As Stockbridge Learns, Swoverland Earns 400
January 28, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
STOCKBRIDGE – The new coach had won a lot of games. He must know what he’s doing, Mason Gee-Montgomery figured.
And that’s all he knew about Randy Swoverland when the latter took over Stockbridge’s boys basketball program two years ago.
But by the end of their first summer workout, Gee-Montgomery realized how hard the Panthers would be working that winter. And although the team finished only 8-13 that first season of 2014-15 (solid, actually, considering the team returned only one player with varsity experience), the now-junior point guard recognized his coach was putting the team in position to win – as long as he and his teammates held to what Swoverland was teaching them, and despite the fact some classmates didn’t stick around to help.
“It’s definitely a lot different than any coach we’ve had,” Gee-Montgomery said. “He takes the intensity to another level, and he expects things done a certain way. And if you don’t get them done that way, he’ll let you know.
“He definitely holds us accountable for the way we play, and I think that style of coaching suits the team we have because we hold each other accountable and he holds us accountable for ourselves. It just makes us play at another level.”
He could’ve been speaking for many of the teams Swoverland has led over the last four decades. And many of those players have been on the coach’s mind since his 400th career win Jan. 19, a 49-47 Stockbridge victory over Lansing Christian.
Swoverland has coached basketball at nine high schools over 37 years, building a record of 402-332. He also coached two seasons of boys and girls tennis, three of football and two seasons of men’s basketball at Adrian College since starting his coaching career in the fall of 1977 at Greenville High.
“When I got the win, I was happy. My guys were excited for me. But I also think back to all of the guys I coached in the 70s, 80s, 90s; they’re as much a part of it as what we’re certainly doing right now,” Swoverland said. “My thoughts and memories go all the way back to all of those teams.”
Although most in his new school’s community probably weren’t familiar with the past successes, Swoverland wasn’t exactly a stranger in a strange land when he picked up the milestone win on his newest team’s home court – Stockbridge is only 17 miles from Dexter, where he lives, has a son in high school and led teams to 245 of those victories.
He certainly has left an imprint on communities all over the Lower Peninsula and Ohio border, with 11 stops combined at those nine high schools and one college.
Stops along the way
Swoverland coached boys and girls tennis and also served as a boys basketball assistant at Greenville after finishing a four-year basketball career at Adrian College, where he was a captain as a senior. After Greenville came his first head coaching job, for a season at Edmore (now Blanchard) Montabella. He spent 1979-80 coaching Deckerville’s boys before heading back to Adrian College as an assistant men’s basketball coach; the head coach got fired and he lost his job there two years in. At the same time, Swoverland had been teaching and coaching football at Evergreen High School in Metamora, Ohio, and took over the girls basketball program there for one season. (He taught mathematics for 38 years total, retiring from the classroom after the 2013-14 school year.)
Swoverland moved on to coach Hudson’s boys basketball varsity from 1983-91, leading the Tigers to a league championship in 1989, a District title in 1991 and a 102-72 record. Then came his first tenure at Dexter from 1992-2001 – his teams finished a combined 131-90 with four league and four District titles and posted a 22-2 record in 1997-98. A need for something new led him to Adrian High School for three seasons from 2002-04 – and realizing Dexter was a better fit led him back to coach the Dreadnaughts from 2005-13, during which time they finished 114-90 and won two District titles.
Swoverland then took 2013-14 off from coaching – and missed it too much. He applied for and received the Stockbridge job that spring, taking over for Joe Wenzel, who also was the school’s athletic director and had coached in the district 11 seasons and the varsity during his last two.
The Panthers finished last winter with four losses over their final five games, but a combined eight points from finishing 12-9 instead. They also handed one of only two league losses to eventual Greater Lansing Activities Conference champion Lake Odessa Lakewood. This winter, the varsity has only nine players – but also nine wins, off to a 9-2 start and tied for second in the GLAC with a championship over holiday break at the Parma Western Holiday Hoops tournament.
“His level of consistency with the kids (impresses me); he’s very organized. Clearly he’s been doing it for a long time, so that helps with areas like that,” Wenzel said. “He has high expectations for the kids, and he holds them to it, and they rise to the occasion.”
But Swoverland gives them that opportunity to rise as well.
Dexter girls basketball coach and athletic director Mike Bavineau got his high school coaching start assisting Swoverland and worked with and around him for more than 20 years, getting a first-hand look at the strategist in action.
“I loved being on the sidelines with him. I watched him develop a system of play that always seemed to maximize his team’s ability,” Bavineau said. “The players may have never known it, but he is such a strategist that he will find a way to put you in the right place at the right time. Dexter and I were very fortunate to have him as a mentor and as a coach.
“You do not find many people who are (more) committed to his players and his program than Coach. I have the utmost respect for him as a coach and a friend.”
The branches of Swoverland’s coaching tree stretch broadly, considering both those who played for and coached under him and also those he’s affected during 31 years running the well-attended summer team camps at Adrian College and Siena Heights University.
His lessons through the years and many stops boil down to a few key points:
He teaches players to compete not against the opponent, but against their own potential – and measure against that, win or lose.
He emphasizes a unified front and working within the group, even when disagreeing with some of the decisions or direction – players aren’t allowed to stick out by wearing things like headbands with their uniforms, and his system isn’t built to create stars on the court, as all five starters this season average between eight and 13 points per game.
Finally, there are the life lessons he hopes they take with them like commitment and hard work – the ones he still hears about from former players when they’ve figured out what he meant years later.
“Coach has the best basketball mind I have encountered in 20 years of coaching. (And) his value system is beyond reproach,” said Brooklyn Columbia Central boys hoops coach Jason Rychener, who played for Swoverland at Hudson in 1989-90 and 1990-91 and coached under him at Dexter from 1995-2005. “I find myself still using the W.W.C.D (What would Coach do?) approach to issues that arise in my own program. In my view, he reached ‘legend’ status long before his 400th win.”
“Kids are still kids. They still want to play basketball. They still want to get something out of it,” Swoverland reflected. “You’re still teaching them life lessons. All of that stuff carries over, whether you’re coaching a Class B team or a Class A team.”
Making another impact
Stockbridge’s most notable sports success of late came on the football field over the last two seasons, as Gee-Montgomery – also a quarterback – set or tied three MHSAA passing records this fall with junior receiver/shooting guard Kolby Canfield hauling in 90 of those tosses and both in position to finish with some of the flashiest career numbers in this state’s history.
The boys basketball program, meanwhile, was coming off four straight sub-.500 seasons when Swoverland was hired and didn’t quite seem like a destination for a coach climbing toward 400 victories.
But he got a lay of the land both from Katherine Kuzma, the girls soccer coach and a former student of his at Dexter, and Josh Nichols, a teacher and former coach at the school who played at the University of Minnesota. Swoverland came away with an impression that Stockbridge athletes were competitive and would work hard, and the scenario has been similar to when he was at Hudson and also had a number of three-sport athletes while coaching in more of a football-type town. He also had a team of only nine players for a season with the Tigers, and has used all of that past experience during this one. He also brought along assistant Rick Weaver, who played for him at Dexter in 1998-99 and 1999-2000.
The biggest challenge has been getting a new school’s athletes to buy in to his “old-fashioned” style which emphasizes man-to-man defense and shot selection, and he’s working to get more offseason buy-in as well so he can help develop their skills. His system is based in large part on conversations with hundreds of coaches over the years, and Swoverland recalls specifically when his Hudson and Dexter teams hit a groove where their experience and execution resulted in wins over more talented opponents. Stockbridge isn’t there yet, but it’s moving in the right direction.
But not during the first half Tuesday. The Panthers were struggling against Jackson Northwest, playing below their potential, and Swoverland let them know – although he didn’t have to say a word. A look his players have come to recognize said it all.
Stockbridge pulled away for a 51-41 win.
“Last year we struggled with some of the things he had us doing, but we returned almost everybody and we’re all more familiar with the system and what he expects of us,” Gee-Montgomery said. “Winning makes everything better, and when we all play well, and we get praise from him, that’s when it feels really good."
