Mackey Leaving Court with 500+ College Hoops Wins, Many More Lessons Shared
By
Jason Juno
Special for MHSAA.com
July 24, 2026
IRONWOOD — Dennis Mackey made a big impact on generations of athletes at Gogebic Community College, so much so that college officials named the basketball court after him while he was still coaching.
Mackey retired from coaching in April after 38 years at GCC, 19 with the women and 19 with the men. Even after all of those years, and more than 500 wins, the memories and lessons from his playing days at Ewen-Trout Creek still resonate with him.
He was always doing something athletically, football in the fall, baseball in the summer, track & field in the spring. His home being basketball-centered E-TC – the tiny Upper Peninsula school with nine combined boys and girls MHSAA Finals appearances – hoops was always mixed in.
“Basketball was the winter sport, but no matter the season we always found time to get to the gym and shoot hoops,” Mackey said. “Whether it was during the lunch hour, after school, on weekends, or after practices, we seemed to gravitate to the gym for some action.”
And if they didn’t go to the gym, there were outdoor courts in Ewen, Bruce Crossing and Trout Creek to get shots up.
“Basketball was the main sport in those communities and probably is still to this day,” Mackey said. “Looking back now, I must say the experiences growing up playing basketball at E-TC was awesome.”
Mackey, a 1981 graduate, played on the varsity team all four years of high school. The Panthers lost in the Regional Final at Northern Michigan University’s Hedgcock Fieldhouse both his junior and senior seasons.
“We had deep and talented teams but fell short of our goal of reaching the state finals both years,” Mackey said.
He won the Ed Helakoski Award as the most valuable senior in the Porcupine Mountain Conference. Even though he was a 1,000-point scorer, he took pride in other aspects of the game.
“I played the forward position, oftentimes guarding the opposing team’s best inside player,” Mackey said. “I prided myself on being a hardworking and unselfish player. I really enjoyed passing the ball to teammates for their scoring opportunities.”
Mackey went on to play basketball at Gogebic. After graduating from Northern Michigan University, he eventually got a call about an opening for a part-time business instructor and women’s basketball coach at Ironwood’s college.
He was excited to take over the team heading into the 1988-89 season. Six years into his tenure, he led a balanced Samsons team to the program’s first national tournament. They won another Region 13 title three years later.
Another E-TC graduate, Deke Routheaux, retired as men’s coach after the 2005-06 season. Mackey didn’t make the switch, instead opting to coach his daughter Caitlin in her first season at Gogebic. The job opened up again a year later, and he debuted as men’s coach in for 2007-08. They men won Region 13 championships in both 2011 and 2013, just missing trips to the national tournament both years.
He said the goal was to win more games and Region titles, but his teams usually left it all on the court.
Mackey finished his tenure with the women with a record of 256-227 and a 277-263 record with the men. “It’s often said that teams tend to take on the identity of their coach,” Mackey said. “As I walk out the door, I’ll leave knowing my teams, like their coach, were known as fierce competitors.”
His signature saying is printed on the Lindquist Center court, “Coach Mackey Court,” — ”Once a Samson, Always a Samson.”
He wants the entire college to succeed, beyond just the basketball program. He took a lot of pride in giving local players a chance to play college basketball. He still supports them after they graduate.
Players came back yearly to play in their main fundraiser, the Spring Thaw Classic.
When GCC named the court after him, many of those he left an impact on filled the Lindquist Center gym on a random Tuesday game night in November.
Many appreciate the impact he had on their lives. He knows the importance of sports, whether it’s at the college level that he’s been at the last nearly 40 years, or at E-TC, where he got his start.
“Participation allows many to express themselves in ways that open doors to other life opportunities,” Mackey said. “High school athletics provide opportunities for youth to develop individual skills while learning life lessons at the same time. No matter the sport, learning to be a great teammate is challenging for most young people. Dedicating one’s time and efforts to improving oneself while also helping the team be better can be difficult. We all strive to be the best and win games, but are we willing to do the work to achieve the desired results? Everyone enjoys receiving the accolades, but many are unwilling to sacrifice the time and energy required to improve and develop individual skills, which enables this to happen.”
All three of wife Andrea (who was a big help to the GCC program as well) and his kids, Caitlin, Jesse and Adam, played high school basketball and then for Gogebic as well. Dennis said Adam was a similar player to him but a better scorer — he’s Ironwood’s all-time leader — who also wanted to get his teammates involved. They all teach at Ironwood now; Adam is the boys varsity basketball coach and Jesse the varsity girls coach.
The Mackeys continue to pass on many life lessons via high school sports.
“The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat not only applies to the games we play but to life in general,” Dennis said. “Success in high school is often measured with wins versus losses, but in the game of life the valuable lessons learned from the sports we play provide a platform for future growth. There are many folks employed in a variety of vocations who often credit their youthful days of playing sports as the impetus for their success later in life. The bonds created with teammates and opponents often last a lifetime. These bonds are immeasurable and help many advance in all facets of life.”
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PHOTOS (Top) At left, Dennis Mackey (45) gets up a shot for Ewen-Trout Creek against Wakefield as a senior during the 1980-81 season. At right, Mackey coaches up his Gogebic Community College men’s basketball team this past summer. (Middle) Mackey huddles with his players during a break. (GCC photos by Jason Juno. Ewen-Trout Creek photo courtesy of the Ironwood Daily Globe.)
