Souhan: Pivec's new team follows familiar winning plan

In gyms all over the Twin Cities, Jay Pivec is famous for giving kids second chances. In a development that may prove the existence of karma, Pivec is getting his.

Two years ago, Minneapolis Community and Technical College withdrew funding for Pivec's powerhouse basketball program. By the time he collected the last practice jerseys, Dakota County Technical College was asking him to start a program at the school in Rosemount, even though DCTC doesn't have a basketball court.

That's why, on a recent weekday, Pivec sat in his car outside a practice facility for which he did not have a key, hoping that his players would show up despite not having team-sponsored transportation, so they could prepare to play a schedule featuring no true home games.

The circumstances might sound sad, but they're not. The Blue Knights, comprised of many kids who quit basketball or struggled at another school before seeking out Pivec, are 15-5 in their inaugural season, and grateful.

"That whole philosophy we had at Minneapolis, we brought here," said Pivec, whose new team debuted in the national junior college Division II top-20 poll at No. 17 Tuesday. "We're trying to make sure our kids understand that this is the beginning, not the end."

At DCTC, as at MCTC, every player has a story.

Kevin Thompson, a wiry wing with a smooth all-around game, bumped into Pivec's longtime assistant, Ron Gates, at an open gym at MCTC. He wasn't thrilled with his progress at a junior college in Nebraska.

A Minneapolis North alum who usually stays with teammates and hitches rides to be closer to practice and classes, Thompson is expected to land a full scholarship at a four-year college and prepare himself to work in a "hands-on" field like construction.

"The school is right here in Minnesota, so I don't have to worry about the traveling expenses to Nebraska," he said. "Everything here is pretty much lovely. They've changed my game completely."

Preston McCourt is a pure shooter who attended Armstrong before enrolling at the University of Minnesota and leaving basketball behind. McCourt's father called Pivec, and now Preston appears ready to land a basketball scholarship to a four-year school, perhaps St. Cloud State.

"I studied accounting at the U, and I didn't want to spend the rest of my life in front of a computer screen," McCourt said. "I still love basketball, and I think I want to get into coaching eventually. I heard Pivec was big on giving people second chances, and that's turned out to be true."

Bryale Winters graduated from high school early, and was attending Minnesota State Mankato when his father died. "I knew then that I wanted to focus on basketball," he said. "That's how my father would have wanted it. Everyone knows about Jay Pivec, all through Minnesota, so I sent Coach Gates an e-mail and asked if I could work out for them."

Winters is hoping to land a scholarship and become a youth probation officer. "Growing up, I saw so many of my friends become criminals," he said. "I want to help."

Last Wednesday tested the loyalty of everyone who cares about the program. It was an icy night. The Blue Knights were playing at Northwestern College in Roseville, so Pivec's main concern was whether his players' carpools would arrive on time.

After another victory, a handful of Pivec's former players gathered around. There was Peter and Kenny Olafeso from his last MCTC team; they are playing at Concordia (St. Paul) now. And there was Andy Dahl, son of KSTP-TV meteorologist Dave Dahl.

Andy redshirted at MSU Mankato before a cousin talked him into joining Pivec. He wound up playing at Southern Utah. "What was so great about Coach Pivec and Ron Gates was their ability to connect with such a diverse group of kids," Dahl said. "He met us on our level. These kids, without this opportunity, might not be doing anything, if it weren't for Jay and Ron."

Peter Olafeso nodded toward his twin brother and said: "We were a couple of years out of high school, and he took us in, and we wound up with scholarships to a great school. He took a chance on us when nobody would take a chance on us."

Pivec likes the transition game. "We took the ending of the MCTC program in stride," he said. "We moved on and thought, 'Do we have a chance to coach again?' Without moving, there are limits. We're not high school coaches. We had a niche at this level."

They still have their niche back. Now all they want is a bus.

Jim Souhan can be heard Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon and weekdays at 2 p.m. on 1500ESPN. His Twitter name is SouhanStrib. • jsouhan@startribune.com