Former MHSAA Coach Lands in NHL
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
April 5, 2013
This week in the year 2000, Jon Cooper had just finished his first season coaching at any level, having guided the Lansing Catholic hockey team to its first Regional championship in 25 seasons.
It would be the only season Cooper – a local lawyer and former player at Hofstra – would coach the Cougars. But it also was the start of a nearly unimaginable rise that saw him hired to coach the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning two weeks ago.
As the saying goes, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Cooper always was friendly and helpful to this then just-starting local media member, and despite his lone season coaching the Cougars quickly built a local fan base that continues to cheer him on from afar.
An NHL.com piece last week led with the high school angle. Click here to check it out. He took over a team 16-18-2 and near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, but Cooper surely will have plenty rooting him on from the MHSAA hockey ranks as he works to bring the franchise back to the playoffs – and we’ll work to catch up with him this summer during his first NHL offseason.
Grand Haven athletics 'Exemplary'
The Grand Haven High School athletic department received this year’s Exemplary Athletic Program Award from the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association during its annual conference last month in Traverse City.
The program was established in 1998 to recognize outstanding athletic programs and give high school administrators a vehicle by which to self-assess their practices and measure improvements.
Characteristics of “exemplary” programs include district-wide commitment, excellence in advancing the growth of well-rounded participants and serving the needs of all involved including parents and staff, and sustained success in teaching the values of high school athletics.
Click for more details on award criteria and a list of previous winners, and additional coverage by Grand Rapids’ WZZM.
Volleyball teams 'dug' deep
Michigan high school volleyball teams playing "Dig Pink" matches combined to raise more than $50,500 for cancer research last fall to rank sixth nationally, according to the Side-Out Foundation, a non-profit organization that heads up the “Dig Pink” initiative.
Class D Engadine raised the most among MHSAA schools – $5,200 – with Kent City, Bronson, Grand Ledge, Allendale, Stevensville Lakeshore, Monroe, Waterford Mott, Coldwater and Grand Blanc also contributing to the grand total. Also, Grand Ledge’s Katie Everts received a Side-Out Ambassador Program award, one of 10 handed out to individuals nationally.
Total, more than $1.1 million was raised nationwide.
Name that trophy
Few if any schools in Michigan have done more work in researching and identifying the trophies in its case than Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, which will celebrate its 100th season of boys basketball in 2013-14.
It's rare the Eaglets historians can’t determine what a trophy celebrated. In this case, hopefully you can help.
We believe it’s a basketball trophy from the 1930s – but haven’t been able to pin down a season or a level of the MHSAA tournament. A few things that make this one unique are the plaque presentation, as opposed to a standard trophy, and the large MHSAA seal in the center. Any ideas? Email me at [email protected].
Giving back to those who gave
Those from the U.S. 23/I-94 area surely remember the tornado that tore through Dexter a little more than a year ago, on March 15, 2012.
Dexter track coaches Bob and Katie Jazwinski are remembering those who helped them rebuild after their home was destroyed by the storm.
In a Second Half report last year, Bob Jazwinski said he’d seen athletes and coaches from Adrian, Ann Arbor Pioneer, Pinckney, Chelsea, Ann Arbor Skyline, Whitmore Lake and the USA junior hockey team among the many who flocked to the community to lend a hand in the cleanup.
The Jazwinskis began repaying the favor three weeks ago on the storm's one-year anniversary with the Dexter F 3.1 Tornado Run/Walk that benefited non-profit organizations that had donated for storm recovery the year before.
Click to read the March 30, 2012 story about Adrian athletes’ contributions to the clean-up.
Last call for basketball
We got off to a late start on entering basketball schedules for this winter – but thanks to some incredibly helpful school, official and fan inputters, we were able to catch up quickly and finish with a nearly-complete list of results and standings for this season.
Still, there are some schools with incomplete schedules or a few scores missing. And before everyone forgets completely about this season, we’re hoping for a little help in finishing this enormous task.
Please check out your team’s page on MHSAA.com and help us fill in missing scores and fix inaccuracies. The latter could include just about anything – an incorrect game date, incorrect opponent or score, team missing from league standings, etc. For corrections, please email me directly at [email protected]. (Note: If a game was cancelled, don’t just delete it – contact me and I’ll add “cancelled” to avoid confusion.)
