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Sophomore Mathwig emerged for Vikings
A huge rebuilding job awaited New Berlin West boys basketball coach Jeff Lewiston in the 2008-09 season.
The Vikings had lost all of their starters and returned no one who had averaged even one point in the previous campaign.
Yet West managed to avoid a horrendous season, finishing 8-8 in the Woodland Conference and 9-12 overall.
One reason was the play of sophomore forward Chad Mathwig, who became a consistent scorer and rebounder for the Vikings.
Mathwig, standing 6-feet-4-inches, averaged 13.9 points and 10.2 boards while shooting 59 percent from the floor. He led the Woodland North Division in scoring and finished second in rebounding.
He had played almost exclusively with the West junior varsity the previous season, averaging 12 points and seven rebounds, but made it to varsity at the start of this campaign and just kept improving.
"He really emerged to become an all-conference player in one year," Lewiston said.
For his role in taking a rebuilding project to respectability, Mathwig is part of the CNI All-Suburban Boys Basketball Team for 2008-09.
"We knew this would be a rebuilding year," Mathwig said, "but we did all right. We played with some good teams like (New Berlin Eisenhower) and Pewaukee, and we won some games."
Mathwig helped out by giving the Vikings a dominant inside force to complement the outside game of senior guard/forward Chris Prushiek.
"My game was mainly inside this year," Mathwig said, "but I will continue to work on my outside game. I want to develop a jumper to be a more complete player."
Mathwig is already looking forward to 2009-10. West returns 10 players from this year's varsity and can add members from a 17-3 junior varsity squad.
"We could be one of the best teams in the conference," he said. "We have the experience now. All the sophomores and juniors will be back."
John Rech can be reached at (262) 446-6610. Read his blog at NewBerlinNOW.com.
ROARING 20'S
New Berlin West's Chad Mathwig scored 20 points or more on six occasions this year. Here is the rundown of his totals and how the Vikings fared:
WHITNALL: 20 points, loss
ST. THOMAS MORE: 21 points, victory
BROWN DEER: 21 points, loss
GREENDALE: 23 points, victory
BROWN DEER: 25 points, victory
CUDAHY: 20 points, victory
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Mehryn Kraker of West Allis Central reached a personal milestone Jan. 24 against Wauwatosa East when she cleared 1,000 points for her career, leading her squad with 25 points. She was the leading scorer again Jan. 27 with 16, while teammate Claire Hankins played the hero by hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs an upset win over Sussex Hamilton. Central has played a brutal schedule this year, and it's paying off to the tune of four straight wins.
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