UW-La Crosse’s Staege Headlines All-WIAC Men’s Basketball Selections; Koelbl Tabbed Top Coach
Printable version of the 2016 All-WIAC Men's Basketball Team
MADISON, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Jared Staege was tabbed the Player of the Year to headline the individuals chosen to the 2016 All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Men’s Basketball Team by the league coaches. In addition, UW-La Crosse’s Ken Koelbl was selected the Coach of the Year.
Staege is the fifth player in program history to collect the league honor. He was an honorable mention selection a season ago and currently leads the WIAC with a .449 three-point field goal percentage, while ranking fourth with 37 steals, fifth with a .800 free-throw percentage, sixth with 14.3 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per contest and seventh with a .487 field goal percentage.
Staege reached double figures in scoring in 19 of 26 games, including seven 20-plus point performances and a career-high 26 points at UW-Oshkosh on Jan. 13. He also produced four double-doubles (points and rebounds) and was selected to the All-Defensive Team.
UW-Oshkosh’s Alex Olson and UW-River Falls’ Jon Christensen were repeat selections on the first team from a season ago.
Koelbl won the coaching honor for the first time in his career after guiding the Eagles to their first regular-season championship since 1965. UW-La Crosse also had 10 WIAC victories for the third time in the last four seasons.
An All-Sportsmanship Team was chosen for individuals that displayed exemplary sportsmanship throughout the season. It included one member from each school.
2016 All-WIAC Men’s Basketball Team
Name, School, Year, Position, Hometown (High School)
Jon Christensen, River Falls, Senior, Forward, Elko, Minn.
George Diekelman, Eau Claire, Sophomore, Guard, Stevens Point, Wis. (SPASH)
Boston Johnson, Platteville, Senior, Guard, Oshkosh, Wis. (North)
Sean McGann, Stevens Point, Senior, Guard/Forward, Baraboo, Wis.
Alex Olson, Oshkosh, Senior, Guard, Brookfield, Wis. (Central)
Garret Pearson, River Falls, Junior, Forward, Rush City, Minn.
Stephen Pelkofer, Stevens Point, Senior, Guard, Hales Corners, Wis. (Whitnall)
Jared Staege, La Crosse, Senior, Guard, Waunakee, Wis.
Trinson White, Whitewater, Senior, Forward, Milwaukee, Wis. (Riverside)
Devin Yurk, La Crosse, Junior, Guard, Sheboygan, Wis. (North)
Honorable Mention
Grant Erickson, River Falls, Junior, Guard, Lakeville, Minn. (North)
Austin Fritz, La Crosse, Junior, Forward, New Berlin, Wis. (West)
John Keefe, Stout, Sophomore, Guard, Medford, Wis.
Jack Martinek, Eau Claire, Junior, Guard, New Brighton, Minn. (Irondale)
Ben Meinholz, La Crosse, Freshman, Forward, Oconomowoc, Wis. (Marquette Univ.)
Charlie Noone, Oshkosh, Sophomore, Guard, Oshkosh, Wis. (Lourdes Academy)
Haki Stampley, Whitewater, Senior, Guard, Milwaukee, Wis. (Hamilton)
Cory Vaassen, Platteville, Junior, Forward, Dickeyville, Wis. (Cuba City)
Cole Van Schyndel, Whitewater, Junior, Forward, Kaukauna, Wis. (Wrightstown)
All-Defensive Team
Kyle Bolger, Oshkosh, Junior, Guard, Schaumburg, Ill.
Jack Herum, River Falls, Senior, Forward, River Falls, Wis.
Stephen Pelkofer, Stevens Point, Senior, Guard, Hales Corners, Wis. (Whitnall)
Jared Schneidermann, Eau Claire, Junior, Forward, Brooklyn Park, Minn. (Concordia Academy)
Jared Staege, La Crosse, Senior, Guard, Waunakee, Wis.
All-Sportsmanship Team
Lucas Collom, La Crosse, Senior, Forward, Galesville, Wis. (G-E-T)
Sean Dwyer, Oshkosh, Junior, Forward, Palos Park, Ill. (Stagg)
Isaac Elliott, Stout, Sophomore, Guard, Stevens Point, Wis. (Pacelli)
Connor Goodwin, River Falls, Senior, Center, Brooten, Minn. (Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa)
Dylan Graf, Whitewater, Senior, Guard, Racine, Wis. (Lutheran)
Jared Miller, Eau Claire, Junior, Forward, Colfax, Wis.
Bill Patterson, Stevens Point, Senior, Center, Alsip, Ill. (Mount Carmel)
Peyton River, Platteville, Senior, Guard, Maquoketa, Iowa
Player of the Year: Jared Staege of La Crosse
Coach of the Year: Ken Koelbl of La Crosse
Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete (sponsored by Badgerland Financial): Stephen Pelkofer of Stevens Point
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