Karlberg keeps up family tradition for Grace Christian basketball team

The Karlberg brothers are all home for Christmas and it's time for a quick game of 2-on-2 basketball.

Tobin — the youngest of the bunch at 17 — pairs up with Hans, 21, to take on older bros Leif, 25, and Lou, 27. The game is close, but the older Karlbergs come out on top.

"They ended up winning by four, but we'll get them next year," Tobin recalled with a smile. "Believe that."

Tobin, who led Grace Christian to the Class 3A state championship on Saturday, grew up admiring his older brothers, particularly Leif, who earned the 3A Player of the Year award in 2009 as a senior guard for Grace Christian, which didn't make it to the state tournament that year.

Eight years later, Tobin one-upped his older brother with a Player of the Year award and a state championship.

"Watching (Leif) play growing up, I always kind of idolized him and wanted to be exactly like him," Tobin said. "So I'm just thankful that I was able to play for Grace just like he did."

A 5-foot-10 junior guard, Tobin torched 3A defenses this season, shooting 62 percent from the field and 48 percent from the beyond the arc.

He's not the biggest player on the court, but he's often the one making the biggest shots, just like his brother did.

Leif — now an assistant coach at NAIA Lewis-Clark State in Lewiston, Idaho — was known for his smooth shot. A 2011 video featuring Leif and a Master's College teammate making trick shots received more than 26,000 views on YouTube.

"I try my best to not get into too many shooting competitions with him because he's definitely got a stroke," Tobin said.

Tobin said Leif has been instrumental in making him a better player.

"Every summer we work out together," Tobin said. "Two summers ago, I went down to live with him in California — he was coaching down there — and we just worked out every day for a month and a half, just getting better."

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Having older brothers with basketball connections has helped Tobin gain some other valuable mentors.

In the offseason, he worked out with UAA's all-time 3-point leader Travis Thompson, a Class 4A Player of the Year when he played at Dimond. He also practiced with UAA guard Spencer Sjevcar, who was one of the first to congratulate Tobin after Grace's semifinal win last week at the Alaska Airlines Center.

"Leif knows a lot of those guys, so does Lou," Tobin said. "I'm just thankful that they've been allowing me to have a lot of connections and a lot of ways they can help me get better."

Grace Christian coach Jason Boerger said Tobin will play with anybody he can, anywhere, anytime.

"He lives in the gym," Boerger said. "Nobody's working harder than him on becoming a stronger and more fundamentally sound player."

Tobin averaged 23.8 points per game for the Grizzlies this season, but he's more than a scorer. He averaged four boards, four steals and four assists from his point guard spot on his way to leading Grace to its first state title in 16 years.

"He's got a great heart, he loves his teammates and he loves the game of basketball," Boerger said. "He's just that floor general that any coach would want."