MHSA(Q&)A: Historian Ron Pesch
April 16, 2012
When we receive a question on the history of MHSAA athletics that we can't answer on the spot, Muskegon's Ron Pesch is the first person we seek out for help.
Pesch took the reins as Michigan's chief high school sports historian during the mid 1990s after the retirement of legendary MHSAA record book originator Dick Kishpaugh and has contributed to various efforts and publications across the state.
One of his latest projects is the awarding of "retro" Mr. Basketball Awards. The first Hal Schram Mr. Basketball Award was given by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan in 1981 to Lansing Eastern's Sam Vincent. Three seasons ago, BCAM -- with research work by Pesch -- began awarding retro winners for the previous decades beginning with the 1920s. This winter, BCAM honored retro winners from 1922, 1932, 1942, 1952, 1962 and 1972.
Click to read more about those winners and the finalists recognized last month. Also, click for links to the previous retro winners. The retro Mr. Basketball project will last seven more seasons. Pesch explains more below.
How did you come up with rewarding a “Retro” Mr. Basketball?
The project came out of a conversation I had with (BCAM executive director) Tom Hursey at the basketball finals back in '99. Together, we hatched an approach honoring the state's past basketball greats. He let me run with it, while he worked on getting a subcommittee launched to make the selection.
How do you dig up all of this nomination info?
Between votes, I work on digging out the details. My initial target list always begins with all-state teams - if, of course they exist. All-tournament teams for the early years also serve as a starting point -- if they exist. Best I can tell, the Detroit Times, the Free Press and the News have all named all-state squads, at various points, back to about 1935. The Associated Press and UPI came to the game much later - somewhere around the early to mid 1960s. I then work on creating a crosstab on the players selected, noting the "teams" on which they were named (Class A 1st team, Dream Team, Class C 3rd team), and try to find quotes detailing their games. The result is really a reflection of the times and the history of newspaper reporting.
In early years, we can struggle to uncover a player’s first name, let alone his class in school. And statistical coverage of a player's abilities was very limited. It's simply the way things were back then. Everyone in town knew King Lewis, or Red Cherry, or Young Jacks. And the final box score only contained points, fouls, substitutions, as they were all you really needed to know about the game. But by visiting the state library in Lansing, and looking at a cross-section of newspapers, you can usually dig out what you need.
Do you collect from other sources as well?
Another source is high school yearbooks. Some resources have started to emerge online. I also tap into the MHSAA site and make contact with ADs around the state, asking for their assistance on digging out details - especially class in school. Like the current program, only "seniors" are considered for the award. Mid-year graduates can create a challenge, but the rule currently in place is a player is considered a nominee in the year in which he was last eligible for the state tournament. In other words, if you graduated in January or February of 1943, you would be considered for the 1942 ballot. It appears that a similar approach was used in selecting all-state teams.
|
Year |
Player |
High School |
Age |
Height |
Weight |
Year |
DFP |
DN |
DT |
AP |
UPI |
Tourney |
|
1971 A-1 G. |
Frank Tanana, Jr. (C) |
Detroit Catholic Central |
17 |
6-3 |
170 |
Sr. |
A1 |
A1 |
A1 |
A1 |
||
|
1971 A-1 C |
Tom McGill |
Flint Northern |
17 |
6-3 |
190 |
Sr. |
A1 |
DM |
A1 |
A1 |
||
|
1971 A-1 F. |
Lindsay Hairston |
Detroit Kettering |
17 |
6-9 |
203 |
Sr. |
A1 |
DM |
A1 |
A1 |
||
|
1971 A-1 F. |
Campy Russell |
Pontiac Central |
18 |
6-7 |
190 |
Sr. |
A1 |
DM |
A1 |
A1 |
That cross-tab table will help establish a list of nominees. A consensus first-team pick is an obvious candidate. When only a single all-state team is available, I'll do what I can to look up all-conference teams or all-area teams from around the state to see who else might be considered. While life after high school is not a considered when trying to pick a winner, a player who emerges as a star in college or in the pros may emerge as a candidate when you see his details in a local paper.
Bios are assembled from the newspaper reports, detailing as much as we can find on high school player's career. I'll tap into a variety of resources including old team histories when available. When needed, I'll toss out request to reporters, old and new, around the state. Local librarians and historians are another wonderful resource.
How does voting work?
Between sessions of the Boys Finals, the committee assembles to hash out a final ballot, and to make a selection. I don't vote, but I may guide the conversation and provide any additional details when needed, reminding members that we're focusing on their high school careers. The process is certainly imperfect. But the committee approach prevents the process from becoming a popularity contest. These guys have the benefit of watching many of the players play. And, like the current Mr. Basketball program, they sometimes surprise. But that's what makes it fun. And, of course, stirs the pot. It gets people talking about the history of basketball in this state.
Is there a theme to MHSAA basketball that has remained constant over the years?
For me the greatest thing about the basketball tournament is that it assembles a wide range of folks who want to see players they've heard about in action. And the process, for the most part, hasn't change since the 1920s. While the style of the game has changed, winning a title is much the same as it was back when our great-grandfathers played: You gotta get through the tournament. And only four trophies are awarded.
These guys were the "Magic" of their day. I'm hoping we never forget that.
