Hastings College Head Men’s Basketball Coach Bill Gavers has announced retirement from his position effective immediately.

Gavers led the team to winning records in four of his nine seasons and in three seasons of Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) play. His finest overall seasons were in 2013-14 when he led the team to a 21-10 overall record and 14-6 in the GPAC, good for fourth place in league, and in 2018-19 when his team was 20-11 overall and 10-8 in conference. Those teams received votes in the final NAIA Top 25 poll. His biggest postseason win came in 2020 when the eighth seeded Broncos upset GPAC Champion and nationally ranked #2 Morningside University 84-80 in the GPAC Quarterfinals. Over his nine seasons at Hastings College, his overall record was 133-139 and 74-102 in GPAC play.

“I would like to thank Hastings College for the opportunity to coach the men’s basketball team the last nine years,” said Gavers. “I would also like to thank all the players who competed the last nine years for their commitment and personal sacrifices during that time. Also, many thanks to the families who sent their sons to Hastings College for their education. I would like to add a thank you to all the assistant coaches that served in the nine-year period. Lastly, a big thank you to all the alumni, fans, and loyal supporters of HC basketball.”

B.J. Pumroy, Hastings College Director of Athletics, said, “Coach Gavers has given much to Hastings College over his career as a student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach. His knowledge of the game and efforts to teach the game and teach about life are some of his best characteristics.”

Off the court the teams succeed in the classroom.

In 2019, Bart Hiscock collected the Google Cloud Academic Player of the Year award and was named First Team Academic All America by the Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America. Following the most recently completed semester, the Broncos Men’s Basketball team carried a 3.18 cumulative team GPA.

Gavers is a 1988 Hastings College graduate. During the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons, he played for then-Bronco Head Coach Mike Trader, who had also coached him at Omaha (NE) Bryan High School. The 1987-88 team was inducted into the Hastings College Hall of Fame in 1997. Gavers also played on the Bronco Men’s Tennis team and was named Academic All-American for tennis in 1987.

Prior to coming to Hastings College head coach, Gavers spent 22 seasons as head coach of Grand Island Central Catholic’s Boys Basketball team, amassing a 421-127 record including 12 trips to the state tournament, a state title in 2000, a runner-up finish in 2008 and 19 top ten finishes. In 2005 he was named Hastings College Alumni Coach of the Year – a recognition not only of the basketball program he built at GICC but also his work with the school’s tennis program. As the leader of the Crusaders tennis program, GICC won five state titles and had four runner-up finishes. Prior to his tenure at GICC he was an assistant coach for the Hastings College Men’s Basketball team from 1988 to 1991 while also teaching and coaching tennis at Hastings (NE) High School.

Gavers will continue at Hastings College through the end of the academic year to assist with the men’s and women’s tennis programs and other administrative duties.

The national search for the next head coach will commence immediately.

http://www.hastingsbroncos.com/article/4041.php#.YhluAvXMKWB