Valparaiso’s Markus Golder is proud to have represented the United States.
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The junior guard/forward will always cherish the accomplishment of winning a gold medal in the inaugural International University Sports Federation America Games.
But Golder will most remember the overall experience of his first trip abroad. He spent a little more than a week in Sao Paulo, Brazil as part of the event that brought together some 1,500 athletes from 12 countries.
“Brazil was amazing,” said Golder, who was heading home to Portland, Ore., for two-plus weeks before returning to campus for the start of the fall semester. “It was cool meeting people and hanging out with people from different countries with different views and thoughts on things. Sometimes there was a language barrier, but we got through it.
“Just the connections I made meant more than anything. My first time out of the country, meeting people from different backgrounds, that’s what meant the most. It was one of the better times of my life, for sure.”
Golder didn’t get to do a whole lot of sightseeing. One nontouristy experience particularly struck him.
“We went to a juvenile center, hung out with the kids,” Golder said. “That was eye-opening, for sure. They were young kids who made mistakes, but none of them came off as anyone who belonged in there. All of them had a future ahead of them.”
On the court, Golder and his nine teammates from various colleges went 4-0 to win the gold medal. Over four straight days, the U.S. beat Mexico and Chile in pool play and Brazil in a semifinal. Team USA topped Argentina 78-69 in the July 28 championship game.
“I just went out and had fun with a group of guys I just met,” Golder said. “We bonded well. We won. It turned out great.”
Golder made an impact in his first season at Valparaiso after transferring from North Idaho, a junior college where he played one season following a redshirt year.
Golder averaged 9.5 points and 4.3 rebounds last season for the Crusaders and made the Missouri Valley’s all-bench team.
He’s looking to grow even more this season.
“I spent a lot of time on my ballhandling over the summer,” Golder said. “Aside from that, it’s just changing the mindset I didn’t have last year — we have a lot of upperclassmen and we have to have a different mindset.
“We have to connect with the younger players and make sure they feel comfortable. We have to make sure they understand they have to develop the same mindset we have. That can be rough for first-year players. Personally, I’m way more comfortable than I was last year, knowing what to expect and what other teams are trying to do to us. It’s finding out ways not to hit the slumps we hit during last year.”
Golder liked what he saw in summer workouts across the board, believing the Crusaders will “get rolling and put a lot of wins together.”
Coach Matt Lottich expects Golder to be a central part of that process.
“There’s not a time when he isn’t in the gym,” Lottich said before Golder departed for Brazil. “He’s setting the standard from a work ethic perspective.”