WBCA names Wisconsin Lutheran's Ryan Walz boys coach of the year

Wisconsin Lutheran coach Ryan Walz was named the state high school boys basketball coach of the year by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association on April 23. "It's cool because it's your peers who are making that decision, and they respect what you did during the year and they know how hard it is, and so it means a little bit more when it comes from your peers," Walz told the Journal Sentinel. Walz guided the Vikings to a second 30-0 season in the past three years, culminating in a third straight WIAA state title in March .

Wisconsin Lutheran has gone 88-2 over the past three seasons. This is Walz's second straight year being named boys coach of the year by the WBCA. When the news of this latest honor was shared with him by an assistant coach, Walz said his first thought was of all the assistants and youth level coaches whose work contributed to the Vikings' success in recent years.

"From the varsity guys all the way down to JV and the freshmen guys and all the great coaching that we've got in our program right now, and how appreciative I am of them and the work that they put in," Walz said. "It almost should be like a program coaching award, just because of all the work that those guys put in, and it's never just one guy. " An innate desire to succeed and see athletes under their guidance achieve all they desire to are what Walz said keep him and his staff continuing to push their program to new heights.

"Winning doesn't take that away. I think that's something that you're always driving and driving and driving yourself towards excellence," Walz said. VOTE NOW: Vote for the Piggly Wiggly athlete of the week from April 13-18 "I never wanted to screw it up for the kids.