Pictured:  The Nerem family (from left): Emily, Joel, Denise, Maren, and Hannah.

By Skip Hunter –

When the final horn of the final Southwest Minnesota Christian girls basketball game of the 2020-21 season sounded, it signaled not only the end of that game against the Minneota Vikings, but also it sounded the end of an era for SWC girls basketball. Coach Denise Nerem had decided that this would be her last game as head coach for the Eagles for a while. She wanted to follow her three girls, Emily, Hannah, and Maren, as they pursue their college careers.

In August of 2006, Denise and Joel Nerem moved to Edgerton. They soon found out that people in Edgerton know things that go on in Northwest Iowa. As she had finished her college career in Northwestern of Orange City, Darrel Ulferts knocked on her door and asked if she would like to help out coaching the Eagles. He knew Denise had some basketball knowledge. She was a volunteer coach that first year with Cal Hoekstra, and then she became the head coach the following 14 years.

Helping her learn the coaching craft was Dan Broekhuis. Denise credits him with teaching her how to manage a game and how to teach skill development. Heidi Uilk and Wes De Kam helped with the C-squad until Rob Veldkamp came on board. Jerry Schnyders became her right-hand man after Broekhuis. He was her steadying influence for eight years until his retirement and subsequent move to be near his grandkids. When Jerry left, Rob Veldkamp moved to assistant and B-squad coach and Dale Mesman took over the C-squad.

Denise and her cadre of assistants have helped 19 players go on to play in college. She is happy that the kids can use their basketball skills as a way to help finance their education. She also credits the girls who have not only athletic skills but also have developed skills of “competition, encouragement, spiritual focus, healthy awareness of their roles, authenticity of self, and just plain grit.” She realizes that this did not happen overnight but “evolved over time.” She believes that SWC is a “safe, flourishing place for girls to succeed in sports.”

Over the 14 years she has coached, Denise has racked up a 299-77 record. That is about an 80 percent win record. She took girls to state 3 times and was 1 game away from going to state many other times. They went to state in 2010, 2016, and 2017. She obviously has instilled in her players a culture of success.

When I asked Denise about good teams in the Red Rock Conference, she mentioned that because she had done this for so long, many teams were good at some point. Southwest Star Concept (now HLOF) went to state her first year. Then the Adrian teams were a tough battle in the section and conference. Fulda had an amazing run for a while. Red Rock Central gave SWC a battle often. Now it is HBC who is the tough game. They were the final opponent in the south subsection of Section 3A with Minneota winning many times in the north to provide the final section opponent. Denise also thinks WWG is on the way to make a run. She credits the SWC tradition started by Darrel Ulferts and continued by others with SWC’s success. She goes on to say that a team does not just “reload.” It takes “a lot of work and sweat to be competitive year after year.”

Her husband Joel has attended a majority of the games. He has always said that “being a pastor, school administrator, or coach in this town are the three worst jobs in Edgerton for criticism.” It may be true, but Denise adds, “Those of us that put in the work every day know the real differences we make in peoples’ lives.” She added that the students pour blessing back into her life and she feels fortunate to do this job and is thankful for the girls she has met over the years and the lifelong friendships she has made with them.

Her daughters came to the gym with her and grew up around the sport although Maren was more interested in the cheerleaders than the basketball players at first. However, we know that all three girls did well at SWC and are playing ball at the next level. As was mentioned above, she believes it is time for her to more closely follow her kids’ college careers. She looks at this as a fun thing to do. Denise is a nurse in the schools, a mom, a coach, and a volunteer EMT. Taking this break in coaching will help her follow the girls and then see “What God has in store for her next,” she said.

Denise will be missed on the sidelines. Probably even some referees might miss her! We wish her well in the next segment of her life.

SWC has hired Luke Drooger to replace Denise as girls basketball coach. He should know she has left some big shoes to fill in the locker room. She has also not left a bare cupboard – the culture remains.