Jackson Remembers, Honors Hoops Hero
By
Chip Mundy
Special for Second Half
December 8, 2016
By Chip Mundy
Special for Second Half
JACKSON – More than 30 years ago, Gary Thompkins moved away from Jackson after his high school days. But he never really left home.
He thought about leaving the sun and warmth of his Arizona home and coming back to Jackson, hopefully to coach the basketball team at his alma mater, Jackson High School. His son Zeke wanted to play at the same school as his father, and Gary's dream job was to coach the Vikings.
While the coaching move wasn't in the cards at that time, Thompkins did return this summer to host a youth basketball camp at the old gym at his high school. He hoped it would become an annual event, and he planned to return again this month when his number would be retired.
On Sept. 3, less than a month after the camp and just 12 days shy of his 51st birthday, Thompkins died of a massive heart attack in Phoenix.
“It's just how life works,” said Jack Fairly, athletic director at Jackson. “He came home and ran that camp and a few weeks later he has a heart attack. Immediately you wish you would have retired his number sooner, but how do you know?
“It's a learning thing, too. Don't wait sometimes to tell people what you want them to know.”
The shocking news traveled through Jackson and his Thompkins’ friends like a lightning bolt. At his service in Jackson, one speaker said, “Growing up, we knew about Tony Dungy. We knew who the best football player was to come out of Jackson, but he was older than us and we didn't know him that well. When it came to basketball, we had Gary. Gary was our Tony Dungy.”
It seemed most everyone agreed, and in 2002, the Jackson Citizen Patriot named Thompkins the best high school basketball player in Jackson County history.
“He's the best player I ever coached, and it's not even close,” said Andy Sheridan, who coached Thompkins in high school.
Tuesday night, Jackson High School fulfilled its plan to retire Gary's No. 40 in a heartwarming, emotional ceremony. Gary's father, Bobby Thompkins, and Sheridan were on the court to reveal the banner as Gary joined his father and Regina Pierce as the only Jackson High School basketball players to have their numbers retired.
Following in Dad's basketball shoes
In the 1960s, Bobby Thompkins was the top basketball player in Jackson, and up until Tuesday night, he was the only male basketball player to have his number retired at Jackson High – a school that won Class A titles in 1948 and 1955.
“Bobby really pushed Gary and worked with him,” Sheridan said. “Bobby really wanted him to play, and that was a good thing.
“The thing is, though, if a kid doesn't want to play, he isn't going to play. I've had kids who had talent but didn't have the desire. Gary wanted to play all the time. If I could have opened that gym up 24 hours a day, he would have been in there 24 hours a day.”
Bobby Thompkins was an inside player, and Gary was a point guard who could do it all. There were not many similarities.
“Gary could go out and shoot it from 15, 20, 25 feet, and I was anywhere from 14 to 15 feet in, so I always played inside while Gary was outside,” Bobby Thompkins said. “But that was one of the things that Andy and I talked about as he grew up.
“It was to his advantage and his future for him to be able to handle the ball and play outside, and that is the way Andy coached him.”
It could not have been easy playing basketball in Jackson with the last name of Thompkins. But Gary embraced it. He was proud of his father but wanted to be better. He played with a swagger and had a flair for the dramatic. He was good, and he knew it. But off the court, he came off as just another guy.
“In 1984, his senior year, I was just back out of college, and I was substitute teaching,” Fairly said. “He gave me the time of day, and I was like some guy he didn't need to know. He was everything to us. He was our Mr. Basketball.
“The impressive thing is that he took the time to talk to me and get to know me. He shook my hand and introduced himself to me and made me part of what was going on with him just by being polite. Not every great star does that, and I think that spoke volumes about his character. So you root for a guy like that.”
Having Sheridan as his coach was a perfect match, too. Sheridan and Bobby Thompkins had been teammates on some fine basketball teams at Spring Arbor College and maintained their friendship throughout the years. Gary attended Jackson Catholic Middle School, but when it came time to choose a high school, he went to a public school for one important reason.
