Alumni Day Scores with Beaver Basketball
Sixty-three former BVU hoopsters return to campus for celebration
Sixty-three Buena Vista University basketball alumni were part of a crowd of 138 alumni, friends, and guests who returned to campus for Basketball Alumni Day in Siebens Fieldhouse on Feb. 1.
Some 28 women were welcomed by Coach Kylee (Heiland) Boettcher ’02, while 35 former men’s basketball players were lauded by Coach Trevor Johnson.
Beyond basketball players, 90 alumni took part in the event, part of a large contingent that came to Siebens Fieldhouse to watch games, dine, socialize, and cheer on the Beavers as they faced Luther College.
Some women’s basketball alumni participated in a scrimmage before joining many others in playing “knockout” with current team members while reconnecting.
“We’re grateful for all of them who came out and shared not only a piece of their basketball story with our student-athletes, but in sharing what they do now as it allows our team to kind of see themselves one day as alumni who want to come back and share.”
-Head Women’s Basketball Coach Kylee Boettcher
Rather than scrimmage against BVU’s varsity reserve team, the alumni men had enough participants (20-plus) who sought to play, so teams were comprised, and action consisted of two 20-minute halves. The “senior statesmen” alumni defeated the “recent alumni” in a closely contested game that featured a few dunks, a couple of dozen three-pointers, and lots of laughs.
“To have that many people participating is pretty incredible,” said Head Men’s Basketball Coach Trevor Johnson. “Alumni Day has grown each year I’ve been here, and this year it was amazing to be able to divide alumni into teams for a game while still having 10 or more watching in the stands.”
Basketball alumni represented seven decades, ranging from the Class of 1960 to the Class of 2024. Former hoopsters came from California, North Carolina, Utah, Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri, and across Iowa.
Alumni for their respective sports were introduced at halftime with special mentions reserved for championship teams celebrating five-year anniversary dates. Four members of the 1980 Io-Kota Conference women’s championship team – Mary (Walker) Haden ’82, LuAnn (Thurn) Van Kirk ’81, Jenny (Delzell) Williams ’81, and Lori (Lane) Hawley ’82 – were saluted for going 12-0 in league play under Coach John Naughton, part of a 25-2 club that finished third in the state tournament.
In addition to alumni who participated in women’s basketball across six decades, individuals from teams in 1990, 1995, and 2005 were among those celebrating special anniversary dates for championships and postseason successes. Former Head Women’s Basketball Coach Janet Berry joined her husband, former Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach Steve Berry ’79 for the event. Alumnus Steph Gronau ’98 took the time to address the team for Coach Boettcher.
“It was great to see so many women back enjoying themselves, from teams in the 1980s to very recent teams,” said Coach Boettcher. “We’re grateful for all of them who came out and shared not only a piece of their basketball story with our student-athletes, but in sharing what they do now as it allows our team to kind of see themselves one day as alumni who want to come back and share.
“And while Alumni Day is one day we focus on, the support we’ve received from our alumni all season long has been amazing,” Boettcher concluded.
On the men’s side, three members of the 2000 Beaver team were present to mark the 25th anniversary of their league title, conference tournament championship and Sweet 16 berth. All three, Adam Jones ’02, Tim Bryte ’01, and Trevor Boettcher ’00, married BVU alumni and have Beaver student-athletes in their family currently competing in basketball.
“It’s pretty cool to see those family ties and that next generation of families competing for us,” Johnson said.
Twelve members of the 2015 men’s team returned to campus to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their Iowa Conference Championship. Interestingly, all 12 reside in Iowa.
The Demers family had five Beaver basketball players participating on Alumni Day: Jim Demers ’91, Patti (Kuhl) Demers ’90, Jasmine (Demers) Van Houten ’18 MA ’19, Michael Demers ’22, and junior Danika Demers.
Additionally, the elder statesman of the basketball bunch, Russell Eddie ’60 welcomed back to campus his granddaughter Lindsay (Meyer) Calderon ’07, a member of the 2005 Iowa Conference Champions, as the Beaver ball bounced across three generations of that family.
Beaver Basketball Alumni Day is planned next season for Saturday, Sept. 7 as BVU hosts Simpson College.