It is now known as the Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, but for a few special moments this Sunday, the Lock Haven campus could be called Kriebel College as the school will induct Amy & Dean Kriebel into its Hall of Fame, making history as the first couple ever so honored.

Graduates of South Williamsport and Whitehall High Schools, respectively, the pair parlayed outstanding high school basketball careers into scholarship offers and left their marks on the Bald Eagles basketball programs.

Amy was a four-year starter and one of the school’s most accomplished women’s players in history with 1,343 points, 656 rebounds, and a program-record 121 games played. She ranks among Lock Haven’s career leaders in numerous categories, including setting the career field goal percentage record at .587.

Dean established himself as one of the school’s premier post players, scoring 1,582 points and 784 rebounds. His scoring total set the program record upon his graduation in 1990 and still ranks fourth all-time. He later played professionally and was the final cut of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1990.

Reflecting on their HOF honors, both were stunned, but grateful.

“It means a great deal to me,” Amy explained. “I never thought that in a million years that was possible. When I got the call, I was excited because I thought they were honoring our team, which is the only basketball team, men’s or women’s, to hang a banner on the wall up there. When I realized the honor was for me, I was stunned.

“Then I was told my parents are invited. That’s when I lost it. I wish they could both be here to see this. I was overwhelmed with emotion; they meant so much to me.”

“Like Amy, I wasn’t expecting it,” Dean added. “Albert Jones, Lock Haven’s athletic director, called and asked if I was with Amy. He told me to get next to her. Then he told us we were going into the Hall of Fame together. I don’t know how many couples have ever had that happen to them, but to us that is very special. But for me, I am grateful for all those that helped me along the way, my family, my coaches, and teammates.”

The choice of Lock Haven varied for both.

“I had multiple Division I offers but didn’t want to move away from home because I was super close to my parents,” Amy recalled. “I went on a visit to Penn State when Rene Portland was the coach, and I was overwhelmed. It was way too big for me, and I was scared to death. There was no way I could go to school there.

“After that, I visited a few smaller schools and Lock Haven just felt right for me. The team, the atmosphere, and I knew that’s where I wanted to be.”

“I didn’t even know where Lock Haven was,” Dean admitted.

“Kurt Kanaskie had just taken over the Lock Haven program. They had some players, but the team wasn’t that good. He saw me play at Whitehall High School and offered me a scholarship. My response was, “Where’s Lock Haven?” I visited the school but didn’t think it was for me because it was too small.

“But because he was the first person to believe in me, the first person to give me a scholarship offer, I felt a special bond to him. I signed up, and he was a magnificent coach.

Lock Haven basketball is recalled fondly by both.

“Winning,” Dean said. “I went there to win. I didn’t go there for school. I just wanted to play ball. I did well at school, but it was a second thought. We did win. During my years there, we made nationals three times, and I take great pride in that.”

“The men didn’t do anything compared to our women’s teams,” Amy countered. “We were the team that made it to the Division II final sixteen three years in a row. We made it to the final eight, and the team that beat us went on to win the national championship. We won PSACs; the men never did.

“The experience I shared with all my teammates was very special. We gave up so much because we just wanted to make our mark. We ate, slept, and drank basketball, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Through it all, they became life’s teammates.

“The men’s and women’s basketball teams always hung out together and we became friends, but we really didn’t start dating until my junior year, which was his senior year. It was one of those things where one thing just led to another,” Amy said about their courtship.

“That’s not true,” was Dean’s response. “She came up on a college recruiting visit, and we were at a party. She walked in and asked, ‘Who’s that guy right there?’ “That’s when she decided to come to Lock Haven,” Dean said laughingly.

While they will be honored Sunday, the Lock Haven legacy has grown another branch, as daughter Lacey is a sophomore at the college majoring in nursing and playing basketball.

“I never thought she would decide to go to Lock Haven,” Amy admitted. “She had told us she couldn’t go to Lock Haven because she could never live up to our legacy. Then when she started going on her college visits, she experienced the same reaction I had. It just felt right to her. We didn’t pressure her and the final decision was what she wanted. But it is really cool because we went there, and now our daughter is doing the same.”