Gettysburg senior has internship to remember in Seychelles

Gettysburg College senior Cody Kiefer had an experience to last a lifetime during the summer of 2016, and it had nothing to do with basketball.

The senior environmental studies major and Bullets forward interned for eight weeks on the Seychelles Islands off the east coast of Africa, north of Madagascar. There was nowhere for Kiefer to practice basketball during his time overseas.

"I helped out with experiments and got to run one myself, so it was quite an eye-opening experience for me," Kiefer said. "I didn't touch a basketball at all while I was there, but I was active every day. It was nice to get away from the game, but it was nice to get back to it when I got back."

Kiefer said this season could be the final hurrah for his hoops career, as he doesn't have plans to try to continue his career at the professional level, although he didn't close the door completely.

"I plan on enjoying this season and hopefully we can have a great year," he said. "I'm looking into finding a job or maybe doing grad school, but I don't see myself playing competitive basketball, at least not next year."

Kiefer became a Bullet after starting all four years of his high school career at Gettysburg, where he led the Warriors to their only division title since 1994, in his senior year, 2013. The Warriors also made three appearances in the District 3 tournament and Kiefer scored 1,087 career points, good for seventh in school history.

"Cody is a young man who was mature beyond his years when it came to working out when he was in high school," Gettysburg High coach Jeff Bair said. "He wanted to get better and he wanted to work on the little things that it took to make himself a better player."

Kiefer considered multiple schools in the Centennial Conference when it came time to pick a college.

"Gettysburg wasn't really in my mind at the start. I liked other conference schools, too," he said. "They're close enough that it's easy for my parents to come to the games and this is the level that I belong at. Ultimately, I chose to come here and it's been a great experience on and off the basketball court."

He is part of a quartet of seniors on the Bullets' roster that features another four-year starter, center Tanner Kirkpatrick, a two-year starter in guard Pete Christ and a key reserve in Mluynue Reeves.

"The leadership that they provide, on and off the court and academically, is immeasurable. They're all great student athletes," Bullets coach George Petrie said. "It's like having four extra coaches on the floor. We have seven freshmen on the roster this year, and the four seniors do a great job in helping them to adapt to the college game and to college life in general."

Kiefer burst on the scene as a freshman in 2013-14 and posted 12.6 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game in earning the conference's Rookie of the Year award. The next year he suffered a serious back injury that caused nerve problems and cost him nine games.

"I'd be lying if I said I never thought about it that I wouldn't be able to get back to my pre-injury level," Kiefer said. "I worked hard, hoped for the best and got a lot of support from my teammates. That helped me a lot."

He rebounded to have a solid junior season in which he averaged 11.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He's in position to make a run at 1,000 career points: Early in his senior year, he sits just under 300 away from the milestone.

Petrie said Kiefer's versatility on offense was among the factors that made him an attractive recruit.

"He's a very good player, a heck of a competitor and he does a lot of things that people don't realize. Little things that can't be measured by a stat, but that really stick out when you watch film of the game," Petrie said.

"He's what you always want for kids who commit themselves to the game," Bair said. "He's worked hard, he's helped both schools to be successful and he's done it with humility and a love for the game of basketball."