#TBT: Inkala Celebrated as Athlete, Coach
June 25, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The mid-Michigan and statewide tennis communities are mourning the death last weekend of longtime Okemos girls coach Al Inkala, who led the Chieftains to four MHSAA championships over a 20-season tenure that ended in 2013. He was 66 years old.
From 1994-2004, his Okemos girls tennis teams finished either first or second at their MHSAA Finals all but 1996, and his 1998-2001 teams won four straight Division 2 titles. But those were his only final chapters to a high school career that began as one of the most accomplished athletes of his time from the Upper Peninsula, where he played football, basketball, tennis, baseball and ran track for Wakefield before graduating in 1967.
A 6-foot-5 center, Inkala was a Class C all-state basketball selection as a senior, leading the Cardinals to the MHSAA Class C Semifinals with 33 points in an 85-60 Quarterfinal win over Gaylord. A three-year varsity basketball player, Inkala scored a school-record 540 points as a senior and a school-record 1,160 for his career. He also scored a school-record 42 points against Baraga during the 1966-67 season as Wakefield strung together its first undefeated regular-season finish. Inkala was second in his league in scoring after finishing first as a junior and made the all-U.P. Class C team after both of those seasons.
Inkala also was selected for the top senior basketball award for the Michigan-Wisconsin Conference by the largest margin ever accorded for the award to that point, and based not only on his athletic proficiency but also good sportsmanship.
His prowess extended far beyond the basketball court. In tennis, Inkala was undefeated at singles as a senior until his second match of the U.P. Finals – in those days, there was only one division in the Upper Peninsula, and only one flight for singles and one for doubles at all MHSAA Finals – as he led Wakefield to a fifth-place team finish. He was the singles champion in the Michigan-Wisconsin Conference.
Inkala ran four events – the 220-yard dash, 120-yard high hurdles and half-mile and mile relays – in helping Wakefield to its Regional track &field title in 1967. Wakefield then finished second as a team at the U.P. Class C Final, with Inkala taking fifth in the high hurdles.
As noted above, Inkala also played baseball and football; on the football team, he played both offense and defense and was the punter. Inkala also served as his class president, sung in the school chorus and was part of the conservation club at Wakefield High, about a 20-minute drive from the Wisconsin border.
He went on to play basketball at Northern Michigan University, serving as a team captain as a senior in 1970-71. He led the team in rebounding that winter and sits 30th on NMU’s single-season rebounding list and 12th on the career list, having played in 90 games over his four seasons.
On a personal note, Inkala was a huge help to me covering mid-Michigan girls tennis while at the Lansing State Journal from 1999-2011. He was the best of coaches when it came to being honest about his players’ abilities and making sure those from other schools got deserved recognition as well – especially during a period when his teams’ No. 5 singles and doubles players could’ve played the top flights for nearly every school in the surrounding area and likely beyond.
The stories heard around our office this week focused on how he worked to give Okemos’ opponents the best experiences possible when facing his incredibly-talented teams.
Against those with just enough players to fill a lineup, or teams with most athletes in perhaps only their first few seasons of play, he’d fill his lineup with players who otherwise didn’t see the court when Okemos faced others of the state’s elite. The Chieftains shared their equipment and knowledge with many opponents, providing humble leadership in a tennis community that embodied a coach who gave the same always from the background and with little fanfare despite deserving much.
The Lansing State Journal talked to a number of his area counterparts this week; click here for that report.
Inkala died June 20. A memorial service will be conducted at 1 p.m. Sunday at Okemos Community Church.
PHOTOS: (Top) Al Inkala, far left, accepts with his teammates the Class C District championship trophy during the 1967 season. (Middle) Inkala launches a free throw during the title game against Ontonagon. (Below) Inkala led his Okemos girls tennis teams to six MHSAA championships. (Top photos courtesy of the Ironwood Daily Globe; bottom courtesy of the Lansing State Journal.)
Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Boys Report Week 8
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 26, 2026
As more and more games are played, the Michigan Power Ratings crunches more and more data to tell a more and more complete story of what’s happening across the state.
And this past week saw some serious move among the top of MPR lists in all four boys basketball divisions.
Of the 80 teams making up top-20 lists across the four divisions at the start of today, six teams jumped at least six spots from their positions a week ago – including Grandville (No. 10 to No. 4), Kalamazoo Central (14 to 7) and Detroit Martin Luther King (15 to 8) in Division 1, and Elk Rapids (20 to 14) in Division 3. Ten teams entered the top 20 in their respective divisions – including Jackson Lumen Christi all the way to No. 13 in Division 3 and Genesee Christian all the way to No. 10 in Division 4.
Expect more to come as teams continue to navigate the second half – and in some cases fourth quarter – of their regular-season schedules this week.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Detroit Martin Luther King 60, Detroit Cass Tech 53 The Crusaders (9-4) are the only team undefeated in Detroit Public School League Blue play after holding on in this rivalry matchup with Cass Tech (8-4)
2. Grand Rapids Catholic Central 48, Grand Rapids Christian 43 The Cougars (9-4) moved into first place alone in the Ottawa-Kent Conference White by handing the Eagles (8-5) their first league defeat.
3. Croswell-Lexington 64, Yale 57 The Pioneers (12-3) moved into first place alone in the Blue Water Area Conference after handing Yale (14-1) its lone defeat this winter.
