Bellaire, McBain Follow Longtime Leaders
March 22, 2016
By Dennis Chase
Special for Second Half
TRAVERSE CITY – Stan Sexton and Bruce Koopman have been down this road before.
When Bellaire rallied to edge Buckley last Wednesday, it was the Eagles’ sixth MHSAA Class D Regional basketball championship since 2000 under Sexton.
When McBain knocked off Tawas that same night, it was the Ramblers’ sixth Class C Regional title since 2002 under Koopman.
Now, the two coaches are one win away from leading their programs to a fourth Final Four appearance at Michigan State’s Breslin Center.
In tonight’s Quarterfinals, Bellaire (24-1) faces Fulton (18-6) at Traverse City West while McBain (25-0) takes on Ishpeming Westwood (12-12) at Petoskey.
It should come as no surprise that McBain and Bellaire are still in the mix this last week of the season.
The Ramblers graduated just two seniors off a 22-3 squad that lost in the Quarterfinals to Boyne City last March.
“Having gone through those wars last year and having that experience back has paid huge dividends,” Koopman said.
Sexton can say the same. He returned a solid nucleus from a 19-4 team that lost in the Districts to Boyne Falls.
“We had a good team last year,” Sexton said, “but we could get rattled in tight games. We’ve really developed some poise and confidence this season.”
That was evident Wednesday when the Eagles withstood the pressure to pull out a hard-fought 61-57 victory over Buckley.
“That’s coach’s favorite word - poise, poise, poise,” junior Gabe Meriwether said after the victory. “He wants us to be calm and collected (on the court), to play stable and confident basketball. That’s what we did, and that’s why we won.”
McBain had it a little easier, downing Tawas 63-36 with point guard Garett Gugle leading the way with 19 points. He hit five 3-pointers.
Now, Gugle said, the Ramblers need to stay focused. And the sting from last season’s Quarterfinal loss should act as motivation, he said.
“At this point, everyone is even,” Gugle said. “They’re (Westwood) undefeated in the postseason, we’re undefeated.”
Playing on the big stage in March has become a tradition for both Bellaire and McBain.
The Ramblers won the 2002 Class C title with a lineup that included current Ferris State basketball coach Andy Bronkema, former NFL defensive end Dan Bazuin, and Trent Mulder, an all-Great Lakes Interscholastic Athletic Conference pitcher at Northwood.
This, however, is Koopman’s first team to reach the Quarterfinals undefeated. The 2002 squad lost two games – to eventual Class D champ Wyoming Tri-unity Christian and to Class A Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern – in a holiday tournament at Cornerstone University. Those losses, Koopman said, turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
“We never lost after that,” Koopman said. “That taught us we had to be tougher, more physical. Had we not played in that tournament, I don’t think we would have won (the Class C title).”
So how does this team compare to the 2002 squad?
“I don’t know if you can compare teams because there are so many variables,” he said. “I can tell you this, if this team wins another game or two, regardless if they win it all, they deserve to be mentioned in the top two or three during my time here.”
Bellaire came as close as a team can come to winning an MHSAA crown in 2005, only to be denied by Detroit Rogers 71-68 on a miraculous four-point play with 1.6 seconds left in overtime. The Eagles, led by brothers Brandon and Michael McClary, reached the Final Four three times in a four-year span. The McClarys went on to play at Olivet College where Michael became the school’s all-time leading scorer.
The players on this Bellaire team still remember those days.
“When we were younger we looked up to the McClarys when those teams were making their Breslin runs,” senior leader Hayden Niepoth said. “We saw that, and now we want to copy it.”
“They’ll ask, ‘Are we as good as the team of ’05?’” Sexton added. “We (coaches) have to say we don’t have any McClarys on this team, but we have some very good basketball players. We have that important trait the ’05 team had – we’re a team. We play together, we support each other.”
Sexton, who was inducted into the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Hall of Fame in 2011, is in his 27th season as the varsity coach. He did a three-year stint from 1978-81, stepped down and then took the job again in 1992. During that span, he’s posted a 493-139 record, a 78 percent win mark.
Koopman is finishing his 22nd season as McBain’s varsity coach. He’s also won 78 percent of his games, compiling a 407-116 record.
To make it even sweeter, Sexton, 74, and Koopman, 50, are coaching at the same schools they attended.
