By CASEY OLSON, The Mirror
Roberto Bergersen is back playing basketball in the United States.
The 1994 Decatur High School graduate and all-state shooting guard is expected to join the Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League within the next few days.
The signing with the Boise-based professional franchise will be a homecoming for the 6-foot-6 Bergersen, who starred at Boise State University during his collegiate career. Bergersen was inducted into the Boise State University Athletic Hall of Fame last month.
Idaho Stampede coach Bryan Gates is trying to build a quality team for the upcoming season, which kicks off Nov. 19, and he considers it a bonus that Bergersen has strong ties to the city.
“You have to win to have a fan following,” Gates said. “If we go 0-50, it doesn’t matter who is on our team because people aren’t going to come and watch us play. Roberto can help us win.”
This isn’t Bergersen’s first stint with the Stampede. The Idaho franchise was 51-21 during Bergersen’s two prior stints as the team’s starting shooting guard. He played with the Stampede from 1999-2001 and again during the 2003-04 season.
Bergersen averaged 7.7 points and 2 assists per game in 1999-2000 and played in the All-Rookie game. The following year, he averaged 14.6 points, four rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. In 2003-2004, he averaged 16.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, three assists and 1.3 steals per game while leading the team to the Continental Basketball Association Finals.
Bergersen also played with Dodge City of the United States Basketball League in 2004, averaging 17.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game and helping Dodge City to the USBL Semifinals. Bergersen was named to the USBL All-Star team that season. He has also played overseas with the Boca Juniors of Argentina, Cholet (France), Dongbu (Korea), Palma Aqua (Spain), Karsiyaka (Turkey) and Melilla (Spain). While with Karsiyaka, Bergersen made the Turkish League All-Star team. He his averaging 13.5 points per game in his European career. He played last season in South Korea.
During his playing days at Boise State (1996-99), Bergersen was honored as a First-Team All-Big West Conference selection in both 1998 and 1999, and was chosen as the Big West Conference Player of the Year in 1999. Despite playing only three seasons after transferring from the University of Washington, Bergersen still poured in 1,485 points for fifth on the all-time list, averaging 17.3 points from 1996 to 1999.
He was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks and played in the NBA Summer League with both Portland and Sacramento and was also on the Milwaukee Bucks roster briefly.
College Basketball News:
• Federal Way High School grad Terrell Smith is starting his freshman season at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif. The 6-4 small forward played in the Tigers’ first exhibition game Thursday against Cal State Stanislaus. Smith finished 0-for-5 from the field with one rebound and an assist.
“Terrell is probably the most athletic player on our team,” said Pacific head coach Bob Thomason. “He runs, jumps, he’s very fit, he shoots the ball well and he can score. He is one of the few players that can make difficult shots. He is really a guard, but we’re going to play him at the three spot. We expect him to compete for the starting three position. I think he’s going to be a tremendous player.”
• Federal Way grad Pooh Williams finished 1-for-4 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line for Utah State during an exhibition game loss to EA Sports Wednesday. The 6-4 forward totaled five points and one assist. Williams is a freshman after red-shirting last season.
“Has excellent ability and athleticism,” said head coach Stew Morrill. “This season will be a huge adjustment after sitting out last year. Needs to mature as both a person and basketball player and his practice habits are critical for his development.”
• Federal Way High School grad Salena Dickerson is now playing at Washington State University after red-shirting last year at Gonzaga University.
Dickerson, a 5-10 wing, had four points in a 72-62 win over Southern Oregon on Nov. 2 in an exhibition game and had 11 points and 11 rebounds during a 70-64 overtime loss to Alaska-Anchorage in another exhibition Nov. 5.
• Decatur High School graduate Travis Wagner is entering his sophomore season on the Green River basketball team. Wagner is a 6-4 forward. GRCC starts their season Nov. 23 at the Skagit Valley Tournament.
• Federal Way grad Josh Broussard and Decatur grad Stedman Richardson are playing at Highline Community College. Broussard is a sophomore guard and Richardson is a freshman guard. Highline starts their season Nov. 16 against Peninsula CC.
• Beamer grad Whitney Lynch is entering her freshman season at Highline Community College. Lynch is a 5-8 guard/forward. Highline’s season kicks off Nov. 16 at the Shoreline Turkey Tournament.
• Jefferson grad Kalei Frank and Federal Way grad Christine Kim are entering their first seasons at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore. Frank played the last two seasons at Tacoma Community College and Kim played at Highline. Both are junior guards.
• Federal Way grad Marcus Wright is entering his first season at Evergreen State College in Olympia. Wright played the last two years at Green River.
• Federal Way grad Marques Hollins is entering his freshman season at Seattle University. Hollins is a 6-0 guard.
• Federal Way grad Nate Sanchez is entering his junior season at Westminster College in Salt Lake City. The 6-8 Sanchez averaged 13.7 points and six rebounds last year.
• Washington State University women’s basketball team hired Brian Holsinger to fill one of the vacant assistant coaching positions in May.
Holsinger, who graduated from Federal Way High School in 1994, joins the WSU staff after two years as the women’s head coach at Montana Tech, where his Oredigger team was 15-7 this past season.
“I’m really proud to have Brian Holsinger joining our program,” WSU head coach June Daugherty said. “He is an accomplished coach who will be a great teacher for our student-athletes at Washington State. Brian also is obviously an accomplished recruiter. He is going to be a great addition to the Cougar basketball family and we are looking forward to getting him started in Pullman.”
Holsinger is a 1999 graduate of Western Washington University with a degree in biology. He also attended Pacific University in Oregon and played basketball as a freshman for the Boxers, 1994-95, before transferring to WWU after his freshman year.
“I am looking forward to coaching with a proven coach like June Daugherty and her husband Mike,” Holsinger said. “I am also excited about turning Washington State into a player in the Pacific-10 Conference. This is a wonderful opportunity to be involved with a great Pac-10 institution.”
WSU’s new assistant started his coaching career at The Master’s College in Santa Clarita, Calif., where he had a five-year run as the assistant head coach. The Mustangs were 132-58 and made four NAIA national tournament appearances during his tenure. He was named Montana Tech’s women’s head coach in July, 2005.
Sports editor Casey Olson: 925-5565, sports@fedwaymirror.com
