Bruggeman Has Sights Set On A Future In The Game

Feature courtesy of Matt Higgins - MIAC Office

MOORHEAD, Minn. -- When the Concordia men's basketball team is on the court, junior Casey Bruggeman is constantly viewing the game through two separate lenses. Not only does he see the game as a player, but he also continuously scans the court through the eyes of an aspiring coach. His ability to lead this double life doesn't just help with his preparation to follow his passion, it also brings added benefits to his team.

A glance at any of the Cobbers' box scores from the 2014-15 season reveals that Bruggeman - a reserve guard from Pelican Rapids, Minn., and the son of a coach - isn't one of the team's leaders in terms of scoring, rebounding, assists or even minutes played. In fact, he's appeared in just four of the team's 10 games and has scored two points all season. However, his teammates and coaches attest that he's as valuable to the team as anyone on the roster.

"It's kind of amazing," said Concordia Head Coach Rich Glas. "He's one of our leaders and he's hardly played a game."

One could say that Bruggeman serves as one of the team's de facto coaches, but in reality, there's nothing "de facto" about it. His voice and opinions are well-respected by his teammates and coaches alike, and he's even assumed a leadership role to head up off-season workouts and training sessions.

So how did a reserve guard with barely any varsity minutes on his stat sheet rise to the pinnacle of leadership? His work ethic, commitment and love of the game won his teammates' trust and respect, and once he had that, his role really began to bloom.

"[Bruggeman is] one of the best teammates," said junior forward Jordan Bolger. "He always wants what's best for the team, even if it isn't what's best for him individually. Everyone respects him."

BATTLING BACK AND EARNING RESPECT
Bruggeman's road map to a well-respected leadership role in his junior season reveals a unique journey. After playing on the junior varsity as a freshman, Bruggeman's hard work was starting to pay off and all indications pointed to a role on varsity as a sophomore. Those plans were suddenly derailed when he suffered a partially torn and partially ruptured patellar tendon, the ligament that connects the patella (knee) to the tibia (shin).

Instead of continuing his journey on the court, Bruggeman was instead faced with surgery and rehab. However, the way he approached the situation directly caught the attention of everyone in the program, and began his elevation to a leadership role.

"I think [his teammates] see his commitment, his discipline to try to get healthy, to try to play the game the way he wants to play it, and that was the initial game-changer for him becoming one of our leaders," Glas said. "They respect how hard he worked to get back to where they're at. He works every day to get back to his full abilities."

Despite his efforts, Bruggeman still isn't back to 100 percent. In addition to the knee injury - which he said isn't quite fully recovered yet - he's also battling some hip issues this season. Sometimes that means treatment or stretching or additional exercises, but he hasn't shied away from any of it, even during trips to away games. The result is an appreciation for the small things - being able to simply participate in practice and go through drills - and the combination of his work ethic and attitude have been a boost to the entire team.

Casey Bruggeman

"It's been frustrating," Bruggeman said. "It's tough to not be able to compete at the level you want to. It's been tough, but I think it's really helped my patience and taught me to enjoy the time you get on the court. At practice every day I really enjoy being out there and I've learned to appreciate playing the sport I love."

COACHING CRUSADE
Bruggeman's love of basketball was first born in Pelican Rapids, where the game became a part of his life at a very early age. His dad, Doug, was the longtime coach of the high school girls' basketball team, and the Bruggemans are definitely a basketball family. At an early age Casey began to consider following in his father's footsteps to pursue a career in coaching.

"I enjoyed learning about the game, how it's played and how it could be played more effectively," Bruggeman said. "That spurred my interest into coaching. It's a great way to stay involved with the game."

Rather than wait until his playing days were over, Bruggeman already has his coaching career off and running. He began assisting with an AAU team a few years ago, and last summer, the club wanted him to take over a team of his own. Bruggeman coached a 14-and-under Minnesota Comets AAU team based out of the Moorhead area, and got his first taste of life as a head coach. Fittingly, his first assistant coaching hire was his dad.

"Last summer was great," Bruggeman said. "I learned a whole lot. My dad helped me coach on the bench and that was great for our relationship as well. My team all became good buddies and it was cool to see all these guys from different towns go from being strangers to friends. That's what you do it for, to see them have success and develop those relationships."

The Comets weren't Bruggeman's only coaching gig last summer. He set up and ran three basketball camps in his hometown area - one camp each in Pelican Rapids, Crookston and Mahnomen - for a wide range of age groups, from elementary school all the way up to high school varsity. Bruggeman was also  able to coach at Division I summer camps at Northern Iowa, Creighton and North Dakota State. Some of those opportunities were set up through Glas' coaching connections, and the coach received extremely positive feedback from his colleagues about his latest protégé.

"I recommended Casey to some camps and they loved him," Glas said. "He's willing to do anything they ask. He has a desire to coach the game, to work with people, to make them better."

Bruggeman also was selected to participate in the first-ever Supreme Coach challenge, which was a clinic and contest for aspiring coaches and led by the likes of NBA coaching legend George Karl and former Penn State Head Coach Bruce Parkhill. He was selected to be an assistant for one of the teams in the challenge, and got to spend three days attending what was basically a master class of high-level coaching.

