PREPS ALCOVE

Preps Alcove: Showalter's crazy year-long journey culminates with son's memorable basket

JR Radcliffe
jr.radcliffe@jrn.com

Steve Showalter has never been afforded the luxury of getting emotional as a basketball fan. As the architect of Germantown’s powerhouse boys basketball team, one that won three straight state championships and appeared in four straight finals games, he oversaw one of the finest runs in state history. But sitting in Madison Square Garden in New York was an uncommon experience.

“It was interesting coaching both boys,” said Showalter, whose sons Zak and Jake were a huge part of the Germantown dynasty. “I loved every second of it, and I would love to do it again. But at the same time, you don’t get to sit during the games and celebrate your kids’ accomplishments because you’re coaching all the kids; they’re all your boys. So, it was a joy … sometimes you just want to sit back and enjoy watching your kid play, and I missed out on that a little bit.”

He said he was too overcome with emotion to even notice that Zak, a senior for the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team, had turned to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the stands and delivered Rodgers’ signature “belt” celebration. The date was March 24, and Showalter had just hit the biggest shot of his life – a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left that eventually forced overtime against Florida in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The story didn’t end well – Florida wound up winning the game on a running 3-pointer by Chris Chiozza in overtime, 84-83. But it was a moment that won’t be soon forgotten by Badgers fans, nor will Zak be forgotten as a workmanlike component of a program that went to four straight Sweet 16s during his tenure.

“I’ve always been so proud of the fact that kids that play for me, and especially my boys, they never celebrate until the game is over,” Steve Showalter said with a laugh. “They don’t make gestures, they don’t high-five, there’s no celebration on the court because they’re thinking about the next play or next possession. For him to do something like that is totally out of character and surprised me, but at the same time, it was so great to see how much joy and how much fun that brought him and the whole program.”

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Showalter’s sequence was a prominent part of the annual “One Shining Moment” montage that aired April 3 after the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament, with North Carolina defeating Gonzaga in the championship game.

Zak’s career arc, which has included starting each of the past two seasons and accumulating such highlights as a huge charge against Xavier that set up a game-winning shot in last year’s second round and a SportsCenter-worthy dunk against Notre Dame in the Sweet 16, began as the top player for the 2012 state-champion Germantown squad, the first of the three titles. In 2011, Zak was a key part of the Germantown squad ousted in a controversial “Super Tuesday” loss to Appleton East, one that featured a last-second shot after the clock didn’t start right away on the final play.

Former UW guard Zak Showalter, who made a memorable three-pointer in the waning moments against Florida in an NCAA Sweet 16 game, worked out for the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday.

In a serendipitous twist of events, Showalter was on the sideline helming Menomonee Falls this year when the clock didn’t start on a tipped inbound in the regional-final battle between Falls and Fond du Lac. The extra sliver of time enabled Cross Wilson to drain a game-winning 3-pointer that launched Falls to its 17th win and a spot in the sectional.

“I had no idea during as the play was being run that the ball was tipped at all,” Steve said. “It wasn’t a drastic change as far as the flight of the ball or anything. Later that night, I started to get some texts and read some tweets that the ball may have been tipped and there was video and all that stuff. I went back and looked at it, but I don’t think there’s much you can do about it at this point. (For Fond du Lac), it’s the same heartbreaking feeling that we went through that night against Appleton East. Same heartbreaking feeling I experienced a few nights (later) at the Badger game.”

Showalter’s much-publicized return to coaching took a twist this past offseason, when he came back to Milwaukee after a one-year stint as an assistant coach at Lindenwood University. He was first hired by Catholic Memorial but then took the job with Falls before coaching a game for CMH.

“I appreciate everything that Catholic Memorial was able to try to do for me,” Steve said. “They were the first ones to call, and I told them this is kind of what I’m looking for. I’d really like to work in the school and put the basketball piece together with working in the school and try to make that a career. I had been a police officer for 25 years and wasn’t interested in going back to that. Catholic Memorial put together the best package they could, and admittedly by them, they couldn’t give me exactly what I was looking for.

“After schools around the area started finding out I was coming back and I was open to coaching, I started to get a lot of calls, not just this one. Now, it’s like, ‘What do I do now?’ because I’m a man of my word and I want to be loyal, but some of the offers I was getting (were closer to the ideal). People wanted to talk to me, and I was telling people no, but for my family and for me, it might be wise to listen to some of these offers. I shared that with Catholic Memorial, I was up front with them the whole way through. It just happened that monetarily and for my future, as far as my retirement, to work in the public school was the way I needed to go at this point in my life. Pretty much everyone understood it from everything I can tell.”

Germantown will join Falls in the Greater Metro Conference next year, making for an interesting series between the two schools. Zak, meanwhile, will move on from Wisconsin after five full years in the program.

“I was just so proud of him every step of the way,” Steve said. “At no time did we ever think he had it made or that it would get to this. He’s relatively small for the Big Ten and not super quick, not super anything, but he’s got a heart of gold and will never stop working and never stop trying to win.”

To hear more from Steve Showalter, including tidbits about Zak’s recruitment, the moments leading into the big shot and the challenges of coaching sons, listen to the Initial Reaction podcast at LakeCountryNow.com.