Frankfort 'Factory' Producing Contenders
December 9, 2015
By Dennis Chase
Special for Second Half
FRANKFORT – Tim Reznich and Reggie Manville are fly fishing and coaching buddies.
They share and enjoy mutual interests, especially when it comes to running Frankfort's two successful basketball programs.
Reznich, now in his 14th season, has guided the girls to nine District, four Regional and two MHSAA Class D titles.
Manville, beginning his fifth season, has led the boys to four District and three Regional championships in a row, with a Semifinal appearance in 2014. Before Manville's arrival, the Panthers had gone 11 years without a District crown, nearly 40 without a Regional title and almost 50 without a Semifinal berth.
"Our expectations are high (in both programs)," Manville said. "We've set that bar, and now it's a situation where people expect us to be there. It's a product of past success. Last year our girls and boys were a combined 45-5. That's an unbelievable record when you stop and think about it.
"One of the programs I tried to emulate when I took over was the girls program," Manville added. "They had been there (to the big stage) before; the boys hadn't. I wanted to get us to the point where we were at the same elite level. When I say elite, I mean that you're usually winning a Regional because then you've got a shot at winning a state title. That's where both programs are right now. I joke around with Tim. Being from Flint, a factory town, I like to say this is our Frankfort basketball factory. We've got two shifts going 24/7."
The girls made a serious run at a third MHSAA crown last March, losing to eventual champion St. Ignace in the Semifinals. The Panthers led by 13 in the first half. Then Margo Brown hit seven 3-pointers to fuel the Saints’ comeback.
"They were deep 3s, 23-footers coming off screens," Reznich said. "It was something."
The boys reached the Quarterfinals before falling in overtime to Fulton.
Optimism is high as the teams embark on their 2015-16 campaigns.
Reznich returns three starters, including two-time all-state pick Mackenna Kelly, who signed with Central Michigan University last month. Junior Cecelia Schmitt and senior point guard Anna Hunt are also back. They all have their eyes on the top prize.
"The goal is the same as it is every year – to win a state championship," Kelly said. "That's the ultimate goal, and we're working hard in practice every single day to reach it. That's the plan."
Reznich believes that goal is realistic.
"They've been preparing for this," he said. "They feel good, they feel confident, they feel it's their time to shine.”
The Panthers boast an experienced team with seven seniors, plus Schmitt, who averaged about 11 points a game as a sophomore. Kelly said the chemistry between the players is the strength of the team.
"We've all been together a long time," she said. "We know each other really well."
Chemistry is not the only strength, though. Reznich likes two other qualities his team possesses.
"This might be the most athletic, and the quickest, team I've had," he said.
That helps make up for a lack of size, although Kelly and Schmitt play bigger than their listed heights of 5-foot-10.
Frankfort opened last week with a 57-37 win over McBain, traditionally one of the stronger Class C teams in the north. The Panthers, who shot better than 60 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, led 22-2 after the first quarter.
Satisfying? Sort of, Kelly said. She thought the Panthers lost some intensity after building their lead. She described it as a learning moment.
"That game told us we need a lot of work," the 17-year-old said. "We came out pretty hot – we weren't missing a lot of shots – but we kind of fizzled out. Most of our action was in the first half, which can't happen. It needs to be (like that) the whole game."
Kelly finished with 24 points. A year ago, she averaged 17 points and seven rebounds for the 24-2 Panthers. She said she spent her offseason working on her range and a pull-up jumper.
"I've had a tendency on the fast break to try and plow through everyone, which doesn't go in my favor most of the time," she said.
"She still gets to the rim, but instead of forcing her way to the rim she's worked on a pull-up jumper," Reznich added. "She shot really well against McBain. I expect her to do that all season."
Frankfort’s run the table in the Northwest Conference the last two seasons. Reznich is expecting a battle this season, especially with Maple City Glen Lake picking up Sarah Carney, a transfer from Traverse City St. Francis.
The Gladiators remain a challenge, though, as Frankfort fell to St. Francis 76-72 on Wednesday. The Panthers’ schedule also includes Manistee, Saginaw Arthur Hill and Harper Woods Chandler Park. They'll play Arthur Hill in the Motor City Classic later this month in Detroit. Chandler Park will travel to Frankfort in January.
"We've put ourselves out there (with this schedule)," Reznich said.
So has Manville's team, whose nonleague schedule includes larger schools like St. Francis, Elk Rapids, McBain and Boyne City. The Panthers opened the season Tuesday with a 67-16 win over Class B Remus Chippewa Hills.
"One of reasons we've had success in the postseason is that we've toughened our schedule up," he said. "Like I said, I'm from Flint. That's all we did, played tough teams – Saginaw, three Flint schools, Pontiac. It didn't matter who you played. They were all good.
