McDonell grad flies under the radar and into the spotlight

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By JON WEISBROD / The Chippewa Herald
Monday, April 9, 2007 11:01 PM CDT

LA CROSSE — Over the past four years, Joe Werner has put together one of the finest basketball careers in University of Wisconsin-La Crosse history.

The 2002 McDonell High School graduate made a name for himself as one of the top players in all of NCAA Division III basketball.

The numbers speak for themselves.

During his senior year, Werner averaged a team-high 16.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. He shot 56-percent from the floor and was named the WIAC Player of the Year.

He helped guide the Eagles to their first ever trip to the NCAA national tournament in 2006.

Impressive, but the list continues.

Even after his career ended, the accolades kept coming. In February, Werner was named one of ten finalists for the D-III Player of the Year, an award known as the Jostens Trophy. He was named to the D3Hoops.com All-American fourth team and NABC All-District West first team.

Although the Jostens Trophy went to Ryan Cain of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Mass.), Werner appreciates his nomination and remains humble in doing so.

“It was great to be nominated, but I know it was my teammates who allowed me to be successful,” Werner said. “I never would have made it this far without them.”

Hardwood to gridiron

Werner’s 6-foot-7, 255-pound frame has drawn attention from the next level.

It’s not the NBA that’s been calling, but rather the NFL. Werner recently worked out for the Green Bay Packers after a recommendation from his college coach, Ken Koelbl.

“That was pretty exciting,” Werner said. “It was a cool opportunity to do something that most people don’t get a chance to do. I just wanted to make the most of my chance.”

According to the La Crosse Tribune, his 40-yard dash time of 4.7 seconds and vertical leap of 36 inches are comparable to most D-I prospects.

Not bad for a guy who never saw a minute of playing time, or even put on pads in college.

Growing into his own

In high school, Werner played two years of football and admits his basketball career hardly gave any premonition to his future success.

In fact, he didn’t make the varsity until the end of his junior season. He spent most of his prep career as a shooting guard before hitting a growth spurt before his senior year.

“I really didn’t go through that goofy growing stage,” Werner said of the three inches he put on after his junior year. “I guess being a guard probably helped me in the long run because I handled the ball more and learned how to shoot.”

Werner drew very little interest from college recruiters and wasn’t even sure he wanted to continue playing after high school graduation.

The next year as a freshman at La Crosse, Werner went through the pre-season conditioning routine with the team and decided basketball wasn’t for him.

“I went in thinking maybe I would try-out and maybe not,” Werner said. “It wasn’t like I committed on playing (at UW-L). I really just spent my first year in college as a typical freshman. You know, going to class and living in the dorms, stuff like that.”

Come sophomore year, things would change.

Finding love in basketball

After taking a year off, Werner decided he missed basketball too much and went out for the team in 2003-04.

The transition went well as Werner quickly adjusted to the college game. In his first season, he finished second on the team in scoring at 10.3 per game.

“It’s always a little helter-skelter when you come in your first year,” Werner said. “To be honest, though, I think it just happened (started clicking).

“Over time I just got more comfortable playing the post and adjusting to the college game. I had a great couple of seniors that made the whole thing a lot easier.”

The team also started to shine as Werner came into his own.

The Eagles went from seven wins in 04-05 — Werner’s sophomore year — to 20 in 05-06. UW-L made it to the WIAC championship, but lost, 72-70, to UW-Whitewater.

The team, however, was awarded an at-large bid to the NCAA national tournament.

“That was pretty awesome,” Werner said of making the national tournament. “In D-III, they don’t have the selections televised, so me and my teammates literally sat in front the computer and waited.

“All of the sudden, I heard people screaming and I knew we got in.”

Werner, who scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 79-71 opening-round loss to Calvin College (Mich.), would never make it back to the NCAA tournament, but says the memory of it will last for quite some time.

“That has to be up there as one of my fondest memories,” he said. “It was special because I got to share that with my team.”

His stats reached all-time highs during his senior season, and the national attention grew even greater. But it was off the court where Werner saw the most success, both academically and personally.

Finding love in life

Werner graduated last May with a undergraduate GPA of 3.58. He received his degree in international management and is currently enrolled in the master of business administration program at La Crosse.

In June, Werner got engaged to fellow UW-L athlete Katy Searing. She made first-team All-WIAC this past season on the women’s basketball team.

The two met in 2003 and began dating in April of 2004. Naturally, Werner says they got to know each other by shooting hoops.

“She is better than me in a lot of ways (on the court),” Werner says. “I got some great advice from her over the years.”

Aside from his wedding date of July 21, Werner does not know what his immediate future holds.

There is no indication that Werner will be drafted into the NFL, or even signed as a free agent, which is okay with him.

“Right now I am just sort of looking for a full-time job,” Werner said. “I know I want to work with people someday. Playing basketball gave me a chance to meet so many great individuals over the years.

“I just hope I can make an impact somewhere.”

Reach Jon Weisbrod at jon.weisbrod@lee.net.