BEMIDJI 鈥� Eric 鈥淏ig E鈥� Nelson will never be forgotten at Bemidji High 歪歪漫画.
The Lumberjacks鈥� beloved longtime custodian died on Thursday after a lengthy battle with renal cell carcinoma. He was remembered on Friday night at the Bemidji boys basketball team鈥檚 home game against Alexandria.
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BHS players formed an 鈥淓鈥� shape on the court prior to the contest, much as they did when Nelson was honored during a home game last season.
鈥淢y main message to the boys was (that) when there are special people in your life that positively impact you, take the time to thank them while you can,鈥� said Jacks head coach Steve Thompson. 鈥淏ecause people as special as Big E don't come around that often, and we were lucky to have him.鈥�
Thompson noted that when he spoke with Nelson while the latter was battling cancer, Nelson would continually inquire about the well-being of those other than himself.
鈥淚 was able to visit with him a couple of times on the phone,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淏ig E was always asking questions about how you're doing, no matter how tough things were for him. Just a special person.鈥�
A number of BHS boys basketball players formed personal bonds with Nelson. Senior Dawson Oelrich fondly recalled their interactions in the school hallways.
鈥淗e was a local legend,鈥� Oelrich said. 鈥淗e never said anything about himself. He was a really selfless guy and really humble, and we enjoyed having him around. 鈥� He was kind of friends with my grandpa, and he would always make little comments to me. We had a couple of inside jokes. I鈥檒l remember his smile in the hallways when he saw me. He'd always call me pretty boy.鈥�
For Thompson, a longtime friend of Nelson, it meant a great deal to have an opportunity to honor Nelson at BHS, where he attended countless sporting events during his tenure.
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鈥淲e were able to have him with us last year and share a moment with him,鈥� Thompson recalled. 鈥淭hat was really special to me and to the team. We closed out the season last year on our home court with a big E in the center of the court, and we were able to do that once again tonight to honor him and everything that he's done for us.鈥�
Playoff prep
The Jacks closed out their 2023-24 regular season on Friday against the Cardinals, falling 74-30. Though it resides in Section 8-3A, Alexandria (21-5) looked like it wouldn鈥檛 be out of place against any team Bemidji could face in the Section 8-4A playoffs next week.
鈥淭hey're as good or better than any team that we'll see in our section, so it is a good test,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淵ou're always hoping for better execution and a better finish to a game than what we had today. But overall, it's good to see a team as high-quality as they are moving into the playoffs.鈥�
The Lumberjacks (11-14) have endured an up-and-down regular season as they rebuilt their roster after losing two college basketball players and five overall college athletes from the 2022-23 squad.
As they prepare for the section tournament, seniors like Oelrich are hoping to make an impression in the final playoff opportunity of their BHS careers.
鈥淐oach Thompson, all year long, he鈥檚 said we're an effort team,鈥� Oelrich said. 鈥淲e're always going to give 100% effort, and I appreciate the boys always giving everyone else 100% of their effort. I want to see that continue.鈥�
Thompson wants to see the Jacks tighten things up ahead of their playoff run.
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鈥淵ou have to learn from the things that you didn't do in execution and be better the next time,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淪o learning from it is first and foremost.鈥�
Alexandria 74, Bemidji 30
ALX 33 41 鈥� 74
BHS 16 14 鈥� 30
BEMIDJI 鈥� Boschee 7, Riewer 7, Luksik 6, Huseby 4, Zellmann 3, Sneide 2, Brown 1.
ALEXANDRIA 鈥� Thompson 12, M. Witt 12, Grove 11, Steffensmeier 11, Roderick 7, Gorghuber 4, Gray 4, Hagstrom 4, T. Witt 4, Roderick 3, Moore 2.
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