Sexton’s backstory, though, is quite different than most. He did not play sports in high school. And he certainly wasn’t thinking of a coaching career until Bellaire’s head basketball coach Ed Stoneburner approached him one day at school.
“I was teaching fourth grade at the time,” Sexton recalled. “Ed came up and said, ‘I need a fifth and sixth grade basketball coach.’ I said, ‘I don’t know anything about it.’ He said, ‘That’s all right. We’ll teach you.’”
That was in 1971. To this day, Stoneburner’s influence is part of Sexton’s philosophy.
“What I really took from him was to play this game aggressively,” Sexton said. “Play it hard, play it with intensity. That’s what we preach and I think it shows, especially in our defense.”
Sexton also watched and learned from some of the area’s best coaches – Maple City Glen Lake’s Don Miller, Leland’s Larry Glass, Traverse City’s Jim Anderson and Central Lake’s Gary Johnson, among others.
“I’d pay my two or three dollars to get in, and I’d watch these guys coach,” Sexton said.
He would also pore over the boxscores that were published in the newspaper in those days. One line that caught his attention – team fouls.
“I noticed Glen Lake would always have 8, 9, 10 fouls and the other team would have 18, 19, 20 – with guys fouling out,” Sexton said. “Fouling is poor defense. When you’re sending people to the line you’re giving them a 70 percent chance (to score). That’s what impressed me about Glen Lake. You could see the discipline in Don’s teams.”
Sexton, who also coached girl’ varsity basketball for two years and the baseball team for nearly 20, is aided by a veteran coaching staff that includes Paul Koepke, Jeff Smith and George Mason. All three have been with him for years.
“Great coaches,” he said. “They bring a lot to the game.”
Koopman, meanwhile, played basketball at McBain under Hall of Fame coach Bruce Brumels in the early 1980s. After graduating, he spent a year working in a factory in Cadillac before enrolling at Central Michigan University.
Four years later in 1989, it was Brumels, then the principal, who hired Koopman as a teacher.
“I was very fortunate,” he said. “Everything fell into place.”
Koopman coached junior varsity basketball for five years under Steve Anderson before taking over the boys varsity program in 1994. In addition, he coached girls basketball from 1990-98 and again from 2003-07. He stepped down soon after the girls season switched to the winter. At that time, he also took on the boys JV coaching duties to go with the varsity.
Koopman cites two reasons for his program’s continued success – community support and great players.
“Let’s be honest,” he said. “Great players make good coaches.”
Perhaps another reason is that McBain starts initiating interest in basketball early on. Right after Koopman was hired, the school instituted a co-ed basketball program for elementary students in grades 3-6. It runs seven consecutive Saturdays, starting in January.
“We had close to 140 kids involved this year,” Koopman said.
The elementary program dovetails into the middle school, the feeder program for the high school. Interest has remained strong. Koopman said 29 players tried out for JV basketball this season.
Koopman – who was mentored by Brumels, Anderson and former girls coach Dale Marie DeZeeuw – brings an “old school” approach to coaching. His practices start with defensive drills, followed by rebounding drills.
“We have some practices where that’s all we do,” Gugle said.
After that comes the offensive drills, where once again discipline is required.
“I’m all about patience, working the ball and looking for that good shot,” Koopman said.
His players get the point.
“He likes the basics,” Gugle said. “Nothing fancy.”
Craig Sterk, a 6-foot-7 junior who “plays everywhere,” leads the Ramblers, averaging 15.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Cole Powell, a 6-3 senior, and Logan Eling, a 5-10 junior, average better than 14 points per outing. Powell is in his fourth year on varsity.
“We have experience, balance and depth,” Koopman said. “We defend pretty well. We rebound pretty well.”
Gugle is in his second season running the point. That experience is invaluable, Koopman said.
“That’s another reason we’re better,” he said. “Whatever teams throw at us doesn’t faze him. He handles it and get us into our offense. He doesn’t look to score, but (Wednesday night) they were leaving him open and he was popping ‘em.”
It’s been an exciting winter for Koopman. His oldest daughter, Michaela, played on the girls varsity team, which advanced to the Regional Finals. His son, Jarrett, is a sophomore on the boys varsity.
