Two NV hoops teams going into Hall of Fame

Editor’s Note: The online version of this story reflects the correct date for the ceremony, which is Nov. 9. The date was incorrect in the print edition of this article.

Players and coaches of two past Nodaway Valley basketball teams that came along during a dominant run the Wolverines had are being honored at a regional level this fall for their efforts.

The Wolverine boys basketball teams of the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, that finished as Class 2A runners-up and champions, respectively, will go into the KMA Sports Hall of Fame Saturday, Nov. 9 in a 5 p.m. ceremony at Shenandoah High School. All players, managers and fans of these teams, coached by Darrell Burmeister, are encouraged to be at the ceremony.

All told, the Wolverines made the substate final in 2004 and state the next three years, finishing second in 2005, first in 2006 and third in 2007. Considering a 2002 boys state cross country title, the 2006 state basketball championship was the second for Nodaway Valley after it became a consolidated district in 2000.

Historic finish

After losing a talented senior class from the 2003-04 team, the Wolverines reloaded swiftly to prove any doubters wrong, making it all the way to the 2005 final game.

During their tournament run, the Wolverines regularly packed gyms well in advance of tip-off times. Their community support was seemingly unmatched by that of other schools.

Undefeated Nodaway Valley rolled in the first round against Mount Ayr and then topped West Central Valley in 2005. Panorama was the Wolverines’ next victim in the district championship, which sent Nodaway Valley to a substate final where they faced Clarinda in a packed Atlantic gymnasium, and they topped the Cardinals 66-61 in a thriller.

Nodaway Valley came from behind to win their state quarterfinal game against Emmetsburg, 62-58. The E-Hawks utilized a 1-3-1 zone defense and good perimeter shooting for an advantage, but a Billy Baudler steal and layup at the end of the third quarter brought the Wolverines within three. An attention to getting the ball inside more helped a lot as Nodaway Valley eventually turned the tide and got the win.

In the semifinals, the Wolverines came from behind to oust AGWSR 50-47 from the ranks of remaining teams.

The Free Press headline read “Champs to Us” after Nodaway Valley fell short to Unity Christian, 62-54, in the 2005 championship. The newspaper reported how the run to the championship game bound the hearts of three communities into one single pulse just five years after the official consolidation process had taken place.

The 2005 team played in the last year the state tournament was held at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, also known as The Barn. It would move to Wells Fargo Arena the next season, where it is held today.

Unity Christian led by one at halftime and extended its lead through good fourth-quarter defense in the championship. The Knights’ ability to make shots despite a good defensive game played by Nodaway Valley was one difference leading to the outcome.

The Free Press reported that despite losing the championship, this was a “a landmark finish” for the team. The result made the games during the summertime, the late night shootarounds and numerous summer team camps worth it, however the Wolverines knew there was another step they could take.

“Eric Raasch was sitting behind me on the bus ride home. I looked around and he had kind of collapsed, fallen asleep or dosed off with his head resting on the trophy,” Burmeister said. “I kind of woke him up and he said he couldn’t have given any more. When they got home that night, without asking, they went to the gym, turned on the lights, got the basketballs out and played until about 2 o’clock in the morning after they got state runner-up because they were going to start that night [on the next year].”

Red Oak humbled

It was Red Oak that fell victim to the 2005-06 Wolverines in a substate game played at Atlantic that ushered in Nodaway Valley’s state tournament berth that year, as the Free Press headline read “Red Oak humbled as NV returns to state.”

As opposed to the previous year, when the Wolverines could have been called the “cardiac kids” for winning close games, these Wolverines were known for winning games by wide margins. They beat Corning by 42 points in a district final before advancing to beat Red Oak. Against the Tigers, a double-digit lead early on meant the Wolverines were never really threatened later on.

A 55-47 victory in the state quarterfinal that year came against Solon.

James Larson and Kenny Lents were both effective inside on offense as the Wolverines also relied on stingy defense to win that game. It helped them thwart off a couple of Solon runs that brought the Spartans to within six at more than one point.

The Wolverines defeated Bondurant-Farrar in the state semifinals to make the championship contest, where they would defeat Fort Dodge St. Edmond 46-39.

Mark Holan exclaimed after the game it was an “awesome feeling” to hoist the trophy. Lents commented at the time that it had been a huge step for the Wolverines to get silver the year prior, but it was also motivation for the group to win it all the following year.

The Gaels led by seven at halftime. The Wolverines used key third-quarter shots from Lance McFarland, Larson and Tyler Raasch to rally and tie the game with about a minute to go in the third quarter.

A McFarland 3-pointer from three-quarters court was one of those shots. It landed on the money at the end of the third and cut the Solon lead to just one.

“It felt good when I let it go,” McFarland said at the time.

McFarland had sank a similar shot in the shootaround earlier in the day at Grandview University.

“I told Lance we won’t need that shot tonight [at the shootaround], then at the end of the third quarter, he made a three-quarters court shot,” Burmeister remembers. “I guess we did need that shot that night.”

A Darson Grantham bucket off an assist from Lents in the fourth quarter, predicated by increased movement on offense, gave Nodaway Valley the lead for good.

