Krieger makes hoop dreams come true
By Chris Faulkner
Burlington Beacon
Lauren Krieger may have stumbled onto hers and didn’t realize it at the time.
Krieger just finished a four-year varsity basketball career at Notre Dame, and she broke the 1,000-point mark in the final game, reaching 1,005 against Danville in a Class 1A regional game.
She also finished with 207 steals, improving on the defensive end as she went along.
Krieger, known as “Lolo” to her teammates and friends, played basketball at the Y and started travel ball in the fourth grade. She played for a local team, the Iowa Hustlers.
But from sixth to eighth grade, Krieger had an opportunity not many players get.
The late Jim Myers was the varsity girls’ basketball coach for the Nikes when Krieger was in sixth grade.
“He would take me with the high school varsity team for some of the summer leagues and tournaments,” Krieger said. “He could teach me more about basketball than I could learn in travel (ball).”
On the travel team, she played with peers who would go on and have great prep careers as well: Shelby Bowman of West Central across the river just committed to play at Western Illinois University. Nike teammate Taryn Stephens was also a travel teammate. She also played with Burlington native Kahlie Hill and Emily Boeckmann, both of whom are going to state for Calamus-Wheatland.
For her senior year, Krieger led the Nikes with 383 points (18.2 ppg), steals with 70 (3.3 spg), and was second in rebounds with 105 (5 rpg). She also made 47 assists.
Krieger shot 35 percent from the field and 29 percent from 3-point range. She shot 75 percent from the free-throw line.
Besides closing out her career with the scoring milestone, Krieger earned all-Southeast District honors in Class 1A, to go with her all-South Division honors.
Krieger is a multi-sport athlete, who plays volleyball and softball as well.
“Softball is my favorite, but basketball is a close second,” Krieger said.
“I really like basketball because I like the competitiveness of it,” she said, “working with the entire team toward a common goal, being able to show off personal skills in the game while also displaying team effort, working together to make things happen.”
Krieger was one of five senior starters for the Nikes this season, and she shared the strength of each of her classmates.
Of Taryn Stephens: “Taryn is awesome at passes. She’s always looking for the open person,” Krieger said.
Of Nadiya Jones: “She’s a sharpshooter. She sits out on the 3-point line and can drain it from wherever.”
Of Anna Engberg: “She’s really good at defense. She’s been our defensive stopper all season. She’s good at getting down the court and finding the open drives.”
Of Aviana West, who only came out for basketball her senior year: “She really put in a lot of hard work, focusing on rebounds and being there for the team.”
Notre Dame coach Corey Stephens replaced Coach Myers when he died, and Krieger said, “He’s been really good at opening up the gyms over the summer and allowed me to put in the work.
“He’s been a good person to talk to and to help reach team goals and personal goals.”
Krieger said Myers, assistant coach Steve Gray, and the late assistant coach Mike Walters instilled that in her.
“This isn’t just about your basketball career, but this is getting you ready for life, and when you have a career after sports,” Krieger said.
That’s why athletes have to find room for academics, and Krieger excels in that area as well.
She’s been on the honor roll every quarter, and her GPA is 4.456 out of 4, which is explained by the honors and advanced placement classes she takes.
Her favorite subject is science. “I love my anatomy class,” she said.
“Being a student-athlete has taught me a lot about time management,” Krieger said.
“I used to go to Des Moines (for practices) for my travel softball team in elementary school,” she said. “I had to get used to doing my homework in the car to and from practice. I’ve always known academics were going to be more important in the long run.”
That’s why she’s not continuing her sports career in college.
“It’s a hard decision, but I didn’t want to put my academic career on hold,” Krieger said.
But now she has two new “coaches.”
Krieger will go to the University of Iowa to study pharmacology, and the twin brothers who are parents of Notre Dame athletes, Rodney and Lonnie Brent, are also pharmacists.
“They’ve been a real big help in the process of applying for pharmacy school and helping with good ideas for when I become a pharmacist,” Krieger said.
When asked to describe herself beyond the scope of athletics, Krieger said, “I’m a very competitive person when it comes to sports, but I’m a very outgoing person outside of that. I’m a nice person. I like to make jokes with my friends. When it’s time to get serious about sports, I’m very focused on that.”
Photos by John Lovretta/Burlington Beacon
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