"As a coach, you want your regular season to prepare you for the tournament. You don't want any surprises. You want your kids to see everything so they're well-seasoned. Wins and losses? I would like to win every game. I'm very competitive. But my main goal is winning championships. That's what I want."
Manville, who coached Charlie Bell at Flint Southwestern, returns five players from last year's rotation. Plus, senior Mason Loney is back. The 6-2 Loney, who was on varsity as a freshman, injured a knee in football and missed his entire junior year.
"Physically, he's about 100 percent," Manville said. "Mentally, he's still working on being more aggressive. He'll be fine. He'll get there."
When Loney was out last season, the Panthers replaced him in the lineup with his younger brother, Matt. Now a sophomore, Matt will be one of the go-to players on the team, along with sophomore Jaylon Rogers, senior point guard Nate Frieswyk, four-year veteran Kole Hollenbeck – a standout on the football team that reached the Regionals – and Tristan Rogers.
"I think this will be the best shooting team I've had here, and the quickest team," Manville said. "We're going to get up and down the floor. We're not big, though, and that could be a problem on the boards. That's something we'll have to continually work at."
The Panthers are 73-25 over the last four years. They were 21-3 last season, one in which the 70-year-old Manville missed several games with health issues. He had back surgery in December, a hip replacement in February. Manville returned to the bench, but then spent the night of the Quarterfinal game in the hospital after having a bad reaction to the medication he was given. He credits his assistant, Dan Loney, for keeping the team on task and on track. Former head coach Dave Jackson also assisted.
"I can't be more pleased with the job he's doing," Manville said of Loney.
Loney had to step in the previous year, too, when Manville suffered a heart attack during the season.
He said he feels "great" now and that coaching gives him a positive outlet in his life.
"Walking in that gym is a plus," he said. "You need positives in your life when things are going bad, and basketball's always been there. Coaching's a love."
Right now, basketball’s a love in Frankfort. The teams are generously supported by the community, the school administration and a lively student body that was a 2014 finalist in the MHSAA’s Battle of the Fans contest.
“The atmosphere here is awesome,” Kelly said. “Everyone talks about the games the day before, the day of, the day after. It’s a fun thing.”
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) Mackenna Kelly, left, and Nate Frieswyk have helped Frankfort's teams to MHSAA Semifinals at the Breslin Center during the last two seasons, the girls advancing in 2015 and the boys in 2014. (Middle) Anna Hunt (22) is among returnees for a Panthers team expected to contend. (Below) Boys coach Reggie Manville, with clipboard, discusses strategy with his team during the 2014 trip to East Lansing.
Johnston Retires as Winningest Coach, Much More to Beaverton Dream He Built
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
March 15, 2024
Before Roy Johnston left the court that bears his name for the final time as Beaverton head boys basketball coach on Feb. 23, 1,500-plus fans, family and current and former players had one more chant.
It wasn’t the name of the coach they all adored after he wrapped up the winningest career in MHSAA basketball history. It wasn’t even the school song, or a slogan.
With Johnston pumping a raised fist, the community chanted “Judy” to honor his wife, who could not be at the game or celebration as she was battling cancer.
It was a fitting tribute to the woman behind the coach who became more than the face of the community, and one last opportunity for those fans to say thank you to her for her own efforts and sacrifices in helping the Beaverton become something pulled straight from the movie screen – the small-town sports tale complete with the iconic coach in the lead role and generations of locals living their dedication by filling the stands for every game.
Judy Johnston passed away this past Saturday, a little more than two weeks after the ceremony that honored her husband. She was 81.
All interviews for this story were completed prior to her passing, but a common theme when talking about Johnston’s 50-year career and importance to Beaverton was that the entire family, specifically Judy, had played a big role.
“His family has put forth an incredible amount of effort into our community,” said former player Brent Mishler. “In basketball and in general.”
Family is at the center of Johnston and Beaverton’s immense success over his 50 years. Not only has he coached multiple generations of several Beaverton families – including three generations of Mishlers – but he’s coached his own children, and grandchildren.
Small town programs often rely on players who have grown up around them and together, and Beaverton has that in spades.
“It was a dream,” former player and Johnston’s co-coach, Shad Woodruff, said of having his son Layk play for Johnston. “I got to play for Roy and be part of all that Beaverton basketball is – it’s not just a sport around here. We have video of (Layk) dribbling a basketball in the gym literally before he could walk. He’s been the little guy that always looked up to (Roy’s grandsons) Spencer Johnston and Carter Johnston, so just to be a part of Beaverton basketball is special.
“It’s like when your kid gets there, you’re giving your kid to the community for a while and saying, ‘Here you go.’ It’s amazing to watch your son out there, especially in a community like ours. Roy has created this thing with Beaverton basketball where every Friday night, it’s like church. Everybody’s there.”
The numbers behind Johnston’s career, which started in 1966 in Yale, are remarkable. He holds the MHSAA record for wins by a boys basketball coach at 833, the vast majority coming at Beaverton, the program he took over in 1974.
