If you know anything about Bryce Appel’s game, you wouldn’t be surprised to know that the 2025 Edgerton High School graduate had a successful first season of college basketball at Wisconsin Lutheran College, an NCAA Division III school.
At 6-foot-6, the forward displayed the ability to knock down three-pointers and do damage in the post while suiting up for the Crimson Tide.
In his final high school season, Appel landed on the All-Rock Valley Conference first team and was a key piece to the Tide’s sectional semifinal run.
Wisconsin Lutheran College competes in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. Appel was an all-conference honorable mention this past season. He was named the team’s freshman of the year and was conference runner-up for freshman of the season.
“I absolutely blew my expectations out of the water,” Appel said. “Going in, I thought I’d maybe be lucky to get into a couple games. So just as a freshman to get the awards that I got, I feel very honored and blessed.”
The freshman forward averaged 10.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 0.8 APG. He also recorded 10 blocks and started 14 of the 25 games he played in.
But it wasn’t always smooth sailing for Appel.
“Coming in right away, for whatever reason, I was playing really good in practice and stuff,” Appel said. “And then there was about a span for a month or two where I just couldn’t figure it out.”
Appel said he wasn’t playing very good in practice and added it was hard to see.
That month-long span of struggles happened during the start of the season. Getting back to form was a multi-step process. Appel spent more time on the basketball court, sometimes between classes.
He said head coach Aaron Aanonsen encouraged him and told him things would turn around. Appel also looked towards his seniors, who played the same position, for guidance.
A conversation with his dad changed the trajectory of his season. After a 28-point loss to St. Norbert on Jan. 14, a game that Appel said he played “really bad,” he and his dad talked.
In 19 minutes, Appell went 0-for-4 from the field and missed two three-pointers. He also with no points, rebounds or assists alongside one turnover.
“My dad just talked to me after the game and he said, ‘Just be more physical.’ I was taking a few too many jump shots,” Appel said.
His dad also told him to get down low, go up strong and be aggressive. Appel said the next two games were turning points.
Appel scored 14 points and corralled six rebounds in the ensuing game. In the one after that, he scored a team-high 18 points and secured a team-high 11 rebounds.
“I had 18 and for a few minutes, I was unstoppable. Coach A (Aanonsen) was just going to me. He wanted to see the ball in my hands so we could win the game,” Appel said.
Later in the month, he scored a season-high 24 points. Before the St. Norbert game, he eclipsed 10 points just once. Appel went on to finish as a double-digit scorer in the team’s final 11 games of the season.
“I just really started implementing that more,” Appel said of his dad’s advice. “It helped me turn it around for the better. Just a complete 180. Then obviously that builds up the confidence too.”
Appel finished second on the team in points for the season. With the team’s leading scorer graduating and a handful of other players moving on, Appel could be in for an ever bigger breakout season next year.
Although, he said that even with new players coming in that he expects his role to remain the same. Appel added he’s hoping for an even better season as a sophomore.
For now, he’s been in the gym, working with his teammates to make that happen.