By Bruce Warren

Scott Wilke is excited about returning to Colorado as head coach for the Niwot boys basketball team. Wilke, who starred at the University of Colorado from 1984-88, was hired to replace Ernie Reichert, who retired after coaching the Cougars from 1993 through last season. 
 
Wilke brings a presence to the job not often seen in the halls of Niwot. The search committee interviewed seven strong candidates for the position, but Wilke stood out above the rest, literally and figuratively. At 6’10" and 250 pounds, Wilke is an imposing figure. Wilke served as an assistant coach at Omaha Central (NE) last season, but he was looking to return to Colorado. 
 
The search committee included junior basketball player Paul Creighton, sophomore player Josh Anfang, parent Joel Maguire, and parent Ann Blessing. After the first round of interviews, the field was narrowed to 3 candidates and District A.D. Pam Clary participated in a second round of interviews. Niwot A.D. Rob Berry received 28 applications for the position. 
 
Wilke grew up in Harlan, Iowa, then came to CU as a power forward for coach Tom Apke and later Tom Miller. By the time he left, Wilke was in the record books for CU. He stands seventh in scoring with 1366 points and eighth in field goals. 

After college, Wilke played professional basketball in the CBA and in Europe. He also coached at Southerland University in England until returning to the states last year. His wife is from England and is looking forward to the move to Colorado. 

Berry was impressed with Wilke’s approach to the game. "He talked about the need for players to have all the fundamentals---the big guys need to be able to handle the ball and the smaller guys need to be able to post up," Berry recalled. Wilke also wanted to know in the interview if it was all right to go out on the court and play with the kids on occasion. He was assured that would not be a problem. 

"He was enthusiastic and stressed fundamentals," Joel Maguire recalled. "The kids on the committee seemed to relate well to him." 

Wilke, 34, also accepted a classroom position at Niwot High where he will teach business and health classes. Wilke plans to meet with the NHS Booster Club at its May 14 meeting. He also plans to meet with the returning players and talk about summer camps. Wilke plans to talk to past coaches to get input and find out if they are interested in assisting.