WNCC's Peltz inks with St. Thomas University

                 Western Nebraska Community College’s Mike Peltz took his time in selecting which college he was going to play at for the next two seasons.

                And, after weighing interest from many Division I, Division II and NAIA schools, Alliance’s Peltz locked in his decision and signed to play at St. Thomas University out of Miami, Fla., St. Thomas is a successful NAIA school that moves many of its players onto the pro leagues in Europe.

                “During this recruiting process, I had the opportunity to play at every division,” the Alliance native said. “I had a couple walk-on opportunities from Nebraska and Creighton, as well as five or six Division II offers. I liked St. Thomas because my next goal is to play professionally overseas and I believe with the other offers I had, St. Thomas is the best opportunity for me to reach that goal. They send quite a few guys overseas and they have a good pipeline for what I want to do. And, they also play at a very high level of basketball.”

                St. Thomas had its most successful season last year, setting school records with 23 wins and a 14-game winning streak. The Bobcats finished the season ranked No. 10 in the NAIA Division II Coaches Poll after advancing to the second round of the national championship.

                “Going there will give me an opportunity, as a goal to say that you won a national championship regardless of whatever level,” he said. “That was another reason I choose to go there. I also did research on the different levels of basketball, and yes, it is NAIA, but I am getting my education paid for which is important, and I am going to be in Miami.”

                Peltz, who plans on majoring in engineering or business administration, said he is ready to close the chapter at WNCC and start a new one in Miami.

                “As one door closes, another opens,” he said. “My next goal is to experience playing professionally overseas, and that is what I will be working towards.”

                Beck said that Peltz will do well at St. Thomas.

                “I am extremely proud of Mike and what he had done here for the last two years,” Beck said. “St. Thomas is getting a D1 point guard in Mike that is capable of leading them to a championship. Mike has become a true point guard and for a lot of ways. He had to sacrifice his own abilities in order to run our team. He will be missed here and I am proud to have been Mike’s coach.”

                Peltz, who was a standout basketball player at Alliance High School, came to WNCC to improve his skills and get the chance to move onto a high-end four-year program no matter what level. And that is what he did, excelled not only on the court, but in the classroom.

                Peltz was among the top five assist leaders in the nation this past year averaging 6.2 assists a game. Off the court, Peltz kept is studies in sight, earning the college’s award for Highest GPA for a male athlete with a 3.83 grade point average.

                “Getting that academic award shows a lot about the person I am,” he said. “Basketball is just as important, but academics has to be important, too, to be successful. I know I won’t play basketball forever and I will need a good education to be successful and that is what I want to position myself to be at.”

                On the basketball court, Peltz improved his skills on the court as far as his game and the leadership that he portrays.

                “I have improved a great deal,” he said. “I bought into what Coach [Russ] Beck asked me to do these two years and it helped expand my game as far as being a better leader and facilitator. I know I am not going to score wherever I go, and that wasn’t asked by me here. Look at the team here where we had four guys that signed Division I, and that speaks a lot about Coach Beck and his recruiting. It was a great opportunity to be here and I am thankful for that.”

In fact, all six men’s basketball sophomores are headed to play athletics at the next level. The four that will play basketball include Raul Delgado at Brigham Young University, Du’Vaughn Maxwell at Hampton University, Marko Kovacevic at the University of Montana, and Terrance Motley at Sam Houston State. Brady Mason will continue his athletic career playing football for the University of Utah.

                 While Peltz wasn’t counted on with his scoring, what he was looked to was his defense and his ability to share the ball. Peltz said it was an honor to be recognized nationally for being one of the top assist leaders in junior college basketball.

                “It is a great feeling to be ranked that high in assists and you put in a lot of hard work. That is what Coach Beck asked me to do, to be a facilitator and do whatever to make our team better. I felt like I did a good job at that.”

                Peltz said he is expecting his role with the Bobcats will be similar to WNCC.

                “I know from the first time I stepped on campus and from what the coaches have told me, they want me to come in and be a leader,” he said. “They need that leadership and I basically need to take over the team in a sense and set a good example. The goal is to win a national championship.”