It’s the first time in a long time.
With 11 wins in 15 games, Wilson has already posted more wins than they did all last season.
The last time the Lakemen had at least six wins in the Niagara-Orleans League was pre-pandemic, when they finished 13-9 overall and 7-5 in the N-O in the 2019-20 season. The team had only six wins in 22 games last season, but have seen an improvement this season as the dynamic duo of Ryan Hough and Aidan Neumann are averaging a combined 34 points per game.
The pair of juniors complement each other’s playing style well as Neumann is competitive and tries to create plays for his teammates and Hough plays fast, and they can rely on the other three starters to make plays in key situations, creating a difficult task for opposing defenses.
“He’s a tremendous worker in the off season. He’s constantly working on his shot, and so all the things he’s done in the last year have not been surprising to me. He’s a very dedicated kid,” head coach Ben Sippel said of Neumann.
“Ryan is a tremendous athlete, great leaper, and he has improved a lot since his sophomore year,” Sippel said.
Neumann averages 19.1 points per game, an improvement from last season’s average of 16.3.
Neumann was more of a catch-and-shoot shooter last year, and says that playing AAU helped his confidence with driving towards the hoop and scoring off the dribble. While that might be easier for him, Neumann claims it’s harder for him to get open this season because opposing teams didn’t know who was during his sophomore campaign.
“I worked really hard this offseason,” Neumann said. “I was trying to improve my game, like doing pull-up, mids more, and getting to the hoop more, trying to make it harder for people to guard me. And I feel like my coaches really made me believe I can really do this.”
Hough is averaging 14.9 points per game, nearly triple his average last year of 5.8 points. He’s a fast and athletic player that can beat the defender with his first step and is a good mid-range shooter that can also drive.
Hough and Neumann are very comfortable with each other after playing in the offseason together at Elite AAU, and were able to transfer the confidence and success they found there into this season, in addition to developing an even better understanding of the way they play.
“That’s what makes players good, when they put time in the offseason,” Sippel said. “They keep working on their craft so they’re bound to get better, and those two you can see that clearly with them.”
The Lakemen did two-a-day practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the summer in addition to weight training, which not only made the team physically stronger, but strengthened the groups’ bond.
While Sippel can see how the off-season work has benefitted the team, the captains —- Shamus George, Brock Lepsch and Colton Frerichs — were very influential in getting the group together and getting guys in the gym.
The trio of captains has also played a vital role in the success Hough and Neumann have had scoring this season as they are very good at boxing out and grabbing boards, and Frerichs dishes the ball to exactly where you want it so you have a shot, according to Hough.
“I think it’s other players rebounding, other players getting us good passes and getting us good looks,” Hough said. “Everything starts with the people you don’t hear of. The people that aren’t scoring cause they’re doing the other things that give us a chance to score.”
George has 120 rebounds on the season and the captains combine for a total of 56 assists and 34 steals.
Much like every team in the area, Wilson wants to win its league and battle it out at Buffalo State in March. It would be the first league title win since the 2014-15 season, and Wilson is second place in the N-O behind Akron.
But, that’s not discouraging them one bit.
“I think we’re really committed and we want it more than we have in past seasons,” Hough said. “With some seasons, some sports, guys after a while just kind of get sick of it. But we wanna keep playing, we never wanna stop. We wanna get to the point where we’re at Buff State.”