Breslin Bound: 2021-22 Boys Report Week 10
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 14, 2022
The boys basketball tournament picture is getting a little clearer as we draw closer to the end of the regular season, allowing coaches to forecast a bit more (and scout) who their teams might face when Districts begin in three weeks.
It's also the right time for us to begin envisioning how some of our headlining regular-season games might become rematches next month – and we'll be digging into some of those possibilities over the next few weeks, including a couple we note below.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com. Send corrections or missing scores to [email protected].
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Detroit U-D Jesuit 65, Detroit Catholic Central 43 The Detroit Catholic League Central has been the setting for one of the most contested league races in recent memory, and the Cubs (10-4) clinched the title after having defeated the Shamrocks (8-7) by only two points in their first meeting.
2. Port Huron Northern 49, St. Clair Shores Lake Shore 47 The Huskies (12-4) faced former co-leader Lake Shore (13-3) twice over seven days and won both to clinch the Macomb Area Conference Blue title outright.
3. Vandercook Lake 65, Napoleon 59 The Jayhawks (13-1) moved into a half-game lead over Michigan Center and one full game ahead of Napoleon (12-2) in the Cascades Conference.
4. Goodrich 43, Flushing 42 The Martians (14-1) won a second one-point game in a row, this one over the Raiders (12-2) in a matchup of teams leading their respective Flint Metro League divisions.
5. Benton Harbor 79, Battle Creek Pennfield 74 The Tigers (13-2) bounced back from their second loss with their best win in terms of MPR against the Panthers (11-3).
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
Division 1
Detroit Martin Luther King (15-1) The Crusaders haven’t lost since the season opener against Detroit U-D Jesuit (see below) and are up to No. 2 in Division 1 MPR after going undefeated in a Detroit Public School League Blue that included Cass Tech (14-2), Renaissance and Southeastern (both 11-4). King also has wins over Beecher (13-1), Ann Arbor Huron (11-3), Saginaw (10-6), Kalamazoo Central (10-6) and Grand Blanc (11-4) among others – and if the Crusaders meet Jesuit again, it will be in the Division 1 Final.
Detroit U-D Jesuit (10-4) As noted above, Jesuit clinched the Catholic League Central, a major accomplishment. Additionally, only two of the Cubs’ opponents this season have fewer than 10 wins entering this week, providing another boost behind Jesuit’s No. 1 MPR ranking. The Cubs opened with a 51-42 win over King and can also count nonleague victories over Waterford Mott (11-3) and Macomb Dakota (10-5) along with the impressive run through the conference.
Division 2
Croswell-Lexington (14-0) This is familiar territory for the Pioneers, who are up to a combined 53-3 over the last three seasons. They have a two-game lead over Richmond in the Blue Water Area Conference, having handed the Blue Devils (12-2) a 57-38 defeat Jan. 25 and with the rematch coming up. Wins over Brown City (9-5) and Reese (12-2) have provided further MPR boost as the team sits No. 4 in Division 2 coming off last year’s run to the Quarterfinals.
Escanaba (10-4) After reaching the Quarterfinals last season, the Eskymos loaded their schedule again with many of the Upper Peninsula’s best, and it’s paid off with the No. 1 MPR ranking in Division 2. Escanaba is second in the Great Northern Conference with two losses to Menominee (14-1) and will play the Maroons again Tuesday, but those defeats have provided a boost along with two wins over Kingsford (10-4) and others against Ishpeming Westwood (12-3) and Negaunee (11-5). The two other losses came to teams from Wisconsin.
Division 3
Detroit Loyola (11-4) The Bulldogs have won eight straight to clinch the Detroit Catholic League AA championship and move up to Nov. 5 in Division 3 MPR. Wins over Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and Warren Lincoln (both 12-4) also have provided a boost, and all four losses were to larger schools with at least 11 wins – Hamtramck (11-3), Bloomfield Hills (11-3), Oak Park (11-3) and North Farmington (12-3). Loyola gets another good test in Detroit Country Day (10-3) this week as it looks to build on last season’s Quarterfinal run.
Elk Rapids (9-4) With only one game left against leader Traverse City St. Francis, on Tuesday, and two league losses, Elk Rapids may have to settle for second in the Lake Michigan Conference for the second-straight season. But another big opportunity awaits the Elks, No. 9 in Division 3 MPR. Their District includes St. Francis and the top two teams in the Northwest Conference and second-place team in the Ski Valley Conference – and at the time of this writing, Elk Rapids would be seeded second thanks to wins like the sweep of Boyne City (10-4).
Division 4
Genesee Christian (11-4) The Soldiers have taken a few steps up from last year’s 9-8 finish despite a strong schedule. The Genesee Area Conference Red has four teams 8-4 or better and three with at least 10 wins, and Genesee Christian is up to No. 8 in Division 4 MPR with six victories over teams with eight wins or more. The Soldiers get some benefit from losses to Beecher (13-1) and Flint Hamady (8-4) and have defeated among others Hamady, Lake Fenton (9-5), Clarkston Everest Collegiate (11-3), Webberville (11-4) and Burton Bendle (10-4). They see Bendle again next week.
Lake Leelanau St. Mary (12-3) The No. 7 Eagles have piled up 14 wins two seasons in a row and made the Regional Finals a year ago, and they’re surging toward March again with a 10-game winning streak. St. Mary handed Ellsworth (14-1) its only defeat and also earned solid boosts from victories over Traverse City Christian (12-2) and Flat Rock (13-3) – with the losses to Maple City Glen Lake (13-3), Rudyard (14-0) and Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (8-6).
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Ferndale (12-3) at Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (11-4) – Ferndale is No. 7 in Division 2 MPR and Brother Rice is No. 3 in Division 1
Tuesday – Grand Haven (14-1) at Rockford (15-1) – The Rams won the first meeting and have a one-game lead on the Bucs in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red.
Tuesday – Battle Creek Pennfield (11-3) at Marshall (14-1) – Marshall has a one-game lead in the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference despite falling to co-second place Pennfield 48-44 on Jan. 11.
Friday – Frankenmuth (11-2) at Freeland (14-0) – The Falcons can clinch a share of the Tri-Valley Conference 8 title, or the Eagles can pull within a half game of the lead if they hand Freeland a first league defeat.
Saturday – Grand Blanc (11-4) at Muskegon (13-1) – The reigning Division 1 champion could bring a 10-game winning streak on the road to face another contender for this season’s title.
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PHOTO Westwood’s Zach Carlson threads a pass while being defended last week by Ishpeming’s Parker Gauthier. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)
Senior Leaders, 'Legendary' Coaches Bring Plenty of Experience to Hackett Hoops
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
January 27, 2026
KALAMAZOO — In their four years on varsity, Leland Berg and Lukas Husovsky have played for three head coaches, plus a fourth with the junior varsity while playing on both teams as freshmen.
This year, the seniors are ending their Hackett Catholic Prep basketball careers with pair of “crafty veterans” – head coach Dan Hoff and assistant Nib Reisterer.
“It’s definitely been a struggle because every coach has their own way: the way they run practice, games, plays, everything,” Berg said of adjusting to new coaches.
“So from my freshman year, I walked into a program that had been a program a couple years, and then my freshman and sophomore years it totally flipped around.”
Berg, who has signed to play basketball next at Hillsdale College, said Hoff stepped in and brought a new culture.
“Hoff knows exactly what he wants to do,” the 6-foot-5 guard/forward said. “He’s very meticulous, and I feel that order and that tidiness has really cleaned up our team and the culture of Hackett basketball.”
Berg added that there are a lot of small changes, “like what time to show up for games, how practice is run, the kinds of drills we run, the kind of plays we run.
“I know it’s for the better, but it’s been difficult to adjust for me and my teammates.”
During their freshman season, Berg and Husovsky played on both the varsity and junior varsity teams, a challenge for the young athletes.
“It was really an adjustment because everybody had different plays,” the 6-7 Husovsky said. “There were so many plays you had to memorize. Not only was it physically (challenging), but mentally tough.”
Husovsky said that the seniors helped him and Berg as freshmen, and now he sees that as their job with the younger players.
Berg said this season the players are more appreciative of each other.
“When it comes to stuff off the court and personality-wise, we know how everybody is,” he said. “It makes it easier to play with these guys and it’s fun. It makes it a super comfortable team.”
Senior-led on the floor
Berg and Husovsky are two of four senior starters with Cullen McBride, David Verduzco and junior Elijah Brooks rounding out the starting five.
Hoff, who alphabetizes his personal players list by first names, said this is the first time he has no first names past “L”.
“There are four Lukes and two Elijahs out of 12 players,” Hoff laughed.
Those four are Husovsky, senior Luke Napolitan and juniors Lucas Cosby and Luke Widman. Junior Elijah Nabors is also on the team.
Seniors Keegan McCue and Ezra Rowekamp-Ambs plus junior Joey Gamsho round out the Hackett dozen.
After a tough loss to Kalamazoo Christian on Friday, the Irish take an 8-5 record into a tough Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley matchup against Schoolcraft.
Berg said no matter how the first half goes, this Irish team is unwilling to give up in any game.
“We had a couple of tough games where we got punched in the mouth early and we were down at halftime,” he said. “But most of those games we really found a way to group together and keep on pushing.
“I think that’s the difference between this year’s team and teams in the past. In the past, when we’d get down a lot of points early, the game would be over. Lately, there’s been a change in mentality. That’s super impressive. We don’t give up.”
Hoff said Berg is a “hidden gem” on the team.
“He’s a really good outside shooter,” Hoff said. “His energy. He starts every practice and leads us after every game with our team cheer.
“He leads our stretching. He does a lot of leadership things on the court that people don’t even know about.”
As for Husovsky, Hoff said he brings a lot of athleticism to the post with some really good skills as a shooter.
Brooks said he is comfortable with his role on the team and looks up to the seniors.
“Before games, our seniors are making sure we’re there and in the head space we need to be in,” he said.
Brooks added that he feels he’s a link that “brings everybody together. If my energy’s up, then everybody’s energy is going to be up.”
He also appreciates the new culture Hoff brings to the team.
“Coach is really fundamentally sound, making sure every step is done precisely and on point,” he said. “Coach is a great listener and a great motivator.”
Hoff appreciates Brooks’ passion for the game.
“Basketball is really big in his life,” Hoff said. “He brings a toughness and a skill set that is demonstrative of how much work he’s put into it.
“He’s really such a capable player and a person whose personality is extremely powerful, and that’s what allows him to be successful at key times and with any team he happens to be on.”
More than 100 years of experience on the bench
Hoff is in his 50th season as a basketball coach, the first 49 including 27 at Mattawan and five at Western Michigan University.
“Most of what I do is in practice,” Hoff said. “During games, players tell me information and I just give them information back.
"It’s like my classroom experience. When it’s time for a test, it’s time for them to do the test. My job is to prepare them. I find that as liberating for them as for me because I’m not yelling things to them or at them (during games).”
Hoff also said he expects his players to live up to his standards.
“When you have a 3 o’clock start, it’s a 3 o’clock start,” Hoff said. “It’s been a learning curve. I told them, one of my major flaws is I don’t know how to lower my standards so you’re going to have to come to mine.”
Hoff isn’t the only veteran coach at Hackett.
Reisterer is also closing in on 50 years coaching, including several at Hackett with both boys and girls teams.
“Staying around the players keeps us young,” he said. “I’m betting we’re one of the oldest coaching staffs in the state. We’re both 71.
“Dan is the most organized coach I’ve ever been around. He teaches the fundamentals as good or better than anybody I’ve ever come across, and he’s the perfect mentor for any young guys who want to coach.
Reisterer, who graduated from Hackett in 1971, is also a member of the Irish Athletic Hall of Fame.
“Nib and I’ve known each other since I moved here in 1986,” Hoff said. “He coached as an assistant for me in Mattawan. We coached against each other many, many, many times and we had some really great Hackett-Mattawan rivalries.”
Another assistant also has Hackett ties.
Kevin White, class of 1998, is in his first year as the school’s dean of students.
White also has a lot of experience coaching basketball, most recently at Portage Northern.
“I’ve known Kevin almost since I moved here because he’s been with Nib all these times,” Hoff said. “I knew him when he was at Portage Northern and at (Kalamazoo College).
“He’s an in-school person, which is what an out-of-school coach needs. He’s really good at that. He keeps track of the kids in a healthy way.”
Berg said the team is responding well to a new coaching style.
“We have a legendary coaching staff, a lot of great minds,” he said.
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Hackett Catholic Prep boys basketball head coach Dan Hoff, kneeling, talks with his players during a break this season. (2) Leland Berg (10) makes a move toward the lane against Coloma. (3) Hackett junior Elijah Brooks. (4) Hackett assistant coaches Nib Reisterer, left, and Kevin White. (5) Lukas Husovsky attempts a free throw. (Action shots by Micah Jones. Headshots by Pam Shebest.)