The Ramblers were taken to the wire twice during the regular season – both in games outside the Highland Conference. A Jimmy Schneider 3-pointer at the buzzer beat Big Rapids, a Class B quarterfinalist, on the road early in the season. Then a Sterk 3-pointer in the waning seconds forced overtime in a late season win at Frankfort.
Bellaire’s only setback came early in the season to a red-hot East Jordan team, which won the Lake Michigan Conference.
The Eagles ran the table in the Ski Valley, handing Johannesburg-Lewiston its only two regular-season losses. Bellaire also downed Onaway, a Class D quarterfinalist, twice. The Eagles’ tournament resume includes wins over Boyne Falls, Frankfort and Buckley.
“It means a lot (to win a Regional),” Niepoth said. “But we’re not done. We don’t want to just get to the quarters, we want to get to the Breslin, and we want to win at the Breslin. That’s our goal. We just have to keep working and getting better every day.”
Meriwether and Niepoth are the catalysts for the Eagles, averaging 18 and 14 points per game, respectively. Niepoth is also the team’s defensive stopper and assists leader.
“He plays both ends of the court,” Sexton said.
Jamal Lockhart provided some big plays in the win over Buckley, scoring 14 in the low post.
But that’s history now. It’s all about the present and tonight’s Quarterfinals.
“Anybody can beat anybody at this stage,” Meriwether said. “It’s survive and advance.”
Dennis Chase worked 32 years as a sportswriter at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, including as sports editor from 2000-14. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Gabe Meriwether dunks for Bellaire against Fife Lake Forest Area, while McBain’s Cole Powell works for position in the post against Tawas. (Middle) McBain coach Bruce Koopman, far left, stands with his team after its Regional championship win. (Below) Bellaire’s Hayden Niepoth drives to the hoop against Mancelona. (Bellaire photos courtesy of Michael Smith and The Antrim Review; McBain photos courtesy of Marc Vieau and The Cadillac News.)
Breslin Bound: 2021-22 Boys Regional Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 14, 2022
The magic number is down to "3" to earn a trip to East Lansing as Michigan's remaining 128 high school boys basketball teams pull closer to reaching the season's final weekend at Michigan State's Breslin Center.
Rematches won by the team that lost the first time (or two) headlined our District Finals from Friday, and a number of rematches are possible again this week with several highlighted below. Check out “Tracking the Tournament” on MHSAA.com for every matchup from all brackets.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Detroit Cass Tech 58, Detroit Martin Luther King 54 (OT) The Technicians (19-3) avenged a 56-51 loss to King (19-3) from Jan. 21 that ended up deciding the Detroit Public School League Blue title.
2. Grand Rapids Catholic Central 68, Hudsonville Unity Christian 48 The reigning Division 2 champion Cougars (21-1) handed Unity Christian (21-1) its only loss of the season.
3. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 63, Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 40 The Eaglets (18-4) had lost to Brother Rice (15-7) by two and 12 during the regular season.
4. Michigan Center 63, Napoleon 47 The Cardinals (17-6) had finished third in the Cascades Conference but defeated champion Vandercook Lake and then runner-up Napoleon (19-3) to claim a Division 3 District title.
5. Grandville Calvin Christian 61, Grand Rapids Covenant Christian 55 The Squires (19-3) avenged a 68-61 overtime loss to the rival Chargers (17-4) from Dec. 17 – Calvin’s last defeat this season.
Regionals at a Glance
These could be among our most competitive brackets. Host sites are in bold:
DIVISION 1
Detroit Renaissance
Detroit U-D Jesuit (16-5) vs. Hamtramck (19-3), North Farmington (18-3) vs. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (18-4)
To say this Regional is loaded is an understatement. Jesuit was No. 1 in final Division 1 MPR, St. Mary’s was No. 2, Hamtramck No. 9 and North Farmington No. 13. Jesuit won its first two meetings with St. Mary’s this season, but the Eaglets won the most recent 65-43 in the Detroit Catholic League Bishop Tournament. Hamtramck hasn’t lost since Jan. 15, with a pair of wins over River Rouge (17-4) highlighting its run. North Farmington’s losses came to opponents that all won 15 or more games, and the Raiders avenged the most recent by defeating Oak Park 45-36 in a regular-season finale. For common opponent purposes, Oak Park fell to Jesuit in their District Final by just a point.