“Bobby called me and said, 'If you're going to be the coach, Gary is going to be at Jackson High,'” Sheridan said.
In Gary's senior season, Jackson won a Class A District title and won a game in the Regional tournament for the first time since 1969 before losing in the Regional Final. Thompkins left Jackson High with several impressive accomplishments: He finished second in the voting for Mr. Basketball – the highest finish ever for a Jackson County player – and was a two-time Class A all-state first-team selection and a four-year varsity player.
In the annual state high school all-star game that year, Gary was voted the Most Valuable Player. On Father's Day.
Thompkins established school records for career points (1,543), rebounds (801), assists (582) and steals (218). Those records still stand. He could do it all on both ends of the court.
He was heavily recruited by former University of Michigan coach Johnny Orr and played for Orr at Iowa State, where he teamed with another Michigan high school star – Flint Northwestern’s Jeff Grayer – and helped the Cyclones return to the NCAA Tournament for just the second time since 1944.
Perhaps the highlight was Iowa State's 72-69 second-round victory over Michigan in 1986 – a game that Orr called “my biggest victory.”
In four seasons at Iowa State, Thompkins had 900 points and 600 assists. He lived up to the hype.
Always living the game
After giving pro basketball a shot, Thompkins settled into a coaching and teaching role. He was a special-needs instructor and basketball coach at Greenway High School in Phoenix, and he was fondly known as “Coach G.”
Basketball wasn't his only focus, but it always was a passion.
“Gary was a great player, and he actually lived the game,” Sheridan said. “All the way through his coaching, he would call me so many times and tell me how his teams were doing and how his kids were doing. He really lived the game. He really did. Basketball was his thing.”
Not surprisingly, Thompkins' two step-sons are gifted in basketball. His oldest step-son, Sammy Barnes-Thompkins, played as a freshman last season at Boston College before transferring to Odessa College in Texas this winter to get more playing time.
The younger step-son is Zeke Thompkins, a freshman at Greenway High School in Phoenix who already is catching the eye of college coaches. And it is Zeke who had a dream to one day play basketball at Jackson High – his father's school.
A few years ago, Thompkins considered moving back to Jackson to coach the Vikings and give Zeke the chance to play there. Although the job likely would have been his had he wanted, things didn't match up. But it remained a dream.
“What they did in Arizona was make him a permanent sub, and being that he was a permanent sub, he automatically could coach and support his family,” Bobby Thompkins said. “That was one of the pieces that I think was missing in regards to coming home, but he wanted his kids to play here and wanted to coach here.”
It was with a ton of pride that Gary returned to Jackson on Aug. 13 to hold a shooting camp at Jackson High School. It was interesting that instead of holding the camp in the current gym – the one in which he played – he wanted the camp to be held at the cozy old gym that housed the two MHSAA championship teams and is filled with character.
It was his way of giving back and staying in touch with his old school. He had hoped to make it an annual event that would grow in size each year.
“It was a hot day, and Gary did a great job with the kids for us,” said Dan Crowley, Jackson High boys basketball coach. “He was very gracious to everybody.
“He was looking forward to coming back for the first game when his number was retired.”
Instead, the ceremony went on without Gary. It was heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time, especially for his family.
“The way in which I’m dealing with it is that it's an opportunity to do something for a young man who was successful,” Bobby Thompkins said. “I have to thank the school district and also thank Andy and Jack, who also have promoted this, and at the same time, this might give an opportunity for others to have the opportunity to have their numbers retired. It would be great for their families.
“Also, it's a positive reinforcement for our community, giving honor and respect that is needed for those who were successful.”
Gary Thompkins left a legacy in Jackson as versatile as his playing skills. He was fierce and confident on the court. He was nice and gracious off it. And he possessed a tremendous love for his family, his sport and his high school that stayed with him until his final days.
