After nearly claiming a Dunn-St. Croix Conference championship in the 2021-22 season, the Elmwood/Plum City boys’ basketball team graduated ample senior talent and began a multi-year program rebuild.

The first year of the rebuild ended in a 69-46 loss on the road against Alma Center Lincoln in the first round of the WIAA Division 5 postseason on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Elmwood/Plum City finished the 2022-23 campaign 5-18 overall and 2-12 in Dunn-St. Croix Conference games. This year’s roster returned just one starter from the 2021-22 squad that was 19-7 overall, 10-4 in conference action and played in a regional championship.

Now-senior Trevor Asher, who ended his high school basketball career against Alma Center Lincoln, was the lone returning starter from that 2021-22 team. Asher tallied more than 700 minutes that year, started every game and became this year’s only true returning varsity veteran.

Because of that lack of returning experience, the Wolves began the multi-year rebuild. Elmwood/Plum City head coach Kyle Webb spoke about rebuilding throughout this season and what his players have to do to take another step in the right direction next year.

“It was a learning and growing experience, not only for the boys on the team but also for me,” Webb said. “After the year we had last year, it’s a rebuild. I think next year will be a step in the right direction, but it all depends on the work they do in the offseason. They’re hard-working kids and I think they’ll take this season as a learning experience.”

While the 2022-23 roster featured multiple impactful seniors, some of Elmwood/Plum City’s key starters have one or more seasons left with the team. Perhaps no young player had a more significant impact this year than sophomore guard Lucas Glaus.

Glaus quickly became Elmwood/Plum City’s most dangerous offensive threat with his elite perimeter scoring. He led the team in both three-point and free throw percentages at 35% and 76% respectively, while also posting a team-high 16.8 points per game.

Glaus made 65 of the Wolves’ 153 three-pointers this season, seven of which came in a season-high 34-point performance against Cadott at the Elmwood/Plum City Holiday Tournament in December.

Although he’s already become the best scorer on the team, coach Webb believes that with more offseason work and physical development, Glaus can be one of the most potent scorers in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference. 

“As a player, we’d like to see him get a little bit more physical and put on 15 more pounds,” Webb said. “He’s going to keep perfecting his shot, but I’d like to see him be able to take people inside as well. Not just driving to the hoop, but also posting up.”

While the sophomore offensive threat will be vital to any future success, so will other rotational players from this year’s team that will see more prominent roles next season. Webb spoke about specific player development that could make Elmwood/Plum City a dangerous team next year.

“I’d like to see Blake Allen become more of a floor general and I’d like to see Aiden Maxwell and Jacob Steele work on their footwork and become twin towers that we can have inside,” Webb said. “Aaden Birtzer showed that he can play defense and rebound and I want him to keep working on that.”

Allen enters his senior season while Steele and Maxwell enter their sophomore and junior campaigns respectively. While those three players will be crucial to next season’s team, the Wolves will have to do it without departing senior Trevor Asher.

Although Asher was never Elmwood/Plum City’s most dynamic scorer, he left his mark on the program through elite defense at all three levels and invaluable locker room leadership. Asher regularly helped the coaching staff steady the ship in a rebuilding season with a developing roster.

“Trevor was a big leader for us,” Webb said. “His leadership, effort and defensive stuff and the camaraderie with the other seniors, even the guys who didn’t play as much. They worked so hard in practice and there was that camaraderie where everybody got along. We have some of that coming back, but we’re losing some pretty fine young men.”

Elmwood/Plum City has already begun prioritizing offseason development for the young and fairly inexperienced roster that will return next winter for the 2023-24 season. For coach Webb, the offseason work in the gym and weight room will be integral to the second year of the program’s rebuild.