'Football Guys' Play Big Roles for Big Reds
February 6, 2020
By Tom Kendra
Special for Second Half
Cameron Martinez is not done having fun in high school.
Martinez, MLive’s two-time Michigan High School Football Player of the Year, signed his national letter of intent to play football at Ohio State during a midday event Wednesday at Muskegon High School.
But unlike the rest of the Buckeyes’ incoming class, who are either specializing in only football or have already left their high schools and early-enrolled in Columbus, Martinez is playing a key role for the Big Reds’ state-ranked basketball team.
“I want to enjoy being a high school kid as long as I can,” said Martinez, who rushed for 6,491 yards and 145 touchdowns during his four-year varsity football career, with his first two years at Muskegon Catholic Central and the last two at Muskegon High.
“I really do enjoy playing basketball, and we want to make a long run. We still haven’t played our best game yet.”
Martinez is not the only Division I football signee who chose to honor his commitment on the hardcourt for Muskegon.
Billie Roberts and Jordan Porter, who both will play defensive line at Bowling Green, provide valuable muscle inside for the Big Reds, who are ranked No. 7 in Division 1 in the latest Associated Press poll.
Muskegon is 10-1, with its only loss coming Jan. 4 against visiting Chicago Curie, the top-ranked team in Illinois. In addition to being perfect in Ottawa-Kent Conference Black play, the Big Reds have pulled out tight nonleague wins over Rockford, East Kentwood, Ferndale and, most recently, Saginaw on Saturday at the Redhawk Showcase in Grand Rapids.
Muskegon coach Keith Guy, who also happens to be the stepfather of Martinez, shudders at the thought of not having the three Division I football recruits on his team.
“We do things a little different around here,” said Guy, explaining the symbiotic relationship between the Big Reds’ football and basketball programs. “I am thankful that these guys play football. They bring physical toughness, leadership and just an expectation of winning.”
Martinez, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound guard, averages 3.2 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, but his big contribution is as the team’s defensive stopper. While in football he electrified the crowd with his offense (Exhibit A: His seven rushing touchdowns in this year’s playoff opener against Marquette), in basketball he brings the fans to their feet by locking down on the opponent’s best player.
“It’s a lot like playing defensive back, where you are guarding someone 1-on-1,” explained Martinez, who is projected as a defensive back and kick returner at Ohio State.
Roberts, a 6-5, 270-pound post player, has been slowed and often sidelined by a lingering stress reaction in his fibula, and is averaging just one point and one rebound per game.
Guy, who led Muskegon to the Class A championship in 2014, said his big man is starting to get healthier, which will be critical as the team chases its ultimate goal of another Finals title.
Porter, a 6-4, 240-pound forward, brings size and versatility off the bench. He averages 2.5 points and four rebounds per game.
“Basketball helps me so much,” said Porter, who is projected as a defensive end and hybrid lineman/linebacker at Bowling Green. “Obviously, it helps me conditioning-wise. But it really helps with footwork and moves.”
Muskegon High School gets more than its fair share of visits from college football coaches, and many ask to watch basketball practice to get better looks at their prospects’ athletic abilities. Those coaches especially like to see how well linemen prospects like Roberts and Porter can move.
“I got my first offer from Indiana in my sophomore year because of basketball,” said Roberts, who went 52-4 during his four-year varsity football career and played in four MHSAA championship games at Ford Field. “They knew I had good size, but they saw that I could run and move and I think that’s why they offered me.”
Roberts is starting to move better every day, according to Guy, and Guy said that’s a big reason for his team’s improved play of late. After a narrow win at Ferndale on Jan. 20, the Big Reds blew out four straight conference opponents before Saturday’s dramatic win over Saginaw.
Guy sported an Ohio State football T-shirt during Wednesday’s signing event, but his mind was on this weekend’s big back-to-back games – Friday at Grand Rapids Union and Saturday at home against Grand Blanc.
He expects Muskegon’s historic Redmond-Potter Gymnasium to be rocking and rolling Saturday, when Grand Blanc, 10-3 and an honorable mention in Division 1, rolls in with standout 6-5 sophomore Ty Rodgers.
Muskegon will counter Rodgers with a veteran team, including five senior starters and one of the state’s best backcourt duos in Jarvis Walker and Vernon Nash III. Walker, a Mr. Basketball candidate, averages 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, while Nash averages 14.8 points.
The X-factor in Saturday’s showdown might be the Big Reds’ “football guys,” who Guy hopes will give his team a physical and mental edge.
Roberts can’t wait.
“There’s nothing like high school,” explained Roberts, flashing a big grin. “I could have early enrolled, but I didn’t want to miss my senior basketball season and prom and all that. I want to stay a kid a little bit longer.”
Tom Kendra worked 23 years at The Muskegon Chronicle, including five as assistant sports editor and the final six as sports editor through 2011. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Muskegon, Oceana, Mason, Lake, Oceola, Mecosta and Newaygo counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Muskegon’s Cameron Martinez, right, walls off a Chicago Curie ball handler during their teams’ Jan. 4 matchup. (Middle) The Big Reds’ Billie Roberts works to gather a loose ball. (Below) Jordan Porter makes a move to the basket. (Photos by Tim Reilly.)