BLC Vikings Basketball Camps
Camp Directors
Pat Garvin
Camp Director / Head Men's Basketball Coach
Pat Garvin '14 enters his second season as the head men's basketball coach. The Vikings played a shortened schedule of conference-only games in his first season.
Garvin comes to BLC after serving the last three seasons as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Minnesota State University in Mankato. Over the last three seasons, the Mavericks have made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen round in 2017-18. Garvin was named a National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Under Armour 30-Under-30 award winner in 2017-18, which recognizes a group of up and coming young coaches in men's college basketball.
Prior to MSU, Garvin was the assistant men’s basketball coach at Benedictine University in Mesa, Arizona for two seasons, was a graduate assistant at MSU for the previous two seasons, and was an assistant coach at Bethany in 2013-14.
During his time as a student-athlete, the Vikings won the 2011-12 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season championship, and qualified for the conference tournament all four years. Garvin continues to rank in the top 10 of five career categories and in two season categories.
The Jackson, Minn. native earned his bachelor’s degree from Bethany in broad field social studies in 2014, and earned his master’s degree in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University Irvine in 2016.
Emma Purfeerst
Head Women's Basketball Coach
Emma Purfeerst (pronounced PURR-fest) begins her fourth season with the program in 2021-22. She has helped the Vikings win three Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) tournament championships, and two UMAC regular season championships.
Purfeerst comes to Bethany after four seasons as an assistant girls basketball coach at Waverly High School in Nebraska. As a member of the coaching staff, she helped the team to a Class B State Runner-Up finish in 2016.
Purfeerst graduated in 2014 from Carleton College with a BA in Biology. As a basketball player for the Knights, she was a four year starter and two year captain. Purfeerst also earned MIAC All First Year Team honors and received the MIAC Sportsmanship Award.
Following her senior season of basketball, she participated in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) "So You Want to be a Coach" program at the Division I Women's Final Four.
Purfeest is a WBCA member, was a two-year participant in the WBCA Coach to Coach mentorship program, and a WeCOACH member.
She completed the NCAA Women Coaches Academy in the summer of 2021. As a graduate of the 2021 NCAA Women Coaches Academy Class #50. The NCAA Women Coaches Academy, hosted in partnership between WeCOACH and the NCAA, is a four-day educational training available to NCAA coaches of all experience levels, and is designed for women coaches who are ready to increase their individual effectiveness by learning advanced skills and strategies that directly affect their personal and team success.
Purfeest is also an adjunct instructor at BLC in biology, exercise science, and physical education
Brandon Polesky
Assistant Men's Basketball Coach
Brandon Polesky enters his second season with the program in 2020-21.
Polesky comes to BLC from Southwest Minnesota State University, where he had been an assistant coach for the last two seasons. The Mustangs advanced to the NSIC Conference Tournament Championship game in 2019.
Prior to SMSU, Polesky was a student assistant coach at Gustavus Adolphus for two years following a two-year playing career for the Gusties.
Polesky has coached AAU Basketball for the past six years and led the D1 MN Rise 16U team to over 20 wins in the 2018 season.
The Sleepy Eye, Minn. native graduated from Gustavus in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and health.
Trenton Krueger
Assistant Men's Basketball Coach
Trenton Krueger '20 enters his first season on the coaching staff after a successful playing career for the Vikings. He holds four career records.
Krueger was the NCAA Division III statistical champion in field goal percentage for the 2019-20 season. He was a three-time All-Conference selection and a Third-team All-Region honoree his senior year.
The Vikings won the 2017-18 and 2019-20 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) tournament championship to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Jack Bussler
Assistant Men's Basketball Coach
Bio. coming soon!
Camp Staff
The coaching staff will consist of qualified basketball personnel who work well with young players on a one-to-one basis.