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| Blaine Joerger racked up 1,475 points in his four years with the Mavericks |
The Staples, Minn., native held the school record for most three-pointers made with 241 when he graduated in 2000, a record that was later broken by a recent inductee into the Minnesota State University Hall of Fame, Luke Anderson. Joerger ranked sixth all-time in scoring upon graduation and currently ranks tenth all-time with 1,475 points. Joerger scored 407 points in his sophomore season, 500 points in his junior season and 395 points in his senior season as a Maverick.
Joerger also ranks third on the single-season three-point field goals made list with 87 made during his junior season.
On back-to-back nights back in 1999, Joerger enjoyed what was probably his best weekend of college basketball when he scored 40 points vs. Augustana and 42 against South Dakota State. All told, he shot 25-of-42 from the field, including 17 of 31 from three-point range,
and was 15 of 18 on free throws.
While playing basketball for the Mavericks, Joerger ended up interning with Northwestern Mutual in Mankato back in 1999 and he has been with the company ever since.
MavBlog checked in this week with Joerger who now resides with his family in Richfield, Minn.
MavBlog: What are you up to these days?
Blaine Joerger: Living in Richfield, where I first moved to after graduating college. I work as a financial advisor for Northwestern Mutual, the same job and company I started with as a college intern while playing for the Mavericks!
MavBlog: Tell us about your family.
Blaine Joerger: Wife, Kyla, and three kids. Our oldest son is a junior this year in high school and plays soccer and basketball. Have a seventh grade daughter who is also into basketball and tennis and our youngest is in first grade and she does whatever her older siblings are doing!
MavBlog: How has Minnesota State affected your career after college?
Blaine Joerger: While I played for the Mavericks, I made several great relationships with professors, coaches, and other students. Having been on the basketball team, I was fortunate to be able to meet a number of community members as well as other athletes within the University. These interactions were beneficial as I transitioned from college to the work force.
MavBlog: Following his college playing career, your brother David has gone on to a coaching career that includes NBA head-coaching stints with Memphis and Sacramento. What kind of impact has your brother had on you?
Blaine Joerger: While in high school and college Dave made a tremendous impact on me and the athlete I became. Very few people understand what he did and went through to get where he is today, but I was fortunate enough to have a front row seat! Yes, he is gifted in the sense of basketball acumen, but the amount of work he put in and the sacrifices he made are what set him apart. His dedication and work ethic (along with high expectations within our high school programs) set the bar high for me early in my athletic career. I learned from Dave that natural talent alone wasn’t going to make me successful.
MavBlog: What were some of your most memorable moments as a Maverick?
Blaine Joerger: It may seem a little cliché, but the most memorable moments are those with my teammates outside of games. Don’t get me wrong, my brain works in such a way that I could still tell you how many points I scored, how I scored them and the shots I missed from a good number of games in college. However, most of my retrievable memories include personal interactions and activities with my teammates.
If we’re talking on the court memorable moments —
• Beating SDSU the last weekend of the season at Otto when they were ranked #1 in the country (during my sophomore season) that gave us a shot at being selected to NCAA tournament, which ended up not happening.
• January of 1999 games - I had a decent month and was named National D2 player for the month.
• Playing the last collegiate basketball game at Otto with the knowledge of the rich history of all that had taken place within the arena.
MavBlog: What was it like playing in Otto Arena?
Blaine Joerger: I have mixed feelings about Otto. When I was recruited to play, the idea was that home conference games were going to be played at the civic center, which had recently been built. That never transpired, which is too bad. Otto was really fun to play in when it’d get filled up- but I’ll tell you I don’t miss running on the concrete like floor! I’ll always be able to say I played the last college basketball game in Otto my senior year. I can also say it was tough to watch the new Taylor Center being built and walking by it each day knowing I was one year off from playing in it!
MavBlog: Do you keep in touch with any of your former teammates from Minnesota State?
Blaine Joerger: Yep, quite a few actually. The cool thing about the relationships I built while playing basketball in Mankato is that I keep in touch with two different age “tiers” on a regular basis. I have the guys my age and older and then the crew that was younger as I was finishing college. Each group gets together at least once per year, including a fantasy football league that I started while in college as a team bonding activity that is still active. Some of my best friends are from the basketball team.
MavBlog: Tell us about your experience with your coach with the Mavericks, Dan McCarrell.
Blaine Joerger: Mac was great and I’m very appreciative of him allowing the me the opportunity to play college basketball. He is simply a good, down to earth type of guy who cared for his players. Coach was full of basketball knowledge and I always enjoyed listening to his stories. I still keep in touch and now swap some of my own basketball stories with him!
MavBlog: Tell us about your experience with refereeing high school and college basketball.
Blaine Joerger: I got into officiating basketball while in college as I was intrigued to experience the game from an unbiased viewpoint and wanted to put my own basketball experience as a player to work. Plus, it was a great way to earn some money while doing something I enjoyed!
After college, I found officiating to be a way to stay connected to the sport as I had zero desire to coach. Also, I wanted to give back to the game as I didn’t always feel all officials fully understood the game from a player standpoint. I was fairly successful and given some opportunities early in my career to move up through the high school ranks. I also had a couple doors open to break into the local D2, D3 & JUCO leagues at a relatively young age. Eventually I only officiated college basketball and attempted to work my way into the D1 level. After several years attempting to get hired onto a D1 staff, I was told by the people in power that it likely wasn’t going to happen. While disappointed, it all worked out with the direction the rest of my life ended up heading. The last year I officiated basketball was the 2013-14 season.
Since officiating, I’ve gotten involved in coaching a lot of youth basketball. It’s kind of fun to be one of the few people out there with a good amount of experience from playing, officiating, and coaching and being able to see the game from multiple perspectives at the same time.
MavBlog: How well did you know another sharp-shooting guard from the Mavericks.........Brian Koepnick?
Blaine Joerger: I got to know him a little bit in the years after I played with the Mavericks. We had lunch a couple of times and we even officiated a few basketball games together. I knew of his battle (Brian Koepnick recently passed away after a lengthy bout with cancer), but he was never one to bring it up. He was a good dude with a positive outlook on life, even in his darkest hours. His legacy will live on as one the best basketball players to ever put on a Maverick jersey.
MavBlog: Do you still come back for some Mavericks athletics?
Blaine Joerger: Not as much recently as I’d like. It’s amazing how quickly a calendar can fill up with your own kids! The guys I played with attempt to come back at least one time per season to take in a basketball game. I’ve missed the past couple of years due to scheduling conflicts, but it’s always fun to come back when I can. I’ve brought a few of my son’s traveling basketball teams to play in winter tourneys played at MSU simply because of my history at the school - has been a good reason to make a trip to Mankato!
Contributed by Hogan Greenwood, Minnesota State Athletic Communications intern
