Gustavus to celebrate 100 years of basketball

Mark Hanson's presence on the sidelines has been a steady, calming influence on the Gustavus basketball program since he took over 19 years ago. Really, his .720 winning percentage speaks for itself — which is a good thing, since he's the opposite of loquacious. But there's a certain comfort level that comes with his standard pre-game speech: Play hard, play together and let's have some fun. It took me four seasons and a summer of coaching at Gustie Camp to learn these facts, so consider them carefully:

He's an avid outdoorsman, somehow lucking into teaching those survival skills at his alma mater. His children are home-schooled, Lego-building geniuses who swear by MythBusters. He's the leading scorer (1,774) and second-leading rebounder (824) in school history. He's rebuffed potential job offers at more prominent locations to remain true to his small-town roots in Saint Peter. His parents still attend almost every game, but his brother's son, a freshman, decided against trying out for the Gustie basketball team this winter.

Despite his typically stoic demeanor, Hanson is funny. When told I'd be going under the knife and out of commission for the next 1-2 months, he offered to push back the 100th anniversary celebration from Feb. 7 so I could attend. That brought a good chuckle from us both, but he's not always so easy to read. For example, the media struggled to understand his dry sense of humor when the Gusties played for the national title in the 2002-03 season.

With a full day of reminiscing expected at next weekend's festivities — and my inability to attend, when hundreds of former players could show up — I figured I might detail some of my memories from my years on the hill. Below is a quick preview.

• Former assistant coach Mike Boschee had us do a simple drill of 3v3 with the goal of getting three straight stops. The first five groups finished within five possessions. I went last with two JV players who had been pulled up for the day. We got yelled at for the first five minutes of futility. We suffered through stony silence for the next five minutes as our teammates ran circles around us. After an embarrassing break to catch our collective breath, Boschee softened to the point of encouraging us until we finally achieved what seemed impossible. My drillmates offered apologies as we slurped water afterward. Outside of the way my football career ended, this might be the low point of my athletic career.
• Former Wayzata standout Seth Midura spent his senior season in the Black and Gold with hair nearly down to his shoulders. Hanson, who has little room to criticize after playing in a bushy beard 25 years ago, complained about it for weeks until a film session showed Midura wiping it from his eyes on the court. That was the final straw. "Do something to get that hair out of your eyes," Hanson said. Midura, a white kid from an affluent suburban family, came back the next day with cornrows — a 'do he kept through March.
• Arguably the best game the Gusties played during my four-year career resulted in a loss, but no one was exactly upset afterwards. We fell 80-79 in the final seconds to NAIA Division II power Concordia (CA) in Hawaii during Christmas break of my senior season, but enjoyed the next seven days in the sun. Many liked snorkeling at Hanauma Bay most, but the history nerd in me favored the trip to the USS Arizona Memorial. Believe it or not, I had missed the previous team trip to Sweden two years earlier after having surgery on my feet. Weird.
  

Stay tuned over the next week as I continue to take a closer look at the rich tradition of the Gustavus men's basketball program. I'm hoping to track down the story of the first African-American hooper in Gustie history. I hear there was plenty of racial tension during road trips with Bill "Shorty" Patterson, who was drafted in the 10th round of the 1958 NBA draft by the Minneapolis Lakers.

Minnesota Wrap
• SJU's Burtzel settles in as a "center-point guard."
• A defensive-minded role player on a great team who is better at a different sport? I can respect that.
• Tommiesports.com receives 10,000 hits a day for interesting, irrelevent information like this.