Every kid dreams of becoming a professional athlete, the next Micheal Jordan or Tom Brady. In reality, according to the NCAA only 350 out of almost 110 thousand college athletes will be drafted to the pros. But even as kids get older and they realize their professional athlete dreams are not that great, many continue their dream of playing into college
Bismarck High School has had a long history of producing college athletes- many of whom are currently still rocking it at the college level.
In his 9 years of head boys basketball coach, Jordan Wilhelm has had eight players continue playing basketball after high school. All of those athletes earned a scholarship of some sort.
“Making the jump to the college level is a very difficult thing to do,” Wilhelm said.
Wilhelm was a 2007 state tournament MVP before moving on to the University of Mary where he was a 1,000 point scorer and a four-year starter.
“You need to be truly in love with the sport you play. The mental side of things is just as important as the time and energy that an athlete puts into the game.”
Wilhelm is proud of all of his athletes, and continues to follow them in their careers on and off the court.
“I like to keep up with how they’re doing,” BHS throwing coach Brad Leingang said. “Every so often I’ll text some words of encouragement, or see if they have some good throws that they can send video over so I can post it on the Facebook page.”
Leingang has been coaching since 1998, all but two of his years at BHS. In his twenty four years as a Demon, he has coached many successful athletes, several of whom have gone to throw in college.
Leingang says he can tell which athletes are thinking about continuing to throw in college.
“Especially in their senior year-there’s a focus shift,” Leingang said. “The competitive athletes who train and focus, they will be recruited and looked at by colleges. The kids know that.”
“The qualities you gain as an athlete will help build resilience and a culture of hard work,” Wilhelm said. “Being a part of a team gives you an understanding of how to work collaboratively and the importance of accepting roles.”
The coaches know not everyone is going to continue on to the next playing level, but that does not mean they stop checking up on past athletes.
Wilhelm’s favorite part of the whole year is seeing his alumni come back during Christmas break for a practice with the team. This tradition brings together past and present Demons to the court.
“There’s nothing I love more than watching our athletes turn into mature young adults. And when it happens to be a successful college player, it is very rewarding to witness,” Wilhelm said. “When I get texts and calls from former players, it is the best thing I could receive.”
Demon basketball fuels students with passion for the game- whether they choose to pursue basketball after high school or not.
“My goal is to continue to show support and let them know we always have their backs and are here if they need us,” Wilhelm said. “I’m proud of what we have at Bismarck High and am very humbled to play a part in maintaining the tradition of those that came before me.”
