Lomira 2000 Boys Basketball State Team Comes Together After 25 Years

On February 21, the Lomira 2000 boys’ basketball team returned to be celebrated during the 25th anniversary of their historic run to the WIAA state tournament.
The reunion gave the team members and coaches time to reflect on their team’s journey and what it meant to them.
The 2000 state team run was fueled by their experience and disappointment of their 1999 season ending in a loss in overtime in the regional final. Team members shared the 1999 team might have been more talented and had a deeper roster.
“I hope the 1999 team and other teams before us realize how much impact they had in what we ultimately were able to receive,” said Adam Eichstedt.
The regional overtime loss motivated the 2000 team and showed that they weren’t far from being a state tournament team. In the summer of 1999, the team played in basketball tournaments from Fond du Lac to Platteville against some of the best programs within all divisions around the state.

“Prior to the season, we played a lot of basketball that summer as a team, which helped us to get ready for the 2000 season and the tournament run,” said Curt Christian. “It requires a commitment to your sport by putting the work in year-round with everyone on the same page to be successful, but at the same time everyone wants the success without wanting to do the work to become successful.”
“The summer before the 2000 season, we played in a tournament at UW-Platteville where we beat Cassville and Wisconsin Heights with future Wisconsin Badger Mike Wilkinson and reached the semifinals,” said A. Eichstedt. “It did a lot to open not only our eyes to how good we could be but also for other people around the state to take notice.”
Lomira 2000 roster and coaching staff with season stats and accomplishments
Head Coach: Randy Hatlen - He came to Lomira High School in 1995 from Cassville after nine years, where he won multiple state championships as a basketball assistant, to coach the Lions in football and basketball.
Hatlen’s first season in Lomira resulted in a sectional appearance for the program, which helped lay the foundation for the future success of the Lions’ basketball program.
“Coach Hatlen deserves the credit for changing Lomira’s culture in football and basketball; he belongs in the Lomira Sports Hall of Fame,” said Cu. Christian.
“Being able to have that experience with my dad as head coach made it even more special for me,” said Nick Vogt. “The amount of work that the coaches put in behind the scenes is incredible, and I didn’t want to let him down.”
“I am forever grateful to Randy and Steve Scharf for believing in us because they saw something in us that we only could dream about, but words can’t describe what those two men did to help us in our success in 2000,” said Cu. Christian. “It is amazing the power a coach can have on kids by empowering them instead of preaching negativity.”
“There are so many great memories of that historically successful season for Lomira basketball but the groundwork was really laid during the previous five seasons,” said Steve Scharf. “A lot of coaches talk about creating a culture of winning but I witnessed it during those seasons.”
“Coach Hatlen and Eichstedt were preaching defense during the season and it was going to be the main difference in our season success,” said Jeremy Weber. “They did a great job in practice with their defensive philosophy where our goals were allowing only 40 points per game (we ended at 41 ppg) by playing a variety of defenses with man, box-1. Presses, 2-3, 3-2, 1-3-1 in our toolbox.”
“Coach Hatlen was a very good coach who was a caring and smart coach who coached two tough sports (football and basketball), and he is overlooked on how good of a coach he was for Lomira,” said KFIZ Sports Director Chuck Freimund.
Assistant Coaches: Glenn Eichstedt (defensive coordinator), Joe Hendricks (JV coach), Dean Hartwig (freshmen coach), Steve Scharf (former JV coach), and Steve Weddig
“We had a great group of coaches (Glenn, Steve S., Dean, Steve W., and Joe), who helped me a great deal with the team and the program,” said Hatlen.
Coach Eichstedt brought over 12 years of high school head coaching experience, with previous stops at the Abbotsford boys’ program (1981-84), Lomira girls’ (1988-89, 1996-98), and Kewaskum girls’ (1989-95) programs, before coming to be an assistant as a co-coach and defensive coordinator for the Lomira boys’ program.
“Coach Hendricks was a recent college player. With Joe being 6’4, he was able to practice against our taller players and it was valuable during our tournament run,” said G. Eichstedt. “Coach Hartwig was great with stats and supporting the players in a positive way.”
“Coach Scharf knew our players and was a great resource for the program,” said G. Eichstedt. “Coach Weddig helped with scouting and making significant suggestions.”
#10 Brad Toellner 5’10 Sr. Guard - “Solid perimeter defender for us,” said G. Eichstedt.
