Northland Pines boys have high expectations with 11 returning letter winners on roster

With 11 returning players from last year’s squad, the Northland Pines boys basketball team is expecting to improve on its 7-17 overall record from the 2023-’24 season.

The Eagles played mostly underclassmen last season as there was just one senior on the team, according to coach Terry Klemett, who is starting his sixth year as head coach of the Northland Pines boys.

“The guys really learned how to become a team and compete each day in practice and games,” said Klemett about his inexperienced squad from last year.

Returning letter winners this season include seniors Jonathan Miller, Cody Vojta, A.J. Muench and Anthony Halada; juniors Mylo Albrecht, Aiden Minx and Jake Beer; and sophomores Jack Albrecht, Nolan Huelskamp, Ethan Miller and Griffin Beyer.

Mylo Albrecht, Vojta and Muench each averaged 11 points per game last season and will provide much of the scoring punch for the Eagles. Albrecht and Vojta are both 6-foot-3 and Muench is 6-foot-1. They combined for almost 20 rebounds per game last season.

“Mylo really came along late last season as he was playing through an injury early on,” said Klemett. “He had a great off season in the weight room and by playing. He looked really good early on in practice and will be one of the better scorers/shooters in the league this year, as well as one of the top players.”

Vojta also turned in a good season last year and was an all-conference honorable mention pick, according to Klemett.

“Cody was one of the better 3-point shooters in the conference, as well as rebounders last season,” said Klemett. “He has grown and gotten stronger and just has a great motor.  He is one of our leaders and is a fierce competitor. He will be one of the top players in the league this year. He has great length and speed and has looked great this season so far.”

Muench is considered one of the top defenders in the league and guards the opposing team’s best players a majority of the time. He was all-conference honorable mention last season.

“A.J. really showed signs of shooting the ball from deep, but also has a knack for getting to the bucket,” said Klemett. “He really came on strong in the second half of the season.  He had a great summer and has really developed into being one of the top guards in the league this season.”

Jonathan Miller, at 6-foot-5, averaged six points and six rebounds per game last season.

“Jonathan is one the smarter players we have on our team. He has great length and height and defends extremely well. He can guard perimeter and the paint. He had some really good games last year and has really shown growth and energy this season,” said Klemett. “He can shoot the three and also get to the rim. He is a quiet leader and we are looking for him to step up in scoring and rebounding. “

Jack Albrecht, a 6-foot sophomore, started as a freshman guard last season and averaged six points and five assists per game.

“Jack did a fantastic job as a freshman for us. He learned all season and just got better each day. He is a very good point guard and could be one of the better point guards in the league as he keeps developing,” said Klemett. “He had a great offseason and has looked great thus far. He does a great job of taking care of the ball and has shown he can shoot the three and get to the rim. We’re looking for big things from him this season.”

Huelskamp, at 5-foot-10, played some quality minutes for the Eagles as a freshman guard last year.

“Nolan has an unbelievable motor. He’s tough and plays bigger than he is,” said Klemett. “He had a great offseason and is a work horse. He has developed his outside shooting and ball handling and could be a real pest defensively for us.”

Other key players

Klemett said several other players will see plenty of minutes on the court this season, including Ethan Miller, Halada, Beer, Minx and Beyer.

Ethan Miller, a 6-foot-6 sophomore, could help the Eagles’ inside game.

“Ethan played some minutes for us last year and really did some nice things this summer. His upside is through the roof with his size and length. He defends well and will be a challenging player for opposing teams as he keeps working hard and developing,” said Klemett. “Tony Halada had some nice games for us last year and showed some spark throughout the year. He has good length and quickness and had a great offseason. We’re looking for Tony to take on more of a role this year and could be a surprise against many teams,” said Klemett.

“Jake Beer had some nice games for us last year and even started a few of them. Jake can really shoot the basketball from deep and is extremely athletic and strong. His quickness is unmatched at times and we think he is really going to help turn some games around.”

“Aiden Minx played a ton of minutes last season. He has a nose for the ball and is a gritty post defender. Aiden has looked amazing this season so far. He has gotten a lot stronger and has a good motor,” said Klemett.

“Griff got some spot minutes for us last season. He knows how to play and is very coachable,” said Klemett. “He works extremely hard every second he is playing and we like his development thus far. He is going to be a real solid basketball player as he continues to work.

Klemett said defense should be one of the team’s strengths during the 2024-’25 campaign.

“Defensively, we should be very, very good with our length and overall quickness. We rebounded the ball very well last season and should be even stronger in that department,” said Klemett. “Overall, we will be able to play multiple defenses throughout the year that will cause problems for opposing teams. Also, we have a good core of seniors, juniors and sophomores who have got good experience. We aren’t a JV team any longer.”

Klemett said turnovers were an issue for the inexperienced Eagles last season.

“Taking care of the ball and scoring will be important improvements for this season,” said Klemett. “We didn’t do a very good job in those departments last season and this year it is sort of a question mark.”

GNC outlook

Looking at the Great Northern Conference (GNC), Klemett said the Eagles should improve on their 3-9 record from last year and will battle the top teams in the conference.

“The GNC is always tough, but we have a chance to compete for the title this year,” said Klemett. “Rhinelander, Mosinee and Medford are always tough. As with other years with strong teams, we know it’s not a walk in the park. We have to prove ourselves each day in practice and games. The potential is there.”

The Eagles also have several key nonconference opponents in Wausau East, Wausau West and Merrill.

“East is one of the best teams in Division 2 and Wausau West returns a good portion of that roster,” said Klemett. “Merrill always has talent and those games are going to be tough and challenging and should help us down the road for the tournament.”

Helping mold the team are assistant coaches Gary Muench, Marissa Klemett, Ben Albrecht and Lenny Orlowski.

“This is a great group of assistant coaches. They aren’t yes men. They work extremely hard and do a great job with our kids. We challenge each other daily and all have the same passions,” said Klemett.

The Eagles opened the season with a nonconference game against rival Three Lakes on Tuesday of this week and will play in a holiday tournament at Wausau West this Friday and Saturday, Nov. 29-30. Other teams will include Wausau West, Wausau East, Wausau Newman Catholic and Madison East.

Northland Pines’ first GNC game will be at Tomahawk, Dec. 6. The first home game for the Eagles will be Dec. 10 against Merrill.