March 14, 2022 – Germantown, WI – The Germantown Warhawks’ girls’ varsity basketball 2021-22 season came to an end in the WIAA Division 1 Sectional on March 5 with a 72-66 loss to De Pere.
The team had a tremendous season and continue to build upon a core that won a Division 1 State title in 2021 with the addition of players like Danica Gosz.
Despite her freshman status, Gosz played 27 games this and averaged 5.3 points per game (142 total points), 14 assists, 29 steals, and 66 total rebounds. As a role player coming off the bench, Gosz admitted there was a learning curve to playing on varsity. “Overall, the game is much faster and everyone is more athletic than anyone I’ve played against before,” she said.
Gosz did credit Germantown’s star player, junior “KK” Kamorea Arnold for being an incredible mentor during the inaugural season and her teammates created a great atmosphere that allowed the team chemistry to thrive on and off the court.
As a freshman, Gosz is looking forward to polishing her skills in the summer with Amateur Athletic Union as part of the Wisconsin Impact. While noting her greatest strength is her outside perimeter shooting, Gosz also said “my biggest weakness is my speed and quickness, getting overall faster and more athletic to help me succeed next season.”
This desire to improve is reflected in the advice Gosz has for her fellow athletes and those who may play in the future, which is to simply have confidence. “If you don’t believe in yourself then why should anyone believe in you,” Gosz said.
Her love for the sport of basketball is definitely a family tradition, with an impressive lineage in the state of Wisconsin.
Her grandfather Don Gosz coached basketball at several schools, including Stockbridge High School, the University of Wisconsin (Madison) and most notably at Dominican High School where he won 62 consecutive games.
Her uncle Jim Gosz coached at both Milwaukee King High School and Dominican, winning over 600 games and 4 state championships in his career.
Her father Mike Gosz was a longtime coach of Hamilton High School’s girls’ basketball and is the school’s current athletic director. According to Danica her grandfather, uncle and father have also worked together to put on various basketball camps in the Germantown/Sussex/Whitefish Bay area over the years.
Last, but certainly not least, Danica mentioned her older brother Hunter Gosz, who has played varsity basketball at Germantown for three years and will graduate this spring.
Even beyond just the family lineage of basketball Gosz’s connection to her brother is strong, citing Hunter as one of her biggest role models. “He brought me in to work out with him every day and introduced me to the game of basketball,” she said, “I grew up watching him play and while the rest of my family has been extremely helpful, his support has meant the most to me.”
Due to being a freshman, Gosz has yet to figure out plans for her future, although she is certain if the opportunity is there it will include playing basketball in college.
Her favorite subject in school right now is biology mostly thanks to having a good teacher whom she really likes (Jeremy King, science teacher at Germantown High School).
Gosz said has not had to worry about balancing schoolwork and her basketball career too much due to making the best use of the study periods provided by the school, allowing her to dedicate her energy and focus to fit her schedule needs.
Gosz has a long family history with the game of basketball, but that has allowed her to “experience the best parts of the sport.” It may seem a daunting legacy to live up to, however Gosz has the right attitude, with a great support network in both her family and her teammates, and to put the version of herself out on the court.
It will be very interesting to see just what kind of player and student she becomes, but the early signs show a bright young woman with a humble self-awareness that will strive for nothing short of quality effort and success.
