Brad Miller is a proud 1990 graduate of Colo-Nesco High School. He is the son of Doyle and Vickie Miller and the brother of Missy Miller. Brad was active in basketball, baseball and plays/musicals at Colo-Nesco. He was a member of the National Honor Society, on the honor roll numerous times, a 3 time letter-winner in Basketball and a 5 time letter-winner in Baseball. Brad was a first-team All-conference baseball player for three years and was a first-team All-conference basketball player two years.
On the 1990 State Championship basketball team, Brad was selected to the All-Tournament team, was 1st team All-State and was selected to play in the Dr. Pepper All-Star basketball game. Brad and Brian Wildeboer were the 1990 Co-Mid-Iowa basketball players of the year for the Ames Tribune. He is the all-time leading scorer in Colo-Nesco history and had the 13th best all-time scoring total for a season at that time in the State of Iowa in 1990 averaging nearly 29 points per game. That scoring total is now 24th all-time for a single season. He also has the school record with 45 points scored in a game. Brad had 95 3-pointers his senior season which is tied for 12th all-time in the State of Iowa for most 3 pointers in a season. Brad’s 3-point percentage his junior year was 51.2% and it was 53.4% his senior year. Brad was also academic All-state his senior year in basketball.
Brad graduated from Simpson College in Indianola Iowa with a double major in Economics and Management with a specialization in Finance. He was on the Honor Roll and in the investing club. Brad was a four-year varsity basketball player, lettering 2 years and starting 52 consecutive games over his junior/senior years averaging 12 points per game in each season. The 1991-‘92 team made the NCAA tournament and the 1992-’93 team was ranked in the top 20 in the nation. Brad played with Matt Vaske and Brian Wildeboer at Simpson.
Brad went on to graduate with an MBA from the University of Iowa. In 1999, Brad was awarded his Chartered Financial Analyst designation after a three-year intensive study program.
Brad is now a partner/owner in a global investment management firm called Trilogy Global Advisors. Brad has been at this firm or the predecessor firm for 16 years. Trilogy manages over $14 billion in stock market investments. Brad helps to co-manage a $6 billion Emerging Markets fund. Over the last 16 years, Brad has traveled to over 35 different countries to meet with the CEOs/CFOs of the companies they own or are investing in.
Inducted in 2014
Coach Miller graduated from the University of Northern Iowa. Coach Miller started teaching Industrial Education at Nesco in 1977 and coached Junior High Boys Basketball. He started coaching High School Boys Basketball at NESCO in the fall of 1984. In the fall of 1987, when Colo and Nesco began sharing, he became the Boys Basketball Coach. Coach Miller coached seven players who made all-state teams. Three of his teams made state tournament appearances — 1986 team was runner-up, 1989 team was runner-up and the 1990 team won the State Championship. The overall record for Colo-Nesco those first three years was 68-7. All three years of those state tournament trips, Nesco and then Colo-Nesco won the sportsmanship award.
Coach Miller was Class A Coach of the Year in 1990 and was selected to coach the Dr. Pepper All-Star game. Coach Miller’s winning percentage at Colo-Nesco and NESCO was 80.5 percent and was nearly 80 percent for his career. Besides boys basketball, Coach Miller coached Cross-country where several individuals and teams made state meet appearances. He also coached Girls’ golf and coached junior high girls’ basketball for a number of years. He was also High School Athletic Director. Coach has many good memories from coaching at Nesco and Colo-Nesco, where he coached and taught many fine young athletes and students.
Coach Miller and his wife, Vickie spend much of their time in Winter Park, Florida where Brad and Missy and their families live. They enjoy spending their free time with their five grandchildren.
Inducted in 2014
Kim Steed Reilly, a 1992 Colo-Nesco graduate, was recognized as one of Mid-Iowa’s Young Guns her sophomore year of high school and was the Nevada Journal’s 1991 Female Athlete of the Year. She was an outstanding long-distance runner in both Cross Country and Track (1500m and 3000m) throughout her four years of high school. She earned her way to State in all three events all four years and medaled seven times. Kim ended her high school career by winning State and setting a Colo-Nesco High School record in 1992 in the Class 1A 1500m run with a time of 4.50.56. That school record still stands today. Kim enjoyed running, earning eight Varsity letters and receiving All-Conference honors. Kim was also a Drake Relays qualifier. She began running in seventh grade, even though Colo-Nesco did not offer Cross Country in Junior High. Although her greatest accolades came in Cross Country and Track, Kim also was a member of one of the best Girls Basketball teams in school history from 1989-1992.