Breslin Bound: 2021-22 Boys Report Week 1
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 13, 2021
Showcase matchups began quenching fans’ thirst for the new season last week, with more on the way, and league play already is ramping up as we embark on a four-month journey – much different than last season’s two-month sprint.
Boys basketball season began the way it’s meant to begin, and no one will be taking that for granted.
Every Monday with “Breslin Bound” we’ll take glances at five scores that especially jumped out from the previous week, provide snapshots of two teams in each division to watch as the winter progresses, and then give a glimpse of five intriguing matchups on the schedule during the week to come.
“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 51, Detroit Martin Luther King 42 These two are both expected to be in the Division 1 championship mix again, as usual, making this a game that might be recalled when March rolls around.
2. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 86, Grand Blanc 68 The Warriors opened with an impressive win over the reigning Division 1 champion, putting up what would’ve been a season-high points total last winter.
3. Freeland 80, Bridgeport 51 Although these Tri-Valley Conference foes did split last season, Bridgeport is coming off a run to the Division 2 Semifinals.
4. Grand Rapids Catholic Central 50, Grand Rapids Christian 45 The reigning Division 2 champion didn’t lose a game last season but got an immediate test from the Eagles in this opener.
5. Harrison 40, Beaverton 38 Harrison finished seventh and Beaverton was undefeated in winning the Jack Pine Conference last season; this avenged 29 and 39-point losses by the Hornets.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
Division 1
Bay City Central (2-0) The Wolves are making an early push for one of the most interesting potential turnarounds this winter. The finished 2-12 last season, and they’ve already equaled that success. And it came with plenty of excitement – Central opened with a 63-61 win over Midland Dow and followed with another close finish, 51-49 over Tawas.
Okemos (2-0) After a rare down season – finishing 3-7 with a pair of overtime losses and two more defeats by five or fewer points – Okemos is off to a fast start reestablishing itself as a contender in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue. The first step was a 63-51 opening-night win over a Howell team coming off a District title, and the next was a 53-37 victory over DeWitt.
Division 2
Onsted (3-0) The Wildcats are coming off two straight 14-win seasons, and they couldn’t have gotten off to a better start last week. All three wins were by double digits – 69-56 over Michigan Center, 68-38 over Hanover-Horton and 69-26 over Jonesville – and Hanover-Horton made the Division 3 Semifinals last winter, after defeating Michigan Center in Regional play.
Richmond (3-0) The Blue Devils joined Onsted among 12 teams statewide to start 3-0 last week, a great bounce-back after going 4-6 last season with six games canceled. This start is more reminiscent of when the team went 18-4 in 2019-20 – except last week Richmond also got a win over Fraser, 51-49, to go with victories over Marine City and Cardinal Mooney.
Warren Michigan Collegiate (2-0) After missing last season’s Quarterfinals by a one-point loss to Detroit Loyola, Michigan Collegiate opened in a big way last week. The Cougars downed Detroit Mumford by 30 and then defeated Ecorse 72-45 at the Horatio Williams Tip-Off Classic. A Motor City Roundball Classic matchup Dec. 27 with Detroit Renaissance could be telling before Charter School Conference play begins. (UPDATED Jan. 31, 2022; this originally appeared under Division 3, but Michigan Collegiate is in Division 2.)
Division 3
Holton (2-0) Even with last season shortened, Holton has upped its win total each of the last four from six to 10 to 13 to finishing 15-6 last winter. The Red Devils got started on attempting to repeat as champions of the Central State Activities Association Silver with a 46-28 win over Morley Stanwood on Friday, after opening with a 16-point win over Howard City Tri County.
Division 4
Lake Linden-Hubbell (2-0) The Lakes play in a strong Copper Country division of the Copper Mountain Conference which features primarily Dollar Bay and Painesdale Jeffers as well. But Lake Linden-Hubbell will try to work its way into the race and got a solid jump on bettering last season’s 7-9 overall finish with a 39-34 win over Hancock and more sizable victory over Baraga.
New Buffalo (2-0) The Bison are coming off a District title and off to a fast start. They held on for a 77-73 win over Division 1 Sturgis to open, and then won big against Covert to kick off the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference White schedule. New Buffalo was runner-up in the league and 13-4 overall last season.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Traverse City St. Francis (0-0) at Charlevoix (1-0) – The Lake Michigan Conference race gets going right away, with the reigning champion Rayders taking on one of last season’s co-runners-up.
Thursday – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (2-0) at Clarkston (2-0) – This is a rematch of a Division 1 Regional Semifinal, won by the Eaglets 38-37 on the way to reaching last season’s Quarterfinals.
Friday – Hudsonville Unity Christian (2-0) at Grand Rapids South Christian (1-1) – Two of the Grand Rapids area’s best were a combined 33-6 last season.
Friday – Detroit U-D Jesuit (3-0) at Ferndale (0-1) – Jesuit lost only one game last season, a Division 1 Regional Final, and Ferndale is coming off a run to the Division 2 Semifinals.
Saturday – Benton Harbor (2-0) vs. Flint Carman-Ainsworth (1-0) at Grand Rapids Union – This Showcase Classic game matches teams that were a combined 29-6 last season.
Second Half’s weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTO Ovid-Elsie, defending, opened with a 56-52 win over Bath last week. (Photo by Christine McCallister.)