Grand Haven
Muskegon (20-2) vs. Grand Rapids Northview (22-1), Holland West Ottawa (11-12) vs. Wyoming (15-7)
Tonight’s Regional Semifinals feature a titanic matchup between Ottawa-Kent Conference champions as Green title winner Muskegon takes on White title winner Northview. The Wildcats’ only loss was in their second meeting against Grand Rapids Christian (18-4), while Muskegon has lost only to Kalamazoo Central (14-7) and Ferndale (18-3) – and all three of those opponents also have gone on to win District titles. The Big Reds were ranked No. 10 in final Division 1 MPR. West Ottawa lost five straight to end the regular season before reversing course with a District title run, and Wyoming finished second to Muskegon in the Green and also faced Northview this season.
River Rouge
Lincoln Park (16-6) vs. Brownstown Woodhaven (18-4), Dearborn (17-5) vs. Detroit Cass Tech (19-3)
Cass Tech’s District Final win continued a run of 10 victories over its last 11 games, and the Technicians last week actually avenged two of their regular-season losses by also defeating Detroit Western in a District Semifinal. They next face a District full of similarly hungry programs looking to take a big step. Woodhaven won the Downriver League and Lincoln Park was second despite Lincoln Park winning both of their regular-season meetings. Lincoln Park was 3-12 just a season ago, and Woodhaven is riding high with eight wins over its last nine games and all by double digits. Dearborn has taken a couple of nice steps the last few seasons, and three of its losses were to Kensington Lakes Activities Association East champ Belleville (16-6) as the Pioneers finished second this winter.
DIVISION 2
Flint Powers Catholic
Richmond (19-3) vs. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (15-7), Croswell-Lexington (22-0) vs. Goodrich (18-4)
Crowell-Lexington is a combined 61-3 over the last three seasons, with COVID-19 ending its 2020 run and an overtime Quarterfinal loss finishing 2021. The Pioneers were first again in the Blue Water Area Conference and Richmond second, but Croswell-Lexington won the second meeting Feb. 22 only 56-54. To set up a third, the Pioneers will have to get by another league champion in the Flint Metro League Stars’ Goodrich, which avenged a late loss to Lake Fenton by defeating the Blue Devils by 11 in their District Final. Richmond takes on Notre Dame Prep, which also had a bit of a rough end to the regular season – facing some of the state’s top teams with a loss to Goodrich during that stretch – but the Fighting Irish came back to edge Warren Michigan Collegiate (15-5) by a point in their District Final.
Three Rivers
Benton Harbor (20-2) vs. Holland Christian (15-7), Edwardsburg (15-7) vs. Parchment (20-1)
On opposite sides of this bracket sit No. 5 Parchment and No. 8 Benton Harbor, Parchment seeking its first Regional title since 2000 and Benton Harbor its first since 2018 when it went on to win the Class B championship. Parchment’s only defeat was to Schoolcraft (20-2), while Benton Harbor lost only to Muskegon (see above) and Detroit Edison (16-6) – all three of those opponents are still playing this week. Parchment first must get past Edwardsburg, also a league champion. Benton Harbor opens with Holland Christian, which tied for second in a power-packed O-K Blue and suffered all of its losses to opponents that won 16 or more games this winter.
Williamston
Marshall (20-2) vs. Lansing Catholic (13-10), Williamston (22-0) vs. Onsted (22-0)
Unbeatens Onsted and Williamston make for one of tonight’s premier matchups, in any division, with Williamston playing only one single-digit game this season and Onsted only three. Williamston last won a Regional title in 2018, and Onsted is seeking its first since 1983. On the other side, Marshall shared the title in an Interstate 8 Athletic Conference that produced four teams that won at least 14 games. Lansing Catholic defeated Division 1 Holt on the way into the playoffs and then the two teams that finished ahead of the Cougars in the Capital Area Activities Conference White – champion Ionia and runner-up Lansing Sexton – on the way to the District title.
DIVISION 3
Centreville
Lawton (15-7) vs. Schoolcraft (20-2), Watervliet (18-3) vs. Bronson (13-9)
Schoolcraft and Watervliet both shared Southwestern Athletic Conference divisional titles but haven’t seen each other this season, although they have three mutual opponents. Schoolcraft hasn’t lost since Dec. 28, including handing Parchment (see above) its only defeat. The Eagles open with Lawton, which finished third in Watervliet’s SAC Lakeshore division. Watervliet faces Bronson, which finished fifth in a competitive Big 8 Conference and is riding an eight-game winning streak.
