The Redhawks’ starting five – (l-r) Thomas Hulme (24), Adam Greiner (23), Michael Schrier (only his hands visible from behind Greiner), Devin McKinley (5), and Gabe Kopriva (1) – fist-bump one another ahead of their final game together in the North Linn High School gym in Coggon on Feb. 17 where they took on Janesville in Round 2 of the postseason.

It was a bittersweet final game for several members of the Redhawks boys’ basketball team on Thursday, Feb. 17, during Round 2 of the postseason in Coggon. After beating Waterloo Christian 71-59 on Valentine’s Day earlier in the week, North Tama capped off a stellar season (14-9) at North Linn High School where they took on Janesville – almost overtaking the Wildcats in the fourth quarter before ultimately losing 48-57.

“We did struggle to get in a rhythm offensively and that kind of stuck with us all night,” North Tama head coach Alex Tagtow said in a text based interview following the game. “It was a bad night to have one of those games, but our defensive effort was great and that is what kept us in it. We were right there the whole game and had a chance down the stretch and that is all you can ask for this time of year.”

Tagtow will lose six seniors from his roster next year including Adam Greiner, Thomas Hulme, Gabe Kopriva, and Devin McKinley – four starters who moved as a cohesive unit from the fall gridiron to the winter hardwood, clearly benefiting from the bonds they forged on Dennis Field.

“We had a really special group of seniors that have played a lot of games for us and were able to accomplish a lot, not only in basketball but in other sports as well,” Tagtow said.

The 2022-2022 team broke or tied several school records this season including the most 3-pointers ever made in a single game with 13 sunk against GMG at home on December 7, 2022 – ten of those 3-pointers coming from Kopriva.

North Tama starting Gabe Kopriva (1), who has been a standout all season in 3-pointers made, slides another 3-pointer through the net with ease during his final game with the Redhawks on Feb. 17, in Coggon. Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker

The team now occupies fourth place in the school record books for most points per game and also for total points in a single season with 1,460 points scored.

The trio of Hulme, Kopriva, and McKinley broke or set several individual school records as well.

Hulme now has the third most rebounds in a single season in the school’s history with 240 while also the fifth best field goal percentage in a single season with 59.6 percent.

Hulme also cemented his rebounding ability beyond the Redhawks Nest by notching fourth place in Class 1A for offensive rebounds per game.

While on the road against BCLUW on December 11, 2021, McKinley slid into the second place slot for most 3-pointers made in a single game in school history with seven. McKinley is also now in fourth place for the most career 3-pointers made in school history with 112.

So close. After beating Waterloo Christian 71-59 on Valentine's Day earlier in the week, North Tama capped off a stellar season (14-9) at North Linn High School where they took on Janesville – almost overtaking the Wildcats in the fourth quarter before ultimately losing 48-57.

Much like he did during his final high school football season this past fall, Kopriva racked up the school records during his final year of high school basketball – moving from rocketing passes to the pocket with ease to sinking 3-pointer after 3-pointer with pragmatic beauty.

Kopriva is now first in school history for most 3-pointers made in a single game (Dec. 7, 2021) with 10, while also occupying the second place slot with the seven 3-pointers he dropped through the hoop on two separate occasions – once against Collins-Maxwell and again against AGWSR.

Kopriva is also now first in school history for 3-pointers made in a single season with 83, second for career 3-pointers made with 153, second for total points in a season with 475, and second for most points in a single game with 38 which took place on Dec. 7, 2021 against GMG at home.

“This is truly a special group and one that means a lot to me,” Tagtow said. “Not only did they achieve a lot on the court but they are really great people that are going to be successful in their adult lives. [Hulme, Kopriva, and McKinley] are really special kids that had totally different paths leading to this season.”

Due to injuries sustained during football season by a couple of returning players, Tagtow said McKinley was forced into playing point guard as a sophomore at a time when he was not ready.

The Telegraph will miss not only the 6-foot-5-inch Hulme's impressive rebounding skills, but also what has been labeled some of the best hair on the Class 1A hardwoods this season. Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker

“He had a lot of growing pains but it ultimately was a great thing for him,” Tagtow said. “He really grew as a basketball player and as a person and those experiences turned him into somebody who not only was a great player but also showed a lot of leadership for us. … [McKinley] was a huge part of everything we did. He did a tremendous job of creating for everyone and he was the one that made the team go on offense.”

Tagtow said of the three, Kopriva was the most ready physically to play as a sophomore but unfortunately underwent shoulder surgery that year and missed the entire 2019-2020 season.

“Gabe had his own growing pains, but they came early in his junior year after sitting out for an entire [season] and only having one year of JV experience. He found a niche pretty quickly as someone who could space the floor and shoot it his junior year – but he really became a scorer as a senior … [a player] who could be effective from a lot of different areas of the floor.

“By the time we got to the second half of his senior year, [Kopriva] was the focal point of every defense we faced and he still managed to finish the season 12th in Class 1A in points per game and second in 3-pointers made per game,” Tagtow said.

As for the 6-foot-5-inch Hulme, Tagtow said he experienced a significant physical transformation during high school which made for a diversified high school basketball career.

Redhawks’ starting forward, senior Adam Greiner watches as he sinks one of six 3-point shots he made against the Janesville Wildcats on Feb. 17, in Coggon during Round 2 of the postseason. Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker

“[Hulme] was still growing, I think, until his junior year and because of that, we didn’t really know where he fit in and what position would be best for him. Early in his junior year, we had him playing all over the place. Somewhere along the line during his junior year, I can’t remember which game, we had serious foul trouble and we had to play him at [center] for a huge stretch of the game. He had never played there before at lower levels or even during practice but we stumbled upon what would turn out to be a perfect fit for him.”

By the end of his junior year, Tagtow said, Hulme was seeing as much playing time as the team’s starters and was soon closing out games at center.

“As a senior, [Hulme] almost never came off the floor and averaged a double-double. We were able to maximize what we got offensively out of other players because we knew we could depend on his production even without running lots of things specifically for him. This made us so much more explosive on offense and was key to us being the16th highest scoring team in 1A,” Tagtow said.

With so much senior talent and firepower on the hardwood, the Redhawks’ loss to the Wildcats in Round 2 of the postseason this year was a hard pill to swallow, but for coach Tagtow – who can see the breadth of how far the group led by Hulme, Kopriva, and McKinley has come – pride in his players’ abilities matters just as much.

“Janesville is a really good team with a ton of experience and they deserve a lot of credit for making some big shots down the stretch,” Tagtow said. “[But] I’m so proud of [my] guys and how hard they played.”

North Tama starting guard, senior Devin McKinley watches a free throw attempt fly on Thursday, Feb. 17, in Coggon during the final game of his high school career. Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker

The Redhawks ended the 2021-2022 season tied for second in conference play, 8-4, and 14-9 overall.

Junior Michael Schrier attempts a field goal during the Redhawks Round 2 postseason game against Janesville on Feb. 17 in Coggon. Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker

North Tama freshman guard Josh Dostal (25) looks to shoot against the Janesville Wildcats on Feb. 17 in Coggon. Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker