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 and huddle photo by Pam Shebest.)
Lessons From Banner Run Still Ring True
February 20, 2019
By Tim Miller
Mio teacher, former coach and graduate
If you were to travel to northern Michigan to canoe or fish the famous AuSable River, you might find yourself in a small town named Mio.
With one stoplight and a host of small businesses that line Main Street, Mio is well known for its access to the AuSable River and its high school sports team. And like so many small towns across America, the school is the main focal point of the community. Mio is the home of the Mio Thunderbolts, which is the mascot of the only school in town.
On Saturday, December 29, head boys basketball coach Ty McGregor and fans from around the state gathered in the Mio gymnasium to welcome back two former boys basketball teams. The two teams being honored that night were the 1989 state championship team who went undefeated and the 1978 boys basketball team who made it to the Semifinals.
As we stood there watching the former players of those teams, and coach of the 1978 team Paul Fox, make their way across the gym floor, we were reminded of the deceased players Cliff Frazho, Rob Gusler, Dave Narloch and John Byelich – the coach of the 1989 state championship team – that were no longer with us. All of them leaving us way too soon and a reminder of how fragile life can be.
The ’89 team would be a story in itself. That team was the most dominating team in Mio’s history.
After recognizing these two teams and visiting with many of them in the hallway, I stepped into the gym and began looking at the banners hanging from our walls. I found the state championship banner that the ’89 team won and the ’78 banner, and I began remembering those teams and how they brought so much excitement, happiness and pride to our small community.
Like so many schools throughout the state, the banners are a reminder of a team’s success and the year that it was accomplished. It’s a topic of conversation as former players share their memories with others about the year they earned their spot in history.
However, hanging on the south wall of the gym, all by itself, is a banner that only hangs from the walls of the Mio AuSable gym. No other school in Michigan has one like it. It has a weathered look, and the color has slightly faded over time. It’s been the conversation piece at deer camp, restaurants, and any other social gathering concerning Mio sports history. Basketball players throughout the state have dreamed of taking it away, but none have succeeded. It’s been hanging there for close to 40 years.
It reads:
Jay Smith
Mio AuSable School
MHSAA Career Scoring Champion
1976 – 1979
2,841 points
That banner represents something far greater than one person’s accomplishments. The story of how it got there and why it hasn’t left is a lesson that every sports team should learn – such a rare story in teamwork, coaching, parental support, the will to win, and the coach who masterfully engineered the plan.
The night Jay Smith broke the state scoring record, the Mio gym was packed with spectators from all parts of Michigan. The game was stopped and people rose to their feet to acknowledge the birthplace of the new record holder. After clapping and cheering for what seemed like an eternity, the ceremony was over and the game went on.
Although I wasn’t on the team, like so many people from Mio, I followed that group of basketball players from gym to gym throughout northern Michigan.
I had a front row seat in the student section where every kid who wasn’t on the team spent their time cheering for the Thunderbolts.
We were led by our conductor, “Wild Bill,” who had a knack for writing the lyrics to many of the cheers the student body used to disrupt our opponents or protest a referee’s call.
The student section was also home to the best pep band around. During home games they played a variety of tunes that kept the gym rocking. They were an integral part of the excitement that took place in that gym, game after game.
I also ate lunch and hung out at school with some of those guys. I got to hear the details of the game, the strategy, the battles between players, and the game plan for the next rival’s team.
I remember the school spirit, the pep assemblies, and the countless hours our faithful cheerleaders put into making and decorating our halls and gym with posters.
It was like a fourth of July parade that happened every Tuesday and Friday night. The bleachers were filled with people anxiously awaiting tip off.
Showing up late meant you were stuck trying to get a glimpse of the game from the hallway.
So here’s what I saw. Jay Smith was a tall, skinny kid who could shoot the ball with such accuracy that it must have been miserable for opposing coaches and players. Once it was in his hands, they had two options: watch him score or foul him and hope that he missed the free throws.
If you fouled him, you gambled wrong. He stood there and calmly shot the ball through the hoop with the sound of the net swishing as opposing players and coaches watched helplessly.
If you chose to let him shoot, you lost that bet too.
He shot often and rarely did he miss. It was no secret to our opponents or Jay’s teammates who would be doing the bulk of the shooting in Mio.