After high school, Kim went to the University of Iowa. She graduated with a degree in Marketing that took her to Chicago, New York, Paris, and back to Chicago. She currently resides in Chicago with her husband, Greg, and their 3-year-old daughter, Alexa. Kim is a Senior Account Director with Yahoo managing key national accounts for the company.
Kim still enjoys running. She has completed four marathons and qualified for the Boston Marathon three times. Kim is honored to be part of Colo-Nesco’s past, present, and future. She would like to thank her coaches, teammates, and family for all their support and encouragement.
Inducted in 2014
Wendy (Buffington) Stensland is a 1992 graduate of Colo-Nesco. She went to NESCO elementary until 5th grade and then moved to Colo. At the conclusion of 7th grade, she moved to Missouri with her family. They returned to Iowa her sophomore year, just in time for the 1989-1990 basketball season. Throughout high school Wendy was involved in many activities, track, basketball, drama, speech, chorus, art and band, to name a few. Academically, she was a National Honor Society member and received numerous academic achievement awards.
Basketball was her passion. Wendy led the team in rebounds, blocked shots and personal fouls. It seems a tenacious defensive post player was a favorite target for referees. She played on teams at the national AAU tournament, the Iowa All-Star Game and in the Iowa vs Oklahoma All-Star game. Iowa and Oklahoma were the last two states to have six-on-six girls’ basketball.
Wendy received many awards throughout her basketball career: Nevada Journal Athlete of the week, Daily Tribune All-Mid Iowa teams, Iowa Newspaper Association All-State teams, and Girls State Tournament all-tournament team. In addition, she represented the Colo-Nesco girls’ basketball team in the Tournament Queen court at the Girls State Tournament.
After graduation, Wendy moved to Ames to attend Iowa State University and work at the National Animal Disease Center. She is currently the laboratory manager at the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. She leads a large team of staff in the identification of infectious diseases in animals.
Outside of work, Wendy enjoys volunteering for many different organizations. She has coached youth soccer and basketball, along with helping out at different church and community events. She is also an assistant scoutmaster with Boy Scout Troop 163 in Slater.
Wendy resides in Kelley, Iowa with her husband, Scott. Between them, they have four children, two boys, Caleb - 20 and John -15 and two girls, Hannah and Holly, both 17. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, gardening, being outside, camping, fishing and spending time in Northern Minnesota.
Inducted in 2014
Matt Vaske is a 1989 graduate of Colo-Nesco and a proud native of Zearing.
Matt participated in basketball and baseball for 4 years, and football, 2 years. In basketball, Matt was named First Team All-state, Honorary Captain of the First Team Daily Tribune Mid-Iowa Team, First Team All-Conference his senior year and third-team his junior year. Matt was team captain and MVP of the Colo- Nesco basketball team in 1989. He was named a member of the All-Tournament Team at the 1989 Iowa State Basketball Tournament.
He is the all-time Colo- Nesco record holder in single-season assists, with 264 assists (9.8 per game) in 1989. This ranks Matt as fourth in the Iowa High School Athletic Association of assists in a single season. Also, he is the Colo- Nesco career leader in assists, with 404 assists. Which ranks him in the top 30 for Iowa High School Athletic Association career assists.
He owns the Colo- Nesco single-game record in assists with 17, which also ranks him in the top 15 in the Iowa High School Athletic Association.
In his senior season, he had 10 games of greater than 10 assists with 3 games of more than 15 assists and averaged nearly 17 points per game and 4 steals. With these stats, Matt set a Colo- Nesco single-season record with thirteen double, doubles (scoring and assists) his senior year.
His junior year, Matt averaged 11.5 points per game, 6.4 assists, and 2 steals, despite missing games due to a broken arm injury.
