Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 6, 1981, Todd Berkenpas broke the career scoring record for Iowa high school boys basketball. An all-time great at Mapleton Maple Valley, Berkenpas went on to a successful career playing for Lute Olson’s Iowa Hawkeyes.
During his senior season at Maple Valley, Berkenpas quickly approached the previous mark of 2,213 set by Jim Goodrich of United of Boone. Berkenpas set the record with 42 points in an 86-56 win over Odebolt-Arthur. While Berkenpas played out his high school career in the 1981 state tournament, Iowa State’s Johnny Orr and Iowa’s Lute Olson looked on in the hopes of securing a commitment from the state’s (then) all-time leading scorer.
After finishing his career averaging 30.6 points over 83 for a career total of 2,536 and a crowning as Iowa’s first “Mr. Basketball,” Berkenpas committed to the Hawkeyes. Over a four-year career, Berkenpas contributed to quality teams. During his senior year he averaged 5.7 points per game, 1.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists for the Hawkeyes.
Although Cary Cochran broke the record set by Berkenpas in 1997, and Brooks McKowen, in turn, reset the high-water mark for career scoring in 2003, Berkenpas still stands out as an all-time high school basketball great in Iowa. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
