Many children play sports growing up, and a lot of them choose basketball. In order to fuel that passion in young students, the school has run the Wolf Pup program for almost 10 years.
Wolf Pup is a middle school feeder program run through the high school, where middle school students have a chance to play basketball together and learn more about the game before they reach high school. Head boys basketball coach RJ Palmgren runs Wolf Pup, scheduling games and coaching on occasion, and said the program has been influential for future students.
“The biggest thing is figuring out the intensity and the standards that we have at the high school level,” Palmgren said. “It helps bridge the gap, so they don’t come in here and [are] surprised by all the things that we’re doing. They’re familiar with what we’re doing, they know what things are called, what we want them to do and it really helps set those expectations.”
Palmgren said when he first started coaching at the school, he and late head coach Dustin Leochner agreed it was important to maintain the students at Aubry Bend and start making connections with them early, which is what prompted him to help with Wolf Pup.
“It’s actually a lot of fun. [The kids are] super energetic. It keeps me young because they always say funny things,” Palmgren said. “They bring a ton of energy, and we have some really competitive groups as well.”
All six teams, two for each age group, play on Sundays every week during the season in a competitive league. Wolf Pup coach Christian Ryckman, class of 2020, said he enjoyed working with the younger players when he helped at camps. He said Palmgren has had a large impact on his life, and he was excited when he was given the opportunity to help grow Wolf Pup.
“The goals are actually not to win games,” Ryckman said. “We’re not trying to win games on Sundays. We’re trying to win games on Friday nights when they get to Southwest. So they’re supposed to continue to grow as a team together and improve on their own individual skills.”
Eighth grade student Max Hansen said he has participated in Wolf Pup for four seasons, and his favorite thing about the team is how fun it is to play with his friends.
“[During] practices, we mostly go through inbound plays and offense. If it’s a good practice, we’ll run three on threes at the end,” Hansen said. “And [at games], you get there, we do layup lines at the start and then just play.”
The season normally lasts around two months, with teams practicing twice a week. Hansen said he initially joined Wolf Pup so he could play with his friends and learn from high school level coaches.
“[My favorite memory] is probably figuring out that I’m going to be on my brother’s team again,” Hansen said. “[Playing with him is] very fun, especially all the screens and knowing part of what he thinks.”
Ryckman said working with the athletes over the years is extremely rewarding, despite the challenges that come with evenly balancing training and fun.
“My favorite thing is just being able to see the kids grow over the years,” Ryckman said. “This last group that we just wrapped up with, I had been coaching for the last three years, so I had watched them ever since [they were] fifth graders … and now they’re in eighth grade and about to start [high school]. It’s been very cool to watch them be little guys who couldn’t really shoot or dribble as well, and now they’re growing up and going to be high school players soon.”
Wolf Pup recently wrapped up its final games, making way for the high school’s winter season. Palmgren said, despite it being a lot at times, he loves coaching Wolf Pup, and the coaches help pull the weight.
“The biggest thing is [we want] the kids to have fun and enjoy their time being at Southwest and in the gym,” Palmgren said. “Just building those connections, so that they feel comfortable here.”
