Gladstone Coach Smith Built Champions
October 24, 2016
By Dennis Grall
Special for Second Half
ESCANABA — Gerry Smith put his life into helping area youngsters get a foot into the athletic doorway, and in the process touched the lives of so many people.
“Smitty” died Oct. 15 following a lengthy illness.
“God got a great softball coach,” said retired Gladstone athletic director Matt Houle. “He was unique and old school, but his love for kids and the game always showed clearly. He had such a passion for the game of softball and just loved working with kids.”
Smith, 70, worked at Mead Paper Co. for more than 30 years and was IBEW 979’s business agent for 21 years. But he will perhaps be most remembered for his 43 years on softball and baseball fields throughout the area. He spent 11 years as Gladstone High School’s head softball coach, directing the Braves to MHSAA titles in 2004 and 2009. He was 290-77-1, but missed much of the 2008 season because of shoulder surgery. The Braves were 31-10 under interim manager John Malloch, which would give Smith an overall 321-87-1 record.
“He put a lot of trust into people he asked to help him out,” said Ashley Hughes, who succeeded Smith in 2014 and guided the Braves to the MHSAA Division 3 title that year.
Hughes, who joined Smith on the softball staff when she became a teacher at her alma mater in 2009, also pitched for Smith and the Braves before getting a softball scholarship to Lake Superior State University.
She recalled Smith sought her services when she returned to Gladstone. “Hey kiddo, how about helping us out this year,” is how Hughes remembers that conversation.
He then told her, “I’m going to teach you everything I know and in a few years this will all be yours,” Hughes related.
“For me to come as head coach after Smitty, there was so much pressure. I wanted to live up to everything he had provided for this program,” Hughes said. “I didn’t want to disappoint him. He put a lot of faith in me.”
She said Smith also had an impact when she was a player. “He was so in your face in such a positive light. He wanted you to be successful, whether you had never touched a ball or had the ability to go on to play college ball. He was a spit-fire. He was so intense.
“He just exuded passion, at practice, at games. He had so much love for the game. That is something I’ve held onto because I too loved that game. To have someone like Smitty be so passionate and intense helped me become passionate and gave me the drive to be like that.”
Bill Buchmiller and Smith were partners for 40 years and he became godfather to Buchmiller’s children. In addition to guiding the Braves’ high school varsity, they served as American Legion coaches in the early stages of Gladstone’s program, worked together as Little League coaches and were softball teammates.
“He took a program from nothing to two state championships,” said Buchmiller. “He always encouraged the group. He may have broke them down a little bit but he always built them back up. He was a hard guy to get to know, but once you got to know him, he was a great guy.”
Smith used the knowledge he had gleaned from many years as a player and infused that into his players. “He just dwelled on the basics of softball. If you had to play small ball to win, that is what he played,” said Buchmiller.
“He covered all the different bases of softball. He stressed defense. He told (hitting coach) Al Verbrigghe, ‘You give me one run Al and we’ll win the ball game with my defense. Give me a run and we’ll manage somehow.’”
Theresa Shepeck, who joined Smith on the GHS staff in 2003, agreed with that assessment.
“Smitty always thought the short game was the way to go,” she said. “It was about bunting, not the long ball. You get a runner on one, you bunt her to two. You get somebody on three, then you suicide (bunt) her home.”
Shepeck said his players thrived on his various idiosyncrasies, such as finding tourney lodging in rather inexpensive motels and using a wad of cash to pay for the team’s rooms. “The kids just yukked it up,” she said with a laugh.
“He always put the kids first. If somebody made a mistake, it was never their fault; it is my (Smith’s) fault, the coaching staff’s fault. If one of us coaches made a mistake, he took that blame. It was always his fault, his responsibility,” said Shepeck.
The players appreciated how he used them in games and practices. “His philosophy was to put the best nine on the field, period,” she said. “He walked on a lot of toes, he had a lot of hurt feelings (of parents), but I think the kids respected that. Nobody ever doubted how they fit in. He was there to win.
