ONALASKA — Will Huelskamp and his brother Max were one week removed from rolling their car three times and landing on a fence while driving home from a Luther High School boys basketball practice on the first snowy night of the winter.
The Knights had a scrimmage scheduled at La Crosse Logan weren’t about to miss it.
Will, who was driving, already had a practice under his belt. Max was ready to join him in competition for a team that has been stacking successful seasons for years.
The commitment to basketball at the school of approximately 250 students is a serious one, and neither was about to milk or be overly cautious after being fortunate enough to escape the accident with minor injuries.
“It was scary,” Will said of the incident.
“We flipped right over the ditch and onto a fence that was connected to a field,” Max added.
After confirming each other’s condition as the car came to a stop, the two hugged and celebrated — muted considering the situation, of course — the fact that they were safe.
“I had some glass in my back,” Will said.
“I had some glass in my head and my leg,” Max added.
The minimal damage meant the two could start thinking about basketball again the next day.
“I knew, as one of the leaders of the team, that I had to be there for them,” Will said before glancing at Max. “So did he. We didn’t want to miss anything.”
The reason is easy to understand as the Knights prepared an attempt to continue a streak of seven straight winning seasons. The fact that the Huelskamps were back in the saddle almost immediately kept that plan on course and helped them win their first seven games of the season.
Luther was knocked off by Onalaska on Thursday, and its record fell to 7-1.
The Knights have carved out another strong start after winning 71 games over the past three seasons, and the brothers are combining to average 22.5 points and 17 rebounds per game. Will leads the team with 17.1 points per game, and Max leads it with 8.6 rebounds per game.
“Guys want to win, and that’s a top priority here,” said Dan Unke, who took over the program before last season. “It’s whatever it takes to win, and it’s awesome to have that attitude here.”
Unke stepped in after Brad Schaper’s final team won the WIAA Division 4 state championship with a 28-2 record two years ago. Unke’s first season resulted in a 19-7 performance.
Will Huelskamp and fellow senior Synclair Byus would have to lead the way for some younger teammates — Max being one as a junior — for the victories to continue. Both started for Unke as juniors.
“We don’t have a lot of people who have been playing varsity for a long time,” Byus said after a victory over Prairie du Chien. “We already have a really good chemistry going, and it’s really enjoyable to play with all of them right now.
“It’s easier to get people going and speed things up (with tempo). They are getting used to the speed for varsity.”
The Knights are using their familiar style of pushing tempo but finding success from it through various sources. Unke likes the team’s balance with Huelskamp, Byus (15.1) and junior Brody Greeno (10.6) all scoring in double figures.
Senior guard Jackson Kendall (7.4 ppg) will also play a significant role in whatever the team’s success.
“We’re trying to put in some new things offensively this year, and sometimes they look good, and sometimes they bog us down,” Unke said. “I don’t think we’ve played anywhere close to our best basketball yet.
“We’ve seen glimpses at times but we’re still looking for the full 36 minutes of basketball.”
Luther played well during stretches against Onalaska but losing track of junior Ian Kowal — he made five first-half 3-pointers — was costly in what turned into a 69-46 defeat. The Knights also failed to convert on good scoring opportunities in the lane throughout the game and never got Byus on track during a two-point scoring night.
Unke was happy to see his team tackle the challenge of a top MVC school and expects to see the experience pay off.
“There is a level at which we are striving to play against any opponent, whether its nonconference or conference,” Unke said. “We can be pretty good when we execute and play to our capability.”
Luther has posted comfortable wins over Bangor, Westby, Arcadia and Prairie du Chien so far but struggled to beat a winless Mondovi team 53-51 over the holiday break. Making some of the shots that presented themselves against Onalaska would have tightened that game up significantly.
The Knights will get a good look at where they are when they play at West Salem on Jan. 10. The Panthers are the kings of the Coulee Conference and have been the measuring stick for local opponents.