Matt was a member of the 1986 NESCO and 1989 Colo- Nesco teams who were runner-ups in the Class A Iowa High School Basketball State Tournament.
Matt was selected and played in the Iowa Dr. Pepper All-Star game and was awarded Coaches Award of the week. He was also selected as one of the top 12 senior players for the State of Iowa and represented Iowa in the Midwest All-Star Classic against other states.
Matt comes from a talented family of athletes. His father Duane was a star athlete at Bancroft St John’s and brothers John and Ed were memorable basketball players for NESCO.
In a 1988 Mid Tribune article, coach Doyle Miller described Matt as “..an excellent leader with outstanding basketball skills. His ball handling and seeing the open man are his greatest assets.”
Matt graduated from Simpson College earning his degree in education. He was a three year starter and letter winner in basketball. Matt was a Team Captain (1992-1993) and he was awarded Simpson Coaches Award. Matt led Simpson to the College’s most single-season victories in 1992 as well as winning the Iowa Conference that year. Matt helped lead the team to the 1992 NCCA tournament which was only the second time a team in Simpson’s school history that made it to the NCAA tournament. His senior year the team was nationally ranked in the top 20 of Division III schools, which was the first time in Simpson basketball history. He led the Simpson basketball team with assists three years in a row. Matt finished his basketball career in the Simpson College record books, finishing second overall, in career and single-season assists.
Matt is a teacher and coach with the West Des Moines School District. He lives in Norwalk Iowa, with his wife, Lori, and their 17-year-old daughter Kierstin and 14-year-old son, Luke. Matt volunteers in his community, coaching and organizing youth sports. He is also an active member of St. John’s Catholic Church.
Matt still loves the game, playing in the morning twice a week with former Division I college players. Yes, he is the oldest player sometimes by more than 20 years, but he still leads his team in assists.
Inducted in 2014
Brian Wildeboer is a 1990 graduate of Colo-Nesco and a native of Zearing. While in high school, Brian was involved in band and chorus along with his athletic activities.
In basketball, Brian earned three varsity letters. As a sophomore, Brian was varsity starter and earned all-conference honorable mention and helped his team to the district finals. In his junior year, Brian helped lead his team to a 24-3 record and a state runner-up finish. Brian was selected captain of the all-tournament team and led the state tournament in rebounding. He was named 1st team all-conference, 1st team all-Tribune, and honorable mention all-state by the Iowa Newspaper Assoc. In his senior year, Brian was selected as a captain for the varsity team and helped lead his team to a 25-2 record, in which they finished the season on a 21 game winning streak, and won the 1990 Class A state championship. Brian was again selected as captain of the all-tournament team and was the recipient of the Student-Athlete Achievement Award. Brian’s post-season honors were being selected 2nd team all-state by the Des Moines Register and Iowa Newspaper Assoc., 1st team all-Tribune, and the Tribune Co-Player of the Year. Brian was also selected to play in the Dr. Pepper high school all-star game for Class A and 1A.
Brian was also a 5 year letter winner in baseball, in which he was 1st team all-Tribune and 1st team all-conference his junior year, and a 2 year letter winner in track.
After graduation, Brian attended Simpson College where he received a bachelor’s degree in Accounting. At Simpson, Brian was a member of the basketball team his freshman and sophomore years, being a letter winner as a sophomore.
Brian is currently a Financial Analyst at McFarland Clinic. He resides in Ames with his wife, Janet, and two children: Jonathan and Sam.
Brad and his family reside for most of the year in Winter Park, Florida and also part-time in Daytona Beach Shores. Brad’s wife Leah is a golf professional. She was a four-time All-American golfer at Simpson, then played the mini-tour around Central Florida and is now a part-time teaching golf professional at Interlachen Country Club. Brad and Leah’s children are twin 8-year-old girls Amelia and Raelin and 4-year-old son Ethan. They all enjoy playing tennis, golf and basketball together and hanging out at the beach. They are able to spend a significant amount of time in Florida with their very adored Grandpa and Grandma Miller and their Aunt Missy and her family.
Inducted in 2014