“He was a little man (about 5-foot-6) but had a huge heart. He was all about the kids and the coaching staff. It was an honor to learn from him, to be in his presence, to be a mentor to the kids.”
Hughes agreed, noting “he had a way of figuring out what the team needs are and re-arranging the players (duties). He knew the players’ strengths and was always looking out for the entire team.”
Smith’s career record likely could have included more wins if he didn’t use the season’s first month to shuffle personnel while building for the postseason. It paid off when it counted the most as the Braves reached at least the Quarterfinal level each of his 11 seasons.
“He was definitely not afraid to experiment,” said Hughes. “He knew the rules of the game and he was always looking for more (from his players). He was an aggressive coach, and the girls who love the sport really grasped at that. He utilized every player on his roster.
“He didn’t have to say too much, but you always wanted to answer him and make him proud and prove to him that you can come through.”
Houle summed up Smith’s legacy when he said, “He was the person that put Gladstone High School on the map in high school activities. He will be dearly missed by so many. He touched so many lives.”
Denny Grall retired in 2012 after 39 years at the Escanaba Daily Press and four at the Green Bay Press-Gazette, plus 15 months for WLST radio in Escanaba; he served as the Daily Press sports editor from 1970-80 and again from 1984-2012. Grall was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and serves as its executive secretary. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for the Upper Peninsula.
PHOTOS: (Top) Gladstone High School softball manager Gerry Smith holds the Division 3 championship trophy after the Braves won the 2009 title in Battle Creek. Smith, who also led the Braves to the 2004 crown, died Oct. 15. (Middle) Smith talks with catcher Jordan Kowalski at a practice prior to the 2011 Division 3 Semifinals. (Photos courtesy of Escanaba Daily Press.)
Keeler Approaching Milestone Win Amid Final Season of Legendary Tri-unity Career
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
December 18, 2024
WYOMING – Mark Keeler has spent four decades coaching boys basketball at Tri-unity Christian High School.
And while he has many stories that he shares often, one of his favorites comes from the beginnings of the program.
“We didn't have bleachers in our gym when I first started,” Keeler said. “I would make my boys set several rows of chairs up so people could watch our games. And then they eventually added bleachers that were donated by the church.”
Keeler’s teams have been filling up the bleachers since he took the reins for the 1983-84 season, and he has built the program into one of the most successful in the state.
Now, as he leads his team through the opening month of his 38th and final campaign, Keeler is nearing a rare milestone only achieved by a few. He is expected to soon become the fourth coach in MHSAA history to reach 700 wins.
Tri-unity is 3-1 this winter, making Keeler a combined 697-217 coaching the Defenders. Roy Johnston is the winningest coach in state boys basketball history with 833 victories earned during stints at Yale, Howell and Beaverton before retiring in March. He is followed by longtime River Rouge coach Lofton Greene (728) and Clarkston’s Dan Fife (703).
“It's a statement of longevity with these men,” Keeler said. “All three of them were very successful at the schools they were at and most of them spent a long time at one school, just like I’m doing now. I’ve never coached anywhere but Tri-unity, and that is quite a privilege to have been a part of this school.”
Keeler reached 697 wins with last week’s nonconference victory over Wyoming Kelloggsville and can move closer to the milestone with another Friday night against Grandville Calvin Christian. The Defenders then play East Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids West Catholic, respectively, at the Cornerstone University Holiday Classic at the end of the month.
Keeler, who retired from a 40-year teaching career two years ago, started coaching in 1983-84 when Tri-unity had only an eighth and ninth-grade team. After two seasons of playing subvarsity, the school formed its varsity team for the start of the 1985-86 season, with Keeler at the helm. After three seasons with the varsity, he took a break from coaching (but continued teaching and serving as athletic director).
“I had to get my priorities right with the Lord,” Keeler said. “I was trying to do too much and lost focus, and it was something that needed to be done. I look back, and it was something that set me up for the rest of my coaching career.”
Keeler returned for the 1990-91 season and has been at the forefront ever since. He has guided the Defenders to six state championships, including last year’s with a victory over Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart in the Division 4 Final. Tri-unity also has won titles in 1996, 2002, 2006, 2011 and 2022, while finishing as Finals runner-up six times.
