Esler Pilots DeLaSalle Back to Final Week
By
Tom Markowski
Special for Second Half
March 19, 2018
WARREN – There isn’t much that Greg Esler hasn’t seen or experienced as a coach and as a father.
Through it all he’s learned to take nothing for granted, in life and as a coach.
Esler, 63, coached St. Clair Shores Lake Shore to its first and only MHSAA boys basketball title in 1994, in Class B. That team was led by Travis Conlan, who finished second in the voting for Mr. Basketball that season. Conlan would go on to play at University of Michigan, one of a number of Esler-coached players who went on to the college – and for some – professional ranks.
Esler is in his 31st season as a head coach, with the last 24 at Warren DeLaSalle. Twenty-one times the Pilots have won a District title with Esler on the bench. In 2007, DeLaSalle reached a Class A Semifinal for just the second time in school history, as it lost to Manny Harris and Detroit Redford 56-50. (Note: In addition to two Class A Semifinal appearances, DeLaSalle also reached a Class B Final in 1982).
Consistency has been a hallmark of Esler’s programs, and even after all these years a fire burns in his stomach. He’s retained a burning desire to compete and to win. As the years have piled up, Esler has become more appreciative of the success his program has achieved and the experiences gained.
So when DeLaSalle defeated Macomb Dakota, 56-51, in a Regional Final last Wednesday, there was reason to celebrate. As good as DeLaSalle has been recently, it hadn’t won a Regional title since 2010. The Pilots have been to the Detroit Catholic League final each of the last three seasons and have won five District titles since 2010 including the last three. But the end of last season stung more than most. DeLaSalle reached a Regional Final and then lost to Troy, 48-40, in an ugly game where the Pilots shot less than 30 percent from the field.
Most of that team is back as the Pilots head into the final week of this season. Esler has nine seniors including two of the top players in the league in point guard Justin Fischer and guard-forward Luke Pfromm, the starting quarterback on the Division 2 championship football team.
Esler started coaching at Warren St. Anne grade school in 1983, then went to DeLaSalle for three seasons beginning in 1985 under then-coach Gary Buslepp. Esler got his shot as a head coach in 1987 at Lake Shore and quickly made that program relevant. Lake Shore reached the Class B Semifinals in 1993 before losing to coach Norwaine Reed and Saginaw Buena Vista.
Esler took over the DeLaSalle program at the start of the 1994-95 season. His career record stands at 530-216 heading into tonight’s Class A Quarterfinal against Detroit U-D Jesuit.
“We instilled a system here,” he said. “The first thing is to have your players in condition. Second is defense. I’ve always stressed defense. And third, and maybe this should be first, is talent. We’ve always had really good players here. And the players we’ve had want to get better.”
What often goes unnoticed in a basketball program is the work of the assistant coaches. Esler has been blessed with loyal and knowledgeable assistants. His top assistant is Tom Mehl, who played for Esler for two seasons at Lake Shore. Mehl was on staff for Esler’s last four seasons at Lake Shore and has been with Esler every step of the way at DeLaSalle.
Jeff Becker is in his 13th season as an assistant, and another, Dave Grauzer, recently left the program and now is an assistant at Traverse City West.
“Surrounding yourself with good people is at the top of the list,” Esler said. “One thing about Tom, there’s no one I’ve seen who can go to a game to scout and pick up something no one else would see. Like a player who takes two dribbles before driving to his right or left. For Becker, it’s organization. He works well with the kids, and he’s got the post players. Mehl has the guards.
“Over the years I’ve listened. Listened to other coaches. I don’t have all the answers. I talk to Steve Hall at (Detroit) Cass Tech all the time. He’s been a great friend over the years.”
This team has a closeness not always seen. The fact that there are nine seniors is one reason. Esler points out that he’s been with this group for more than 100 days this season, and when you’re around a group that long tempers can flare – so it’s important to keep the present in perspective and realize they all want to reach the same goal.
“We do a lot of things outside of basketball,” Esler said. “Last week four of my captains read to the students at (St. Clair Shores) St. Germaine grade school. My wife, Renee, is a fourth and fifth grade teacher there, and it’s way for the players to interact with the younger students.
“I read an article recently on (Michigan) coach (John) Beilein and how the game has changed. The kids have changed. We watch game film but not like we used to. Their attention span isn’t like it used to be. The technology now, with Facebook and texting, it’s unbelievable. We might watch film for 20 minutes where we used to watch for hours.
“My players will tell you, I love the practices much more than they do. Games are like taking a test. If you didn’t win, maybe you failed at some area that cost you. They love each other and they do a good job of listening. All five starters have scored 20 points or more in a game this season. And they don’t get rattled. We were down four to Dakota with four minutes to go and Pfromm came to me in the huddle and said, ‘Don’t worry coach. We got this.’ I can see why they won a state title in football.”
Fischer has matured significantly as a leader and force offensively. A three-year starter, he has signed with Lake Superior State.