He packed a ton of living into his nearly 51 years. It would have been a surprise if he hadn't.
Chip Mundy served as sports editor at the Brooklyn Exponent and Albion Recorder from 1980-86, and then as a reporter and later copy editor at the Jackson Citizen-Patriot from 1986-2011. He also co-authored Michigan Sports Trivia. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Former Jackson coach Andy Sheridan (left) and Bobby Thompkins hold up the banner signifying the retirement of Gary Thompkins’ number during Tuesday’s ceremony. (Middle) Gary Thompkins, during his high school career with the Vikings. (Below) Gary Thompkins, left, with former high school teammate and current NCAA Division I college official Earl Walton during Thompkins’ camp at Jackson High in September. (Top photo by Laura Quinn; middle photo courtesy of the Jackson Citizen Patriot.)
A Year Older, Buckley Sets Aspirations High
December 15, 2016
By Dennis Chase
Special for Second Half
BUCKLEY – The Buckley Bears are hoping pizza parties become a regular occurrence this winter.
As an incentive to improve defensively, Buckley basketball coach Blair Moss is rewarding his players with pizza parties if they can hold opponents under 40 points.
Through three games, all impressive wins, the Bears have earned one party, beating McBain Northern Michigan Christian 86-39 last Thursday.
“He (Moss) knows we can put up points in a hurry,” junior standout Denver Cade said, “but he wants to see us lock down the other team.”
So far, added emphasis on the team’s man-to-man defense seems to be working. The up-tempo Bears are averaging 92 points offensively, and surrendering 49.
“I know we can score,” Moss said. “That’s not the problem. The problem is locking it down on defense. On nights we’re not making our shots, we’re going to need to have stops (on defense). Since summer, that’s what I’ve been preaching. We’ve talked about it and worked hard on it.”
Focusing on that facet of the game is a priority because Buckley has high aspirations after making a run to the MHSAA Class D Regional Finals last March with a lineup comprised of four sophomores and a freshman. The Bears nearly won the Regional, taking Bellaire to the wire – the teams were tied at 55 with just over a minute to go – before losing 61-57.
“We were young and, as a coach, you wonder how your players are going to handle that kind of pressure,” Moss said. “We threw the ball away in the last couple minutes and that really hurt us. That’s being young. But I think we’ve learned from that.”
That loss became a motivator for the Bears.
“We used it as fuel,” junior Austin Harris said. “We started working even harder after that.”
In the months that followed, players hit the weight room and were in the gym as often as possible. Three starters were heavily involved with AAU. In addition, Moss set up a busy summer schedule that had the Bears traveling all over the state. They competed in scrimmages at Northwood University, Central Michigan University, Ferris State University, as well as local gyms, including Cadillac, where they saw two of the north’s best teams in McBain and Manton. All told, Buckley played nearly 40 games, almost all against larger schools.
“Playing that type of competition has helped prepare us for what’s ahead,” Cade said.
The 6-foot-3 Cade is listed as one of the top 100 players in the state by the Detroit Free Press. He’s off to a solid start, averaging 26 points and eight rebounds a game.
“He’s a winner,” Moss said. “He’s my general on the floor.”
The 6-foot-3 Harris is talented as well. He’s averaging 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. He registered a triple-double in Tuesday’s 100-59 win over Suttons Bay. Harris plays on the wing, but also moves to the point on occasion. Moss would like to play him strictly on the wing to increase his scoring opportunities and balance the floor with Cade on the opposite wing.
Cade and Harris are joined in the lineup by juniors Joey Weber and Brock Beeman and sophomore Ridge Beeman. Weber, who also plays the point, and Ridge Beeman average 11 points; Brock Beeman averages nine per game.
All four juniors were on varsity as freshmen.
“You might get one of these groups every 10 years or so,” Moss said. “You’re just so thankful. They’re all so coachable – and they’re just as good in the classroom as they are on the court. They’ve been playing together since they could walk. They’re in the gym all the time. Their basketball IQ is very high.