Keeler’s teams also have reached the Semifinals 15 times, won 19 Regional championships, 26 District titles and 22 conference championships. His players have filled Class D and Division 4 all-state teams for years, with surely the best-known 2000 grad Chris Kaman – who went on to play at Central Michigan and 13 seasons in the NBA – and Brandon Voorhees, who led Tri-unity to the 2002 title as a senior, went on to CMU and then Park University in Missouri, and played professionally overseas.
“I’m so glad that I’ve been able to just be here this long,” said Keeler, who was inducted into the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Hall of Fame in 2016. “I love Tri-unity. My wife taught there, we met there, and my daughters went all the way through and graduated from there, so it's always been a part of my life. There's been so many quality people that have been there along the way.
“I've been very blessed to have had so many quality players and parents and coaches. It’s amazing when I look back at all those that have been a part of the program.”
Keeler, a man with a strong Christian faith, could’ve gone elsewhere during his career, but believed he had a calling at Tri-unity.
“I've had some opportunities to move on and go to different places, but whenever I prayed about it I always thought that this is where the Lord wanted me and that's always my priority,” Keeler said. “I want to please him first, because as a Christian that's my priority. I just thought this is where he placed me, so I’m going to set roots and do the best I can.”
Tri-unity senior guard Keaton Blanker, one of two returning starters on this year’s team, is excited to see his coach reach such a prestigious milestone.
“It’s the perfect scenario for him with this being his last year and getting to 700 wins,” Blanker said. “He’s going to leave his mark, and it’s well deserved. Being a small Division 4 school, he’s helped to put the program on the map and I remember growing up and watching his teams win state titles. I was waiting for the opportunity to play for him so I could help do the same thing.”
While Keeler is grateful for the unbridled success of the program on the court, creating lasting relationships with his players off the court and helping them grow in their faith has been equally gratifying.
“I know without a doubt that the Lord has blessed our program.” Keeler said. “There are a lot of great coaches out there that are probably better at Xs and Os than I am, but I think I’m a strong motivator and build good relationships with the players and get to know them.
“I let each player know that I want them to grow in their walk with the Lord, and that's where my priority is. To be an influence toward Christ, not away from Christ.”
Past Tri-unity standout Brent Voorhees, who has been Keeler’s assistant coach the last several years and will succeed him next season, said Keeler has never changed his approach to the game.
“Coming back to coach with him, the one thing that stands out is he doesn't waver on his principles,” Voorhees said. “A lot has changed in the sport in terms of analytics and how coaches attack things, but he has definitely stayed firm in his approach that it’s defense first and he preaches the team aspect. It’s never about an individual.
“He doesn’t let anything off the court distract him from goals. He's really good at keeping the goal in front of the guys. He keeps them focused on the goal of winning state championships and also becoming great, young Christian men in the community, which is what he stands for and always comes first.”
The Defenders graduated eight players from last year’s team, but Blanker and senior Joey Mellon are back with several newcomers as they bid to send Keeler out with one more title at Breslin Center.
“I enjoy putting them together and getting them to mesh as a team,” Keeler said. “For me, I have learned that defense wins championships. The old adage that offense wins games, but defense wins championships ... I so believe that with all my heart.”
Reporter Dean Holzwarth, a longtime member of the West Michigan media, is also the junior varsity head coach and a varsity assistant for the Tri-unity Christian boys basketball program.
Dean Holzwarth has covered primarily high school sports for Grand Rapids-based WOOD-TV for five years after serving at the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years along with shorter stints at the Ionia Sentinel and WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Surrounded by celebrating players and assistant coaches (including the author, far right), Tri-unity boys basketball coach Mark Keeler (hand in pocket) enjoys a moment near the end of last season’s Division 4 championship game. (Middle) Keeler, middle, huddles with his team during the 1997 run to Breslin, when the Defenders finished Class D runners-up. (Below) Keeler raises the 2002 Class D championship trophy to the cheers of Tri-unity’s supporters. (MHSAA file photos.)