The game plan was simple: get the ball to Jay and watch him score. The Thunderbolts were coached by Paul Fox, a teacher at the school. He was demanding and intense as a coach, and his players played hard and respected him both in school and on the court. It wasn’t until I had the opportunity to coach a couple of high school teams that I realized and recognized what an incredible job he did.
I also realized what an outstanding group of players he was blessed to coach.
He was a step ahead of everybody.
Like Bill Belichick the famous coach of the New England Patriots, Paul Fox understood how to build a team around one person. He convinced everyone on the team that the way to the promised land was through the scoring of Jay. However, the type of players who buy into such a plan have to be special. And they were. Jay was blessed his first two years on varsity. He was surrounded by a very talented group of ball players who allowed him to be successful.
His last two teams weren’t as talented, but just as special.
Most of those guys were classmates of mine, so here’s what I can tell you.
Not one time during that stretch did I ever hear one of them complain about playing time. There was no pouting on the bench or kicking it because you were taken out.
No one complained the next day about their stats. They were happy to win, and if that meant Jay shooting most of the time, that was okay with them. After the game, no one ran to the scorer’s table to check their stats. Or went off in the corner of the locker room to act like a preschooler in timeout. Their parents didn’t march over to the coach and demand answers on why their son wasn’t playing or shooting more. Players didn’t quit the team because their individual needs weren’t being met. There were expectations from the coach, the parents, and everyone else involved. After each home game, the whole community gathered at the local bar/ bowling alley. Players, parents, and fans were happy their team had won and celebrated together in the victory. It was a simple blueprint that every sports team should follow.
Forget about your own personal gratification and do what’s best for the team.
It’s a lost concept these days. And the question many of us in Mio talk about from time to time is will the record ever be broken?
There’s more than one factor to consider when discussing the topic.
Jay set that record long before the 3-point shot was implemented.
Can a coach like Paul Fox assemble a group of players who would put their ego aside and desire winning more than their own personal satisfaction?
Can you find a humble kid like Jay who would crush the dreams of opposing teams with his shooting ability?
Can you find a group of parents out there willing to watch a kid like him put on a show, game after game, and not be offended?
Can you find a student body like the one we had to fill the student section with loud, rowdy fans?
The scoring banner represents the scoring accomplishments of Jay. And to his credit, I never once heard him brag about his success on the court.
He simply said, “We won.”
But that banner represents more than points. It’s an amazing story of what happens when a group of people come together with a common cause – the will to win.
What we saw during that time was special!
The state scoring record was set by Jay and a large list of supporting teammates who helped him.
He was fortunate to have a coach who understood how to manage and convince a group of players to buy into his system.
A group of parents who understood what was going on and supported it.
A student body section that rattled the best players from the other teams game after game.
A dedicated group of cheerleaders who spent countless hours making posters to decorate our school with pride.
A pep band that brought their best sound, game after game.
A teaching staff who understood how a bunch of kids wanted to get ready for the next big game, and gave us their blessing.
It was the culture of our school and community. Get ready for the game.
The anticipation, those long lines waiting outside in the cold, those packed gyms, that noise.
It was all part of it.
Perhaps somewhere in Michigan a group of coaches, players, parents, teachers, and fans could copy the formula from the ’70s that brought our team, school, and town so much success.
If a coach can find a group of players that only care about one thing, and that’s winning, it can be done. Doing that will require a group of people who think they understand the concept to execute it. As a society we see it at every level of sports: the “I” syndrome, the selfishness, the lack of respect for coaches and teammates. It’s the fiber that destroys any chance for success.
My guess is the banner will hang in our gym until someone in the school decides to replace the old one. Perhaps Jay’s children or grandchildren will want the old one to add to their family memorabilia. And after the new one is hung up and another forty years have passed, someone else will write a story about the banner that continues to hang in Mio’s gym.
NOTE: Jay Smith went on to play at Bowling Green and Saginaw Valley State University, and coach at Kent State, University of Michigan, Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Detroit Mercy, and currently as head coach at Kalamazoo College. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer last summer and faces another round of radiation treatments after undergoing surgery in September. Click for a recent report by WOOD TV.
PHOTOS: (Top) The banner celebrating Jay Smith’s state high school career scoring record continues to greet fans at Mio High School’s gym. (Middle) Smith was a standout for the Thunderbolts through his graduation in 1979. (Below) Smith scored 2,841 points over four seasons, averaging 29 points per game.