The Aplington-Parkersburg boys basketball team recently completed the 2024-2025 season with a 20-3 record. It’s a record that Head Coach Aaron Thomas views as a remarkable accomplishment for a group with plenty of question marks entering the season. He says the unselfish mindset and team-first mentality shown by the student-athletes were a key factor in this year’s success.
“Just how hard our kids played night in and night out, and the way they got after things defensively, I think is what was such a huge key,” Thomas says. “The fact that our guys were very, very unselfish. Nobody’s worried if Benny took 15 to 20 shots. A lot of teams probably wouldn’t care for a freshman to be your second or third leading scorer and have some nights where he got 20. But just the selflessness of this group to find the hot hand, whether it was Benny, whether it was Tyler, whether it was Caleb, or pounding inside to Mason Ridder when he was healthy. That says an awful lot about this group, and I think why we were able to accomplish what we did this year. Obviously the goal is to get to the state tournament every year. We’ve fallen short here the last couple. So that’s what I know the guys want to get accomplished again.”
Among the standouts, Benny Waller led with 20.1 points per game. Tyler Wedeking led the team with 61 made three-pointers at a 41 percent clip. Caleb Campbell was among the defensive leaders, topping the team leaderboard in rebounds and steals.
Thomas credits his assistants for helping maintain a strong culture.
“We have such good assistant coaches and the work they do. Jason Berkey helps defensively, and just the enthusiasm piece. Conner Neuroth with our JV, but JV and varsity go hand in hand, and he helps with the defense. Adam Wauters does a lot of the scouting, he and I kind of alternate. He works with our big men. Brad O’Connell, Keaton Hempen work with our freshmen and sophomores, but they chart some things for us during games. And just that group, what they bring to me and how all of our kids get coached every single practice is why I think we’ve been able to sustain the success. And then also the buy-in from our kids and our young people, whether they’re playing JV games, varsity games, they know they’re getting coached, they know they’re getting the same messages.”
The team also went 8-0 in the NICL-Central to claim the division title.
Aaron Thomas interview:
