BRILLION, Wis. (NBC 26) — As a sophomore, Jeremy Lorenz helped lead Brillion to within one game of the WIAA state tournament, but a last-second loss to Wrightstown foiled their dreams of a gold ball.
This season, the Lions are off to a 13-0 start and the 6'8" Lorenz is their unquestioned leader.
"I've got to embrace that role and it's not always scoring for me," Lorenz, who is averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds per game, said. "Being a leader means I'm making the right play and the smart play to help our team get a win."
"His maturity has gotten better," Brillion head coach Chad Shimek said. "His shooting has gotten better. He's just gotten stronger. All parts of his game have improved."
And his career won't end at Brillion. Over the summer, Lorenz picked up a scholarship offer from UW-Green Bay
Blessed and thankful to have received an offer from @CoachWillRyan and @gbphoenixmbb 💚🖤 pic.twitter.com/N4cEhgxcsH
— Jeremy Lorenz (@jeremy_lorenz32) July 17, 2021
"That meant a lot to me," he said. "They were the first one to really trust my skills to reach out and offer me.
"It's always been my dream to play DI basketball," he added. "They were really strong on me and showed a lot of love to me and I appreciate their offer."
He also has an offer from Toledo, which is coached by former UWGB coach Todd Kowalczyk.
Lorenz's mind is far from made up, but he hopes to one day represent his little town of around 3,000 at college basketball's highest level.
"I really embrace the small town type atmosphere," he said. "Some guys are at big schools with a lot of exposure around them and have it easier to get to the next level but it definitely means a lot to just represent the city and the small town type feel."
"There are times I have to look back and think how fortunate we are to have a player and a person like Jeremy is," Shimek said. "Obviously he's good for our program and he's good for our school and our community."
Brillion is off to a 13-0 start and is ranked No. 6 in Division 3 according to WisSports.net.
