GREELEY — Whatever challenges he faces in the future, Devon Beitzel knows he can always find refuge on the basketball court.
“Shooting a basketball always has been my stress release,” he said. “I’ll always play basketball in some form.”
The 6-foot-1 senior guard is playing at an extremely high level for Northern Colorado, which is making another push for a conference title. The Bears (16-10, 10-3 Big Sky) play Northern Arizona tonight at home, then Wednesday against Sacramento State on Senior Night. At least 70 people from Lafayette will travel to Greeley to watch Beitzel play his final regular-season game.
They know his college playing record is worthy of tribute but there’s so much more to celebrate than their hometown hero leading the Big Sky Conference in scoring at 20.3 points per game. In a way, his hometown fans’ presence at Butler-Hancock Athletic Complex is a way to recognize his travels over some serious bumps in the road.
“I grew up in Lafayette, and it’s still my home,” Beitzel said. “I feel great that all those people are coming for my last home game. All our friends and families are really tight.”
Beitzel, 22, is well-known in the community located between Broomfield and Boulder.
“Everyone in Lafayette knows about his history,” said Joan Louth, a single mom who played a significant role in helping Beitzel through difficult times. “People want to help him because he tries so hard.”
Bob Olds first got to know Beitzel when he coached Little League, and later when he was an assistant basketball coach at Centaurus High School.
“Devon had a rough childhood,” said Olds, who first met Beitzel when he was 8. “Basketball and athletics in general were a sanctuary for him in dealing with his home life.”
While under Olds’ supervision in sports, Beitzel’s life at home was in turmoil. His father, David Beitzel, was out of touch, spending time in and out of jail. His mother, Michellene Lenz, was battling alcohol-and-drug problems and unable to care for Devon and his brother, Dustin.
When Devon entered Centaurus at 14, he summoned the courage to ask Louth if he could live with her family through high school. Louth was a mother of five and her son Tyler was buddies with Beitzel.
“I told him I had my rules and there would be consequences if they were not followed,” Louth said. “He was a handful as a teenager. At that point in his life, I didn’t want to see him running the streets at all hours. The whole community has supported him, and I think he looks at us as his family.”
Beitzel, now an academic All-American with a 3.69 grade-point average in accounting and finance and scheduled to graduate this spring, remembers trying to muster up enough gumption to pop the question.
“It really was emotional,” Beitzel said. “When she said yes, I thought ‘Wow.’ “
If Louth had turned him down, Beitzel said he didn’t really have a backup plan.
With a place to stay, Beitzel became a “gym rat,” according to his high school coach, Mike Leahy, who became so enamored of Beitzel he decided to postpone retiring.
“I stayed an extra year so I could be his coach through high school,” Leahy said. “I originally had planned to retire the year before.”
Beitzel showed his determination when his UNC career got off to a slow start. Then-Bears coach Tad Boyle had Beitzel take a redshirt year as a freshman, which got Beitzel thinking about leaving.
“(He) wasn’t quite sure of his abilities,” said UNC coach B.J. Hill, who was an assistant when Beitzel arrived in 2006. “He wasn’t ready to play, and his shot was really slow.”
After sitting a year, Beitzel played little as a redshirt freshman. But as a sophomore he began to show his potential, leading the team with 61 3-pointers (42.4 percent) and averaging 11.8 points, third best on the team. Last season, he was off to an even better start, but suffered a season-ending broken bone in his foot during a Feb. 13 game. The Bears just missed out on a chance to get the Big Sky’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. He finished fourth in Division I in 3-point percentage (44.4, 68-of-153).
Determined to make up for lost time, Beitzel has had his best season, and has UNC battling for an NCAA berth should it win the Big Sky Tournament.
“He’s Devon Beitzel, of course he could make it through what he faced,” teammate Chris Kaba said. “Look at him out there. He’s a cool guy. Nothing can stop him.”
As Beitzel finishes his college career, he has been able to slow down his life. He occasionally talks to his father, and his biological mother attends games.
In his bio in the UNC media guide, Deitzel lists two mothers. It’s not a typo.
“My mom knows she’s my mom,” Beitzel said. “She brought us up to make our own choices and taught us right from wrong. Joan has been a huge part of my life.”
He also remembers his grandmother, Evelyn Hoover, who was an inspiration. They were really close, he said. So close he has a small tattoo on his back of a sculpture that was in her house.
“I wouldn’t say my life has been unstable. It has been different than others, but it has made me wise and strong,” Beitzel said. “I didn’t want people feeling badly about me or my family. I didn’t want them feeling sorry for me. It was just life.”
Irv Moss: 303 954-1296 or Imoss@denverpost.com
