It has been said that success comes through hard work.

For junior Luke Knoble, his experience with the men’s basketball team has been just that. He’s made the leap from backup to starter and has become one of the pillars for his teammates this season.

Last season, Knoble averaged 9.5 minutes per game and played just 229 minutes all season. Now he averages 26.1 minutes and has racked up 521 minutes so far this season.

As a sophomore, Knoble had to sit behind veteran players and contribute when he was called upon, but now has embraced his role as a leader on a Warhawk squad that is No. 4 in Division-III with a record of 18-2 (9-2 in conference).

“This year has been a lot of fun,” Knoble said. “It has been great working my way up as a freshman and earning the coaches trust, and I’ve really made the most of my opportunities.”

Head coach Pat Miller noticed the drastic improvements in his forward’s play and acknowledged the change came after a tremendous amount of effort on Knoble’s part.

“When Luke came to UW-Whitewater, he maybe didn’t have as complete of a game as he does now, but has gotten better every year with the program,” Miller said. “He’s done a great job improving his shooting, post-up technique and has done a lot in the weight room.”

Knoble’s progression is apparent in his statistics this season. His scoring has increased from 1.8 points per game to 11 points per game. He has also grabbed 101 rebounds and averages 5.1 per game, while only getting 25 all last season.

“Luke’s a guy who works very hard every day, and I knew he could be a contributing player for us this year,” Miller said. “He has exceeded our expectations in terms of his productivity and his consistency.”

Miller also attributed the development of Knoble’s performance to strong competition at practice and around the WIAC. He said Knoble possesses a patience that allowed him to be part of the system and grow as a player, even though he was not a starter.

Knoble said he has always had a strong work ethic and sought improvement in the weight room.

“I’ve always been a hard worker and I wasn’t where I needed to be strength-wise when I came in,” Knoble said. “Now with two years under my belt, I’ve embraced my role as a starter and my confidence continues to grow with each game.”

Even though Knoble went from being a backup to an every day player, he said his biggest challenge was not living up to the expectations of being a starter, but being consistent in everything he does.

“Playing a lot more minutes as a starter means you have to be more dialed in,” Knoble said. “It’s really been about me being consistent every day because little mistakes will cost you.”

Knoble and Miller agree that he has come far in his time as a Warhawk, but both said he could still improve his strength and perimeter shooting.

“There are things I still want to work on, but I bring a willingness to do whatever the team needs,” Knoble said. “Play defense, rebound or score if needed, but that’s something we all have done this year because we have such an unselfish group.”