BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Bellevue University has announced their four-member Hall of Fame Class of 2016. The class includes Tim Williams (basketball), Derrick Helms (basketball), Nic DeLuca (baseball), and Greg Smith (basketball).
Tim Williams
Tim Williams played basketball at Bellevue from 1976-78 for Hall of Fame Coach Jerry Mosser.
He graduated as the program's third leading scorer and still ranks 10th in career points with 1,156 and second in points per game with 23.6. Williams holds two of the four highest-scoring games by an individual in program history, scoring 45 points against Metro State on Dec. 19, 1978 and 43 against Concordia on Feb. 24, 1978. He was named the University's 1977-78 Athlete of the Year.
In his two years with the program, he helped the Bruins to a 30-19 (.612) overall record, including an impressive 17-3 (.850) mark in home games. After his Bruin career, Williams headed overseas to play professionally in the Scottish Basketball League. He went back to school to earn a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Across the pond, he was named league MVP four times, set a league record with 68 points in a single game, and was the leading scorer at 30.6 points per game. He was named league tournament MVP three times and was a four-time all-star selection.
He currently resides in Omaha, Neb. and works at the University of Nebraska at Omaha as a custodial supervisor. He's married to his wife, Regina, and they have two children together, Taylor and Xavier.
Derrick Helms
Derrick Helms played basketball at Bellevue from 1987-90 for Hall of Fame Coach Jerry Mosser.
Helms remains the program's all-time leading scorer with 1,992 career points and averaged a school-record 25.9 points per game over his three-year career. He also holds the career record for free throws made (338), ranks seventh in steals (122), and ninth in assists (276). Helms was named the 1989-90 Bellevue University Athlete of the Year for his prowess on the hardwood.
He graduated in 1991 and owns a Master of Science degree in psychology. Since his time at Bellevue, he has developed a top Nike AAU girls basketball program, Diablo Valley. The program claimed a 12-U division national championship and has seen 21 players go on to play NCAA Division I women's basketball, including one of Helms' daughters, Erica, who was an all-conference performer at UNLV.
He currently resides in San Francisco, Calif. In 1996 he started his own behavioral consulting business which he's headed up since its inception and still to this day. The focus of the business is developing behavioral programs for kids with autism. He has four children; daughters Erica and Natalie and sons Derrick and Justin.
Nic DeLuca
Nic DeLuca played baseball at Bellevue from 1994-95 for head coach Mike Evans.
Following his career at Bellevue, DeLuca received a teacher's endorsement from Peru State College and a master's degree from the University of Phoenix.
In two years of playing for the Bruins, he led Bellevue to a 105-24 record, including BU's lone National Championship in 1995. He was named the Conference Player of the Year in 1994 and was the 1995 NAIA World Series MVP and a member of the NAIA World Series all-tournament team. Following his Bruin career, he was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft.
He currently resides in West Jordan, Utah with his girlfriend, Jill, her son Trayce, and his daughter, Emery. He is the president of RizeUp Today crowd funding company that helps people and businesses fund projects that will help them start their business, pay for school, get an expensive surgery, pay legal fees, pay for vacations, or to do something that they have never experienced before.
DeLuca is also an owner and head coach of the Phenom Baseball organization. Phenom is a mentoring program, for boys ages 8-18, wanting to learn, progress, succeed, and excel in baseball as well as develop skills for success in their future. It also helps them get recognition for college recruitment.
Greg Smith
Greg Smith was a standout basketball player under Hall of Fame Coach Jerry Mosser from 1974-77.
He received his bachelor's degree in philosophy from Bellevue in 1977.
Upon graduation, he was the second-leading scorer in school history. He still ranks seventh all-time on the school records' charts with 1,423 career points and 19.2 points per game. Smith helped lead the Bruins to a 47-30 record during his three-year career.
For his efforts, Smith was named the Bellevue University Athlete of the Year for the 1976-77 academic year.
After a battle with pancreatic cancer, Smith passed away in August of 2012. He is survived by his wife, Rosemary Brown, his two sons, Greg Jr. and Dwight, and his siblings Terrance, Brian and Kim.
Smith was a sports enthusiast throughout his life. He enjoyed playing basketball, tennis and fishing, as well refereeing youth sports. He was able to develop and watch his sons, Greg, Jr. and Dwight, play basketball for Colorado State University.
After graduating from Bellevue, Smith stayed in the area working as a Douglas County Parole Officer. He also worked at the Omaha Correctional Center and the Eastern Nebraska Human Services Agency.
When:
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Reception starts at 5:30 p.m.
Dinner starts at 6:30 p.m.
Where:
Bellevue University Main Campus
John B. Muller Administrative Services Building, Garden Level
1000 Galvin Rd. South
Bellevue, NE 68005
Cost:
The price for this event is $50 per person.
Guests can register via the online registration form which can be found here.