Geoff Kimmerly joined the MHSAA as its Media & Content Coordinator in Sept. 2011 after 12 years as Prep Sports Editor of the Lansing State Journal. He has served as Editor of Second Half since its creation in Jan. 2012. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for the Barry, Eaton, Ingham, Livingston, Ionia, Clinton, Shiawassee, Gratiot, Isabella, Clare and Montcalm counties.
PHOTO: Stockbridge boys basketball coach Randy Swoverland huddles with his players during a break in the action this season. (Photo courtesy of Frazzini Photography.)
TC Christian's Broderick Sets Standard for Boys Hoops 3-Point Shooting
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
April 2, 2026
Traverse City Christian’s Reece Broderick tied an MHSAA record on Jan. 24, 2025, when he drilled 15 3-pointers during an 85-36 win over Grand Traverse Academy. He finished with 45 points total, with a high of six 3-pointers during the first quarter.
Those 15 contributed to his season total of 108 – which ranks fourth all-time – and he closed his four-year, 89-game varsity run that winter as the MHSAA career record holder with 368 3-pointers.
Total, he has five listings in the MHSAA boys basketball record book, with his 104 3-pointers as a junior continuing to rank fifth for a single season and just behind his senior-year performance.
See below for several recently-added listings to the boys basketball record book, and click the heading to see the record book in full. Several more applications have been received and are in the process of being confirmed.
Boys Basketball
Austin Cole played his roles well on both ends of the court in Burr Oak’s Jan. 10, 2023, win over Athens, and magnificently on the defense end. The sophomore had 15 steals in the 55-33 victory, setting a new single-game record, to go with his 11 points.
Eight days after Cole’s 15-steal game, senior Cody Boling tied the record with 15 steals in Center Line’s 79-54 win over Hazel Park – during which Boling also scored 31 points.
Five days after Boling’s 15-steal game, Crystal Falls Forest Park’s Felix Quevedo also totaled 15 steals, on Jan. 23, 2023, against Gwinn. Quevedo finished that season with 134 steals – fifth-most all-time – over 24 games.
Ben Miller finished his three-season varsity career at Dundee in 2018 with 316 rebounds over 24 games that winter to make the single-season list and 700 rebounds to make the career list in that category.
Saginaw Nouvel’s MJ Yeager added two more record book entries during a brilliant junior season in 2022-23. His 118 3-pointers over 26 games rank second on that list, and his 90-percent free-throw shooting success rate tied for 13th-highest for one season. He’s now playing at Oakland.
Mesick’s 2022-23 success included a District championship and a series of record book entries, especially for 3-point shooting. The Bulldogs were added three times for single-game 3-pointers, with a high of 18, and their 231 over 25 games rank sixth all-time. Carter Simmer was added for 88 3-pointers for the season and 195 over his four-season career. Teammate Ashtyn Simerson was added for 107 steals over 25 games.
Brandon Johns enjoyed a decorated four-season career at East Lansing from 2015-18 that saw him score 1,753 points and make the MHSAA record book with 378 free throws, 891 rebounds and 270 blocked shots – all over 89 games. He went on to play at University of Michigan and Virginia Commonwealth.
David Shillinger provided a record book-worthy defensive boost to Ludington during the 2022-23 season with 87 steals over 23 games as the Orioles finished 20-3.
Cooper Whipkey capped his Mackinaw City career in 2022-23 on three record book lists – for 93 3-pointers as a senior, 214 over his four-season varsity career, and also for 81 steals as a senior. Teammate Lucas Bergstrom made the single-season rebounds list with 331, and 2021 graduate Kal O’Brien was added for 708 rebounds over his four seasons. Lars Huffman made the single-season steals list in 2022-23 with 81 as well and the career list with 245 over four seasons. He's continuing his track career at St. Norbert (Wis.).
