Brownstown senior grateful for opportunities on tennis courts, hardwood

December 7, 2018

Ethan Wischmeier said he has thoroughly enjoyed playing tennis and basketball at Brownstown Central.

He is a starter on the basketball floor, and played singles in tennis last fall.

The senior moved into the starting lineup in basketball after the Christmas break last year, and he is mostly playing in the post this winter.

He said he feels comfortable shooting 3-pointers, and his favorite spot to shoot from is the left wing. He scored 14 points against Salem in the season-opener to tie his career-high of 14 against Brown County last year.

“I like playing against man (defense),” Wischmeier said. “On defense I like to play half-court man. We might mix it up every now and then against certain teams, but we’re mainly man. When we press I’m usually at mid court.”

On the schedule, Wischmeier looks forward to the home games.

“It’s a great atmosphere, a great crowd every night, Wischmeier said. “They’re always loud and I really like that. Against Seymour, the crowd was as good as I’ve seen it in some time.”

There are six seniors on the roster, and Wischmeier said the expectations are high.

“We’ve got to have a sense of urgency on defense, and be ready to come to play mentally every game, every practice,” Wischmeier said. “We’ve got to play smart and play like we know how to play, and play at an up tempo pace.

“We’re better when we play fast. We’re never going to oversize any team, so play fast, play smart and play hard.”

Outside of the high school season, Wischmeier played travel basketball with teams out of Southport. He also played with the Braves during the summer in the Salem League.

“(Salem) was good for us,” Wischmeier said. “It keeps us active during the summer, it keeps a ball in our hands for a couple months. We were fortunate enough to win the league this year.”

Wischmeier played No. 2 singles in tennis for most of last season, and played two matches at No. 3 singles.

Over his career, he always held a single position.

He was in the varsity line up for three years, and said he could definitely tell he was playing a tougher opponent when he was at two.

He said his main goal was to be consistent, and he enjoyed playing at the baseline.

“I really wore down people most of the time,” Wischmeier said. “I wasn’t really a hard hitter, I just put the ball where it needed to go and kept it in play. I felt confident with my backhand.

“My serving was pretty consistent. I didn’t have a real hard first serve, but it was always consistent and I mainly got it in. My second serve was just another first serve.”

He said he enjoyed the home tennis matches the past two years.

“I really like them, especially my junior and senior year,” Wischmeier said. “The courts were new. They got repaired between my sophomore and junior year and they’re really nice out there.”

Wischmeier said practice is important in all sports.

“Practice is everything. If you don’t practice hard, you don’t play hard,” he said. “You’re attitude, coming into practice, coming into a game you’ve got to be prepared, ready to go, and ready to get a win. You can’t win a game with one person. It takes five.”

He has enjoyed attending BCHS.

“It’s a close-knit school,” Wischmeier said. “Coming out of grade school (at St. John’s Sauers) where there were only 100 students, and coming here where there are over 500 students, I figured it would feel ginormous. After my freshman year it really felt kind of small and close-knit, so I like that.

“I’ll definitely remember all the memories and all the friends I’ve made, all the times we’ve had in practice and in games and winning games.”

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Name: Ethan Wischmeier

High school: Brownstown Central

Parents: James and Lori Wischmeier

Siblings: Eli, Owen, Lucas

Sports: basketball 4 years, tennis 4 years

Athletic highlights: tennis-2017, 2018 mental attitude award, 2018 all-conference honorable mention

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