Fischer came into the program as a skinny 5-foot-10 freshman. By the time he was a junior, he had grown five inches. Now he’s 6-4 and weighs 185 pounds.
“I was a pass-first guard as a sophomore,” he said. “I’ve worked on my shooting, just working on my total game.
“We were pumped up for that Dakota game. We got the crowd going crazy. We were down and Luke hit a couple of 3s. I had a dunk and hit four free throws late.”
DeLaSalle (18-7) will play Catholic League Central rival Detroit U-D Jesuit (22-3) next. The Class A Quarterfinal will be played Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Calihan Hall, the site of the Catholic League final. Jesuit won that game, 71-64. In fact, Fischer has lost nine consecutive games to U-D as a varsity player.
He shouldn’t feel alone. DeLaSalle hasn’t defeated U-D since 2014 when the teams tied for the Catholic League Central regular-season title – a streak of 14 straight defeats to the Cubs. U-D won this season’s meetings 64-45, 59-57 and 64-55.
Esler keeps U-D recent domination of his program on the light side.
“I’ve said I’d have to coach until 2031 to get to .500 against them,” he said.
Tom Markowski is a columnist and directs website coverage for the State Champs! Sports Network. He previously covered primarily high school sports for the The Detroit News from 1984-2014, focusing on the Detroit area and contributing to statewide coverage of football and basketball. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Warren DeLaSalle coach Greg Esler talks things over during his team’s Regional Final win against Macomb Dakota. (Middle) Justin Fischer launches a free throw during the 56-51 victory.
Jackson Remembers, Honors Hoops Hero
By
Chip Mundy
Special for Second Half
December 8, 2016
By Chip Mundy
Special for Second Half
JACKSON – More than 30 years ago, Gary Thompkins moved away from Jackson after his high school days. But he never really left home.
He thought about leaving the sun and warmth of his Arizona home and coming back to Jackson, hopefully to coach the basketball team at his alma mater, Jackson High School. His son Zeke wanted to play at the same school as his father, and Gary's dream job was to coach the Vikings.
While the coaching move wasn't in the cards at that time, Thompkins did return this summer to host a youth basketball camp at the old gym at his high school. He hoped it would become an annual event, and he planned to return again this month when his number would be retired.
On Sept. 3, less than a month after the camp and just 12 days shy of his 51st birthday, Thompkins died of a massive heart attack in Phoenix.
“It's just how life works,” said Jack Fairly, athletic director at Jackson. “He came home and ran that camp and a few weeks later he has a heart attack. Immediately you wish you would have retired his number sooner, but how do you know?
“It's a learning thing, too. Don't wait sometimes to tell people what you want them to know.”
The shocking news traveled through Jackson and his Thompkins’ friends like a lightning bolt. At his service in Jackson, one speaker said, “Growing up, we knew about Tony Dungy. We knew who the best football player was to come out of Jackson, but he was older than us and we didn't know him that well. When it came to basketball, we had Gary. Gary was our Tony Dungy.”
It seemed most everyone agreed, and in 2002, the Jackson Citizen Patriot named Thompkins the best high school basketball player in Jackson County history.
“He's the best player I ever coached, and it's not even close,” said Andy Sheridan, who coached Thompkins in high school.
Tuesday night, Jackson High School fulfilled its plan to retire Gary's No. 40 in a heartwarming, emotional ceremony. Gary's father, Bobby Thompkins, and Sheridan were on the court to reveal the banner as Gary joined his father and Regina Pierce as the only Jackson High School basketball players to have their numbers retired.
Following in Dad's basketball shoes
In the 1960s, Bobby Thompkins was the top basketball player in Jackson, and up until Tuesday night, he was the only male basketball player to have his number retired at Jackson High – a school that won Class A titles in 1948 and 1955.
“Bobby really pushed Gary and worked with him,” Sheridan said. “Bobby really wanted him to play, and that was a good thing.
“The thing is, though, if a kid doesn't want to play, he isn't going to play. I've had kids who had talent but didn't have the desire. Gary wanted to play all the time. If I could have opened that gym up 24 hours a day, he would have been in there 24 hours a day.”
Bobby Thompkins was an inside player, and Gary was a point guard who could do it all. There were not many similarities.
“Gary could go out and shoot it from 15, 20, 25 feet, and I was anywhere from 14 to 15 feet in, so I always played inside while Gary was outside,” Bobby Thompkins said. “But that was one of the things that Andy and I talked about as he grew up.
“It was to his advantage and his future for him to be able to handle the ball and play outside, and that is the way Andy coached him.”
It could not have been easy playing basketball in Jackson with the last name of Thompkins. But Gary embraced it. He was proud of his father but wanted to be better. He played with a swagger and had a flair for the dramatic. He was good, and he knew it. But off the court, he came off as just another guy.
“In 1984, his senior year, I was just back out of college, and I was substitute teaching,” Fairly said. “He gave me the time of day, and I was like some guy he didn't need to know. He was everything to us. He was our Mr. Basketball.
