Inside Castle standout Wes Aigner's commitment to Evansville men's basketball

EVANSVILLE — The idea of being part of an improving Division I college program appealed to Weston Aigner.

The Castle High School boys basketball senior had an impressive season for the Knights, averaging 23.2 points and 7.1 rebounds. He was named the Courier & Press All-Metro Player of the Year, and he received looks from different colleges in the area. Aigner finished tied as the leading scorer in the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference and also was named the league player of the year by the coaches.

His conversations led him to coach David Ragland’s team at the University of Evansville, where Aigner will be a walk-on freshman. He announced his commitment Tuesday.

“You always want to go to the best schools and go to a big school and you want to play basketball at the next level,” Aigner told the C&P. “It came down to the coaching staff and getting the opportunity from them and just wanting to prove yourself at a higher level. I’m just very excited to get that opportunity.”

Aigner is the third local player to walk-on with the Purple Aces, following redshirt freshman North graduate Cameron Gehlhausen and Day School senior Tyler Myers.

“I have a huge fan base, a huge family that was at every single game,” Aigner said, saying he had 40 to 50 family members at his sectional game. “It means a lot to me that they have my back like that and they want to be a part of the program, they want to get season tickets.

“They’re very happy that I stayed home, that definitely played a big role.”

Inside Aigner’s game: What kind of player is UE getting?

The 6-foot-3 guard-forward combo received an offer from Division II Kentucky Weslyan before visiting and committing to UE. Aigner became the eighth Castle boys basketball player to reach the 1,000-point threshold, largely doing it in his junior and senior seasons. He earned back-to-back SIAC player of the year honors.

Courier & Press All-Metro: Castle's Wes Aigner named Boys Player of the Year

“Wes is just an incredible teammate and he’s proven over time that he is a very good leader,” Castle coach Brian Gibson said. “As time goes on, I suspect his leadership ability will be one of the things that will set him apart from a lot of other people.”

Gibson called Aigner’s work ethic “contageous” and said that was an important part of being a walk-on. Aigner is a scorer who drives to the basket but is capable of “attacking whatever they give him,” Gibson said, whether that be driving, the midrange or from the 3-point line — though he didn’t play much on the perimeter during his high school career.

“He never gives up and I think that’s the kind of attitude you have to have when you’re in a walk-on situation,” Gibson said. “You’re constantly going to be trying to prove yourself. … I suspect Wes has the right mental framework where he’ll accept every challenge thrown his way.”

Aigner is the latest in a line of Castle players to play Division I basketball. Xavier’s Jack Nunge announced he was stepping away from college basketball Thursday while Clemson’s Alex Hemenway and Indiana State’s Isaiah Swope both also played for the Knights.

“It helps having those guys in the program and having young eyes watching what they do and seeing how hard they work,” Gibson said.

Aigner’s recruitment and his fit at UE

Aigner credited UE assistant coach Craig Snow for much of his commitment to the Purple Aces. Snow and Aigner’s father knew each other through AAU and faced off occasionally.

Snow and Aigner texted and met at a UE game. Snow and assistant coach Marcus Wilson also went to watch Aigner play, which is what got Aigner into the program, he said.

“I’d like to be part of a program that wants to get better and wants to grow and wants to compete every day,” Aigner said. “I just really admire that about them and I’m very excited.”

Although Gibson hasn’t spoken to Ragland, he said he thinks the second-year UE coach sees Aigner’s work rate as a valuable addition to the team.

“I suspect what he sees is somebody who won’t back down, who will accept whatever challenges are thrown his way,” Gibson said. “I’m guessing that’s what they are trying to establish. … I suspect that he’ll be a great fit for what they’re trying to do and I suspect that he will make those around him much better and those guys will make him much better.”

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville men's basketball lands commitment from Castle's Wes Aigner