Austin grads Zach Wessels and Tom Aase are starting to play bigger roles for the University of Sioux Falls men’s basketball team, and they’re hoping they can help the Cougars (6-8 overall) make a strong push after the team has suffered three losses by less than two points in the NISC early on this season.

Wessels, who is a junior at USF, has started 12 games at guard and he’s averaging 7.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, while shooting 48 percent from the field. He said it is certainly a challenge to keep up with the pace and competition at the Division II level.

“It’s a grind. It’s a tough grind. The average margin for scoring differential for night is three points in the league. It’s stressful, but fun and it’s obviously tough,” Wessels said. “I’ve been playing more, but I’m just trying to bring a good mentality to the court. We’re hoping that we can start getting some wins here.”

Aase, who is a red-shirt junior at USF, has started five games this season and he’s averaging 5.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He has compiled more than 100 blocks in his career with the Cougars.

“Not a whole lot has changed, but I’ve been a little more confident this year,” Aase said. “It hasn’t translated to wins, which is frustrating, but we think we have time to get there. There’s a lot of season left.”

Aase and Wessels played three varsity seasons together with the Packers and they’ve now been teammates at USF for three years. At Austin, Aase was part of two Big Nine champion and state qualifying teams and Wessels was part of three Big Nine champion and state qualifying teams.

Aase said he and Wessels are at a huge advantage when they’re on the court together.

“It makes it a lot easier playing with someone I’ve known for a long time and we’ve continued to grow together,” he said.

While Aase and Wessels are playing at USF, there are other Packer making some noise in the college basketball scene. Bret Lukes is playing big minutes at Division III Hamline University and Gach Gach is having a breakout season at NJCAA Division I North Dakota State College of Science.

“We can look back and see what we did here was pretty special,” Wessels said of his time in Austin. “Seeing Bret’s team playing well and seeing Gach play well is good to see.”

Aase said he also looks back fondly on his time with the Packers and he’s glad to see many Austin players playing at the next level.

“It’s cool to see [other players in college]. It’s kind of a testament to what Fads has built and all of the summer camps he’s put together and his work ethic,” Aase said. “I like to reminisce with buddies and talk about specific games and memories. It’s nice to come back [to Austin] and reflect on our glory days.”