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: 2025-26 Boys Report Week 11
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 16, 2026
A season’s worth of work resulted in 128 fully-seeded Boys Basketball Districts published Sunday.
Michigan’s high school teams know when, where and who they will play beginning next week. But there’s one more left before the playoffs begin, and plenty more stories to tell before the championship chase gets underway.
“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. Brooklyn Columbia Central 59, Michigan Center 56 The Golden Eagles (17-4) clinched their first Cascades Conference title since 1983 and avenged a 56-52 loss to Michigan Center (18-2) from Dec. 15.
2. Detroit Martin Luther King 68, Detroit Cass Tech 63 The Crusaders (17-4) finished a perfect run through Detroit Public School League play with their second win this season over Cass Tech (16-5), this time to seal a city championship.
3. Romulus Summit Academy 35, Harper Woods Chandler Park 33 The Dragons (21-1) emerged from a second close call this season with Chandler Park (12-5), this time to win the Charter School Conference Tournament and after getting past Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac to advance.
4. Freeland 54, Frankenmuth 48 The Falcons (17-3) pulled within a game of the Eagles (18-1) in the Tri-Valley Conference Red, but more notably handed Frankenmuth its only loss and after falling in the first meeting 47-43.
5. Grand Blanc 51, Muskegon 48 The Bobcats (17-3) added to their momentum heading toward the postseason with a close road win over another Division 1 contender in the Big Reds (16-2).
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Muskegon (16-2) Despite Saturday’s loss to Grand Blanc, Muskegon has done more than enough to once again be considered a team to watch next month. The Big Reds won their first 11 games, with their most notable of that run over Wayne Memorial (16-3). They’ve also defeated Lansing Waverly (15-5) and clinched the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green title outright with two games remaining. The only other loss came to Kalamazoo Central (16-2), and a matchup with Hudsonville (16-4) this week could be a nice jumpstart for District play.
Rochester (20-0) The Falcons have improved from five wins in 2022-23 to eight the next winter, to 19 last season and now a 20-0 start as the only remaining undefeated team in Division 1. Rochester, which will be pursuing a second-straight District title next week, can finish an outright title run in the Oakland Activities Association White on Tuesday against second-place Rochester Adams and has won 14 games by double digits this winter – including 66-45 over Adams in their first meeting Jan. 27.
DIVISION 2
Dearborn Divine Child (18-2) The Falcons defeated Detroit Loyola 69-50 on Saturday to add a Catholic High School League AA Tournament title to its regular-season championship. Divine Child has won 17 straight games since opening with losses to Loyola (17-4) and Detroit Catholic Central over its first three in December. Divine Child also has a pair of important wins over Jackson Lumen Christi (14-5) and another notable victory over Dearborn (15-4).
Grant (20-0) The Tigers have reached 20 wins for the second-straight season but this time without a loss as they seek to finish a perfect regular season with victories this week over Morley Stanwood and Big Rapids. Grant defeated Big Rapids 66-40 last week to clinch the Central State Activities Association Red title outright. The team’s only single-digit games came during the first two weeks of December, a one-point win over Cedar Springs in the season opener and three-pointer over Belding a week later.
DIVISION 3
Comstock (15-4) The Colts have enjoyed a magnificent turnaround with their first winning season since 2022-23 and after winning 15 games combined over the last two. They have a half-game lead on Cassopolis in the Southwest 10 Conference with two games left – including the regular-season finale hosting Cassopolis on Friday, and having defeated the Rangers by 20 in their first meeting Jan. 16. Comstock also has locked down the second seed in a tough District behind only Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep.
Springport (15-5) A 62-44 win over Concord on Friday gave Springport a one-game lead on the Yellow Jackets atop the Big 8 Conference with two to play. One more win also will give the Spartans their most in a season in at least 15 years and after entering January at 4-4. The only loss during the current 10-1 run came Jan. 17 to Battle Creek Pennfield, which won the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference, and four of Springport’s five losses came against Division 2 opponents.
DIVISION 4
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (14-4) The Irish have locked up the Mid-State Activities Conference West title and will play East champion Breckenridge twice in a row this week – the second time in Friday’s league championship game. Division 4 runners-up only two seasons ago, the Irish will be playing next week for a fourth-straight District title and with losses this season to three opponents with at least 17 wins and the fourth to Division 1 Flint Carman-Ainsworth. Sacred Heart avenged a two-point defeat to Beal City from Dec. 20 with a 46-24 win Feb. 9.
Southfield Christian (16-5) The Eagles have guaranteed their winningest season since 2021-22 and last week avenged one their losses from this winter, defeating Whitmore Lake in a rematch 54-40 after losing their Jan. 20 meeting by three. Southfield Christian will finish second to Allen Park Inter-City Baptist in the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue, with two losses to the Chargers (18-3). The other defeats came to Genesee Christian (16-4) in overtime and Division 1 Royal Oak.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Gladwin (19-1) at Beaverton (17-4) – These longtime rivals meet a second time this season, this time for the overall Jack Pine Conference title and after Gladwin won the Feb. 3 meeting 61-49.
Tuesday – Macomb Dakota (17-4) at East Kentwood (17-2) – One of the most exciting prep games for the start of the playoffs pits the Macomb Area Conference Red champion Dakota and a Falcons team that has clinched a share of the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red title.
Friday – Dearborn Heights Robichaud (15-3) at Redford Thursday (17-2) – These two also play Monday at Robichaud, and Friday’s rematch will either end in a shared Western Wayne Athletic Conference championship or outright title for tonight’s winner.
Friday – Wayne Memorial (17-3) vs. Hartland (17-3) at Northville – The Kensington Lakes Activities Association overall championship game will be a second chance for Wayne after it lost to Novi in last season’s decider.
Friday – Yale (18-2) at Croswell-Lexington (16-4) – Croswell-Lexington leads Yale by a game in the Blue Water Area Conference with two league games left for both and this rematch the regular-season finale; the Pioneers won the Jan. 20 meeting 64-57 in overtime.
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PHOTOS (Top) Lansing Waverly’s Derek Thomas (22) works to get to the basket during his team’s 101-76 win over Flint Hamady on Saturday. (Middle) Saginaw United’s Lemonte Ramon-Wiley (1) finds a teammate during an 81-78 win over Flint Powers Catholic on Friday. (Photos by Terry Lyons.)