It was a moment of pure, unadulterated joy.
Following the Millikin men's basketball team victory over North Park University on Feb. 12, which gave the program its first trip to CCIW Tournament, players and coaches celebrated in the locker room, dousing Big Blue head coach Kramer Soderberg in water while cheering their historic accomplishment.
Millikin University head coach Kramer Soderberg instructs players during practice.
"It was senior night and it was a special moment, day and game," Soderberg said. "To get to cherish that with these young men who have given so much to me and to the program, it was really neat. Getting to do something historic that hasn't been done before is pretty cool. For me, it was a culmination that me, my staff and the players put in."
It was a scene that few could have predicted just months earlier, when Soderberg was about to begin his first season leading the program following Mark Scherer leaving the program after last season.
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Soderberg had been with the program since 2015 as an assistant and if there was anyone who could orchestrate a one-season turnaround from 1-12 last season to 14-12, 9-7 CCIW this year, it was him.
But even Soderberg's expectations were a little lower than what his team produced.
"We were very confident going into the season that we could do some great things. Did we expect to win 14 games and make the conference tournament? I don't know. It was probably a little bit beyond my hopes," Soderberg said.
Part of that is Soderberg's philosophy about goals — both personally and for the team — are not focused on a .500 record or making the conference tournament, but through getting the most out of your own personal potential.
'Filling your cup'
Not many people can pinpoint a life-changing lesson learned from sixth grade, but Soderberg can.
Soderberg was attending a basketball camp led by his father Brad Soderberg, who at the time had served as interim head coach at the University Wisconsin and would go on to be an assistant with the NCAA Tournament-winning University of Virginia team in 2019. His father told the camp's participants about three basketball players — Big John, Jimmy and Tony.
Millikin men's basketball head coach Kramer Soderberg (center) talks with his team during a timeout. The Big Blue qualified for the CCIW Tournament for the first time in program history this season.
Big John was represented by an enormous 64 oz. monster cup, Jimmy was a regular-size mug and Tony was a Dixie cup. Each cup represented a player and their potential. Big John was 6-8 and very athletic, Jimmy was 6-3 and a pretty good athlete and Tony was 5-9 and not very strong. Big John didn't work very hard in practice, Jimmy comes to practice but doesn't put in any extra effort and Tony is the hardest-working player you've ever met.
Each player's effort was represented by a few ounces of water, and while the water didn't do much for Big John or Jimmy's cups, Tony's was overflowing. It was a simple metaphor that clicked with the young Soderberg, who saw himself as a "Tony" in the story. He used it as motivation for his own high school and college career that included playing at NCAA Division I University of Miami-Ohio and Division II Lindenwood University.
"Our goal was to 'fill our cup' and get the most out of our potential, which means on a daily basis giving everything you have to the team and for yourself to become the best player you can be," Soderberg said. "By reaching that goal, we accomplish some remarkable things.
"I think us walking out of the CCIW Tournament, I was most certain that all of our coaches and players could honestly say they filled their cup to the top this season and that is true success."
Turned upside down
Following his playing career at Lindenwood, Soderberg became an assistant there for his father, who was head coach from 2009-2015. Soderberg could see his future laid out before him: He would someday take over as head coach from his father when he retired.
But suddenly it was turned upside down in 2015. Brad Soderberg was offered the assistant job at Virginia and when he took it, Kramer Soderberg wasn't offered a position under the new Lindenwood staff and he was left unemployed.
That summer was tough for Soderberg. He wasn't able to find that next coaching position. At his lowest, he questioned if coaching against was in his future and his own religious faith.
In September, Soderberg received a call from Millikin with an offer to join then-head coach Matt Nadelhoffer's staff. It was unusual timing — coaching positions are typically figured out shortly after the season in the spring.
"For most of us, with perspective, if you look back at the biggest struggles of your life, as hard as that was in the moment, you can look at what it has led to and what it has taught me." Soderberg said. "Did I expect six years later to become the head coach at Millikin? Never in my wildest dreams. It was an amazing sequence of events that has led to this moment.
"Some people call it coincidence or luck or the universe being on your side. I call it my lord and savior Jesus Christ and his providential plan, which is always perfect."
Putting it on paper
Soderberg shared his 'fill your cup' philosophy in a book: "Fill Your Cup For Christ: A Spiritual Journey Sown & Grown Through Sports," published in 2020, which he wrote on bus trips as a Big Blue assistant.
"After I had experienced that great struggle with my life and spiritual journey I went on, I felt a push on my heart that I was supposed to tell my story and my spiritual journey," Soderberg said. "I had no clue on how to write or publish a book but I stepped on the ledge and decided to approach something that was out of my comfort zone. I started writing it on bus rides three years ago and out came a book four months later."
Millikin men's basketball coach Kramer Soderberg wrote Fill Your Cup For Christ: A Spiritual Journey Sown & Grown Through Sports, published in 2020, while on bus trips as a Big Blue assistant.
The book touches on sports, life motivation, dealing with life's difficulties and searching for truth with the story of Big John, Jimmy and Tony as a centerpiece.
"It was the summing up of my early childhood and life as a basketball player. It was one of my earliest memories of wanting to be a really good basketball player," Soderberg said. "I wanted to be the best player I could be, no matter what my potential was. That motivating side of things that my dad gave me led to my success as a player, and it gave me a way to approach all aspects of life."
Next steps
If you've been to a high school boys basketball tournament around Central Illinois this season, chances are Soderberg or one of his recruiting assistants were there keeping their eyes on local talent.
"Our main focus is the 150 miles around Decatur first and to get on all the best players that we can in that area," Soderberg said. "We are excited about the foundation we built, and for several games this year we were starting three freshmen and a sophomore. We have a great group of young players who have proven they know how to win and I'm excited about what they can do for us."
Millikin's Calvin Fisher (12) was named a unanimous first-team CCIW All-Conference selection last season.
The local connections on this year's team included freshmen Noah Livingston, a Casey-Westfield graduate, and JT Welsch, a Bloomington Central Catholic grad. Monticello's Calvin Fisher, had a remarkable senior season — he became a unanimous CCIW first-team selection, the first for the program since 1999.
"If you are a first-team unanimous pick in the CCIW, you are one of the best players in the country," Soderberg said. "I was proud of him and the role that he took on as a leader was really special. The struggles he went through in the first three years with not winning a lot but holding out hope that things would be better ... he put his trust in me and believed in my vision of the program and being a coach on the floor."
With the success of the men's team and the Millikin women's team contending for a CCIW Tournament championship, 2021-22 has been a remarkable year for Big Blue hoops.
"At the start of the year, we were picked to finish ninth in the conference, dead last place. Nobody believed we were going to be able to do anything," Soderberg said. "I've so remarkably pleased with the outreach that I have received from the community, university staff members, students and alumni. We have felt the support and it makes such a difference when you are embarking on this great journey and you know you have people behind you."
Flaten
Contact Matthew Flaten at (217) 421-6968. Follow him on Twitter: @MattFlaten
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