As a small boy, some of the best moments of my life were spent at the Aberdeen Civic Arena watching Northern State basketball, and one player stood out from the rest, both literally and figuratively. He was 6-foot-8, wore number 54, and was unstoppable.

Gary Evjen from Sioux Falls was a man among boys and the centerpiece of Wolves basketball teams that featured plenty of solid players in their own right. Through the years, Evjen evolved from being a star player to a solid coach and became a good friend of mine.

Evjen lost his battle with cancer recently. His play, character, and demeanor has stood the test of time and will always be held in high regard in Northern basketball circles.

“Gary and I, along with being teammates, we were very good friends,” said former Northern State great Rich Andrzejewski. “We were both RAs at the old Jerde Hall when we were in college.”

Andy soon came to find out what anybody who had contact with Evjen experienced, a genuine person who cared about those around him.

“Gary was just a very, very nice guy. I remember meeting him the first time when I went on my recruiting trip to Northern and met him in the hallway, and from that time on we became friends,” Andrzejewski said. “You knew what you had to be successful as a team. With him being very difficult to stop on the inside, that was one of the things we had to do.”

During an interview I did with Evjen in 2017, he told me that legendary Northern coach Bob Wachs told him that if he came to Aberdeen he would build the team around him. And that’s exactly what happened.

Evjen became a two-time NAIA All-American and was the first player in Northern State basketball history to score 2,000 points. He finished his career with 2,288 points for the Wolves.

Andrzejewski, who earned 16 letters in four different sports at Northern, recalled being recruited by Wachs.

“When coach Wachs came to recruit me in Arlington, his philosophy, which was a pretty darn good philosophy, was the most difficult position on the floor to defend is the center,” Andrzejewski said. “And he said, I got myself a good center and I need some people to put around him.”

That meant that Andy and the rest of his teammates would have to sacrifice a bit of their own game for the benefit of the team.

“When coach Wachs came to recruit me, he said, ‘Andy I don’t want you because you can score. I want you because you can rebound and play defense.’ Well, that sounded like a great four years,” Andrzejewski said.

When Andy was later inducted into the NSU Hall of Fame, he saw Wachs and reminded him of that conversation.

“I said, you left one thing out: I could lob the ball into the big kid so he could score,” he said.

Evjen later became a high school coach and helped guide Sisseton to a runner-up finish in the 1988 Class A state tournament. However, it was his impact on athletes that extended far beyond the court.

“Coach Evjen was a great coach and an even better person,” said former player Rick Hellwig. “He not only cared about you as an athlete, but more so as a friend.”

The fact the Evjen was a decorated player only added to his credibility.

“His many Hall of Fame inductions speak for themselves,” Hellwig said. “He played the game at such a high level that he earned the players’ respect.”

Of course, that high level of play did not come by accident.

Andrzejewski witnessed Evjen spending hours and hours practicing right-handed hook shots, left-handed hook shots, whatever was needed to hone his skills.

“The dedication that he put in to making himself a basketball player, that was in my opinion, the key point for him. … You have to put the time in and he did,” Andrzejewski said.

And when you’re the star player, membership has its privileges.

Andy recalled the days when the Wolves traveled to games by vehicles, not on a team bus.

“We always traveled by station wagon. You learned that the co-pilot seat in Coach Wachs’s car was designated as Gary Evjen’s seat,” Andrzejewski said. “And nobody sat in that seat, and you didn’t want to sit in the back seat, because the seat was pushed back as far as you possibly could, so there was no room in the back seat.”

While Northern fans will always fondly remember the gentle giant from Sioux Falls, it’s safe to say that Evjen always loved his days at Northern and remained loyal to the school for the rest of his life.

Evjen was pictured in a maroon shirt and gold tie in a photo that accompanied his obituary. That was not by coincidence.

“For a lot of people that wouldn’t sink in,” Andrzejewski said, “but as a Northern graduate or if you played for Northern, the maroon and gold meant a great deal to you.”

While time has a way of erasing records, Evjen’s accomplishments and legacy will stand tall forever, just like he did every time he took the court.