Flint Beecher
Hemlock (15-7) vs. Flint Beecher (19-2), Bad Axe (20-2) vs. Marlette (12-11)
Reigning Division 3 champion Beecher has been a favorite to repeat all season, ranked No. 2 in final Division 3 MPR and with its only losses to Division 1 Grand Blanc (17-5) and Detroit Martin Luther King (19-3). The Bucs are coming off a 31-point win over Reese (18-3) in their District Final. Hemlock has seven losses, but six of them were by a combined 17 points – or just under three per defeat – and they avenged one with an 18-point win over Ithaca in last week’s District Final. On the other side, Bad Axe will see Marlette for the second time in two weeks after winning the first meeting by 18. The Hatchets’ only losses were to Reese.
Sault Ste. Marie
Ishpeming Westwood (17-4) vs. Menominee (19-3), Harbor Springs (10-11) vs. Benzie Central (19-3)
Menominee entered the postseason as the No. 1 team in overall Division 3 MPR with its losses to teams that have at least 18 wins and are still alive in their respective divisions. The Maroons actually defeated Escanaba (18-4) twice to finish first in the Great Northern Conference before losing their third meeting, and they are seeking their first Regional title since 2008. Westwood also is a league champion, from the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference East, and is seeking its first Regional title since 2016. Benzie, winner of the Northwest Conference, is seeking its first Regional title since 1997 after emerging from one of the strongest Division 3 Districts in the state, with Harbor Springs one of the surprise District champs after upsets of St. Ignace (15-6) and East Jordan (13-9) last week.
DIVISION 4
Kingsley
Lake Leelanau St. Mary (18-4) vs. Ellsworth (19-3), Frankfort (11-11) vs. McBain Northern Michigan Christian (22-0)
Ellsworth is seeking its first Regional title since 2009, NMC its first since 2003 and St. Mary its first since 1950. Frankfort has more recent history playing in the late stages of this tournament, finishing Division 4 runner-up in 2019. The Panthers represent the strong Northwest Conference won by Benzie Central (see above), but NMC did win their Feb. 26 meeting 61-49 and claimed the title in a similarly Division 3-heavy Highland Conference. Ellsworth won the Northern Lakes Conference, with its two most recent losses to Division 3 teams. St. Mary as an independent has played a variety of schools all over the state and has wins over Ellsworth (71-63) and Frankfort (64-38), with three of its four losses to Division 3 schools and the fourth to Rudyard (21-1).
Negaunee
Ewen-Trout Creek (19-3) vs. Lake Linden-Hubbell (13-8), Powers North Central (18-4) vs. Munising (19-2)
Ewen-Trout Creek finished second in overall Division 4 MPR, with North Central No. 4 and Munising No. 12. All three are league champions. Ewen-Trout Creek owns a big win over Lake Linden-Hubbell from a month ago and also a one-pointer over Menominee (see above) from March 1, but the Lakes are riding a six-game winning streak. North Central and Munising meet again after the Jets won their Feb. 23 game 59-48 and Munising won the rematch March 3 64-43. North Central’s only other losses were to Menominee, with Munising’s other defeat to Rudyard.
Peck
Clarkston Everest Collegiate (17-5) vs. Marine City Cardinal Mooney (14-8), Genesee Christian (18-4) vs. Ubly (17-4)
All four finished among the top 24 in Division 4 MPR – with Genesee Christian No. 7, Ubly No. 11 and Everest No. 13. Genesee Christian has three losses from either Beecher or Flint Hamady, which also advanced to this week in Division 2, and the Soldiers defeated Everest 55-50 on Jan. 29. Ubly won the Greater Thumb Conference East with all four of its losses to Division 3 teams that won 14 or more games, and the Bearcats earned a 69-44 win over another league champ Kinde North Huron to finish last week’s District run. This will be the third meeting between Everest and Cardinal Mooney, with the Mountaineers winning the first two by two and then three in overtime, respectively. Everest also has a two-point win over annual contender Southfield Christian.
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PHOTO Jalen Kampen (22) gets his hand on a loose ball during Parchment's 58-55 win over Otsego to clinch a Division 2 District title Friday. (Photo by Gary Shook.)