This past week, I got to reminisce about my 2004 classmates as we celebrated our 20 year class reunion. Seeing classmates/teammates/friends opened the floodgate of great memories from the “04”. One of those great memories was our 2004 basketball team. A team that went 19-4 and won the SAC Holiday Tournament(pictured below). But it was more than the wins, it was the friendships and the trust we built with each other. I have been told many times that our team was different, special, and fun to watch. We played hard, we were selfless in our play, we sacrificed individual success for the team, and we just played basketball the right way. That team was so much fun to play on and those seniors(Tommy Rish, Tyler Holbrook, Matt Tapp, Deon White, Jon Lapsley, Matt Hicks, Andrew Knox, Kyle Thoms) made the class of 2004 and Cadet Basketball proud!
That season helped springboard my calling into education and coaching. I just finished my 6th season as head coach at Concordia. We won the 7th Sectional Title in program history(something that alluded us in 2003 and 2004) and was last accomplished in 2013.. As I sit back and think about this past season 2 things come to mind:
The first is how special this group was. A team that played hard, leaving everything they had on the floor. A team that enjoyed each other with countless laughs and memories. A team that was led by 9 seniors and in many ways reminiscent of what the 2004 group was 20 years ago. Now don’t get me wrong, my 2004 teammates would have wiped the floor with this group, but I know they would have been proud and appreciative of how they played the game. They played it the right way- “For Each Other” as Coach Holmes used to say.
The second thing that I think about, this season's success doesn’t come without others who have laid the foundation. I go back through my first 5 seasons and start thinking about the great players and coaches who have helped build for this moment. We had some successful teams and great players, but we came up just short of that Sectional Title. It would be a mistake to not remember and thank those former seniors and coaches that contributed to a culture that helped get us where we are today:
2019:
Kamari Anderson-Drew, Alec Bartkowiac, Jadon Dance, Adam Gottschalk, Will Kammeyer, and Cade Motter
2020:
Jeren Kindig, Evan Minger, Luke Neuhaus, Jaden Parnin, Brayden Pearson, Arnad Samardzik, and Christian Schmidt
2021:
Sam Aumick, Brandon Davis, Kam Johnson, and Luke Speckhard
2023:
Grant Hayworth, Ulysses Jackson, David Speckhard, Joe Tapp, and Alan Ter Molen
2024:
Max Adair, Gavin Bartkowiak, Ben Bentz, Luke Bultemeier, Sam Eggold, Chris Hawk, Cole Hayworth, River Johnson, Grant Nix
Coaches:
Alec Bartkowiak(2019 grad), Jalen Brewer(2015 grad), Tyler Hoyle, Larry Hoyle(1969 grad), Jon Pelz, Greg Rehberg(1974 grad), Nick Webb(2017 grad), Alec Pieper(2018 grad), and Brian Loesel.
I can’t thank these gentlemen enough for their contributions these last 6 years. We are excited to carry the Cadet tradition into the future for another 20 years!
Go Cadets!!