![Beaverton boys basketball coach Roy Johnston kisses the court that bears his name during a celebration of his retirement Feb. 23.](/sites/default/files/2024-03/240314_Beaverton_2H.jpeg)
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.)
![Bedford’s Andrew Hollinger works for an opening while surrounded by Monroe defenders during a 63-43 win Friday.](/sites/default/files/2023-01/230124_Bedford_2H.jpg)
Bedford Boys Hoops Off to Best Start in Decade Under Alum Bollin
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
January 24, 2023
TEMPERANCE – The Bedford Mules are kicking up a special boys basketball season in southeast Michigan.
Temperance Bedford is off to a 10-1 start, the best for the school in a decade. Third-year coach Jordan Bollin is happy to bring a winner to his alma mater.
“Bedford has had good teams here and there and good players and coaches, but it never seemed to be anything that was sustained,” Bollin said. “I knew it was going to be a challenge.”
Bollin played varsity basketball at Bedford, graduating in 2006. He went into coaching almost immediately after high school and was named head coach at Dundee in 2015. After 68 wins in five seasons, Bollin was named head coach at Bedford.
“I talked it over with my wife, with the athletic director, with (assistant coach) Mark Hubbard,” Bollin said. “I always, in the back of my mind, thought that I would want to come back to Bedford and coach one day. I wanted to do it while I was still relatively a young coach who still had the passion for all of this. It’s the right time.
“I felt like, leaving Dundee, I had an opportunity to build something myself.”
Wrestling has been the winter sports king at Bedford for decades as the Mules spent years at the top of Class A/Division 1 wrestling circles. The boys basketball team has enjoyed its moments, such as a three-year span when it went 18-6, 18-5 and 14-8 across 2012-2014, but there have been down years, too. Various coaches have tried their hand at the helm, including former NBA player Dennis Hopson.
Bollin himself played for coach Bill Ryan, who led the boys team for seven years but has found ultra-success with Bedford’s girls basketball program.
Bollin knew that when he took over the varsity, he wanted to incorporate the entire program.
“No program is one coach,” he said.
He brought multiple assistants with him from Dundee, including longtime Monroe County coach Hubbard, a Bedford graduate, and former head coach in the county himself. The two have formed a bond.
“We talk every day on the phone before practice,” Bollin said. “We go to lunch once or twice a week. He’s a mentor and someone I talk to all the time.”
Bedford has posted wins over a variety of teams this season, from Southeastern Conference teams like Dexter and Monroe to Ottawa Lake Whiteford, Adrian Lenawee Christian and Stockbridge. Ten of the Mules’ final 11 games are against SEC schools, including two against 8-3 Saline.
Bollin knows the toughest is yet to come.
“We get Ann Arbor Huron at home,” he said. “We lost to them by three on the road. We had the ball, down two in the final seconds and had the ball and were called for a travel. It was close.”
Six-foot-7 Andrew Hollinger is the team’s top scorer and rebounder. Four years ago, he played five games on the varsity, then was a starter in Bollin’s first season. He’s now closing in on 1,000 career points and is one of the best rebounders in southeast Michigan.
“He’s phenomenal,” Bollin said. “He plays so hard, and he’s a great kid. He’s a 4.0 student and very humble. You’ll never hear him talk about himself; it’s always about the team.”
While he’s proven to be a great scorer and free throw shooter this season, Hollinger is also a relentless rebounder.
“I’ve always been one of the tallest out on the court, so I know that I can really use that to my advantage in order to rebound,” he said. “Once the shot goes up, I try to chase down the ball or box someone out in order to give my team the chance to get the ball back.”
Bollin said Hollinger’s intensity shows.
“I use him as an example to the other kids all of the time,” Bollin said.
Twice this season Hollinger has set the school record for most consecutive free throws made in a game. He went 15-for-15 once and 16-for-16 another time. Hollinger averaged a double-double last year at 18.2 points and 10.8 rebounds and has topped those numbers through 11 games this season.
Hollinger is one of eight seniors on the roster. Like Bollin, he’s a homegrown talent, having made his way up from the Bedford Community Education program in the fourth grade to middle school, JV and varsity.
“I fell in love with basketball when I played in the local community ed program,” he said.
Hollinger said all of the seniors had a feeling this was going to be a great season.
“I think the success from our team comes from how hard we play every game and how much experience we have,” he said. “We knew coming into the season that we were in pretty much every game the season before and just had to find a way to start winning games.”
Bedford won six games during the COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 season and four a year ago – losing several games that came down to the final minute. Bollin has matched the win total in those first two years at Bedford in two months.
Ironically, Bollin said, it was the 2020-21 season during which most of this year’s seniors learned to play varsity basketball.
“We had so many games where we had players out for COVID that we had to bring a lot of them up to the varsity to play,” he said. “A lot of the seniors this year got a ton of playing time that year.”
The other current seniors include Griffin Wolf, Tommy Huss, Jimmy Fackelman, Simon Eighmey, Caleb Kochendoerfer, Evan Campbell, and Leo Wagenhauser. They are complimented by a couple sophomores and juniors plus freshman Carsen Behnke.
Hollinger is hopeful the first-half success will continue.
“We all believed in each other in the offseason, and that belief still continues through the start of the season,” he said, deflecting any attention from himself. “I love how basketball is a team game and how you need the whole team to be playing hard in order to win. It’s not just about one person, but it’s about everyone.”
Bollin said he could sense this summer that this season had the makings of being something special.
“I thought we’d have a nice season, but, no, I wasn’t expecting 10-1,” he said. “But, in the summer, I knew when everyone was there and together, we were tough to beat.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Bedford’s Andrew Hollinger works for an opening while surrounded by Monroe defenders last season. (Middle) Bedford boys basketball coach Jordan Bollin. (Below) Hollinger brings the Mules up court during a 63-43 win Friday. (Action photos by Tom Hawley and Mike Doughty, respectively, and courtesy of the Monroe News.)