Published: Nov. 25, 2015
One call changes it all
2 Showalters reunite at college level
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News
Steve Showalter was ready to get back to work toward
reclaiming the top prize in WIAA boys basketball.
Then he got the call.
On the other end of the line was Lindenwood University men’s
basketball coach Lance Randall, a longtime friend of Showalter’s.
“He was a high school student in Platteville when I was in
college (at UWPlatteville) so he would come over to the university and play
pick-up basketball with us,” Showalter said.
They remained friends long after that and kept in touch,
aided by their involvement in coaching high school basketball.
Showalter built one of the power programs in the state at Germantown,
while Randall went on to coach at Oshkosh West and Cedarburg, before moving
onto the college ranks.
Randall recruited former Germantown standout Ben Averkamp
when Randall was at Loyola University in Chicago. Averkamp went to Loyola.
“We’ve always talked,” Showalter said.
But they never talked about this: college coaching. That’s
what this particular phone call was about from Randall to Showalter in mid-May.
“I hadn’t thought about doing anything else,” Showalter
said.
Randall offered Showalter a spot on his coaching staff at
Lindenwood, an NCAA Division II school in Saint Charles, Missouri.
“As far as coaching at Germantown, I was 100 percent ready
to go,” Showalter said.
It was too good of an opportunity to say no and his kids
reminded him of it.
“I was extremely excited,” said Zak Showalter, Steve’s
oldest son who is on the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team. “I told
him he couldn’t pass it up.”
Steve didn’t. He took the job.
“Leaving the basketball world at Germantown that blew up in
the last few years, it was really special,” Steve said. “To leave that
situation to come down to (Lindenwood), it was a big step, a leap of faith.
“But it’s basketball. It’s something I love to do.”
Steve led Germantown for 15 seasons, finishing with a 286-81
record and three straight state titles (2012-14). The Warhawks also won a
state-record 69 games in a row.
The Warhawks lost in last season’s WIAA Division 1 state
final to Stevens Point. Up until he got the call from Randall, Steve was
prepared to try and take the team back to state and win the state title for the
fourth time in five years.
Instead, he got a call he never expected, but he held onto
hope it might come someday.
“I wasn’t really looking for this,” Steve said. “But I
always kept my eyes open, always looked around to see what was around. But I
never applied for a job outside of a couple. This came as a total shock and
surprise.”
It was also a no-brainer.
“To coach at a high level of basketball for a coach that I
have the utmost respect for that’s going to teach me a lot of things,” Steve
said when asked why he took the job.
The timing was also right.
When he took the job with Lindenwood, Steve also had to
resign from the Germantown Police Department.
About a year ago, while chasing a suspect, Steve hurt his
knee and needed surgery, which he had in January.
“I didn’t recover all that well with my knee,” Steve said.
“The knee wasn’t responding like I needed to.”
It bothered him for several weeks.
“I had second thoughts if I was ready to go back on the
street,” he said.
That’s about the time when Randall called.
“The call came out of the blue,” Steve said.
The switch has given him new life.
“It makes me think twice now,” he said. “I’m turning 50 this
year. I kind of thought, Germantown was the center of the basketball universe.
I’m realizing it’s not and there’s a lot of other stuff out there. I hadn’t
thought about doing anything else.”
Then he thought back to something his college basketball
coach told him — Bo Ryan.
“I’ve always been told by coach Ryan and others you do what
you’re doing at 100 percent.”
Zak knew this was the perfect opportunity for his dad.
“I knew he wanted to coach at the next level,” Zak said. “I
know when the opportunity came calling, it was hard to turn down. I’m excited
for him.”
If this is Steve’s last coaching stop, he’ll be OK with
that.
“I don’t view it as a stepping stone,” he said. “I want to
help this team achieve success.
“There may be something out there but I have no plans do
anything different.”
As he could attest, things can change, but for now he’s
going to enjoy the moment.
❑
Steve’s not alone
Steve Showalter has always looked at the opportunity to
coach his sons, Zak and Jake, at Germantown.
But after they each graduated, things were quiet in the
Showalter house. They’ve picked back up.
After a year with North Dakota State men’s basketball
program, Jake Showalter transferred to join his dad at Lindenwood.
“It’s awesome,” Jake said. “I couldn’t dream of anything
more than play with my dad again.”
Together at Germantown, they won three state titles.
“When I was at North Dakota State, I always looked back on
my time with Germantown,” Jake said.
It didn’t stray far from dad’s memory, too.
“I was the luckiest dad and coach around for a few years,”
Steve said. “I consider myself that as I got to coach both of my boys.”
While grateful for the opportunity to get a scholarship for
a NCAA Division I school, Jake struggled at NDSU and his older brother knew it.
“He was a little homesick,” Zak said. Jake played in 13
games for the Bison. He averaged 1.4 points in 2.9 minutes per game. The most
extensive action he got was in his collegiate debut against Texas when he
played seven minutes and scored five points.
During the spring, Jake and Steve visited some schools to
find a new home. None of them seemed to fit. Then when Steve got the job with
Lindenwood, it was like a light turned on.
“All the stars kind of aligned,” Jake said.
Steve said, “When I got this job, it was like God put this
here for both of us. It was a blessing.”
Lindenwood is 3-1 so far this season. Jake has played in all
four games and is averaging 4.3 points in 12.5 minutes per game.
“We’ve got a lot of new guys down here,” Jake said. “It’s
going to take some time for us to get into the swing of things. We’re expecting
big things this season.”
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