'Rohe's Boys' make noise for super Charger
Homecoming king is BMOC -- Big MacGyver on Campus
By Tim Gallagher, Journal staff writer | Posted: Monday, January 28, 2008
Briar Cliff University students Larry Caovette, Roger Sandau, Kyle Grell and Drew Hanson wear matching shirts as they cheer for Neil Rohe as the Chargers take on Hastings during basketball action Saturday at Briar Cliff University. (Staff photo by Jim Lee)
The biggest "MacGyver" fan on campus saved his superhero stand for the second half Saturday, boosting his Briar Cliff Chargers to a 60-51 victory over Hastings College.
Meet Neil Rohe, a senior forward and homecoming king at Briar Cliff University.
And MacGyver fan.
"I saw you talking to the freshmen," Rohe said to me following his late-game shots, assists and rebounds that helped upend the visiting Broncos. "Drew Hanson and Kyle Grell told you that. Right?"
10-4.
Rohe, one of the most likeable guys on campus, takes a break a few afternoons each week to watch "MacGyver" on DVD with his freshmen buddies.
"We have seasons one through four on DVD," Grell said. "Neil's ring-tone on my cell phone is the theme from the show."
"MacGyver" was an ABC adventure series that ran from 1985-92. These students were born during that span. The show's star, a secret agent, uses his scientific resourcefulness to solve complex cases.
Rohe, a biology major and future chiropractor, used his basketball resourcefulness to rescue the struggling Chargers on Saturday, hitting three shots and contributing an assist that helped turn a one-point BC deficit into an eight-point lead with 2:40 left. When Hastings cut the margin to three points with less than a minute left, it was Charger Rohe to the rescue with the biggest offensive rebound of the game.
He stepped to the line a couple of seconds later and made both free throws to ensure the Charger triumph.
"Neil had a real quiet first half, but he was our go-to guy at the end," said buddy Larry Caouette, one of a half-dozen fans sporting "Rohe's Boys" T-shirts Saturday.
Yes, this is a Charger with his own cheering section.
Nick West, a senior from Whiting, Iowa, ordered 27 yellow T-shirts to honor Rohe this season. The "Rohe's Boys" fan club grew by 14 members soon after, forcing West to order more shirts.
"More people are asking about them now," said Hanson, also of Whiting. "I bet somebody asks me every day about the shirts."
Why Neil?
"We support Neil because he's a great individual and he represents our school very well," said Caouette.
Grell called him his "he-Rohe." As in hero.
"The best part is that none of this goes to his head," said Hanson, a freshman basketball player whom Rohe helped advise this fall. "Neil could score 30 points, hit the game-winning shot and he wouldn't say a thing about it."
I got the impression before the game that Rohe, a graduate of Gehlen Catholic High School in Le Mars, Iowa, was almost too good to be true. His cheering section told me there's nothing he can't do. A man without flaw. A real live BMOC -- Big MacGyver on Campus.
But then the game began. Tee, hee.
"Yeah, that first half wasn't pretty, was it?" said Rohe, acting a tad embarrassed after the game. "I had some turnovers, and I missed some shots."
And the visitors from Hastings went on a 17-0 run, bolting to the lead. A loss at home like this, I feared, might critically wound the Chargers' post-season hopes.
Thank goodness the game is 40 minutes and Rohe and his cast found a winning formula. The victory gave Briar Cliff a 15-8 overall record, 7-4 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.
Best of all, the team is very much in the thick of post-season speculation.
"We need to keep playing hard and take one game at a time," said Rohe, as his fan section celebrated following the victory. "We'd like to get into the national tournament and make some noise."
So would his buddies in the yellow shirts, those "Rohe's Boys."
Meet Neil Rohe, a senior forward and homecoming king at Briar Cliff University.
And MacGyver fan.
"I saw you talking to the freshmen," Rohe said to me following his late-game shots, assists and rebounds that helped upend the visiting Broncos. "Drew Hanson and Kyle Grell told you that. Right?"
10-4.
Rohe, one of the most likeable guys on campus, takes a break a few afternoons each week to watch "MacGyver" on DVD with his freshmen buddies.
"We have seasons one through four on DVD," Grell said. "Neil's ring-tone on my cell phone is the theme from the show."
"MacGyver" was an ABC adventure series that ran from 1985-92. These students were born during that span. The show's star, a secret agent, uses his scientific resourcefulness to solve complex cases.
Rohe, a biology major and future chiropractor, used his basketball resourcefulness to rescue the struggling Chargers on Saturday, hitting three shots and contributing an assist that helped turn a one-point BC deficit into an eight-point lead with 2:40 left. When Hastings cut the margin to three points with less than a minute left, it was Charger Rohe to the rescue with the biggest offensive rebound of the game.
He stepped to the line a couple of seconds later and made both free throws to ensure the Charger triumph.
"Neil had a real quiet first half, but he was our go-to guy at the end," said buddy Larry Caouette, one of a half-dozen fans sporting "Rohe's Boys" T-shirts Saturday.
Yes, this is a Charger with his own cheering section.
Nick West, a senior from Whiting, Iowa, ordered 27 yellow T-shirts to honor Rohe this season. The "Rohe's Boys" fan club grew by 14 members soon after, forcing West to order more shirts.
"More people are asking about them now," said Hanson, also of Whiting. "I bet somebody asks me every day about the shirts."
Why Neil?
"We support Neil because he's a great individual and he represents our school very well," said Caouette.
Grell called him his "he-Rohe." As in hero.
"The best part is that none of this goes to his head," said Hanson, a freshman basketball player whom Rohe helped advise this fall. "Neil could score 30 points, hit the game-winning shot and he wouldn't say a thing about it."
I got the impression before the game that Rohe, a graduate of Gehlen Catholic High School in Le Mars, Iowa, was almost too good to be true. His cheering section told me there's nothing he can't do. A man without flaw. A real live BMOC -- Big MacGyver on Campus.
But then the game began. Tee, hee.
"Yeah, that first half wasn't pretty, was it?" said Rohe, acting a tad embarrassed after the game. "I had some turnovers, and I missed some shots."
And the visitors from Hastings went on a 17-0 run, bolting to the lead. A loss at home like this, I feared, might critically wound the Chargers' post-season hopes.
Thank goodness the game is 40 minutes and Rohe and his cast found a winning formula. The victory gave Briar Cliff a 15-8 overall record, 7-4 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.
Best of all, the team is very much in the thick of post-season speculation.
"We need to keep playing hard and take one game at a time," said Rohe, as his fan section celebrated following the victory. "We'd like to get into the national tournament and make some noise."
So would his buddies in the yellow shirts, those "Rohe's Boys."
Story Comments
Read More and Post Comments 8 comment(s)
Please note: The following are comments from readers. In no way do they represent the views of The Sioux City Journal or Lee Enterprises. We will not edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to not post or to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain potentially libelous statements; obscene, explicit or racist language; personal attacks, insults or threats. Terms of Service
sb wrote on Jan 28, 2008 2:27 PM:
REIVER FEVER wrote on Jan 28, 2008 12:20 PM:
BCU Fan wrote on Jan 28, 2008 11:10 AM:
todd! wrote on Jan 28, 2008 11:09 AM:
yea about that wrote on Jan 28, 2008 11:06 AM: