Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Boys Report Week 2
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 15, 2025
The calendar year may be drawing to a close, and schools soon shutting down for break. But there will be little rest for basketball fans seeking to see several of the state’s title contenders in action over the next three weeks.
Several leagues have either started play or will over the next few days, and this weekend starts full schedule of boys hoops showcases that will see many teams across the state playing at least once over the holidays before the regular-season schedule falls into routine in January.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac 60, Warren Lincoln 59 Last season’s Division 3 runner-up Lions (2-0) earned one of their most impressive wins over the last two winters by edging reigning Division 2 champ Lincoln (2-2) at the Best of Michigan Tournament at Detroit Mercy.
2. East Lansing 41, Detroit Martin Luther King 40 The reigning Division 1 champion Trojans (4-0) answered their closest call of the early season to win one of the most notable matchups at the Moneyball Tip-Off Classic at Don Johnson Fieldhouse.
3. Ishpeming Westwood 59, Kingsford 54 These two both made Semifinals at Breslin Center last season, and Westwood (5-0) came back from 17 points down to avenge a seven-point loss from last year to the Flivvers (3-1).
4. Lansing Sexton 86, Detroit Cass Tech 81 Sexton (2-1) opened this season with a loss at East Lansing but has rebounded to make a statement about its potential to build on last season’s Division 2 Quarterfinal run with this win over the Division 1 Technicians (3-1) at Don Johnson.
5. Grand Rapids Northview 50, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 44 The Wildcats (3-1) returned to The Invite at Calvin University and downed the Cougars (0-2), also Division 2 semifinalist last season.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Auburn Hills Avondale (4-0) Winners of 16 games both of the last two seasons and runners-up in the Oakland Activities Association Red last winter, the Yellow Jackets may have more in store after this solid start including a 69-51 win over West Bloomfield on Thursday. Avondale’s holiday break slate is loaded with notable matchups against Freeland, Grand Blanc, Detroit Mumford and Hamtramck.
Jackson (3-0) The Vikings are off to a solid start as they look to build on last season’s 12-12 finish and tie for second in the Southeastern Conference White. Jackson opened league play Friday with a 60-47 win over Tecumseh, one of the other two teams that also tied for second in the league last season, and will get a first look at reigning champion Adrian on Friday.
DIVISION 2
Ludington (5-0) The Orioles’ fast start has included handing Spring Lake it’s only loss, 55-46 on Dec. 4, and delivering a first defeat to Fremont on Friday, 73-67 in overtime. Ludington lost to Spring Lake twice last season on the way to finishing 16-9, and the Orioles also are the early leaders in the West Michigan Conference Lakes after finishing second to Whitehall last winter.
Romulus Summit Academy (6-0) Last season’s Division 2 runner-up has not slowed down a bit, with a 35-29 win over Warren Fitzgerald on Saturday adding to a 65-59 overtime win over Detroit Edison and 65-54 victory over Detroit U-D Jesuit among notables during a busy but successful opening two weeks. Friday’s home game against Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac could end up deciding the Charter School Conference Gold title.
DIVISION 3
Gobles (4-0) The Tigers have improved from four, to nine, to 12 wins over the last three seasons and could add to that climb after four double-digit victories to open this one. The team’s fast start included last week a 55-45 win over Bloomingdale – avenging a last season loss – and a 50-36 victory over Delton Kellogg, with which Gobles split Southwestern Athletic Conference Central meetings last winter.
Onsted (4-0) The Wildcats have won at least 18 games every season this decade and finished 21-2 in sharing the Lenawee County Athletic Association title with Adrian Madison last winter. Onsted split with Madison last season and won their first meeting again this time, 45-38 on Friday, with the rematch Jan. 29. Also worth noting: Onsted is in Division 3 this season after previously playing in Division 2 and Class B before that.
DIVISION 4
Concord (5-0) A 53-51 win over Bronson on Friday kept Concord perfect to start this season, with that also their first single-digit game of this winter. The Yellow Jackets finished the last one 17-10 and tied for second in the Big 8 Conference, and the Bronson win also avenged a December loss from a year ago – as did the 67-57 victory over Battle Creek St. Philip on Dec. 5. Concord will see reigning league champion Stockbridge for the first time Jan. 8.
Traverse City Christian (5-0) The Sabres finished 23-3 last winter, when they also started 5-0 before running into Lake Leelanau St. Mary. Those two faced off Friday, and this time TC Christian handed St. Mary its first loss, 55-36. Onekama and Bellaire were the other teams to defeat the Sabres last season, and neither is on the regular-season schedule this time – but matchups against Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart on Jan. 19, Traverse City St. Francis on Feb. 6 and Lake Leelanau St. Mary again Feb. 10 should be circled.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Dec. 18 – Detroit Cass Tech at Detroit Martin Luther King (1-2) – They finished a combined 40-10 last winter, splitting their regular-season meetings. With Cass Tech defeating reigning champ Detroit Renaissance on Friday, this matchup could weigh much more heavily on the Detroit Public School League Blue title chase.
Dec. 20 – Grand Rapids Catholic Central (0-2) vs. Ann Arbor Huron (5-0) at Hazel Park – Arguably the top matchup at the D Zone Showcase will feature two teams that won Regional titles last season.
Dec. 28 – East Lansing (4-0) vs. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (5-0) at Ferndale – This Motor City Roundball Classic matchup will feature two of the favorites in Division 1.
Dec. 29 – Schoolcraft (2-1) vs. Grand Rapids South Christian (3-1) at Cornerstone University – These two are joined by Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern and Paw Paw in the Green bracket.
Jan. 3 – Clarkston (4-0) at Grand Blanc (3-0) – This matchup might be the best of a strong slate at the annual Carmody Classic.
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PHOTO Freeland senior forward Wilson Huckeby, right, navigates around a defender during the first quarter of last week's 70-47 Falcons win over Gaylord. (Photo by Kolleth Photo.)
Sullivan Returns to Court After Coaching, Sees Game In New Ways as Official
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
February 6, 2024
Gary Sullivan is getting a whole new perspective on basketball.
After 25 years of coaching the game on several levels – including the last six as the boys varsity coach at Blissfield Community Schools – Sullivan has replaced his school logo with stripes and a whistle. He’s enjoying his second basketball career, this time as a referee.
“I’m having a good time,” said Sullivan, who will retire this month as a teacher at Blissfield. “I’ve had fantastic experiences so far. I hope it stays that way.”
Sullivan is an Ohio native, having grown up just across the state line and attended Evergreen High School. After graduating from the University of Toledo, he landed a teaching job at Blissfield. Early on, he took a stab at officiating basketball.
“(Former Blissfield baseball coach) Larry Tuttle got me into it,” he said. “I did a few middle school and some junior varsity games. Then, when I became an athletic director pretty early in my career, I gave officiating up.”
He started coaching along the way, from youth sports to middle school basketball. He took over as the Blissfield varsity coach in 2016-17
After winning seven games over two seasons with an experienced roster, Blissfield rebounded with 12 wins in 2018-19 and 19 in 2019-20 – the most for Blissfield since 1992.
The Royals won Lenawee County Athletic Association and Division 2 District titles in 2021. The LCAA title was the first for the Royals since 2003, and the District championship was the first for the school since 2004. He won 60 games in all and earned two county Coach of the Year awards.
He stepped down as basketball coach two years ago.
It wasn’t long and he was being courted to help tackle the referee shortage in Michigan and across the country. His brother, Terry, is a basketball official in the Jackson area.
“When I was finished coaching, I started thinking about it again,” Sullivan said. “My brother does a ton of officiating in the Jackson area. He told me, ‘Just do it. It will be fun. What else are you going to do in the middle of the winter? You might as well referee.’ It gives you a chance to still be involved in the game.”
Initially, Sullivan figured he’d officiate a few middle school and junior varsity games. Once he got his feet wet and adjusted to life with the whistle, however, he was hooked.
“Last year was my first year – that was my intention, do middle school and some JV, maybe a couple of days a week,” he said. “Before I knew it, they were assigning me games left and right. The more I did it, the more I liked it. By the end of the year, they had the chance to assign a couple of varsity games. No one complained too awful bad, and they gave me a few more.”
With his basketball background, Sullivan found being a referee an outlet for his competitive nature.
“Being around basketball has made it much easier for me than someone who just comes in and, ‘Hey, I’ll try to do this,’ he said. “You are competing with yourself a little to make the right call and keep the game flowing along.”
There have been a few unexpected moments in the transition from coach to referee.
For one, Sullivan said, being on the court is a completely different perspective than being on the sidelines.
“It is so much faster when you have to run and follow that person than it is when you sit there and watch it,” Sullivan said. “When you have to run, get to your primary spot, then keep the peripheral vision going to watch everything, it's much faster, more difficult than I ever anticipated.”
Sullivan said certain aspects of the game are different, too.
“As a coach, I always anticipated what I thought was going to happen,” he said. “In your mind you know someone is going to travel, then as soon as they travel, you are yelling ‘Travel!’ As an official, it is better to be a second late and be correct than a second early and be wrong.
“To me, the toughest transition has been to slow down, wait for the actual play to let itself run its course. Make sure it really was a foul. Think about it. Don’t get in a rush to make the call.”
He’s grateful to other area officials who have helped him learn the tricks of the trade during either formal training sessions or by example. He’s had the chance to review some of his games on film, which has helped him dissect the game from a new angle. He’s also learned from coaching to block out fans and people from the crowd who might disagree with a call.
“I have not had a negative experience yet from a fan,” he said. “As a former coach, I put myself on double probation – I dished out enough that maybe I’m a little more tolerant than some other officials. That’s just my personality at this point.”
This year Sullivan has had a full schedule of middle school games plus about a dozen girls varsity basketball games and a handful of boys varsity games. The most recent was Friday in Ottawa Lake in front of a big crowd watching rivals Whiteford and Summerfield.
“That was a ton of fun – full house, competitive game. I was glad to be a part of it,” Sullivan said.
There’s another bonus to being an official. When the game is over, he can go home and sleep. No more late nights watching film or scouting for the upcoming opponent.
“My cats are much happier,” he said. “I’m not waking up at 4:30 in the morning and watching a film, then going back to bed. It’s fun. I’m enjoying it.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Official Gary Sullivan monitors the action while working a boys basketball game at Ottawa Lake Whiteford. (Middle) Sullivan directs his team from the sideline during his tenure as Blissfield’s boys basketball coach. (Top photo by Mike Doughty; middle photo courtesy of the Adrian Daily Telegram.)