Why is this important? Two big reasons. First, MHSAA.com publishes the most complete statewide scoreboard with results from every corner of Michigan. And we have the most complete archive of basketball seasons available, currently dating to 2009-10. Help us fill in the blanks, and they’ll be saved for everyone’s benefit for years to come.
I thank you in advance for any help you are able to provide.
PHOTOS: (Top) Jon Cooper's bio appeared in the Lansing Catholic hockey team's yearbook for the 1999-2000 season. (Middle) Grand Haven athletic director Robin Bye (second from right) poses with Gull Lake athletic director and MIAAA Exemplary Committee co-char Marc Troop, Grand Haven athletic secretary Rita Way and Ann Arbor Greenhills athletic director and MIAAA Exemplary Committee co-chair Meg Seng after the Buccaneers received this year's award. (Bottom) Orchard Lake St. Mary's is hoping to identify the championship recognized by this trophy, believed to be from the 1930s.
Breslin Bound: 2024-25 Girls Report Week 12
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 24, 2025
The calendar has played out well this girls basketball season, as last week saw several league championship deciders and this one will see a few more as teams also prep for the start of District play.
Brackets for that first round of the MHSAA Tournament were announced Sunday, with all teams seeded based on Michigan Power Ratings (MPR). We'll dive into those soon. But for now, there are still plenty of stories to tell as teams finish up the regular season.
“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. Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard 63, Detroit Renaissance 39 The Fighting Irish (20-1) have not played a single-digit game since suffering their lone loss in December to Belleville by a point, and this Operation Friendship win over the Phoenix (18-2) might be their most impressive of a 13-game winning streak.
2. Belleville 54, Detroit Edison 40 The Tigers are hoping to finish next month as Division 1 champions and continued their impressive surge into the postseason by downing the reigning Division 2 champ Pioneers (13-5).
3. Utica Ford 60, Utica Eisenhower 45 The Macomb Area Conference Red finished with these two sharing the title as Ford (19-1) avenged its 64-49 loss to Eisenhower (19-2) from Jan. 28.
4. Armada 56, Yale 45 With one league game left for both, these two could share the Blue Water Area Conference title after Armada (16-2) avenged its 69-62 loss to Yale (18-2) from Jan. 28.
5. Dexter 51, Temperance Bedford 41 The Dreadnaughts (15-6) pulled even with Bedford (18-2) in the Southeastern Conference Red with one league game left for both, avenging a 51-42 loss in their first meeting.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Farmington Hills Mercy (15-4) The Marlins have bounced back from a rare down (relatively speaking) season. Mercy finished 12-12 a year ago but rebounded to share the Catholic High School League Central West championship. The Marlins defeated Detroit Mumford 56-40 in an Operation Friendship game last week and can count wins over Howell (16-5) and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (16-3) – the second in a rematch after losing the first meeting – among their most impressive. Mercy finishes the regular season with a few more tests against Detroit Edison (13-5) and Detroit University Prep (15-3).
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern (19-2) The Huskies have improved from eight to 11 to 16 and now 19 victories over the last four seasons, respectively, and this time also clinched the Ottawa-Kent Conference White championship outright thanks to Friday’s 51-38 win over runner-up Grand Rapids Catholic Central (14-6). The Cougars had handed FHN its only league loss; Grand Haven (17-3) is the only other team to down the Huskies this winter. Northern meanwhile has wins over Muskegon Mona Shores (15-6), Hudsonville (14-6) and Portland (17-3) as well.
DIVISION 2
Grand Rapids South Christian (19-2) The Sailors have won 11 straight games and with Friday’s 53-42 win over Wayland (13-7) guaranteed a shared O-K Gold title with Grand Rapids West Catholic. South Christian lost its first meeting with West Catholic (18-2) by 13 and won the rematch Feb. 7 by seven; the Sailors also trended the right away with Wayland after winning that first meeting by just two points. South Christian also has defeated Holland Christian (17-3) and Grand Rapids Catholic Central, with the other loss to Hudsonville. Holland Christian and Wayland are part of the same District at Hopkins.