“The impressive thing is that he took the time to talk to me and get to know me. He shook my hand and introduced himself to me and made me part of what was going on with him just by being polite. Not every great star does that, and I think that spoke volumes about his character. So you root for a guy like that.”
Having Sheridan as his coach was a perfect match, too. Sheridan and Bobby Thompkins had been teammates on some fine basketball teams at Spring Arbor College and maintained their friendship throughout the years. Gary attended Jackson Catholic Middle School, but when it came time to choose a high school, he went to a public school for one important reason.
“Bobby called me and said, 'If you're going to be the coach, Gary is going to be at Jackson High,'” Sheridan said.
In Gary's senior season, Jackson won a Class A District title and won a game in the Regional tournament for the first time since 1969 before losing in the Regional Final. Thompkins left Jackson High with several impressive accomplishments: He finished second in the voting for Mr. Basketball – the highest finish ever for a Jackson County player – and was a two-time Class A all-state first-team selection and a four-year varsity player.
In the annual state high school all-star game that year, Gary was voted the Most Valuable Player. On Father's Day.
Thompkins established school records for career points (1,543), rebounds (801), assists (582) and steals (218). Those records still stand. He could do it all on both ends of the court.
He was heavily recruited by former University of Michigan coach Johnny Orr and played for Orr at Iowa State, where he teamed with another Michigan high school star – Flint Northwestern’s Jeff Grayer – and helped the Cyclones return to the NCAA Tournament for just the second time since 1944.
Perhaps the highlight was Iowa State's 72-69 second-round victory over Michigan in 1986 – a game that Orr called “my biggest victory.”
In four seasons at Iowa State, Thompkins had 900 points and 600 assists. He lived up to the hype.
Always living the game
After giving pro basketball a shot, Thompkins settled into a coaching and teaching role. He was a special-needs instructor and basketball coach at Greenway High School in Phoenix, and he was fondly known as “Coach G.”
Basketball wasn't his only focus, but it always was a passion.
“Gary was a great player, and he actually lived the game,” Sheridan said. “All the way through his coaching, he would call me so many times and tell me how his teams were doing and how his kids were doing. He really lived the game. He really did. Basketball was his thing.”
Not surprisingly, Thompkins' two step-sons are gifted in basketball. His oldest step-son, Sammy Barnes-Thompkins, played as a freshman last season at Boston College before transferring to Odessa College in Texas this winter to get more playing time.
The younger step-son is Zeke Thompkins, a freshman at Greenway High School in Phoenix who already is catching the eye of college coaches. And it is Zeke who had a dream to one day play basketball at Jackson High – his father's school.
A few years ago, Thompkins considered moving back to Jackson to coach the Vikings and give Zeke the chance to play there. Although the job likely would have been his had he wanted, things didn't match up. But it remained a dream.
“What they did in Arizona was make him a permanent sub, and being that he was a permanent sub, he automatically could coach and support his family,” Bobby Thompkins said. “That was one of the pieces that I think was missing in regards to coming home, but he wanted his kids to play here and wanted to coach here.”
It was with a ton of pride that Gary returned to Jackson on Aug. 13 to hold a shooting camp at Jackson High School. It was interesting that instead of holding the camp in the current gym – the one in which he played – he wanted the camp to be held at the cozy old gym that housed the two MHSAA championship teams and is filled with character.
It was his way of giving back and staying in touch with his old school. He had hoped to make it an annual event that would grow in size each year.
“It was a hot day, and Gary did a great job with the kids for us,” said Dan Crowley, Jackson High boys basketball coach. “He was very gracious to everybody.
“He was looking forward to coming back for the first game when his number was retired.”
Instead, the ceremony went on without Gary. It was heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time, especially for his family.
“The way in which I’m dealing with it is that it's an opportunity to do something for a young man who was successful,” Bobby Thompkins said. “I have to thank the school district and also thank Andy and Jack, who also have promoted this, and at the same time, this might give an opportunity for others to have the opportunity to have their numbers retired. It would be great for their families.
“Also, it's a positive reinforcement for our community, giving honor and respect that is needed for those who were successful.”
Gary Thompkins left a legacy in Jackson as versatile as his playing skills. He was fierce and confident on the court. He was nice and gracious off it. And he possessed a tremendous love for his family, his sport and his high school that stayed with him until his final days.
He packed a ton of living into his nearly 51 years. It would have been a surprise if he hadn't.
Chip Mundy served as sports editor at the Brooklyn Exponent and Albion Recorder from 1980-86, and then as a reporter and later copy editor at the Jackson Citizen-Patriot from 1986-2011. He also co-authored Michigan Sports Trivia. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Former Jackson coach Andy Sheridan (left) and Bobby Thompkins hold up the banner signifying the retirement of Gary Thompkins’ number during Tuesday’s ceremony. (Middle) Gary Thompkins, during his high school career with the Vikings. (Below) Gary Thompkins, left, with former high school teammate and current NCAA Division I college official Earl Walton during Thompkins’ camp at Jackson High in September. (Top photo by Laura Quinn; middle photo courtesy of the Jackson Citizen Patriot.)