As the tribute video played in the Ravenna high school gym, showcasing the four boys basketball championships the Bluejays have won, there was hardly a dry eye. The Ravenna community honored former longtime boys basketball coach Paul Beranek, who posthumously received the 2023 Nebraska John Wooden Legacy Award Friday night.
One of them was Tony Schirmer, Ravenna Athletic Director and “Coach B”s assistant coach for over twenty years.
“I was very emotional.” Schirmer said. “It was hard to watch all the videos back, of all the championships. Just a lot of good memories with all the success that we had.”
Click here to watch the tribute video to Paul Beranek
During Beranek’s over thirty year career coaching the Bluejays, where he won 448 games and made nine state tournaments, his best years coaching were with his sons on the floor. His first championship came in 2005, in defensive dominance against Wakefield, 66-28. His son Drake, now the head coach at Kearney High, was a junior on that team. It was the school’s first basketball championship since 1927.
The 2005 NSAA C-2 Championship Game:
He would win three more championships with his sons. Riley and Connor would win back to back championships in 2009 and 2010, defeating Freeman 57-51 in 2009 and Fremont-Archbishop Bergan 57-51. After taking third place in 2011, Connor would win one final title in 2012 with his dad, with a 56-51 victory over Lutheran High Northeast.
Beranek died after a strong fight with cancer in December of 2015 at 55, but his legacy around Ravenna is strong, with the gym packed for the Bluejays contests against Wood River, and over twenty former players in attendance.
“Just to see the amount of people that showed up for him and the respect that he still has is pretty special to us,” Drake Beranek said.
Players of longtime Ravenna coach Paul Beranek join for a photo, with Ravenna AD Tony Schirmer holding the 2023 Wooden Legacy Award. -Alex Hammeke, NRG Media
Many remembered Paul Beranek the coach, but also remembered Paul Beranek the person fondly.
“The cool part about him was he could shut it down off the court,” Justin Kulwicki said to the Omaha World-Herald’s Dirk Chatelain in the World-Herald’s obituary to Beranek in 2015. “He welcomed you into his home like a dad. That’s the most unique thing. It was in-your-face, let’s-get-some-work-done. Then it was, ‘Hey, come on over, let’s have a hamburger, drink a couple Mountain Dews and watch college basketball.’”
The Girls 2023 Nebraska John Wooden Legacy award also was awarded in Central Nebraska, going to Lexington’s Randy Carpenter. Click here to read the article from CentralNebraskaToday.com’s Brian Neben.
Paul Beranek’s State Tournament History while at Ravenna:
1999-Freeman L54-72
2004-Guardian Angels CC W70-64, Cambridge L62-77
2005-Fullerton W68-62, Guardian Angels CC W68-43, Wakefield W66-28 C-2 STATE CHAMPIONS
2006-Wakefield W74-39, Ponca W88-56, Aquinas Catholic L55-60 C-2 RUNNER-UP
2008-Perkins County W69-57, Grand Island Central Catholic L48-49, Ponca W65-55 C-2 3RD PLACE
2009-Sutherland W60-33, Axtell W61-53, Freeman W57-51 C-2 STATE CHAMPIONS
2010-Sutton W73-34, Johnson County Central W60-57, Archbishop Bergan W57-51 C-2 STATE CHAMPIONS
2011-Hartington Cedar Catholic W55-44, Lincoln Christian L46-60, North Platte St. Patrick’s W77-62 C-2 3RD PLACE
2012-Johnson-Brock W54-39, Hartington Cedar Catholic W79-50, Lutheran High Northeast W61-51 C-2 STATE CHAMPIONS