The Beavers won 21 conference titles, 17 District titles and five Regional titles during Johnston’s 50 years, adding a run to the MHSAA Semifinals in 1984.
Just six of Johnston’s seasons ended in records below .500, and in a fitting tribute to their coach, this year’s Beavers scratched and clawed their way to a five-game win streak at the end of the season to ensure his last wouldn’t be No. 7, finishing the year 12-12 with a loss to Beal City in the District Final.
Included in that streak was a 54-45 victory over rival Gladwin on the night Johnston was honored. The Beavers trailed by as many as nine during the second half before rallying to win, led by a 26-rebound performance from 6-foot, 1½-inch senior Reese Longstreth, who Woodruff called the epitome of a Beaverton basketball player.
“I’ve been fortunate to be around Roy for 40 years, and I’ve seen a lot of great wins, especially in that gym,” Woodruff said. “I can’t put anything above that one.”
Layk Woodruff made the final basket in the game, which will forever be the final basket made in Roy F. Johnston Gymnasium during the Johnston era.
“It was super emotional, I’d say, for a bunch of reasons,” Layk Woodruff said of the game. “We felt like it was our responsibility, we had to that game for Roy. It was a rivalry game, last home game of the year – there were a lot of emotions when that game ended. I didn’t even think about (hitting the final shot) until a couple days later. Now that I get to think about it, it’s pretty cool to say that was me. I’ll always remember that.”
One celebration led to another, as Johnston’s retirement ceremony followed the game. A tribute video created by Beaverton graduate Jason Brown, who owns a digital media company, and narrated by longtime Beaverton public address announcer Scott Govitz was played. Govitz admitted to getting choked up at times while recording the video.
“There were a couple times where I did more than one take,” he said.
Govitz was at the center of a massive effort to create the ceremony, with support from athletic director Will Gaudard, school staff and members of the community, including multiple businesses and organizations. Govitz had arranged for special lighting and video screens for the presentation. Special tickets were printed for the night – which also happened to be Beaverton’s Hall of Fame night. Following the video, a spotlight was shone on center court, where a single chair sat, one of Johnston’s vintage red blazers draped over its back.
The more than 100 former players who had come to celebrate their coach each had a glow stick they cracked on, and walked through the darkness to surround the chair.
Then Johnston walked the red carpet – much like his starters have for years when being introduced prior to games – and addressed the crowd.
He didn’t speak for long, but as Johnston so often does, he hit all the right notes, mixing gratitude with humor.
“Gladwin County is a great place to raise a good family,” Johnston said after thanking the traveling contingent from Gladwin.
“I want to thank everyone for a great run. Fifty years. A great run.”
For outsiders, it was a chance to see the softer side of Johnston rather than the man intensely patrolling the sidelines during games. It was a glimpse at the man that handed out suckers before games to every kid in attendance.
“He belonged on an episode of ‘Grumpy Old Men,’ and he still could play the role,” Govitz said with a laugh. “He would always say, ‘Don’t listen to the way I say it, listen to what I say.’ He just wants you to do things correctly. His players, maybe they didn’t adore it at the time, but they adore it now. Being a part of that program taught them more than basketball skills. … What will happen, once they leave, they find that great respect for it. And, he does things quietly that no one ever knows or sees – helping someone in need, especially the ones in college, checking up on them or sending them some money. That helps build a program and build relationships. He said in his last speech that it’s about getting along with others. If you can’t get along well with others, you can’t get along. That’s what it’s about.”
Mishler echoed that sentiment, and some of the memories that stick out most to the 2002 graduate were when Johnston got after him in his own special way.
“Playing for him was a privilege,” said Mishler, whose father Steve played for Johnston in the ’70s, and his son Cameron played through 2021. “The life lessons he taught set you up for success in life for the future. ‘You need to hear what I’m saying, not the method I’m saying it.’ That’s so true. Being honest and having expectations, and expecting people to hit those expectations, is not a bad thing.”
After Johnston was done speaking, he knelt down and kissed the floor to say goodbye to the job he’s done for most of his life, and in a way, thank you, to the community he helped create and that he’ll now need more than ever.
“Roy’s good at making you feel like he’s not big on that stuff (being recognized), and he isn’t, but he definitely does appreciate it,” Shad Woodruff said. “He understands how important he is to the community, and that he’s done something really special. He understands what he’s done is a pretty big feat, but he doesn’t talk about it. He doesn’t brag about it.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Beaverton boys basketball coach Roy Johnston kisses the court that bears his name during a celebration of his retirement Feb. 23. (Middle) This season’s team stands at the entrance to town with signs announcing the program and coach’s successes. (Below) Johnston takes a photo with three generations of Mishlers – Cameron, Brent and Steve. (Top photo by Stephanie Johnston.)