#12 Jeremy Weber 5’10 Jr. Guard - “First player off the bench, [he] was our most athletic player with being a very capable shooter, defender, and rebounder,” said G. Eichstedt. “His best attribute was that he could break down a defense when our offensive patterns weren’t successful, and he made some very crucial threes during the regular season.”
“Jeremy was our spark plug off the bench, who gave us scoring and tough defense,” said Vogt.
#14 Mike Rose 6’1 Jr. Forward - “All-around athlete,” said G. Eichstedt.
#20 Brian Geelan 5’10 Sr. Guard Captain - “Second in assists and sneaky, quick defender,” said G. Eichstedt.
“Brian was our defensive stopper who always guarded the opposing team’s best player,” said Vogt.
#22 Steve Sukowatey 5’11 Jr. Guard - “Good teammate,” said G. Eichstedt.
#24 Eric Hinojosa 5’10 Sr. Guard - “One of our better shooters off the bench,” said G. Eichstedt.
#32 Nick Vogt 5’10 So. Guard - “Great vision who overwhelmingly led our team in assists and spirit,” said G. Eichstedt. “Nick made the second-most threes on the team and was a feisty defender who played with grit and hustle.”
“I was our point guard who handled the ball, guiding our offense, and as a young sophomore on the team, it was important for me not to let down the upperclassmen, especially the seniors,” said Vogt.
#34 Curt Christian 6’6 Sr. Forward Captain 18.2 ppg. 9.5 rpg. 53% FG. 70% FT. First Team All-Conference & 2000 WBCA All-Star - “Curt was our team leader, captain, and MVP,” said Assistant Coach Glenn Eichstedt.
#40 Chris Christian 6’6 Sr Center Captain 17.2 ppg. 6.8 rpg. 52% FG. 68% FT. First Team All-Conference & 2000 WBCA All-Star - “Chris proved to be a valuable late-period shooter from distance,” said G. Eichstedt.
“Chris and I were given a road map from our coaches to be successful,” said Cu. Christian. “We were given the opportunity to run with it our senior year, and I hope we didn’t let them down.”
“We knew we had a chance to be good because we had Curt and Chris, two of the best players in the state,” said Vogt.
“Our overall team success was largely dependent on the play of twin brothers, Curt and Chris,” said G. Eichstedt. “Defensively, they were our two enforcers with blocked shots and defensive rebounds.”
#42 Nick Rusch 6’2 Jr. Forward - “Solid team player and team member,” said G. Eichstedt.
#44 Jeff Gassner 6’0 Sr. Forward - “Led us in steals and took care of the ball,” said G. Eichstedt.
#50 Mike Koenings 6’0 Jr. Guard - “Good rebounder for our team,” said G. Eichstedt.
#52 Pete Postuma 6’2 Jr. Forward - “A backup forward who provided rebounding and scoring for our team,” said G. Eichstedt.
#54 Adam Eichstedt 6’6 Jr. Forward, led the team in steals and three-point shooting, 2001 WBCA All-Star - “Adam was our third scoring option and was vital in other areas with rebounding and ball-handling responsibilities,” said Vogt.
“Very capable ball skills from the wing with his size made him difficult to stop on the perimeter and compete for offensive boards,” said G. Eichstedt. “[He] was a very solid team defensive player who understood and implemented help defense, with the biggest obstacle overcoming his own dad’s coaching.”
“It was an accumulation of things in our journey with a lot of work in the weight room, open gyms, summer tournaments, and a great memory in time,” said Head Coach Randy Hatlen. “It was a group of good guys who I am very fond of that knew how to win games and were moving in the same direction for our common goals.”
“Sometimes credit isn’t given much to the reserves but they prepared us to win every night with what they did in practice and when they played in the games,” said Cu. Christian.
“Our bench gave us valuable minutes and everyone took a lot of pride in our roles on the team, which was a main reason for our success,” said Vogt.
“Lomira was ahead of their time with three big and mobile guys who could play all over the court with shooting, ball handling, and defense,” said Freimund. “They had great fan support, and it was a fun time to cover a good group of players on that Lomira team.”
“With our size with Chris, Curt, and Adam, we caused matchup nightmares for the teams we faced throughout the season,” said Weber.
Lomira won the Flyway Conference Championship with an impressive record of 15-1 and 18-2 overall during the regular season, going into the tournament with momentum. This included a 12-game win streak, with their only losses coming to Springs and Laconia by a combined 11 points.
“There was a great sense of pride and excitement building throughout the school as the season went on, as we started to become ranked,” said A. Eichstedt. “By the time we got around to the tournament, we were as confident as any team could be.”
