Colony High boys basketball coach resigns

PALMER — For the last 19 years, Jeff Bowker has been a Colony High School basketball staple. But after serving on the boys coaching staff for nearly two decades, Bowker has decided to step away from the program.

The longtime Colony mentor, who spent the last seven years as head coach, submitted his resignation last week.

“Without a doubt it was a tough decision,” Bowker said. “I’ve done it a really, really long time and I absolutely love doing it. But it’s a 24/7, 365-day a year job. It consumes my time.”

Bowker’s tenure with the Knights spans the history of the program. He arrived when Colony High first opened its doors in 1990, served as the C-team coach under then head coach Chuck Martin and moved on to coach the junior varsity squad during the Phil Engebretsen era. Bowker succeed Engebretsen as the Knights’ head coach in 2003.

During Bowker’s seven seasons as head coach, the Knights posted a 129-68 record. Colony made six consecutive trips to the ASAA 4A state tournament, captured a pair of Northern Lights Conference titles and advanced to the 4A state championship game twice.

Colony activities director Mike Boyd admitted he was surprised to see Bowker resign.

“His passion has never been absent,” Boyd said. “Typically, sometimes you get some of the telltale signs. But with Jeff the passion was still there.”

Boyd said that passion is part of what made Bowker special as a coach, but it was also his impact on his athletes that led to the success of the program during the past seven seasons.

“The thing about Coach Bowker was, he lived what he coached. He expected just as much out of himself as he did his assistants and his kids,” Boyd said. “There’s a time element there. The kids had to be willing to put it in, and he put it in too.”

Boyd said, in addition to his drive and passion for the game and coaching, it’s Bowker’s character that stands out.

“He’s the kind of guy anybody would want their kid coached by,” Boyd said. “I don’t know how to complement anybody better than that.”

Colony assistant principal Brendon McMahon said Bowker’s impact on his student-athletes was not just seen on the court, but in the classroom.

“I recently spoke with a parent whose son played for Jeff and she said Jeff is one of the biggest reasons behind her son’s success with his academic work at college,” McMahon said. “I’ve heard this story more than once about him.”

Bowker said the decision was not easy and not one he took lightly.

“It’s not one based on this season, not even the last couple weeks,” Bowker said. “It’s several years. I knew I wasn’t going to coach forever. It was just a matter of when.”

Bowker said it’s now the right time to take a break from coaching. He got to watch and see as both of his daughters spent four years with the Colony girls basketball program, but he also has a son in the fifth grade who plays basketball and football.

“There are some other opportunities I’d like to pursue that I can’t while I’m coaching,” Bowker said, like “spending time with my son and wife, who I don’t get to spend much time with.”

Bowker said it’s tough to summarize 19 years at Colony, 22 years in coaching, in just a few sentences. But overall, he’ll miss his players and colleagues.

“I have been blessed with terrific kids who have played for me,” Bowker said. “They’ve done everything I would ever ask them to do. I’ve had terrific coaches and the support of my administration. I’ve always loved the competition, the relationship with the guys I’ve worked with.”

Bowker said he’s driven, in part, by the competition. But there’s more to coaching.

“All the stuff outside the game,” Bowker said. “The summers trips, the Christmas trips, the places, the adventures. We’ve been so many places and done so many things.”

Bowker said he is stepping away from the Colony boys program, but is not immediately signaling the end of his coaching career.

“I told my administration, I’m not retiring, getting out of education,” Bowker said. “I love what I’m doing, but I need a little time.”

Boyd said Colony High has already started the search for Bowker’s replacement and has set a Friday deadline for applications. Colony expects significant interest in the position, Boyd said.

“It’s a premiere job in the state,” Boyd said.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.