.

Although it didn’t count toward conference voting, Miller blew up for a career-high 38 points in the Warriors’ opening-round, Division 4 overtime playoff loss, 80-77, at Manitowoc Lutheran.

Miller led the team in steals with 3.0 per game, was second in assists at 2.7 per game and was third in rebounds with 4.7 per game.

“The next two years are going to be fun watching as Noah keeps developing,” Domach said.

Wonser, the Rockets’ 6-feet-6-inches-tall center, led the team in scoring with 12.7 points per game, rebounds with 5.8 rebounds per game and blocks with 1.6 per game. He was third in assists with 1.8 per game.

“He had a good all-around season. He came a long way from his freshman year to his senior year, a monster long way,” coach Josh Ketterhagen said.

When he wasn’t blocking shots, Wonser used his wingspan to alter many others.

“Being 6-6 doesn’t exactly hurt him,” Ketterhagen said with a laugh.

Wonser, Ketterhagen said, also developed a shooting range, up to about 15 feet.

“When he was in the game we were a different team than when he wasn’t. He was our best player,” he said.

Ozaukee junior Brent Hoffmann earned honorable mention.

He led the Warriors with 7.7 rebounds per game and 4.4 assists per game. He was second in scoring with 11.9 points per gamethird in steals at 1.6 per game.

“Brent understands the little nuances in the game. He makes everyone better when he is on the floor,” Domach said.

“Brent missed a few games this year and we missed his energy, passion and ability to play multiple positions. We are really excited to see Brent’s off season growth leading up to his senior season.”