Sault Ste. Marie (14-5) With the dissolution of the Straits Area Conference after last season, two-time reigning champion Sault Ste. Marie has played as an independent this winter and capitalized by loading the schedule with several strong opponents. The Blue Devils have lost to Chelsea (16-3), St. Ignace (19-1), Freeland (17-3), Traverse City Central (13-5) and DeWitt (19-1) – but those losses no doubt have helped prep them for the postseason, along with wins over Harbor Springs (18-2) and Petoskey (11-8) among others. After falling to eventual Division 2 semifinalist Negaunee in District play last year, the Sault will head into an otherwise downstate bracket next week.
DIVISION 3
Kalamazoo Christian (16-4) While the Comets saw their league winning streak end at 27 games this season, they’ve run their Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley title streak to three. That one league loss came to rival Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (18-3) in the second game of a split. Christian’s only other loses were to Paw Paw (16-4), Edison and Saugatuck (19-1) – and the Comets have swept first-round District opponent Lawton (14-5) and are coming off a win over Muskegon Western Michigan Christian (10-5) with Grandville Calvin Christian (16-4) up next. They could see Hacket one more time in the District Final.
McBain (14-4) The Ramblers are tied for second in the Highland Conference and one game behind Evart with one league game to play. Gaining a share of the league title is possible, but even without it McBain’s improvement has been notable after finishing 12-11 overall and tied for fourth in the league a year ago. The Ramblers did split with Evart (19-2), winning the first game and losing the second, and also split with Manton (16-4) and Beal City (12-10) in league play. Evart will host next week’s District, and a third matchup between the two could play out in the championship decider.
DIVISION 4
Frankfort (13-5) After opening this season with three losses, Frankfort is 13-2 and has clinched a share of the Northwest Conference championship despite losing to third-place Onekama (16-4) on Friday. Tuesday’s game against second-place Leland (16-4) will determine if the Panthers claim the title outright. Success wasn’t unexpected after Frankfort made the Division 4 Semifinals last season and brought back key pieces from that team. But the Panthers certainly have impressed, avenging a one-point opening loss to Buckley (14-6) with a 13-point win and also losing only to the Portagers, Roscommon, Evart and St. Ignace.
Indian River Inland Lakes (17-3) The Ski Valley Conference is one of the only undecided leagues left, and as noted below reigning champion Inland Lakes can secure at least a share of it with a win over Gaylord St. Mary tonight. The Bulldogs lost their first meeting with the Snowbirds 51-47 in overtime, and their only other losses were by two to Harbor Springs (18-2) and by one to Pickford (11-9). A sweep of East Jordan (16-5) finished off last week has kept Inland Lakes in the title hunt, and the Bulldogs are favorites next week at Rogers City as they look to claim a third-straight District title.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Gaylord St. Mary (17-2) at Indian River Inland Lakes (17-3) – The winner will take over first place alone in the Ski Valley Conference – with St. Mary either clinching the league title outright, or Inland Lakes claiming a share with a Thursday game to play against Johannesburg-Lewiston.
Thursday – Gladstone (19-1) at Negaunee (19-0) – Arguably the top two teams in the Upper Peninsula will cap the regular season with a rematch after Negaunee won their first meeting 45-28 on Jan. 28.
Thursday – Belleville (20-1) at Northville (14-7) – The champions of the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East and West, respectively, will meet for the overall league title.
Thursday – Sandusky (19-1) at Cass City (18-1) – These are the champions from the Big Thumb Conference Black and White, respectively, and they could meet a second time in two weeks in a Division 3 Regional Semifinal.
Thursday – Haslett (18-2) at Parma Western (19-1) – These two league champions – Western from the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference and Haslett from the Capital Area Activities Conference Red – also might be meeting for a preview with a possible Division 2 Regional Semifinal rematch possible.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTOS (Top) Marquette's Alexis Curran defends Negaunee's Aubrey Johnson as she drives toward the basket during the Miners' 48-22 win Feb. 14. (Middle) Williamston's Jaiden Griffith (3) works to get upcourt during an early-season game at Okemos. (Marquette/Negaunee photo by Cara Kamps. Williamston/Okemos photo by John Johnson.)