Brown, Kuhn, Komanec among D2 All-Stars

BASKETBALL ALL-STARS

Henrichs also on Red staff

After missing out on last summer’s chance to be an assistant, Medford boys basketball coach Ryan Brown is getting an even better opportunity this year as he has been named the head coach for the Division 2 Red team in the 2021 Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Games.

Brown is bringing assistant coach Bob Komanec with him and the team’s roster will include Raider Peyton Kuhn, who is the reigning two-time Great Northern Conference Player of the Year and is a 2021 All-State honorable mentionee.

This year’s Division 2 boys game is scheduled for Thursday, July 15 at 2:15 p.m. at JustAGame Fieldhouse in Wisconsin Dells. The team will spend three days together in the Dells getting to know each other, practicing and scrimmaging before the game.

Last year’s games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Barring something unforeseen, this year’s event is a go.

The All-Star Games serve as a major fundraiser for Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer, better known as the MACC Fund. Coaches are asked to raise $750 each and players are asked to raise $500 in order to participate.

“It was disappointing that (last year) didn’t go,” Brown said. “It was what it was. This year I got the call around sectionals and was asked if I would be interested in doing it. I talked it over with (wife) Kristyn, knowing it would add to a more normal and busy summer. It’s an opportunity you don’t get every day so I was excited to jump in and do it.”

Brown added more Medford flavor to the Division 2 Red squad by naming Altoona’s Paul Henrichs as his second assistant coach. Henrichs was a standout for Medford, graduating in 2002 as the school’s second alltime leading scorer. Brown graduated from Altoona High School. Henrichs represented Medford in the 2002 Division 2 WBCA All-Star game and, in fact, is the last Raider to compete in a boys all-star game.

“Obviously Bob’s been here pretty much since the beginning with me and knows our system in and out,” Brown said. “He helps with our summer stuff and winter stuff, so I really wanted Bob if it worked out. I was excited to ask Paul. I knew he had done this before at one point so to have someone with a little bit of experience is good. Just with our connections with Altoona, it will be a fun time for us coaches and fun to work with the players.”

The honors for Medford’s crew follow a memorable 2020-21 season. Medford went 24-3 while setting a school record for wins in a season and was 12-0 in the Great Northern Conference for the second straight year. The Raiders won a WIAA regional championship by beating Merrill and Rhinelander. Their season came to an unfortunate end with a 52-51 upset loss to Rice Lake in a WIAA Division 2 sectional semifinal.

Brown has led the Raiders to a 104-56 record since he took over Medford’s program midway through the 2014-15 season. The Raiders are 53-27 in GNC play in that time with three conference titles and two regional championships.

Komanec joined the coaching staff in 2014-15 and has been the JV coach since the 2015-16 season.

Henrichs led Altoona to a 16-8 record this season and a Division 2 regional championship. The Railroaders lost to eventual state runner-up Onalaska in the sectional semifinal round. Last year, his first with Altoona, Henrichs led the Railroaders to a 17-7 record that included a 13-1 mark that won the Western Cloverbelt Conference and a Division 3 regional title. He previously had a successful run as Augusta’s head coach after a solid collegiate playing career at St. John’s University of Minnesota.

Kuhn leaves Medford as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,464 points and its all-time leader in 3-point field goals with 201.

This season, Kuhn led the GNC in scoring, averaging 22.1 points in the 12 league games, and in 3-point shooting by making 3.3 per game. He also ranked third in the conference in steals with 2.4 per game. He topped the 20-point mark in nine GNC games.

Overall, Kuhn played in 25 of Medford’s 27 games and averaged 19.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.8 assists per game. He shot 43.8% from the field overall, 34.1% from 3-point range (72 for 211) and 72.2% (70 of 97) from the free throw line. “For Peyton, it will be fun for him to see what he can do with some of these other players and have a good time,” Brown said. “It’s an honor for all the hard work he’s put in and all the accomplishments he’s had over the last four years.”

The Division 2 Red team will have some familiar faces, including All-GNC performers Cyle Kowalski of Mosinee and Ross Skeen of Altoona. Liam Dougherty of River Falls, who has Medford family connections and played the Raiders this season, is also on the team.

The tentative roster includes Victor Desmond of Onalaska, Parker Lawrence of Hortonville, Jayden Jackson of Whitefi sh Bay, Josh Crubaugh of New Berlin Eisenhower, Jonah Rindfleisch of Wisconsin Lutheran, Cole Kalander of Holmen, Cael McGee of Stoughton and AJ Hintz of state champion Pewaukee.

Brown said he’s most looking forward to getting to know the players on a more personal level.

“That’s going to be the exciting part,” he said. “Just talking to other coaches and players who have done this, they say some of them are still in touch with their all-star coach. I’ve had a number of people say it’s just a great experience. It’s less about coaching and more about the time we have with the players.”

They’ll face the Division 2 White team that will be led by head coach Josh Skatrud of Elkhorn. That team includes Nathan Woller of Merrill and Zac Johnson of River Falls.

To donate

The easiest way to help the WBCA All-Stars’ MACC Fund donation drive is to go online to https://www.wisbca.org/ allstar-game/donation-banner/. There you can pick an amount to donate and select in whose name you are making the donation.

Donations result in recognition and/ or advertising on the all-star’s webpage at www.wisbca.org as well as tickets to the game.

“It’s about showcasing seniors, but it’s also about the money the WBCA brings into these different organizations,” Brown said.

Ryan Brown

Peyton Kuhn