CD’s Evertsen picks Grand View

Michel Evertsen is headed to Grand View University next fall as both a basketball player and a golfer, Evertsen announced via Twitter Monday.

The multi-sport star from Central Decatur High School was the starting point guard for the Cardinals and one of the top golfers for CD in his four years with the program.

The decision to take on both sports at the NAIA level came after early communications with Grand View’s athletic staff opened up the opportunity to play both.

“Originally, I was going to go to Grand View for golf, but as basketball came around coach (Denis) Schafer talked to me. ... I talked to them both (including golf coach Chris Winkel) and they said if I wanted to try and do both, I could,” said Evertsen. “... That’s what I’m going to try and do now. I had wanted to try to do both, but if it doesn’t work out I’ll play one or the other.”

Evertsen envisioned himself playing at the college level, but knew there was a need to improve on himself.

“I knew I always wanted to play college basketball,” said Evertsen. “I also knew my freshman year I was non-athletic and I had to work hard to get to an ability to play there. That was my motivation. I always had a dream, ... that’s what drove me to get to the point where I am now.”

With a father that played Division I and grandfather that was a state champion and coach, Evertsen’s involvement in golf exceeds his peers by a wide margin, helping him grow his talents and connection to a sport many do not consider to be their “best” sport.

“My family a long history of playing golf and being good at it,” said Evertsen. “... I’ve just been playing it so much I sort of had fallen in love with it. It’s also why I’m so talented in it, I had been doing it for a while. Golf you can’t show up and be good at it, it takes some time. I’ve had close to 16 years of golf in my life.”

As one of the more experienced golfers on the course, Evertsen has worked with his teammates and kept them locked in on each hole by playing games within each hole for added interest.

“I really try to incorporate games when I’m playing golf because golf itself can get kind of boring,” said Evertsen. “I like to play games to keep it a little more interesting.”

Places Evertsen looked to continue his academic and athletic careers were at Graceland, Briar Cliff, and Indian Hills before his decision to land on Grand View. Evertsen also added he had an opportunity to continue as a student at Creighton University, but stated the desire the compete at the college level was too great.

With the spring season still up in the air due to COVID-19 postponements, Evertsen said he has maintained his form for the golf season and has been able to get out on the course in the meantime.

For Evertsen, in his senior basketball campaign he finished the season with 14.3 points per game, shooting 45% from the field. He led the Cardinals in assists and steals with 104 and 54, respectively, and had 137 rebounds.

In a shortened 2019-20 golf season, Grand View had two first-place team finishes with wins at the Graceland Invitational Sept. 12 and the Heart Conference Preview Oct. 1. GV also finished as the runner-up at the NAIA MidWest Invitational Oct. 15.

Grand View basketball finished the season 6-23 with a Heart of America Conference record of 4-20.