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Kylie Bridenhagen

Men's Basketball By Jeff Hagenau

Former players return to honor program's rich tradition

Mark Gumm selected as recipient of 2019-20 Pioneer Men's Basketball/Sixth Man Club Alumni Award

WAUKESHA, Wis. - During his memorable collegiate days as a standout basketball player in the 1980s, Carroll alumnus Mark Gumm was accustomed to making the familiar, energized walk to mid-court for tip-off in Van Male Field House.
That special experience has proudly continued over the years as a frequent participant in Carroll's annual Alumni Day game and celebration, which honors the program's rich, long-standing history and family tradition - acknowledging the lasting contributions of the long list of players who have competed for the Pioneers through the decades.
This year's walk to mid-court took on added meaning for Gumm, who was announced as the recipient of the 2019-20 Pioneer Men's Basketball/Sixth Man Club Alumni Award during halftime of Carroll's showdown with No. 16-ranked Elmhurst College on Jan. 4 - joined by the entire current Carroll team and coaching staff for the emotional, impromptu presentation.
Gumm, a starter and co-captain on former head coach Dave Fink's squad, helped lead the Pioneers to a tie for third-place in the College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin and 15-11 overall record during his senior campaign in 1984-85 - the program's first winning season since 1962-63.
"I'm so proud to be an alum and former Pio so this means an awful lot," said a smiling Gumm, a 1985 Carroll graduate and Senior Vice President of Sales at Sargento Foods. "I had no clue, nor do I feel deserving of the recognition. It was a tremendously nice gesture and I'm truly at a loss for words at the moment.
"Walking through the doors of Van Male always brings back so many memories. To see the university prospering with all of the growth in terms of the athletic program, the facilities and the number of enthusiastic players on the sideline, is cool and inspiring. I'm proud of everything Carroll stands for so its quite an honor and I'm speechless, humbled and grateful.
"To have it come in front of all my peers and fellow alums only made it that much more special."
For Carroll seventh-year head coach Paul Combs, it was an honor and privilege to acknowledge Gumm's dedicated contributions.
"First and foremost, Mark is a dear friend of our program, loyal supporter and has gone through some recent adversity in his life so it was nice to honor him and his family in a special way," said Combs, of the prestigious inaugural award. "They, along with Sargento Foods, have done a lot not only for the men's basketball program but for Carroll Athletics and the entire university. He is a proud alum who carries the Pio torch high and has done a great job of allowing our program to continue to grow both on and off the floor. He is a leader of people, well liked and fittingly received a nice ovation when the announcement was made. It would've been icing on the cake to end the day by getting a W for him (referring to the team's heart-breaking 82-81 double-overtime loss). We greatly appreciate and value his friendship, loyalty and commitment to Carroll."
Whether celebrating a dramatic, last-second, buzzer-beating victory or working through the frustration of a hard-fought, gut-wrenching defeat, the Carroll program has maintained a positive, blue-collar approach over the years by relying on its pioneering spirit to come together, persevere and blaze a clear path to success.
Family has been the cornerstone of the program and remains at the heart of the annual Alumni Day celebration (which also included alums Steve Albinger, Kurt Albright, Dave Anschuetz, Joey Archer, Rob Bennett, Scott Bliss, Cris Bumby, Don Callendar, Tom Collopy, Jason Cook, Ben Fischer, Joel Heesch, Troy Howat, Kevin Hurd, Tyler Ingebrigtsen, Kyle Jones, Mike Keane, Kyle Keranen, Dan Kratz, Steve Kreklow, Wes Ladwig, Nick Lange, Anthony Marlowe, Bryan Nagy, Nick Padesky, Mike Riley, Andrew Rumler, Dave Shaw, Eric Thompson, Colin Thorpe and Tanner Zaeske).
The Pioneers appropriately honored the memory of Irie Grant - a former star player for the Pioneers, a 1966 Carroll graduate and 1976 Carroll Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee who passed away recently - with a moment of silence prior to the battle with nationally ranked Elmhurst.
Dave Shaw, a former standout guard (1973-77) and 1988 inductee into the Carroll Athletic Hall of Fame who remains the program's all-time leading scorer with 2,563 points, was among the many premier players to return for the special, heart-felt annual event.
"We are always so happy to come back and see how hard the kids play each time they step on the floor," said Shaw, who is the second-leading scorer in CCIW history and led the nation in NCAA Division III his senior season by averaging 29.3 points per game. "It was a great CCIW basketball game and Carroll did everything but win. The guys played great, played tough and did everything necessary down the stretch to be successful. Unfortunately, it came down to a last-second miracle shot. That said, Paul's team is going to be one to be reckoned with as the season goes on. They played hard from start to finish and we're proud of them."
 
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Players Mentioned

Kevin Hurd

#23 Kevin Hurd

G
6' 1"
Junior
Dan Kratz

#32 Dan Kratz

F
6' 5"
Senior
Andrew Rumler

#42 Andrew Rumler

C
6' 6"
Senior
Kyle Keranen

#3 Kyle Keranen

G
6' 1"
Sophomore
Nick Lange

#35 Nick Lange

F
6' 6"
Senior
Bryan Nagy

#15 Bryan Nagy

G/F
6' 6"
Junior
Tanner Zaeske

#22 Tanner Zaeske

G
6' 3"
Freshman
Joey Archer

#24 Joey Archer

G
6' 1"
Senior
Troy Howat

#10 Troy Howat

G
6' 2"
Senior
Tyler Ingebrigtsen

#52 Tyler Ingebrigtsen

F
6' 7"
Senior
Anthony Marlowe

#30 Anthony Marlowe

G/F
6' 4"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Kevin Hurd

#23 Kevin Hurd

6' 1"
Junior
G
Dan Kratz

#32 Dan Kratz

6' 5"
Senior
F
Andrew Rumler

#42 Andrew Rumler

6' 6"
Senior
C
Kyle Keranen

#3 Kyle Keranen

6' 1"
Sophomore
G
Nick Lange

#35 Nick Lange

6' 6"
Senior
F
Bryan Nagy

#15 Bryan Nagy

6' 6"
Junior
G/F
Tanner Zaeske

#22 Tanner Zaeske

6' 3"
Freshman
G
Joey Archer

#24 Joey Archer

6' 1"
Senior
G
Troy Howat

#10 Troy Howat

6' 2"
Senior
G
Tyler Ingebrigtsen

#52 Tyler Ingebrigtsen

6' 7"
Senior
F
Anthony Marlowe

#30 Anthony Marlowe

6' 4"
Senior
G/F