On Feb. 14, 2006, Benzie Central’s Tyler Moss totaled 14 steals in a game when he did so during a 71-63 win over Elk Rapids. Moss was a senior that season. Jaxon Childers made his presence known on both ends of the court throughout his four-year Benzie Central career, and defensively he made state history. Childers finished 2023-24 with 305 steals over 91 career games, good for 11th on that all-time list. He also made the single-season list with 98 as a sophomore and 93 as a junior. He played football at Northern Michigan.
Trent Hopkins made the list for most 3-pointers in one season in 2022-23, draining 81 in 223 attempts over 23 games for Auburn Hills Oakland Christian.
Cameron Peterson’s junior season at Rudyard in 2022-23 included a historic highlight, and he’s been added for his 20 points during the second quarter of a Jan. 21 game against Brimley. Peterson made six 3-pointers and another field goal over those eight minutes.
Carson Knoll undoubtedly found the zone Jan. 6, 2023, when he scored 21 points during the second quarter of Frankenmuth’s 68-28 win over Saginaw Swan Valley. Frankenmuth as a team also was added for making 16 3-pointers in a 75-45 win over New Lothrop that Jan. 18 and 15 against Standish-Sterling during the 2018-19 season.
Parker Hovey’s 217 assists over 24 games as a senior in 2022-23 are ranked 10th on that single-season list. The Hart graduate is continuing at Hope College.
Adrian Lenawee Christian’s 88-38 win over Britton Deerfield on Feb. 2, 2024, got off to a fast start – fast enough to make the record book. Lenawee Christian was added for points scored in one quarter after taking a 41-9 lead by the end of the first. Lenawee Christian also was added for making 216 3-pointers in 2024-25 and 196 in 2023-24.
Posen senior Logan Timm contributed plenty all over the floor in 2023-24, but most memorably on defense with 176 steals over 24 games. He also made the single-game steals list four times, with a high of 14 twice.
Senior Zander Smith drilled 12 3-pointers in a Feb. 2, 2024, New Haven win over Detroit Universal Academy, tying for fifth on the single-game list in that category. New Haven also made the team list with 19 total.
Among Cory Coe’s accomplishments as a senior in 2001-02, the Williamston senior made 90 percent of his free-throw attempts to make that record book list. He went on to play at Hillsdale College.
The 22 made free throws by Steve Balza on Feb. 14, 1989, ranked sixth-most in one game in MHSAA history at the time and remain tied for 10th-most 35 years later. He was a senior that season at St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran and attempted 30 total that game against Covert.
Bronson then-junior Kamron Brackett reached the record book for the first time in 2023-24 with 103 steals over 23 games, and he just missed the single-game steals list with 10 in two contests.
A little more than a decade later, LeRoy Pine River’s Tyler Lewis has reached the record book for his outstanding perimeter shooting as a senior in 2012-13. He was added to the season 3-pointers list with 84 after making nearly half his shots from beyond the arc. He went on to play at Lansing Community College.
After already earning a single-season steals listing as a junior, Grand Rapids Wellspring’s Zeekeal Jackson finished his career in 2023-24 with 267 steals over four seasons and 74 games. Grand Rapids Wellspring also was added to the records for making 206 3-pointers that winter, and 15 in a game.
Layk Woodruff and Reese Longstreth helped Beaverton coach Roy Johnston finish his career in 2023-24 as the all-time winningest in Michigan boys basketball history. Woodruff made the single-season 3-pointers list with 91 over 24 games, while Longstreth made the rebounds list with 310.
Austin Vang was like a wall on Suttons Bay’s side of the floor during a Feb. 18, 2025, win over Boyne Falls. The Norsemen then-senior set an MHSAA record with 16 steals.
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central’s Jonas VanderWoude finished his high school career in 2024 making the record book for the first time with a .901 free-throw percentage over 26 games. He’s playing now at Davenport.
On Feb. 4, 2025, Hannahville Nah Tah Wahsh made a state-record 32 3-pointers in a 96-50 win over Wetmore Munising Baptist; all of the team’s points were scored from beyond the arc. Senior Jayden Sagataw tied for the fifth-most on the single-game individual list with 13.
