And they read off our names

For 40 years, Bryan Kornberger coached his teams under one guiding principle: loyalty.

It’s what the locally renowned basketball coach felt he received time again during his long tenure as the head of Glenlawn Collegiate’s varsity girls’ program. It’s also what Kornberger strived to give back to his players each day.

Kornberger worked under that principle because it’s exactly what his former head coach, Dale Bradshaw, harped on during his playing days at Dakota Collegiate. Bradshaw inspired Kornberger to start coaching, and he’s since become one of his biggest supporters.

“Two things: he taught us not only what we needed to do to win the game, but why we were going to do it this way. And second off, he taught me loyalty. And with those two things, you can’t go wrong,” Kornberger said Tuesday at the University of Winnipeg’s Duckworth Centre after being announced as a member of the Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2026 induction class.

Kornberger and Bradshaw were inducted into the Hall together in 2003 as members of the 1973-74 and 1976 Dakota Lancers varsity team, which won three provincial championships in four years.

“(Bradshaw) wanted to be here to support me today. He nominated me for this award, and he got dressed to come early this morning, but he wasn’t feeling well… but that’s what loyalty is all about,” said Kornberger, who was also inducted in 2021 as a coach with the 1991 gold-medal winning provincial junior team.

“All the players that we’ve had have been some of the greatest people I’ve been associated with in my life.”

“We had our 50th anniversary of winning our provincial championship last year, the ’75 team, and Dale gave a speech to all of us about loyalty that I’ll never forget — we’ll all never forget — and that’s what makes me tick.”

Kornberger guided the Lions to 19 AAAA provincial Final Fours and 12 finals, winning eight of them — all records. He also coached Manitoba’s U17, U19 and U21 provincial teams 10 times in his career, winning national gold with the U19 squad in 1991.

“I’d like to think (loyalty went) both ways,” he said. “I think I’ve been very loyal to Glenlawn, and I think Glenlawn has been very loyal to me. And all the players that we’ve had have been some of the greatest people I’ve been associated with in my life.”

Kornberger is one of three builders to get the nod in this year’s class, alongside Winnipeg Cyclone founder, president and majority owner Earl Barish, and Ted Fardoe, who served on the executive board of the Winnipeg Minor Basketball League for 14 years, 11 as president.

Two teams — the 1980-84 Brandon University Bobcats men, and 2004-07 and 2009 Glenboro School Panthers varsity girls — will be inducted. The Bobcats medalled at four straight CIAU/CIS national championship tournaments, winning silver (1980, ’84) and bronze (1982, ’83) twice, while the Panthers won five consecutive MHSAA provincial ‘A’ championships.

The class’ athletes inductees include Uzoma Asagwara, who, before serving as the Deputy Premier of Manitoba, was a two-time CIS/U Sports All-Canadian with the Winnipeg Wesmen women’s squad and twice a member of Canada’s national team; Anne Schimnowski-Boyko, a two-time GPAC All-Star with the Manitoba Bisons women’s team; and Chad Posthumus, the larger-than-life personality who is regarded as one of the top talents to ever come from Manitoba and enjoyed a 10-year professional career around the world that ended with the Winnipeg Sea Bears in November 2024 after he died following complications that arose during his recovery from a brain aneurysm.

“Basketball helped make me the person that I am today, and it’s something that means a whole lot to my entire family,” said Asagwara. “And so to be able to come back home to the University of Winnipeg — I’m a lifelong Wesmen — and for my family to be here and for us to have another great basketball memory, is really, really special.”

For Posthumus, his induction is the latest in a laundry list of awards and honours in the last 17 months.

Since his death, the man known affectionately as the “Beast from River East” has had a celebration of life that was attended by hundreds of Winnipeggers; his No. 33 jersey retired by the Sea Bears; had a street — Donald Street between Portage and Graham Avenues — commemoratively named after him (Chad Posthumus Way); received the King Charles III Coronation Medal; had the court at Gateway Recreation Centre named after him (the Chad Posthumus Memorial Court); had two Basketball Manitoba scholarships created in his name; and raised over $70,000 for Diabetes Canada, among other things.

“As parents, you always raise your kids to do the best and to represent themselves well, represent their community well, and you hope that they can influence, right?” said Posthumus’ mother, Diana, who grew emotional.

“So, I think all the accolades that he’s had over the last bunch of months have just shown us that he’s been that kid who has had an impact right across. I think he influenced lots of basketball players… but at the same time, he was influencing others, and just showing what you can do as a community member. So I think for us, it’s been heartwarming.

“I think he would’ve loved it.”

“You can’t wish for any more to remember that legacy. That’s pretty awesome.”

The Posthumus family isn’t done either. An annual three-on-three tournament is being organized in Posthumus’ name to raise funds for his two Basketball Manitoba scholarships. The inaugural tournament is expected to run this summer.

“He would be so funny, because he was always that guy who loved the limelight,” Diana said of what her son would think of his induction. “He was also very humble.

“I think he would’ve loved it.”

The induction ceremony will be held Sept. 26 at the Victoria Inn.

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