Chris Caporale, sports@wolfrivermedia.com
File Photo by JLW Photography Shawano Community High School guard Eric Carl hits one of his six field goals in the Hawks’ 43-21 win against visiting Clintonville last season. Carl will attend Kaukauna High School this year.
After just one season at Shawano Community High School, sophomore Eric Carl has transferred to Kaukauna.
As a freshman, the 6-foot-4 guard averaged nine points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
“I don’t know if we can replace that with just one player, but as a team, I have all the confidence in the world that those guys can still knock down shots,” SCHS boys basketball head coach David Ambrosius said.
Carl, the 15th ranked 2018 prospect in the state, will join a strong Kaukauna team that also has highly regarded sophomores Jordan McCabe and Dylan Kurey on its roster. The Ghosts were 20-4 (15-3 Fox Valley Association) last season and are among the Division 2 favorites this year.
“Obviously, Eric Carl is a tremendous worker on and off the court. He is a phenomenal kid,” Ambrosius said. “We lose a great knock-down shooter, but we have talented kids that are still in the program, so this is obviously an opportunity for some of them to step up.”
No official reason for Carl’s move was available, and the family could not be contacted. The transfer was reported in August by wissports.net, which stated the family had purchased a home in Kaukauna and enrolled three sons in the school system.
Carl’s father, Rick, played at Marinette High School and then University of Wisconsin-Superior.
Eric Carl competed with the Wisconsin Blizzard 15U club program this summer.
The Hawks also lost their head coach this summer when Chris Kellett resigned. Ambrosius was promoted from assistant to head coach last month.
Seniors Zeke Gueths, Adam Bartz and Jared Tavernier will return this season to lead the Hawks, who went 19-6 overall, 11-5 in the Bay Conference last season. Also back are junior Jacob Kakkak and sophomores Kaden Richards and Jacob Lacy.
“We have some good varsity returners coming back,” Ambrosius said, “and we’ve got some good kids coming up from JV last year that are going to have an opportunity now to contribute.”
Teams can begin practice on Nov. 16 with games starting as early as Nov. 24.