Southern Door senior guard Drew Daoust (1) enters Thursday’s regular-season finale within 23 points of becoming only the second boys basketball player in Wisconsin history to reach 3,000 points for a high school career. Photo by Larry Mohr.
It was a shot Southern Door boys basketball followers had seen many times.
Drew Daoust grabbed a defensive rebound and dribbled past a handful of Brillion players toward the opposite basket. From there he drove to the right side of the lane and spun between a pair of defenders, then banked in an off-balance shot from 5 feet away.
But these two points were different. These points were history, giving him 2,725 for his career and surpassing an all-time Wisconsin prep legend and putting him second on the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association boys basketball all-time scoring list.
“I would describe my feeling as surreal [because] it’s so hard to comprehend that I am second ever in Wisconsin history,” Daoust said. “It’s just nothing I could’ve pictured myself ever doing and I did it. Once the season is over I will really have time to think about it more and the history that was made this year.”
With that bucket Daoust surpassed the enigmatic Mickey Crowe of St. Nazianz JFK Prep, who finished his career in 1975 with 2,724 points in just three seasons – before the advent of the three-point line. Crowe, known for his unorthodox shooting form and long, flowing locks, was aware Daoust was approaching his scoring mark.
“The way I look at it, having the record doesn’t last permanently,” said Crowe, who averaged 41.8 points per game his senior season. “Ultimate skill wouldn’t have been enough to do what he did without being driven by ultimate will. He’s obviously one of the best players in the history of the state.”
Only Anthony Pieper of Wausaukee scored more. The sharpshooter who went on to be part of the resurgence of Marquette basketball in the 1990s scored 3,391 points from 1990-1993.
“There is no point in being disappointed about catching [Pieper],” Daoust said. “We have bigger goals as a team that would mean more to me than catching Pieper’s record.”
But now Daoust is on the verge of another milestone, one even bigger than passing Crowe. He heads into Thursday night’s regular season finale against Oconto just 23 points away from becoming the second player in state history to score 3,000 career points.
Brotherly Love?
Brothers Kyle, Alex and Drew Daoust spent countless hours competing in the driveway of their home on School Road in Brussels.
Their mother, Tonya DeBroux, said it wasn’t always harmonious.
“They had a lot of hours on that basketball court so they were bound and determined to fight at some point,” DeBroux said. “If their dad wasn’t out there playing with them, then he was out there separating them. He would handle the dirty work.”
DeBroux tended to protect Drew, who was younger and smaller than his brothers at the time
“I only complained when Drew was the one getting beat up,” DeBroux said. “His brothers didn’t cut him a break.”
DeBroux said Drew gave a lot of credit to his brothers because of those games on the driveway where they weren’t easy on him.
“He didn’t realize, at the time, that it was only benefitting him,” she said.
Alex, now an assistant coach for the Eagles, said there was a consistent theme to the games.
“It was always the same stuff – play, fight, cry, ask each other to play later and repeat,” Alex said. “We did it all over again everyday. We never learned.”
Young Gym Rat
The basketball bloodlines in the Daoust family don’t start with eldest brother Kyle, who is six years older than Drew (Alex is four years older). Tonya, who scored 1,093 points in her career at Southern Door, was a starting guard for the Eagles team, which lost to eventual state champion Lakeland in the 1992 Division II state tournament. Two years later DeBroux was a starter for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire team that placed third in the Division III national tournament.
Alex and Kyle played countless school, travel and AAU games, where Drew was a mainstay. Drew was either dribbling the ball on the sideline or taking shots during halftime and had a ball in his hands as often as he could.
“I would say that Drew grew up in a gym,” DeBroux said. “My older two had a love for the game and Drew didn’t have a choice. Fortunately for him, and us, he also grew a love for the game too.”
Kyle finished his career with 1,561 points and is third on the Door County all-time scoring list behind Southern Door Alum Nate Vogel – and Drew. Alex scored 863 points in his career, but certainly would have eclipsed the 1,000-point mark had his 2021 season not been shortened by COVID-19.
“It’s cool to be able to watch him have the success he’s having and be able to support him the way he supported me and my teammates,” Kyle said. “He didn’t just go to our games like most kids are forced to. He always came to our open gyms and soaked everything in. He almost always maximized his opportunities which helped put him in the position he’s in today.”
Anticipated Arrival
Southern Door coach Josh Vandenbush said he was well aware of Drew’s scoring prowess in middle school. It wasn’t unusual to hear that Drew scored more than 40 points in multiple games and tournaments. Vandenbush pulled Drew up his freshman year but didn’t start him immediately. It took only a handful of games for Drew to prove his value to the team.
“It was pretty evident to his teammates and myself that he was worthy of a starting spot,” Vandenbush said. “His teammates welcomed him as they knew that with him it gave us the best chance for success.”
After losing six of their first eight games, the Eagles finished 15-11 overall, and finished fourth in the Packerland Conference with an 11-5 record, but lost in the regional final. Daoust finished with 505 points and 19.4 points per game.
Southern Door improved to 22-4 the following season and were conference champions with a 15-1 mark. However, the Eagles lost in the regional final again, this time to Campbellsport. Daoust finished with 835 points and averaged 32.1 points per game, despite fighting double teams and box-and-one defenses.
“I give so much credit to the upperclassmen my first two seasons,” Daoust said. “They could have easily said they weren’t going to let this young kid come in and lead the team, but they did. They accepted it and were fantastic through the whole process.”
The Eagles won the elusive regional title in 2023-24 when they defeated Clintonville 54-49, but a blowout loss to Freedom in the sectional semifinal ended their season at 22-5. Daoust, who scored 885 points, led the Eagles in scoring with 32.8 points per game.
Southern Door already secured its third straight Packerland Conference championship and sits 20-3 (15-0 in conference play) one game to play before the WIAA tournament. Daoust led the team with 32.7 points per game, but also in rebounds (8.3) and assists (5.4).
He has more support this year with junior Lauden Berg (16.4 ppg and 7.1 rpg) and Caden Pierre (13.9 ppg).
Close To Home Cooking
Despite receiving offers from other larger schools, Daoust chose to stay close to home and will play for the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point next year. Daoust said the proximity to Door County and the culture of the program at Stevens Point made the decision easy.
“Stevens Point’s style of play is a great fit for me,” Daoust said. “They are a motion-style team, and they really allow players to do what they do best, whether it’s shooting a three, mid-range jumper or posting up. It’s similar to the style of play we have at Southern Door so I hope it can be a smooth transition.”
But Stevens Point isn’t on his radar now. Daoust is focused on his teammates and reveling in what he hopes is the school’s first trip to state since its great 1999 squad reached the title game.
“No matter where we play we know we will have a lot of fans,” Daoust said. “That means so much to our whole team. They are the ones who have allowed me to be me because of the trust they put in me.”
He said he owes much to the legacy of a long line of Southern Door hardwood greats and is proud to leave one of his own. And with the pressure of personal expectations and distractions are behind him, it became clear to him the focus needed to shift back to what really mattered to him and his teammates: the game.
“There is definitely a huge sense of relief,” Drew said. “I felt like it was a big thing that a lot of people were for, and I just wanted to focus on the season as a team and not that. So once I eclipsed [Crowe], I felt there was a sign of relief from the whole team as well that we can now fully focus on just getting wins.”
And that elusive trip to state.