"That was an incredible experience," he said. "I got to spend three days hanging out with George Karl and Bruce Parkhill, soaking it up and hearing all their stories. It became something I'll never forget. Both talked about the hard work it takes to get into coaching and how you need to take advantage of your opportunities. They talked a lot about the relationships they formed, about they still keep in touch with their former players and coaches. It was great to see that these guys at the highest level are still in it for the right reasons."

APPLYING HIS TRADE
Bruggeman also took on one other major coaching gig last summer through the leadership role he assumed with the Cobbers. At the Division III level, coaches are not permitted to work with their players outside of the designated playing season, so any offseason work is either done individually or assembled by the student-athletes. In basketball, this often translates to a lot of shooting sessions and pick-up games. However, Concordia had the value of having its very own coach on the roster.

Jordan Bolger

"Last summer, a lot of us stayed in Moorhead to work on our games," said Bolger. "Casey was always the first one in the gym and the last one to leave. He had all these drills that he would put us through. He knows what our coaches would like to see, and he has his own thoughts as well. He had us work on shooting, ball handling, passing, even some plays to get us tuned up.

"We do have other leaders, but as a group we had a great offseason and Casey was a big reason why. He really helped us do what Coach Glas wants us to do."

"It's great that the guys respect [Bruggeman]," added Glas. "How many college guys call their teammates over to the gym to work on ball handling drills? They usually don't work at it that way, but Casey, he's going to make them do it. As a coach, you love it. When you can't be on the court with your team, it's so helpful to have a player like him who will step up. He's an extension of our staff, there's no question about it."

Bruggeman's leadership from the summer has carried over into the 2014-15 season, which has seen the Cobbers get off to a tremendous 7-3 start overall with a 3-2 record thus far in MIAC play. The coaches are around now to run the drills and set up the game plans, but Bruggeman still brings a coaches' mindset to his role on the team.

"He's always trying to figure out what would work best for us both offensively and defensively," Bolger said of his teammate. "When we come out of the game, he always has something to tell us - we should be switching on a backside screen, if the roll is there on the pick-and-roll. He's always offering these nuggets to help us be successful."

"I take pride in having a leadership role," Bruggeman said. "I like to be vocal in practice and try to encourage guys to work harder. Even if I'm not on the court, I want to help our team perform at its highest level. I love trying to see the game as a coach. I'm preparing as player right now, but having that knowledge of the game I can see some things to help myself and my teammates out. I always try to look at things as a coach and try to figure out how we can be playing better."

'TRULY UNIQUE'
The 2014-15 season is almost halfway in the books, which means Bruggeman has just a season-and-a-half left to live his double life as a player and coach before diving headfirst into coaching. During his Cobber career thus far, Bruggeman's desire to become a coach has been significantly strengthened by his bond with Glas, and all he's learned from his veteran coach.

Casey Bruggeman drives toward the basket during a game against Crown College. (Photo by Concordia Sports Information)

"With Coach Glas, he's been coaching for more than 40 years now and he has a wealth of experience," Bruggeman said. "He really preaches that it's not just about what you do on the court, it's about what you do off the court. It's about becoming men, it's about the relationships you form. Basketball is more than just a game, it's a life thing, and he instills those values into our team."

The respect in the relationship is mutual. During Glas' career which has seen stops at all levels of college basketball, he's truly found a inimitable pupil in Bruggeman.

"He's a unique guy," Glas said of Bruggeman. "He's an excellent student. He's committed to the game. I just can't say enough good things about him. I've never experienced this in my 44 years of coaching, where a sophomore that barely plays ends up being one of our leaders, and it's continued into his junior year. It's truly unique. He's already a good coach, and I like to sit down and talk basketball with him."

As for Bruggeman's coaching prospects, he's got plenty of support in his Cobber family. In fact, his current teammates and coaches are already his biggest fans and predict big things for his future.

"I think he'll be a very successful coach," Bolger said. "I saw him coach a few AAU games and he's very good at figuring out what his players need. He can be stern and coach with a hard hand, but he can also be very loving. He always wants what's best for his team."

"He's going to be an excellent coach," added Glas. "He's very personable. He has a desire to coach the game, to work with people, to make them better. He realizes what the game has meant to him, and how it can help people. Through participation as an athlete, it's an avenue to give yourself a chance to be successful in life because of the lessons you can learn. Casey gets that. It's not just about winning. He knows the value he has gotten out of it, and will be able to pass that along as a coach."

While the future is bright, Bruggeman prefers to focus on the present and appreciate where he's at. He wears his Cobber pride on his sleeve, and his love for his Concordia team is apparent in every word he uses to discuss his teammates, coaches or their goals. He is mature beyond his years, which is evidenced by his approach to the game, and his appreciation for his strong network of support.

"The real highlight for me has been becoming a family with all the guys on the team," Bruggeman said. "I'm very grateful for my family and my team and my coaches for all the support they've given me through all the ups and downs of my injuries and through life. The support they've given me is unbelievable and really important."

Through that support, he's developed into a great student, a great teammate and an extremely promising young coach who is in it for the right reasons. It's impossible to predict if Bruggeman's future squads will become championship-caliber teams, but because of his approach and philosophies his future players are all destined to find true success.

"It might not matter if you win or lose," Bruggeman said, "but it's really important that you compete in sports and in life, and it all comes down to the lessons you learn and the relationship you form."