Asked how his son got to be so athletic, Wade Wiebe let out a laugh, looked to his left and pointed to Free State basketball coach Chuck Law.

Pause right there.

Wade’s son, Weston, a junior forward, didn’t get his athletic ability from his father?

“I didn’t play competitively past high school,” Wade said.

But make no mistake: This is an athletic family. Weston Wiebe has two sisters, a brother and seven cousins who live in Lawrence. Most will follow in Wiebe’s footsteps and play high school sports. All had useful training growing up.

“It’s always been a tradition for our family to have a basketball game,” Wiebe said. “We usually play in the cul-de-sac, or we’d go up to West (Junior High). It’s fun to see my grandpa, my uncles and all my cousins play basketball.”

Watching Wiebe on the court isn’t too bad, either. Take the Firebirds’ first game of the season, for instance. Wiebe led all Free State players Saturday with 20 points. He also pulled down nine boards.

“Last year, he floated in and out and was a sophomore playing around seniors, and was pretty tentative,” Law, in his second year as coach, said. “He was far more assertive Saturday night, and that’s what we need him to be on an ongoing basis.”

Law started Wiebe for Free State’s final six games last season because he saw his potential. A 6-foot-4 power forward, Wiebe is a walking mismatch for most teams because he combines inside power with controlled speed and grace along the perimeter.

Weston Wiebe, left, a standout junior basketball player at Free State High, isn't the only athletic Wiebe in town. Hoping to follow his hoops footsteps are, back row from left, Libby, J.D. and Wren; middle row from left, Kamp, Winston and Scout; and Kahler, front.

“Weston’s strength is his versatility,” Law said. “We want to establish him as a post player and an inside presence first and make people respect that, which should free up his mid-range game.”

Although Firebird basketball fans have seen flashes of Wiebe’s brilliance on the hardwood, he’ll be the first to admit he still has room for improvement.

“I’d like to work on my defense, particularly blocking out and rebounding,” Wiebe said.

In terms of offensive improvements, Wiebe could have flirted with 30 points, given his 6-of-11 performance from the free-throw line. But that was overshadowed by the fact he found his way to the rim – signs of aggressiveness Law wants to see.

“Last year, we didn’t get to the line enough,” Wiebe said. “So this year, that’s one of our focuses, and we did pretty well in the first game.”

Free State went to the line 28 times.

Wiebe and senior center Christian Ballard combined for 38 points and 16 rebounds in the season opener against Maize. Law said he expected teams to focus on the Firebirds’ inside presence.

“Not only can they score, but our big guys can pass it out of the post,” Law said. “The perimeter guys are going to get shots. They just have to recognize that having bigs who can score just opens up a world of opportunity for them.”