Keep on Coaching
February 1, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A few weeks ago, I finally got my first chance this season to watch a friend coach his basketball team. After guiding some others at the lower levels, this is his first time running the varsity – something he wasn't sure he wanted to do with a 1-year-old just learning to walk, but a challenge he ended up taking on to the benefit of all those involved.
Simply put, he’s good. I've seen a lot of teams and a lot of coaches over the past 15 years, and although I wouldn't know much of what to do if I were walking the sideline, I felt pretty qualified in telling him I was impressed – even if he didn't buy that I was offering an unbiased opinion. The best news is he’s gone from not sure about this a few months ago to talking about next season.
We know, at least anecdotally, that coaching continues to get more challenging. The time commitment has grown substantially to make running a program a year-round endeavor in a lot of sports at a lot of schools.
That commitment – especially for coaches with children of their own – was a main reason referred to in a New Haven Post-Chronicle story Saturday that noted 23 football coaching openings in Connecticut at one point this offseason. That state has 146 football teams – meaning roughly 15 percent will have new leaders this fall.
And that got me thinking about my friend, about how glad I am he’s given this a shot, and how I've seen so many others either not do so, or not stick around long despite having some pretty nice success.
A study published last winter in Interscholastic Athletic Administration magazine – a product of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association – noted some predictable results of a study that sought to determine the biggest challenges faced by first-year high school coaches.
The toughest according to the study was balancing the demands of coaching and teaching, experienced by nearly half the respondents – 98 percent of which coached high school teams and 81 percent of which are teachers.
The next six reasons all were noted by at least 30 percent of those in the study – personal fatigue, securing community support, securing and caring for facilities and equipment, parental contact, keeping non-starting players motivated, dealing with schedule interruptions and motivating athletes to achieve consistent, peak performance.
Nothing there is earth-shaking, and most if not all of these challenges are faced by high school coaches regardless of how long they've been in the field. But I got a little more perspective from some of the 32 items that ranked as least challenging to the first-year leaders – keeping in compliance with state and league regulations, dealing with substance abuse issues, teaching sport skills and creating a positive team atmosphere – things that seem most important, and yet appear to be easiest to do. I’m not sure what that tells us – but I think it tells us something.
Click to check out the entire three-page breakdown of the study, plus the researchers’ recommendations to remedy some of what first-year coaches face.
Giving back to Saginaw
I love reading about high-level athletes – like a star-studded group of alums from Saginaw – giving back to where they got their starts.
Pittsburgh Steelers star LaMarr Woodley made a big impact before the start of this school year by donating $60,000 to cover all participation fees for athletes in his former school district. The Saginaw News’ Hugh Bernreuter writes today about how Woodley (Saginaw High), the Philadelphia 76ers’ Jason Richardson (Saginaw Arthur Hill) and former Oakland Raiders standout Stu Schweigert (Saginaw Heritage) have combined to give more than $865,000 back to their home communities.
Bernreuter also mentions the non-monetary contributions of the Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (Saginaw High) and former Indianapolis Colts receiver Blair White (Saginaw Nouvel).
Click to read more about it.
Quote(s) of the Week
While rifling through more papers on my desk, I found an article from the Washington Post from Sept. 2011 titled “How high school sports save our schools.” I was drawn to it in part because I spent more than a decade in a newsroom, and it was a piece by a reporter covering education who instead of reporting on school boards and the like, delved into the importance of interscholastic athletics to education as a whole.
He spoke of how participation continues to grow even as resources dwindle, and of data supporting that extracurriculars like sports are more effective than academic classes in teaching leadership, teamwork, time management and “other skills crucial for success in the workplace.” Later, he mentioned a study noting that those who participate in extracurriculars earned more a decade later.
Click here to read the entre piece. These passages struck me most.
“Coaches might be the only faculty members still allowed by our culture and educational practice to get tough with students not making the proper effort. They have the advantage of teaching what are essentially elective non-credit courses. They can insist on standards of behavior that classroom teachers often cannot enforce because the stakes of dismissing or letting students drop their courses are too high. …
“Students do better in activities they choose. If we provide more of them, led by committed adults … that can make a difference. We know the bad news about education. Dropout rates are high. Achievement scores are stagnant. But sports participation is going up, despite pressure to cut it back. Let’s cheer about that and look for a way to draw in more students.”
Breslin Bound: 2024-25 Boys Report Weeks 1 & 2
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 9, 2024
A late Thanksgiving this year led to the first week of boys basketball games this 2024-25 season being played during the short week, and even a few days before the final football championship games of the fall.
But with that rare crossover out of the way, we’re on track and moving forward on another four-month trip that for 16 teams will end at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center in March.
We’ll catch up with several of the highlights from the last two weeks as we debut this winter’s “Breslin Bound” reports with our traditional look back at some key results, teams on the move and games to go see during the week to come.
“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. Warren Lincoln 56, Ann Arbor Huron 51 Reigning Division 2 champion Lincoln (2-0) is off to another impressive start with this Horatio Williams Tip-Off Classic win over Huron (0-1), which made the Division 1 Semifinals last season.
2. Grand Rapids Christian 72, Grand Rapids South Christian 55 Grand Rapids Christian (2-0) – last season’s Division 2 runner-up – put much more distance between itself and the Sailors (1-1) this time compared to last year’s three-point District Final win.