“How many coaches start four freshmen at the high school level? I knew we were going to take our lumps that year. We were not very physical, but I knew we were talented enough that we could be in every game.”
The Bears finished 11-11 in 2014-15 and improved to 16-7 a year ago. They now have their sights set higher, starting with winning the Northwest Conference.
“It’s not going to be easy,” Cade warned.
Frankfort, heading into Thursday night’s game, has won 26 league games in a row and returns two top players in juniors Jaylon Rogers and Matt Loney. Glen Lake - bolstered by Lake City transfer Cade Peterson, the quarterback on the Lakers’ MHSAA Finals football team – is 2-0 and seems primed for a breakout campaign. And then there’s Benzie Central, which has given Buckley fits in recent seasons.
“This is the toughest I’ve seen this league,” Frankfort coach Reggie Manville said. “And what’s really scary is that all those teams at the top of the league have most of their starters coming back next season.”
Moss previously coached the Benzie Central varsity for seven seasons. After stepping down, he took two years off from coaching and then re-emerged at Buckley. He’s now in his fourth season.
“I still had that drive, that urge to coach,” he said. “I missed working with kids. I missed the camaraderie with the coaches.”
Todd Kulawiak, the elementary school principal at Buckley, reached out to Moss. The two have a connection – they were former standouts at Benzie under coach Will Lynch and are the two all-time leading scorers in school history. Kulawiak was also an all-state distance runner under Blair’s father, Pete.
Although the Bears struggled the first couple years under Moss, the coach could see what he had coming. Now he’s pushing that group, and himself, so they can reach their potential.
“We’re very capable if we keep focused, keep our heads on straight and keep working hard,” he said.
That drive to improve was a major reason he put together such an aggressive schedule in the summer. He wanted his team to face quality competition, and he was pleased with the results.
“It seemed like we were getting better all the time,” he said.
As an offshoot, Moss also wanted to get his players exposure, especially in camps at college venues.
“They deserve it,” he said. “I want (college coaches) to see our kids. It’s like I told Denver’s father, ‘You’re talking $100,000 for a college education. If he puts the time in now, bingo.’”
Buckley is not particularly big – “We’re mostly a five-guard lineup,” Cade said – so the Bears like to use their athleticism and push tempo.
“With Coach Moss, it’s go, go, go,” Cade said. “If the (MHSAA) had a shot clock, we would be one of the teams that would benefit from it the most because we find a way to get quick, quality shots.”
Opposing coaches have noticed.
“They’re extremely good shooters from the perimeter, and that sets up their offense,” Manville said. “You have to defend that shot. Now, they’re all starting to penetrate to the basket and dish, which makes them more difficult to guard. And if you want to help defend, you’ve got a problem.
“The other problem is they run. They want to score a lot of points. They scored 100 points Tuesday night. Scoring 100 is difficult nowadays. They must have been really efficient. And they’re getting better defensively. I know that’s something they’re working on.”
If Buckley needs size, the Bears can turn to 6-5 Nick Kuhn, who is still developing his game. He had eight points off the bench in a season-opening 91-50 win over Bear Lake.
Buckley’s ability to score, combined with its game experience and chemistry, gives the Bears a good base. But there’s another strength that’s just as important to the team’s success, Harris said.
“Our team has a lot of heart,” he said. “We play really, really hard.”
So now the goal is to play off those strengths while continuing to work on other aspects, like defense. It could make the difference in winning a league title and advancing along the March Madness tournament trail.
“Everybody at that next level can score,” Harris said. “It really comes down to who can play defense.”
Dennis Chase worked 32 years as a sportswriter at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, including as sports editor from 2000-14. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Buckley’s Ridge Beeman (30) works to gather a loose ball against McBain Northern Michigan Christian on Dec. 8. (Middle) Joey Weber (5) blocks off a driving Bobcats player during the 86-39 win. (Photos courtesy of the Buckley athletic department.)