COLLEGE

Brekke played college basketball at North Dakota, As a freshman he first spent time at UND-Lake Region before transferring to North Dakota and becoming a two-year starter at forward under head coach Dave Gunther.

He joined the Fighting Sioux for the 1981–82 season, when North Dakota went 27–5, won the North Central Conference regular-season title, won the North Central Conference postseason tournament in Grand Forks, captured the NCAA Division II North Central Region tournament on its home floor, and reached the NCAA Division II national quarterfinals before losing 67–65 to Cal State Bakersfield in Bakersfield.

That 1981–82 team beat Carroll 84–58, St. Francis 58–57, Northern Michigan 86–78, Augsburg 87–85 in double overtime, South Dakota 79–72, Augustana 82–56, Nebraska Omaha 75–63, Northern Colorado 81–67, South Dakota 90–56, North Dakota State 95–82, Montana State Billings 59–54, and Nebraska Omaha 83–75 during its run to the national quarterfinals.

During the 1981–82 season, Brekke was one of the key starters on a veteran team captained by Dan Clausen, Aaron Harris, Jon Sonat and Mark Jelacic, and he helped North Dakota finish 18–0 at home.

He earned all-North Central Conference honours in 1981–82 and finished that season with 334 rebounds, which remained one of the top single-season rebounding totals in program history, while also recording 50 steals.

North Dakota opened the next season 4–0 with wins over Minnesota Morris, Northern Michigan, Eastern Washington and MSU Moorhead, and Brekke moved into the captain’s role for the 1982–83 campaign.

As a senior in 1982–83, Brekke was North Dakota’s leading scorer, earned all-North Central Conference honours for the second straight season, and was selected as the team’s most valuable player by his teammates.

The 1982–83 Fighting Sioux finished 12–16 overall under Gunther and went through a far more uneven season that still included wins over South Dakota, St. Cloud State, Northern Colorado, Minnesota State in overtime, South Dakota State in overtime, and Augustana in overtime.

Brekke delivered one of the best defensive takeaway seasons in school history in 1982–83 with 66 steals, a total that remained among the top single-season marks in North Dakota history for decades.

Across his two North Dakota seasons from 1981–82 to 1982–83, Brekke scored 923 points and collected 116 steals, both strong totals for a player who spent only two years in the program.

His 116 career steals ranked among the best totals in school history, and his combination of 923 points in two varsity seasons and 334 rebounds in 1981–82 reflected how quickly he became a major frontcourt piece after arriving from junior college.

North Dakota’s 1981–82 postseason path during Brekke’s first season included North Central Conference tournament wins over Morningside, South Dakota and North Dakota State, then NCAA Division II regional wins over Montana State Billings and Nebraska Omaha before the two-point national quarterfinal loss to Cal State Bakersfield.

He also produced notable individual moments during his North Dakota career, including a game-high 17 points in a 59–54 win over North Dakota State during his sophomore season.

Brekke’s college career at North Dakota ended after the 1982–83 season with two years as a starter, two all-conference selections, one season as team captain, one team MVP award, 923 total points, and a place on the 1981–82 squad that advanced to the NCAA Division II quarterfinals.