Hopfensperger, seniors look to guide Kimberly boys basketball team after 'whirlwind' weekend

Hopfensperger, seniors look to guide Kimberly boys basketball team after ‘whirlwind’ weekend

Posted by author February 25, 2025 Basketball

Spread the love

KIMBERLY − Josh Hopfensperger will look to his six seniors to help the Kimberly boys basketball program move on from a tumultuous last three days.

Freddie Owens, the Papermakers’ first-year head coach, resigned following the Papermakers’ 98-79 loss to Kaukauna on Friday. Hopfensperger was elevated from assistant coach to head coach and a release from the school said the district will “conduct a search for the next Papermaker head coach at the conclusion of the 2024-25 basketball season.”

“We have six seniors that actually play a ton of minutes for us,” Hopfensperger said. “They’re very mature guys and I rely heavily on them and our coaching staff that have been here all year. Take it day-by-day. I think we’re going to obviously stick to what we know best and I’ve worked with these guys over the past several years, too, and have built relationships, too.”

The Papermakers (9-13) lost to West De Pere on Monday, 76-62, in Hopfensperger’s first game as interim coach. It was the fourth consecutive loss for Kimberly and the team finishes the regular season at Appleton East on Thursday before traveling to Holmen for a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal March 7.

“I know obviously that they’ve gone through a whirlwind of a situation the past 48 hours or so,” Hopfensperger said. “But I thought we battled tonight (against West De Pere) and we can use some positives from tonight moving forward.”

Hopfensperger has accumulated eight years in the Kimberly program, first as the freshman coach then junior varsity and then to varsity assistant the past two seasons. He is a former Neenah boys basketball standout and played collegiately at UW-Oshkosh.

“My coaching, a lot of it is done during practice,” Hopfensperger said. “And during games, obviously, I’m working with different scenarios and making adjustments here and there, but the game is for the players. I want them to be able to play free and let them feel confident when they’re out there and not that I’m looking over their shoulder whenever they make a mistake or something like that.

“I want them to feel like I have full trust in everything that they do.”

Kimberly senior Landen Van Offeren said Monday’s game and the regular-season finale will hopefully allow the Papermakers to find a rhythm for the postseason.

“Kind of using these two games to get into our groove with coach Hop,” he said. “And making adjustments from there and we have a full week of practice getting ready for the playoffs.

“We all talk about how we’re seniors, that we have a good draw and I think we can make some noise if we play our ball. Anything can happen in the postseason, so everything in the past is in the past and I think if we keep working, we’ll be all right and make a run.”