The Wolverines usually relied on a 1-1-3 matchup zone defense, and they were known for their press. They were also good about getting the ball inside to Larson, who improved greatly from his youth all the way through his college career, Burmeister said. To this day, he has the highest shooting percentage of any Wolverine in history at over 70%.

“You had two athletic teams going at it. We pressed pretty much the whole game,” Burmeister said. Holan played at the front of the press.

The Wolverines’ game against Bondurant-Farrar wasn’t the first time the two teams had played during the 2005-06 season. The Bluejays beat the Wolverines at Ankeny High School that regular season. Following the game, the team had a decisive message for their coach: they weren’t going to lose again that year.

“We played Bondurant-Farrar in the semifinals at state. We switched the defense a little and I put Kenny Lents on their best player, Kerwin Dunham, who went to play at UNI. I don’t know if he went into double figures, or maybe he did late in the game,” Burmeister said. “Lance was our 3-pointer shooter and a good passer. When he was feeling it he was going to let it go.”

A community affair

Two characteristics rise to the top in memories Burmeister and former players shared about these two teams: they were unselfish like a family and they had a huge community following wherever they went. The dedication the players showed to the sport is what their trophies they earned rewarded.

Though these are the only two teams being recognized at this time, the Class of 2006 basketball players were 103-5 during their entire playing careers. They played in two undefeated regular seasons and only had two losses — both to Bondurant-Farrar — in regular season play. They were unscathed in the conference in their careers, part of a 71-win run in the Pride of Iowa Conference that the Wolverines had.

Burmeister gave his players a lot of freedom offensively in their motion offense, which relied heavily on whatever the opposing defenses were presenting.

“They were unselfish and they didn’t care who scored,” Burmeister said. “We had two guys who could score 20 points or more or we could have six guys in double figures on any night. That was another special thing about these teams. They didn’t care who got it done as long as the team got it done.”

Lents said that when he looks back on his playing days, the thing he remembers most are the shots he was able to put up with his best friends.

“I don’t remember the scores, who had the most points or rebounds, stats, or who got what awards. What I remember is the memory of growing up with your friends, grabbing a ball and shooting hoops in driveways, playing pickup until the sun went down, then turning on the lights to keep playing, learning from your idols at the youth summe camp, and the overwhelming feeling of winning a state runner-up and state title finish for our Nodaway Valley boys basketball community,” Lents said.

Lents added that achievements aren’t tied to any one or two teams for him, it’s tied to the players and teams that came before the teams he played on, what they stood for and their willingness to pass that on through the program.

Eric Raasch commented that Burmeister was always willing to open the gym so players could get shots up together. It didn’t matter the time of day or night.

“He had a little rule that if there was at least a couple of us, he had no problem opening up the gym, making it accessible for us,” Raasch said. “That definitely helped pave the way for us to craft the game we grew up loving. We were able to put in a lot of time in there, which hopefully showed up in the results we got.”

Raasch remembers the large crowds and packed gyms the Wolverines played in front of showed the team not only leaned on the community, but the community leaned on the team, and so does his brother, Tyler Raasch.

“I’m grateful for an exceptional community that always brought great energy that would uplift us to victory,” Tyler Raasch said, among many other things his teammates also said. “They were special times for us all that were transformative and helped shape who we all are today. It’s always a beautiful thing when people are united and that’s what those teams did for everyone, brought us all closer together in good times and in good spirits.”

Baudler remembers a running joke about “how many trees B singlehandidly killed with his extensive scouting report papers.”

“It wasn’t until my college football experience that I saw that B’s thoroughness of scouting the other team was the equivalent to a full staff at a championship-caliber college football program,” said Baudler, who played football at Northwest Missouri State. Many of these players listed went on to play college athletics.

“B’s athletes were and are his family, and we are all better from those experiences he led us through,” Baudler added. “My personal favorite memory of Coach B is watching him fill with emotion while cutting down the final string of the net after beating Clarinda to earn our first trip to state.”

Larson remembers fondly attending Burmeister’s youth camp, which lasted for 25 years. It was a springboard for a long love of basketball for many.

“Marilee Kerber and other parents coached a group of 10 of my classmates until we reached middle school and high school. Our parents would take us to tournaments most weekends,” Larson added. “In high school, Coach B would take us to team camps every weekend during the summer. Coach B expected a lot from us and showed us the definition of hard work, but we loved it. We enjoyed playing, hanging out together and always looked forward to basketball camps, practices and games.”

Burmeister exclaimed his excitement that these teams are receiving this honor.

Former girls state cross country champion Megan Winkelman, Burmeister and these two teams will now be Nodaway Valley’s four entries into the KMA Hall of Fame.

There were 11 other coaches, players or teams announced the last few weeks who will also be honored this November by the radio station.

“It means a lot. I was excited when I got called, and then I let some of the guys know who I had contacts for,” Burmeister said. “They’re just good guys. They’re everything out there in the real world right now. Great jobs, have found their passion in life and have families, kids. They’re all doing well and they’re just good citizens, good family people, and I guess that’s all you can ask for as a coach.”