Early season wins at Springs and Mayville, including a late December win at Markesan, were significant for the team because they had lost at those venues the year before, which gave them confidence and belief in their goals.
WIAA Tournament Run-Division 3
Regionals
1st Round: Beat Ozaukee 53-35
“Our first game was a struggle against Ozaukee. Fans picked us up with extra energy we needed in that game,” said Hatlen.
2nd Round: Beat Laconia 73-44 at Waupun
“We had an early February loss at Laconia (53-49), which was a step back because they were our biggest obstacle to winning the regional,” said G. Eichstedt. “We developed a new defense for Laconia in the regular season but decided to wait to use it in the regional game.”
“We were upset the game changed from their home gym, and we were on a mission to make them pay when we streamrolled them by 29 points at Waupun,” said A. Eichstedt.
“We dominated the Spartans with our new defense after the game was moved from Lomira to Waupun to advance to the regional final,” said G. Eichstedt.
“The decision to press with our defense really caused them problems because they rarely got the ball across half-court,” said Hatlen
Final: Beat Random Lake 67-46
Sectionals at West Bend High School
“I absolutely loved the atmosphere there with the double semifinal setup in the same gym and the way the bleachers surrounded the floor with having great crowds for both of our games,” said A. Eichstedt.
Semifinals: Beat Big Foot 59-38
“We were one win away from our ultimate goal, which was awesome, but we were taking on a perennial power in Oostburg with one practice to prepare for the sectional final,” said A. Eichstedt. “Nick Rusch played the role of Oostburg’s best player in practice and he took it to us, which gave us a renewed focus going into the Oostburg game.”
Final: Beat Oostburg 55-44
“We knew we had to play almost a perfect game to beat them, with a great game plan from our coaches, which we executed the best we could, and it was a fun game to play with fans having so much passion in the stands,” said Vogt. “I don’t think people understand how much work it really takes to get to that moment. To achieve it with that group of guys was special.”
“Our run to state by defeating traditional powerhouse Oostburg for the sectional championship was incredibly meaningful,” said G. Eichstedt. “It was possibly the best part of that season since you have dreamt about going to the state tournament.”
“Breaking ground in the program with our team being the first boys’ team going to the state tournament was a special moment for us in the program,” said Hatlen.
State Tournament at the Kohl Center
“Getting to the state tournament was a huge achievement and goal for so many of us,” said A. Eichstedt. “I had visualized myself in that place so many times over the previous decade as I watched other teams play in Madison.”
Semifinals: Lost to Marshall 80-50
“Our State Tournament experience ended quickly when Curt broke his finger early in the first quarter and Marshall couldn’t miss a shot,” said G. Eichstedt. “We were down by 20 before we could get our head right in the game.”
“Lomira could have won the state title that year if Curt didn’t break his finger early in the state semifinal,” said Freimund. “That team was special after they blew out Laconia in the regional at Waupun, but we didn’t see their full potential due to the injury.”
Lomira finished the best season in school history with a record of 23-3.
“Many of us are disappointed with how things occurred at the Kohl Center but we are very appreciative of the season we collectively created,” said G. Eichstedt.
“Whether it was home or on the road, family, friends, alumni, and community members would pack the gym to support us, which was absolutely incredible,” said Weber. “They had our back, and we wore those uniforms with pride because they showed us how important it was to the school and the community.”
“It should mean everything to alumni that the program is successful, and you always want to leave it better than you found it,” said Cu. Christian. “Communication is the key, and it starts with a head coach who led the way to our team’s success.”
“The biggest memory over all others was the support from the community, and crowds were incredibly led by the awesome student section, resulting in a special time in our lives,” said Vogt. “It didn’t end the way we wanted but we accomplished something no other boys’ basketball team has done in the history of the school, which is pretty remarkable.”
“Looking back on it, we had the perfect storm of things (Hatlen’s arrival with his stepson Nick, Christian twins coming to play in Lomira, My family moving to the area a decade earlier, etc.) to make this dream season a reality,” said A. Eichstedt. “We were heartbroken for so many reasons because of the pride we felt...but when Coach Hartwig (LHS alum) gave an impassionated speech about our accomplishments of what they meant to our alumni, community, and the school, it really hit home for us.”
“The whole year was a special time, with the whole community supporting our players and team throughout this special journey,” said Hatlen. “I will always have fond memories of this group of players because it was great to share with those kids.”