Milwaukee-Area Schools Dominate

Three Milwaukee-area schools played at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin, almost a month ago and brought back state championships. During the WIAA Wisconsin high school boys basketball tournament, Wisconsin Lutheran won the Division 1 championship, Wauwatosa West won Division 2, and Milwaukee Academy of Science won Division 3.

Wisconsin Lutheran defeated Marshfield, Wauwatosa West defeated Racine Park, and Milwaukee Academy of Science defeated Freedom. Each win was big for the city, as oftentimes the city of Milwaukee is overlooked by the state of Wisconsin for funding, opportunities, and resources. These wins were a clear look into the talent that exists in the city.

Carvd N Stone chatted with each team about their growth over the season, team collaboration, and being winners.

D1 Championship – Wisconsin Lutheran

Coach Ryan Walz has been a head coach for 17 years at Wisconsin Lutheran, and he said winning championships is a year-round thing. Before the players can get to the win, Coach Walz said it starts with building trust and relationships with his boys, and helping the boys build relationships with each other.

“Relationships is the key to any type of success,” said Coach Walz.

18-year-old senior Alex Greene is leaving his senior year on a great note with this D1 Championship win. Greene will be attending Concordia University Wisconsin to study sports management.

Although the win was a great year highlight, he says his academics are the number one priority.

“The student part comes first. I try to use any free periods I have during the day to do homework before practice, so I can give 100% focus to basketball,” said Greene.

During the season, Greene took some time to step up as a leader on the tea,m which took being comfortable in his new position.

“It’s making sure you’re doing your job the best you can,” said Greene.

This is one of the many skills Coach Walz likes to teach his players because it’s not always about basketball and winning the game.

“Winning is really hard to do, so we don’t [define] our success just based on that,” said Coach Walz.

Greene is happy for this win, but he also loves the positive spotlight Milwaukee has received over the last month.

“I want people to see that Milwaukee is a city that is consistently improving,” said Greene. “We have winners. We have people that are talented in many ways.”

Along with winning the state, Greene was recently awarded the Pick ’N Save Student-Athlete of the Week.

D2 Championship – Wauwatosa West

Each coach takes on their role a little differently. Coach Christopher Newbauer likes to use basketball as a tool to help his players grow as individuals on and off the court.

“It helps them in life,” said Coach Newbauer, who has been head coach at Wauwatosa West for five years.

At the start of the season, Coach Newbauer admitted the team’s defense wasn’t where it needed to be. In January, they lost five of eight games and struggled to contain opponents. Still, despite the odds, Newbauer said he saw something special in his team.

Through honesty and hard work, the team rose to the top and won a D2 State Championship.

“You have to build the relationships with your players,” said Coach Newbauer. “You have to hold them accountable.”

4.0 student, senior, and possibly the 2025 Valedictorian of Wauwatosa West, basketball player Jake Hanson treats every game the same, which means giving his all. As his high school career comes to an end, Hansen is happy he took time to appreciate the journey, and he’s proud of the work he and his team put in.

“We all had the same goal in mind,” said Hansen. “I’m just grateful.”

Hansen is currently deciding on what college he wants to attend. As he’s still riding high on the win, he’s proud to see Milwaukee on the map.

“Seeing that three schools in the Milwaukee area win state…I hope it inspired somebody,” said Hansen. “…[I hope it] motivates people to get better because of the friendly competition,” said Hansen.

D3 Championship – Milwaukee Academy of Science

It wasn’t an easy journey for Milwaukee Academy of Science but they took on the challenge and conquered as D3 State Champions.

“Our resilency kinda grew in the beginning of the year and set the standard [for the season],” said Coach Agape Keys. “…It just shows the hard work we’ve all been putting in.”

He added that Milwaukee needed the win.

“Hardwork pays off. If you wake up and you fight for it, it will happen. I just want the city to be proud of these young men,” said Coach Keys.

Coach Keys said his boys are well-rounded in all ways, especially in skills and academics.

“What you see on the court is what you see in the classroom,” said Coach Keys.

Coach Keys’ son, Agape Keys Jr,. played on the winning team.

“It feels great. It’s a great experience and a great moment I had with my team and my dad,” said Keys Jr.

Keys Jr. will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for sports management.

“Basketball is like a wife or like a mama. You’re just always going to need it,” said Keys Jr. “I’m always going to need [basketball].”

The boys have been to state three of the four years of their high school career.

“They really put their lives on the line for this championship,” said Coach Keys.

All three schools are looking forward to next year’s season.