4. North Muskegon 63, Ludington 54 The Norsemen improved to 15-1 while handing Ludington (13-1) its only loss.
5. Romulus Summit Academy 58, Detroit Catholic Central 50 Summit (16-1) started off a three-win week with one of its best this season, over the Shamrocks (9-5) at the Always in My Bag Classic.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
East Kentwood (10-1) As noted above and in previous “Breslin Bound” reports, the O-K Red is as competitive as it gets in Michigan this season, and East Kentwood is the only team to start off 2-0 in league play – thanks to a 69-68 win over Rockford and 66-55 victory over West Ottawa last week. The Falcons’ only loss came Dec. 6 to Warren Fitzgerald, 41-40, and a 52-40 win over King two weeks ago is arguably second in impressiveness only to the victory over the Rams – and even more so considering East Kentwood was 12-12 a year ago.
Rockford (10-2) The Rams had been considered the O-K Red favorites by many before that loss to East Kentwood – which came just three days after their only other defeat, 80-71 in overtime to still-unbeaten East Lansing. While Rockford will have plenty of tough matchups to navigate the rest of the way – including a 2K26 showdown with Grand Rapids Northview on Jan. 31 – surely the Rams have circled the Feb. 3 rematch at East Kentwood as a must-win as they seek to clinch a third-straight league title.
DIVISION 2
Adrian (11-2) Mid-December back-to-back losses to Ypsilanti Lincoln and Jackson have Adrian tied for third in the Southeastern Conference White. But those are the Maples’ only defeats this season as they chase a league title repeat. The rematches are Friday at Lincoln and Feb. 3 at Jackson, and Adrian should have sights set on big postseason goals as well after also making the Regional Finals in finishing 21-5 a year ago. The Maples are coming off handing Onsted its only loss, and earlier gave New Haven one of its two defeats.
Paw Paw (10-5) The Red Wolves remain atop the Wolverine Conference despite a loss to Edwardsburg last week, and if they hold on would win a second-straight championship after finishing only 12-14 overall just two seasons ago. Paw Paw made a big jump to 19-4 last winter and has won five of six since the start of this calendar year including 55-48 over Traverse City West on Saturday at the Jeff McDonald Memorial Showcase. All four in-state defeats are to teams 8-4 or better this winter.
DIVISION 3
Pewamo-Westphalia (10-2) The Pirates’ losses were by a combined six points to a pair of larger Grand Rapids-area opponents that are a combined 19-4 overall – Grand Rapids Catholic Central by four and undefeated Grandville by two. Meanwhile, P-W stands alone atop the Central Michigan Athletic Conference thanks to a 61-38 win over second-place Fowler, part of a streak of 38 straight league wins. Those tough defeats no doubt will be good prep as the Pirates attempt to return to the Semifinals for the second-straight season.
Niles Brandywine (9-4) The Bobcats got through a rough stretch of three straight losses over the first few weeks of January, to South Haven, Berrien Springs and Benton Harbor. But they remain second in the Lakeland Conference and surely are circling the Feb. 6 rematch with leader Berrien Springs, which won their Jan. 9 matchup 73-70 in triple overtime. Brandywine also has a notable win over Battle Creek Pennfield and is only two seasons removed from winning Division 3 in 2023-24.
DIVISION 4
Adrian Lenawee Christian (8-4) After starting this season 2-4, Lenawee Christian has won six straight and is 7-0 in league play to sit alone atop the Tri-County Conference. A 61-60 win over second-place Ottawa Lake Whiteford on Jan. 9 put the Cougars on top, and they also started the second half of the TCC schedule with a 54-53 win over Erie Mason last week. All four losses came to teams that have won at least 10 games this season, which surely will be useful experiences as Lenawee Christian seeks to build on last year’s Quarterfinal run as well.
Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (10-1) The reigning Division 4 champion is under new leadership, somewhat, as previous assistant Brent Voorhees took over this season after the retirement of Mark Keeler, who won 721 games over nearly four decades. The only loss this season came to Division 2 Fruitport during the Cornerstone University Holiday Tournament, and Tri-unity opened December by handing Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian what remains its only loss. The Defenders will see Wyoming Lee on Tuesday with first place in the Alliance League on the line.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Monday – Leslie (11-2) at Michigan Center (11-1) – This concludes the first half of the Cascades Conference East schedule, and these two are tied for first both at 9-0 in league play.
Tuesday – East Jordan (11-1) at Mancelona (12-1) – East Jordan is the only team undefeated in the Ski Valley Conference, and Mancelona’s only loss came to East Jordan, 48-38 on Dec. 9.
Tuesday – Dearborn Divine Child at Jackson Lumen Christi (10-3) – Divine Child clinched a share of the Catholic High School League AA title thanks to Lumen Christi’s win over second-place Detroit Loyola last week, and now can claim the championship outright.
Friday – Grandville (10-0) at East Kentwood (10-1) – Grandville also opens this week by facing Rockford and all of these teams should know a lot more about where they stand in the O-K Red by the end of Friday night.
Saturday – Muskegon (10-0) at Kalamazoo Central (9-2) – As of today, these two are No. 20 and No. 7, respectively, in Division 1 MPR.
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PHOTOS (Top) Harrison junior Dennis Collin (22) makes an outlet pass during the second half of his team’s 48-24 win over Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy on Jan. 12. (Middle) Gladstone's Lonnie Davey puts up a shot while defended by Ishpeming's Dax Kakkuri (14) and Kenny Ambuehl (3) on Jan. 20. (Harrison/SASA photo by Kolleth Photo. Gladstone/Ishpeming photo by Cara Kamps.)