3. Alcona 54, Hillman 44 Both are reigning league champions (different divisions) in the North Star League, and Hillman (1-1) also had finished 22-3 last season while Alcona (2-1) is looking to build off an 18-6 run.
5. Detroit Catholic Central 69, Saginaw United 55 The Shamrocks (4-0) spoiled the program debut for United (0-2), which formed from the previous Saginaw High and Arthur Hill.
5. Detroit Martin Luther King 53, East Kentwood 46 This was another Williams Tip-Off Classic matchup as King (3-0) earned a notable early win against another Division 1 team with tons of potential in the Falcons (1-1).
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Livonia Churchill (3-0) A 68-64 win over Gibraltar Carlson on Friday kept Churchill undefeated under first-year coach Cameron Scott – and it’s been an incredible turnaround already. The Chargers didn’t win a game last season, with their only victory over the last two coming by forfeit, and this is guaranteed to finish as their first season with at least three victories since 2017-18. Churchill opened with an 84-46 win over Dearborn Heights Annapolis and also has a 64-54 victory over Garden City.
Oxford (4-0) Jake Champagne became the program’s all-time leading scorer at 1,146 points with 26 in a 46-32 win over Grosse Pointe North at Sunday’s D Zone Rising Team Tip Off, and all four of the Wildcats’ victories have come by double digits – including as well a notable 64-39 victory over Davison last week. Oxford is in the Oakland Activities Association White this winter after finishing second in the Blue and 14-9 overall last season.
DIVISION 2
Cheboygan (3-0) Coming off a 9-13 run last season – which concluded with a 10-point District-opening loss to Kalkaska – Cheboygan is off to a fast start capped Friday by a 66-60 victory over the Blazers. That also was the league opener for the new Northern Shores Conference, which Cheboygan joined after previously playing in the Straits Area Conference. A 76-63 season-opening win over Rudyard also avenged a pair of defeats from last season.
Marshall (3-0) A 62-60 victory over Hanover-Horton at the Carl Lee Invitational at Albion College gave Marshall its first three all by six points or fewer, to go with a 53-49 win over Battle Creek Lakeview and 48-42 victory over Battle Creek Harper Creek. Those had to generate plenty of excitement as the Lakeview win avenged a loss from last season – when Marshall finished 9-14 – and Hanover-Horton was a league and District champ last winter.
DIVISION 3
Ithaca (3-0) The Yellowjackets also picked up a couple of close wins last week – 54-52 over Standish-Sterling and then 49-43 over Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary – as they began building on last season’s 16-9 campaign that included a second-place finish in the Tri-Valley Conference White and District championship. Ithaca had started 2-4 a year ago and will get a chance to avenge one of those losses, to Beal City, next week.
North Muskegon (3-0) The Norsemen traveled to Benzie Central over the weekend and won the Will Lynch Season Tip Off with a 49-37 victory over Menominee – a Division 3 quarterfinalist last winter – followed by a 52-34 win over Division 1 Lapeer. North Muskegon is coming off a 24-1 run last winter, when its only loss came in overtime, 43-40, to Pewamo-Westphalia in a Regional Semifinal.
DIVISION 4
Dollar Bay (4-0) The Blue Bolts are coming off three straight sub-.500 finishes, including 10-14 last season. But they are quickly making those distant memories with this start that’s included wins over Chassell, Painesdale Jeffers, Houghton and Hancock. The Houghton win was by just four points in overtime, but the other three were all by 18 or more – more impressive as Dollar Bay went a combined 0-5 against Chassell, Jeffers and Houghton last season, losing to Jeffers by more than 30 points twice and Houghton by 28.
Traverse City Christian (4-0) The Sabres averaged nearly 16 wins per season over the last three, finishing 16-7 last winter, and could take another step if this start is an indication – all four wins came by at least 14 points. A 45-26 victory over Mio gave Traverse City Christian the Battle of the Bridge championship at Mackinaw City, after it had defeated Cedarville 66-42 to advance.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Niles Brandywine (2-1) at Schoolcraft (2-0) – This is a rematch of a Regional Final from last season won by Brandywine 41-32 on the way to claiming the Division 3 championship.
Saturday – East Lansing (2-0) vs. Warren Lincoln (2-0) at Lansing's Don Johnson Fieldhouse – The Moneyball Tip-Off Classic features this matchup of the reigning Division 2 champion Lincoln against an East Lansing team that reached the Division 1 Quarterfinals last season.
Saturday – Grand Rapids Catholic Central (2-1) vs. Hudsonville Unity Christian (2-0) at Calvin University – These two are annually two of the best in West Michigan and will meet in The Invite in the second of the day’s four games.
Saturday – Rockford (2-0) vs. Grand Rapids Northview (2-0) at Calvin University – These two also will meet at The Invite, capping off the evening.
Saturday – Detroit Catholic Central (4-0) at Hudsonville (2-0) – This matchup at the Hudsonville Showcase should provide a nice indication of potential for both promising teams.
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) Ishpeming's Caden Luoma (1) scoops in a shot for two points, but the Hematites lost 67-59 to Gladstone on Dec. 2. (Middle) An Otsego player attempts to get to the lane while defended during a 72-54 season-opening loss to Vicksburg. (Top photo by Cara Kamps. Otsego/Vicksburg photo by Gary Shook.)