Cale Knutson receives Milwaukee Bucks’ 2025 Perseverance Award
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AWARD WINNER — Cale Knutson received the Milwaukee Bucks’ Perseverance Award for 2025. Pictured left to right are: Elk Mound head boys’ basketball coach Dennis Arneson, Cale Knutson, and Cale’s parents Missy and Eric Knutson. —photo submitted
Elk Mound senior Cale Knutson was recently selected as a recipient of the Milwaukee Bucks Perseverance Award for 2025 after overcoming injuries the past two years.
This is the fifth year for this prestigious award that is given to senior student athletes who have overcome adversity (physical, emotional or personal) to compete and excel in interscholastic sports.
Knutson initially injured his hip during his sophomore season of basketball, but played through the end of the season. Cale had his first surgery done in May of 2023. The two-part operation involved a Hip Capsular Plication, a surgical procedure used to tighten and reshape the fibrous capsule of the hip joint which was followed by an Open Labral tear repair which was a more invasive procedure (than the arthroscopic repair). It was necessary due to the underlying hip joint problem (hip impingement, instability, pain and clicking) that was afflicting Knutson.
Cale then re-injured his hip during his junior season, but, once again, played through the end of the season. The labrum tore again causing pain, popping/clicking and instability. This time only the Labral repair was needed. Still a 5 to 6 month recovery was required even though the latter procedure was less invasive that the first surgery. This was done in May of 2024.
For two consecutive summers, Knutson was unable to train, work out or play AAU basketball. But, he was determined not to miss any of his high school basketball games.
After months of physical therapy along with strength and stability training after each surgery, Cale was cleared to play just a week or two before his junior and seniors seasons.
Knutson helped to lead the Elk Mound boys’ basketball team to its first state tournament appearance since 2014 when it played in the Division 3 state semifinals on March 20. Knutson finished his senior season averaging just under 14 points per game and lead the team with 56 three-point makes and over 100 rebounds.
The Perseverance Award was also given to six other senior around Wisconsin. Those other award winners were Grant Weber (Southern Door), Abigayle Johnson (Northwestern), Matthew Gudel (Pittsville), Greta Leikip (Sheboygan Christian), Grant Bartol (Princeton), and Sophia Wrench (Divine Savior Holy Angels).
Cale, the son of Missy and Eric Knutson, was honored with the Perseverance Award during the Mounders’ Senior Night on February 27.
The official recognition of this year’s award recipients will take place on April 13th, 2025, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, when the Milwaukee Bucks host the Detroit Pistons.