Jalen Kampen capped his Parchment career in 2024-25 as one of the top free throw shooters in state history, connecting on 87 percent of his attempts as a senior to tie for 17th on the career list with a .807 percentage. He also made the single-season free throws made list with 162. As a team, Parchment made the single-game 3-pointers list with 15 and combined with opponent Delton Kellogg to make the list for two teams in one game as they had 24 together Jan. 7, 2025 – which tied for ninth-most on that list. Kampen is continuing at Central Michigan.
Carson Ososki earned an entry in the MHSAA record book in 2024-25 as a junior with his defensive work. He totaled 94 steals in 21 games played for Au Gres-Sims.
Shane Rykse finished his four-year Schoolcraft career in 2024 with 261 3-pointers, ranking 13th all-time, and with a career free-throw percentage of .852 that ranks fifth on that list. Additionally, Schoolcraft as a team was added multiple times including for 215 3-pointers (tied for 12th) during the 2023-24 season. Rykse plays at Spring Arbor. Tucker Walther capped his four-season Schoolcraft career in 2024-25 tied for fourth all-time having played in 104 varsity games. He helped his team to an 83-21 record and is continuing at Hope College.
Ewen-Trout Creek’s Jaden Borseth finished his four-year varsity career in 2022 with 2,073 points, one of only 47 players to reach 2,000. He continued at Gogebic Community College.
Austin Long finished his four-season varsity career at Vassar in 2024-25 on the all-time free throw list with 315 made in 420 attempts over four seasons and 91 games. He’s now playing football at Elmhurst (Ill.).
Cooper Wagner earned Saginaw Swan Valley’s first record book listing in this sport as a junior in 2024-25, with 112 steals in 24 games played.
Buckley’s Landon Kulawiak capped his four-season varsity career in 2024-25 on three career lists reflecting his scoring talents. He made the career points list with 2,034 over 91 games, the career 3-pointers list with 261 and career free throws list with 333. His 3-pointers total is tied for 13th.
Oskar Kangas finished his four-season varsity career at Iron Mountain in 2024-25 on the career rebounds list with 978 over 94 games. He also fell only 26 points shy of scoring 2,000. He’s playing at Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Gregory Grays’ 60-point game for Southfield-Lathrup against Toledo Scott (Ohio) in 1997 already was in the record book, but a few more listings have been added. Grays scored 25 points during the fourth quarter of that game, and he also made 20 of 21 free throws – including 20 straight. He went on to play at Penn State and Detroit Mercy.
Landen Reister earned his school’s first boys basketball record book entry in 2024-25, when he made the steals list with 83 over 25 games. He was a senior and is playing now at Grand Rapids Community College.
Trey Lynn became the second player in Brimley history to reach the record book in this sport, doing so for single-season steals three times including with 111 as a senior in 2024-25, and for his 299 steals over 87 games and four seasons. Lynn is playing baseball at Bay College.
Brad Coleman finished his Millington career in 2025 as one of an elite group who have scored at least 2,000 varsity points – but also is listed in multiple other categories. Coleman finished with 2,058 points over 96 games and four seasons, and he also ranks in career steals and four times in free-throw categories, including eighth all-time with 523 made in 670 attempts. He’s continuing his career at Grace Christian.
More than 40 years after graduating from Melvindale, Paul Bargardi was added for his 367 rebounds as a senior in 1982-83. He went on to play at Saginaw Valley State.
Luke Tropea earned multiple 3-pointers listings during his career at Chelsea as a freshman and Jackson Lumen Christi over his final three seasons before graduating in 2025. He made the single-season list as a senior with 90, and the career list with 233.
Onsted’s Ayden Davis finished his impressive four-year run in 2024 on single-season and career lists for rebounds and blocks. He ranks fifth all-time with 1,222 career rebounds over 90 games, and second on the blocks career list with 479 – with a fourth-best single-season listing of 161 blocks as a sophomore. He’s playing at Wright State.
PHOTO Traverse City Christian’s Reece Broderick shoots a 3-pointer against Gaylord St. Mary during his senior season. (Photo courtesy of Traverse City Record-Eagle.)