Brad Alberts '92 is one of the greatest sharpshooters in NCAA Division-III basketball history, let alone the history of Ripon College. The school's all-time leader in career 3-point percentage, Alberts shot a conference record 49.2 percent from behind the arc during his career. He also amassed 1,865 career points, which stood as a school record for 19 years and a Midwest Conference record for three seasons before being surpassed.
A three-time First Team All-Conference and two-time All-Region selection, Alberts also graduated with school records for career free throw percentage (.840), single game 3-pointers (7) and career 3-pointers (277), all of which have since been broken. The owner of a career scoring average of 19.6 points per game, Alberts is one of just three players in program history to score more than 500 points in more than one season. He was inducted into Ripon's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002, the first year he was eligible.
"I never worked harder to recruit a player than I did to get Brad, and during his senior year of High School, my wife Penny and I attended almost every one of his games," legendary Ripon Men's Basketball Coach Bob Gillespie said. "I just had a feeling that Brad was going to be a special college player. He remains a great friend today and I'm proud of his professional achievements over the years."
Once Coach Gillespie finally got Alberts onto Ripon's campus, the rest is history, as Alberts appeared in all but one of the 96 games during his four-year career. During that span, Ripon never won fewer than 15 games in a season, going 71-25 during Alberts' four years, which included two MWC Championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances, both coming during his final two seasons with the team.
"Winning our first NCAA Tournament game against Illinois Wesleyan is the greatest memory I have from my playing days because it was just an incredibly intense game from start to finish," Alberts said. "That was my junior season in 1990-91, which was a special year. We were a very good D3 team that ultimately lost to the eventual National Champion UW-Platteville (coached by future Wisconsin Head Coach Bo Ryan)."
Alberts burst onto the scene as a freshman, averaging 12.5 points per game, which was fourth-best on the team. He followed that up with a sophomore campaign which saw him assert himself as the team's leading scorer with 18.7 ppg, en route to his first of three consecutive First Team All-Conference selections. He averaged a career-high 24.4 ppg as a junior, before closing out his career in style by leading the entire conference in scoring during his senior year with 21.9 ppg, as he earned All-Region honors in each of those final two seasons.
"I loved playing basketball at Ripon and 30 years later, I know that I became the best player I possibly could because of my college decision," Alberts said. "I loved my teammates, the experiences, and the competition, which at the Division-III level is far more competitive than many people think."
Coach Gillespie had just as much influence on Alberts as Alberts had on Ripon's basketball program, where Alberts was voted Team Most Valuable Player during each of his final two years.
"Bob Gillespie is by far the most influential coach I had during my time at Ripon College. I loved our relationship and he developed me into the best player I could be," Alberts said. "I also love his family to this day."
Just as impressive as what Alberts accomplished on the court is what he has accomplished since lacing up his sneakers for the final time. A history major from Delevan, Wis., Alberts went on to earn his Master's of Business Administration in Sports Management from the University of Northern Colorado.
Alberts' professional life began as an entry-level position selling tickets for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has since risen through the ranks to become President and CEO of the Stars, which finished as Stanley Cup runner-up last season. In his current role, Alberts oversees all business operations within the organization, including finance and administration, box office, human resources, and information technology. He also continues to serve as President of the Texas Stars, the organization's minor league affiliate, located in Cedar Park, Texas. Prior to working for the Stars, Alberts worked for Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers, as well as Executive Vice President of the Hicks Sports Marketing Group, the in-house sponsorship sales group for the Stars, Rangers, and Liverpool Football Club.
"Ripon matured me and turned me from a kid into a young adult," Alberts said. "Attending Ripon College changed my life dramatically."
Alberts currently resides in Dallas with his wife Kate and their 15-year-old daughter, Grace.
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