Meet the Coach: Brad Feeken, Gretna (2015)

@HuskerlandBob Sez: Brad Feeken was a good guy, bottom line. He won a couple of state basketball titles and a bunch of other games along the way, earning the respect and love of his own players and opponents alike. Brad died Saturday morning from complications of a cancer he'd been fighting for more than two years. He was 48 years old.

Not only did Brad give cancer a good going over in their fight, he did it with the same smiling way of his, which was also a bit of a trap come game time because it hid a fiercely competitive streak, the kind winners always have. He leaves a lasting legacy within the world of Nebraska high school basketball, within his school and the Gretna community, and the community of coaches, officials and other friends who, like me, couldn't wait for the next time we'd see Brad.

You always wonder what you would do if it was your turn. To be given a death sentence like Brad was - no way to fix the cancer - and then it's a matter of how your respond. Brad responded the way people who knew him best expected he would, coming out fighting all while assuring you things were going to be OK, at least until they weren't OK.

A wise man once told me about Brad, and not so long ago, that after you came to him to offer solace for his stunningly unfair condition you left the conversation realizing he had actually been consoling you, not the other way around. Brad Feeken was a good man, the kind of man who left this world a better place for his having been part of it for all these too few years. #RIPFeek

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1. Where did you grow up? Where did you go to high school and college? What sports did you play in school?

I grew up in Hastings and attended Hastings High School, then Doane College, where I played for hall of famer Bob Erickson. I was a three-sport athlete in high school, competing in basketball, cross country and soccer.

2. How did you first get interested in coaching? Did you have somebody who got you excited about coaching as a career?

My father (Dale Feeken) was the track coach at Adams Central and I always went to a lot of games and track meets, and saw the effect he had on kids both inside and outside of the sport. I saw how he took the athletes under his wing and I try to apply some of that in my coaching, making sure our older players are spending time and helping our younger players.

3. What would you have become professionally if not a teacher/coach? What appealed to you about that profession?

I've known I would work with kids in one way or another, hoping I could help instill some characteristics what would help them later in life. As a teacher and coach I get that chance every day.

4. Tell us about the most memorable game ever played by a team you coached. Who was it against, what was at stake and why is it your favorite? What about your favorite game as a player?

My first year of coaching at Gretna we faced No. 1 Ralston in the district final and they were a really good team, coached by my friend Bill Heard. It had been 22 years since Gretna had been to the state tournament and beating Ralston like that was a program builder for us, it was huge for the school and the community. It will always be a special memory for me, winning that game as a unknown coach with a program that was trying to make a name for itself.

5. How did you develop your coaching philosophy and what are some of the elements that helped shape it?

My philosophy has been shaped by so many people who have been important in my life, starting with my father, who was a great teacher and wanted his athletes to be their best both in their sport and in the classroom. When I was at Hastings College I was blessed to play for a great man by the name of Joe Sajevic, who put in countless hours to make his team, and his players, better.

Also at Hastings College I played for the great Mike Trader, who has forgotten more basketball than I will ever know. He's somebody I know I can call at anytime for advice and he's always there for me. I appreciate that very much.

I also have a couple of great friends in coaching, (current assistant) Bill Heard (remember him?) and (current Papillion-LaVista A.D.) Jason Ryan. All three of us were at Doane together and they are great people who I have shared a lot of time with. We talk about all phases of coaching and I've stolen a lot of what they've used in coaching; there's no need to reinvent the wheel.

6. What is the most rewarding part of your job as a teacher and coach? Why do you say that?

It all comes back to the kids. Getting to associate with them, hopefully having a positive impact and instilling values that will benefit them 20 or 30 years down the road.