STUDENT OF THE GAME

PALMER — Tom Berg bleeds green.

Colony High School and the Knights boys basketball program have played major roles in Berg’s life, first as a player then as a coach. He’s a student of the game, taught by each of the first three head coaches in the history of the Colony boys basketball program.

Seven years ago, the 1997 Colony graduate returned to his alma mater with the hope of one day leading his former team. Now, he has the chance.

Earlier this week, Berg was named head coach of the Colony boys basketball program, replacing Jeff Bower, who resigned earlier this month..

“It’s almost a little surreal to think about,” Berg said Wednesday evening at Colony High School after he was introduced by CHS administration as the fourth boys basketball head coach at the school. “I graduated from here. I played here. I’m involved in the rich history of this program.”

When Berg, an assistant on the staff for the last seven seasons, spoke to a group of parents and players on Wednesday night he said this has long been his dream job. When he started his career teaching and coaching, he wrote down his list of goals. At the top was the opportunity to be head coach of the Colony High School boys basketball program.

“When you’re thinking about your dreams, you have to think a little bit about, man it’d be cool to go back and coach the old team,” Berg said. “I’m doing something I’ve always wanted to do.”

Coaching basketball is sort of a family business for the Bergs. His father, Boyd, is a longtime Mat-Su Valley teacher who coached at Palmer.

Berg’s brother, Matt, is an assistant at Wasilla. But the Colony boys program can also be considered part of Berg’s coaching family. Berg has the unique perspective of playing for each of the first three head coaches in the history of the Colony basketball program — Chuck Martin, Phil Engebretsen and Bowker.

Bowker coached Berg as a ninth grader, Engebretsen was Berg’s junior varsity coach and Martin coached Berg at the varsity level. He’s also worked with all three as a coach.

Berg considers Martin, now a head men’s basketball coach at Master’s College in California, his mentor. But Engebretsen and Bowker have undeniably also had their influences.

“The style we’ll play, the things we want to do is a product of those three men,” Berg said. “Those three men have shaped my basketball philosophy and my coaching.”

Berg is in regular contact with Martin, who led the Knights to the 4A state title game during Berg’s senior season, and Engebretsen, who is now a head coach at Enumclaw High School in Enumclaw, Wash. Berg said he’s also fortunate to have Bowker, another Colony teacher, as a colleague.

“It’s a great resource to have Jeff in the building,” Berg said.

Even though Berg has been waiting for his opportunity to take the reins of the Knights program, he said he was sad to see Bowker resign.

“Jeff Bowker is the type of coach I would have worked for for the rest of my life,” Berg said. “He gave me a tremendous opportunity.”

As a player, Berg was part of three Region III championship teams and the squad that advanced to the 1997 4A state title game. He’s been part of three state runner-up teams at CHS, one as a player and two as a coach.

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