Max Shikenjanski follows his father's Minnesota Gophers footsteps — but in a different sport

As a two-sport star at Stillwater High School, Max Shikenjanski had a big decision to make last October.

Would he play Division I basketball like his father? Or would he play for the Gophers like his father but in a different sport?

He had committed to play basketball on scholarship at The Citadel in South Carolina. But when Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck offered to make him a preferred walk-on, Shikenjanski changed his mind.

"He's been a Gophers fan his whole life," said Jim Shikenjanski, Max's father and a former Gophers basketball center from the Clem Haskins era. "It was a dream of his to play for Minnesota."

At the time, the Shikenjanski family didn't know how important it would be for Max to pick a school close to home. Just a few weeks after he made the decision, his mother, Rebecca, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, affects the brain's nervous system and breaks down physical function. There is no known cure.

Picking Minnesota "makes it easier for [Max] and his mom for everything she's going to eventually be going through," Jim said.

Max has set off for college, just a short drive from home, looking to build on his prolific high school career. He was an All-State quarterback and basketball guard at Stillwater and dreamed of wearing maroon and gold. He joined the Gophers football team for summer workouts on Monday.

"When you grow up a fan of the home state team, you grow up rooting for them and going to their games, it's a tough decision to pass up," Max said.

Dad's Gophers legacy

Max remembers attending basketball games at Williams Arena from a young age, seeing Jim roam the concourses at the Barn, mingling with fans. Jim stands out anywhere he goes because of his 6-9 frame, and his personality is even bigger.

Gophers faithful relish in the glory days when "Shik" was the starting big man for Haskins' teams that made Sweet 16 and Elite Eight runs in 1989 and 1990.

"It seemed like his presence was felt with all the people coming up to him," Max said. "It was awesome to see."

Several years ago, the Shikenjanski family — with three boys, one girl — returned to Jim's hometown of Roscoe, Ill. They visited Hononegah High where the dominant all-state center finished as the school's career scoring leader in 1986.

"I used to be able to tease Max that I scored more points than he did," Jim said. "If someone threw me the ball, I wasn't going to pass it back."

Displayed in their Stillwater home is a picture with Jim's high school records. He also hung photos of Gophers teams that included fellow starters Willie Burton, Richard Coffey, Kevin Lynch and Melvin Newbern.

"He always talked about how much fun it was to play there and how they were two points away from the Final Four," Max said.

Basketball family

All three Shikenjanski brothers played together on the Stillwater basketball team for one season, in 2018-19.

The oldest, Nate, was a senior starting guard. Sam was a backup sophomore center. Max spent time with the JV and varsity as an eighth-grader. That was the first season their father became a varsity assistant and he's held that position for the past five seasons, including two more years with Max and Sam together.

"It was a pretty cool experience," Jim said of that season. "But I'm going to be harder on my own kid. I needed to do that to show I wasn't playing favorites. It was especially tough when your son [Max] was the starting point guard for four years and he's the leading scorer."

For the first few years of high school, Max was a three-sport athlete, including baseball. Basketball came easiest for him, though.

Now Stillwater's career leader in scoring (2,406) and assists (352), Max ranked second in the state averaging 28.3 points per game, with a high of 49 vs. Hastings as a junior. But at 6-2, he had no D-I offers until the July AAU season before his senior year.

"We always wondered would his body allow him to be Division I," Stillwater basketball coach Brady Hannigan said. "Because his competitiveness, skill and talent level were there. Was he going to grow to 6-2, 6-3 and be able to physically compete at that level?"

Surreal offer

The first game, first play and first pass of Max's career on Stillwater's varsity football team were spectacular. After replacing injured starting junior quarterback Casey Venske, he threw a 63-yard touchdown pass that led to a narrow win vs. Cretin-Derham Hall in 2019.

The following season, Max switched to wide receiver, but that experience helped him grow his knowledge of the offense, preparing him to win the starting QB job the next two years for coach Beau LaBore.

Last season, the Ponies finished 9-2 with Max setting school passing records with 2,294 yards and 26 touchdowns. He played with a heavy heart, though, in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs, a comeback win vs. Brainerd.

The day before the postseason started, Max's mother received her ALS diagnosis. Max had been committed to Fleck and the Gophers, not knowing how severe his mother's health condition would become.

"I didn't want that to be part of his decision-making process," Jim said. "And I don't think it was."

For Max, it came down to playing for his dream school. Fleck's staff made the preferred walk-on offer when he visited for the victory against Colorado on Sept. 17.

"When I went to the game and Coach Fleck offered me it didn't feel real because I've been a fan my whole life," Max said. "I've always wanted to play at the highest level possible."

This summer, Max will start out as the fourth QB on the Gophers roster behind starter Athan Kaliakmanis and backups Cole Kramer and Drew Viotto.

Max's first goal will be to add weight to his 170-pound frame. He's happy just to be going to college near his family, but he's also ready to do whatever it takes to be the next Shikenjanski to be remembered with the Gophers.

"It'll be tough and a lot of learning," Max said, "but I'm super excited."