The thing that makes him a special player is that he found a role on each team that made it hard as a coach to take him off the floor. He has gone from a player that would score only from offensive rebounds and passes to him near the basket, to being able to create shots for himself against the top defensive players in the area.”

Tom Hause

He is a leader on and off the court, and has made our program better. When you combine his height and athleticism with the abilities to handle the ball and shoot from anywhere, it makes him extremely hard to defend.”

Orioles Head Coach Dakota Nichols

It was Monday, Jan. 15, and the Orioles were facing off against Stratford-Marawood at Stanley-Boyd.
On the court, the Orioles fielded five starters: Landon Karlen, Carter Isenberger, Haydn Gustafson, Henry Hoel, and Riley Weltzin. But while the night would end with defeat to the fourth ranked Orioles by the third ranked Tigers (each in their conference) all was not lost, as one Oriole would break a 41-year record set back in 1983.
Starting out the night with a three point attempt followed with some more shots and passes to teammates, it all aligned with 7:12 in the second half, when the crucial basket went in, followed with a buzzer and short timeout.
“Will everyone please give a round of applause for Henry Hoel,” the game announcer said, as off in the student stands a sign of congratulations was seen.
Henry had topped a record set by Mike Kolpien in 1983 of 1,065 points. Breaking the long-standing record after four years of basketball, Hoel finished the night three points over Kolpien’s record, at 1,068 career points thus far.
Receiving the game ball from Mike’s mother Sue Kolpien in recognition of Henry’s achievement, the night ended on a decided high note. Coming off the record breaking shot Monday, Jan. 15, Orioles head coach Dakota Nichols had words of praise.
“Henry has worked really hard to accomplish this goal and I couldn’t be more happy for him,” Nichols said. “He is a leader on and off the court, and has made our program better. When you combine his height and athleticism with the abilities to handle the ball and shoot from anywhere, it makes him extremely hard to defend. He also leads the team in assists and rebounds, showing that he’s more than just scoring. He has put in many, many hours of hard work, and we are all very happy for him.” Retired Orioles head coach Tom Hause had similar remarks.
“Henry has had the unique opportunity to play on 3 different teams in his high school career,” Hause said. “The thing that makes him a special player is that he found a role on each team that made it hard as a coach to take him off the floor. He has gone from a player that would score only from offensive rebounds and passes to him near the basket, to being able to create shots for himself against the top defensive players in the area.”
Behind the achievement, is a lot of hard work, as Henry himself related.
“I work during the summer, about eight hours a day,” he said of his practice routine. “Get home, 300 shots, ball handling. Three days a week I go to Eau Claire and shoot.”
As to inspiration, Hoel shared that he was inspired in part by a sense of healthy competition.
“My mom was a really good basketball player and my sister was really good,” he said. “And I always wanted to be better, so I just went to the gym to perfect my craft.” On game philosophy, putting in extra time was important.
“I just put extra shots in, extra time,”Hoel said of practice. “Make sure I come out and don’t get startled, That’s kind of my goal. If I can do that, that’s good.”
Since scoring 38 more points in a Friday away game against Osseo-Fairchild, the season isn’t quite over—yet.