2023-24 UW-La Crosse Schedule
WIAC Season Preview
Madison, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men's basketball team is predicted to finish third in the 2023-24 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) standings in a preseason poll conducted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. The preseason poll was announced by the conference office Thursday.
UW-Whitewater, last year's conference tournament champion, has been selected to claim the men's basketball championship. The Warhawks, ranked second on the D3hoops.com Preseason Top-25 Poll, advanced to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championship Semifinals a year ago.
JT Gritzmacher starts his first year
as UWL's head coach.
UW-Oshkosh is selected to finish second followed by UW-La Crosse, UW-Platteville, UW-River Falls, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Stout. UW-Oshkosh is the defending regular-season league champion and are currently ranked 25th on the D3hoops.com Preseason Poll.
The top-six teams in the league standings will qualify for the WIAC Tournament (presented by Culver's). The event will be held February 20, 22, and 24, with all games hosted by the higher-seeded team. The winner of the tournament will receive the league's NCAA Division III automatic bid.
JT Gritzmacher was named UWL's head coach on June 22, the 25th head coach in school history. A West Allis, Wis. native, Gritzmacher has spent the past three seasons as the head coach at Bryant & Stratton College (Wis.). During his time at Bryant & Stratton (Wis.), the Bobcats compiled a 57-30 overall record including winning a single-season school record 26 games a year ago. In Gritzmacher's final season, the Bobcats spent time ranked in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Top 20 including finishing the season ranked 17th. The 2022-23 season saw the Bobcats advance to the NJCAA Region IV Championship.
Prior to taking over at Bryant & Stratton (Wis.), Gritzmacher was an assistant at Southeastern Community College (Iowa). He was an assistant coach for his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, from 2015-17.
Gritzmacher earned his bachelor's degree from UW-Whitewater in 2013 in health, human performance and recreation. He earned his Master's Degree from Longwood University (Va.) where he was a graduate assistant with the men's basketball program.
UWL returns 14 letter winners, including three starters, from last year's squad which finished 19-7 overall and 10-4.
Senior forward
Austin Westra of
DeForest (H.S.) returns after earning All-WIAC First Team honors a year ago while averaging 15.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 57.2% from the field. He scored in double figures in 21 games, recording at least 20 points in six contests. Westra had a career-high 27 points against UW-Whitewater. Junior guard
Will Fuhrmann of
Reedsburg (H.S.) was named to the 2022-23 All-WIAC Defensive Team. A starter in all 26 games, he shot 51.1% from the field, including 50.0% (25-of-50) from three-point range. Fuhrmann averaged 7.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.
Henry Noone played in 25 games.
Senior guard
Henry Noone of
Oshkosh (Lourdes) returns after appearing in 25 games and averaging 4.7 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. He shot 45.2% (33-of-73) from three-point range. Sophomore forward
JJ Paider of
Neenah (H.S.) played in 19 games with 12 starts, averaging 6.0 points and 3.5 rebounds. He shot 63.5% from the field and scored in double figures in five games.
Torin Hannah averaged 6.7 points
and 3.8 rebounds per game.
Junior guard
Torin Hannah of
Mount Horeb (H.S.) played in all 26 games last season while senior guard
Jake Gross of
Kenosha (Tremper) appeared in 25 and junior forward
Mack Sebert of
Fond du Lac (H.S.) in 24. Hannah, a starter in two games, averaged 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds last year. Gross averaged 4.9 points and Sebert 3.5.
Other returning letter winners include senior guard
Joey Platz of
Brookfield (Marquette University), senior forward
Luke Schwartzhoff of
La Crescent, Minn. (H.S.), sophomore guards
Dustin Derousseau of
Tomah (H.S.) and
AJ Hintz of
Pewaukee (H.S.) and sophomore forwards
Josh Crubaugh of
New Berlin (Eisenhower),
Griffin Ginder of
Arlington Heights, Ill. (Hersey) and
Kade Van Asten of
Little Chute (H.S.).
The Eagles welcome seven newcomers on the roster.
UWL opens its season Friday, November 10 at UW-Superior at 7:30 p.m.
