ASHWAUBENON – As if it wasn’t going to be hard enough to replace one of the top players in the state from a year ago, the Ashwaubenon boys basketball team is also reeling from the loss of another expected big contributor this season — Elijah Fenner.
Fenner, a 6-foot senior guard who averaged 14.5 points per game and shot 48.1% (75 of 156) from beyond the three-point arc last year, will be lost for all of the 2025-26 season after tearing the ACL and MCL in his knee several weeks ago.
“Yes, unfortunately, I’ve been told we’ll be without Elijah for the whole season,” second-year Coach DeVante Blanks said. “That’s definitely a tough blow for Ashwaubenon basketball and this year’s team.”
Blanks said that losing Allen, who averaged 34.1 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, was already going to be a difficult challenge.
“Now, we’ll have to change even more with the loss of Elijah,” he said. “It’s another difficult part of coaching, right? Unfortunately, injuries and other circumstances make it more difficult. Elijah was going to be our best scorer this season, but the reality is, we’ll be without him on the court.”
Speaking of Allen, Blanks said he recently traveled to New York to watch his former star play for the Alabama Crimson Tide against St. John’s University.
“It was phenomenal to see him play, and he was excited to see me,” he said. “Amari made everyone [at Ashwaubenon] on the court better, and there’s no replacing him. We played in front of packed gyms all season, and that was exciting.”
Blanks said despite the loss of Allen, he is preaching hard work and competitiveness to his team.
“We have to compete every game with what we have,” he said. “This season is an opportunity for other guys to step up – especially without Amari and Elijah.”
Two players who will both have bigger roles this year include seniors Carson Dorgu and Kingston Vang.
The 6-foot-8 Dorgu averaged 10.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game during his junior year.
Dorgo recently signed his National Letter of Intent to play collegiately at Division II Northern Michigan University in Marquette.
“We’ll definitely be leaning on Carson this year for his leadership, scoring and rebounding,” Blanks said. “Carson for sure improved physically, but I am more impressed by how he has improved mentally. We all know he’s got great talent, but this summer, I could tell his mental approach to the game improved.”
Blanks said Dorgo did a good job of getting to the gym this summer.
“That wasn’t the only thing,” he said. “He also texted his teammates and encouraged them to show up at the gym as well. That’s being a great leader, especially coming into the summer.”
Like Fenner, Vang lit it up from three-point land with his 46.3% shooting (50 of 108).
“We were fortunate to have two of the top three-point shooters in the [Fox River Classic Conference] in Elijah and Kingston — you can never go wrong with that,” Blanks said. “This year is an opportunity for Kingston and some other role players to step up.”
With this being his second year as Coach, Blanks said he feels more comfortable coming into this season.
“Of course, I’m still learning like everyone else, but with having a year under my belt, it’s an easier transition,” he said.
The Jaguars are coming off a 19-7 overall record and a 12-6 mark in the FRCC.
After taking on D.C. Everest on Dec. 2, the Jaguars will host Waupun on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
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