Muxlow Family Has New All-Time Leading Scorer; Brown City May Soon As Well

By Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com

March 8, 2023

When Gaden Muxlow talked to his sister Kendal after passing her career point total, he received a congratulatory response – with a caveat.

Bay & Thumb“She gave me the speech about how she had to miss so many games because of her ACL injuries,” Gaden said with a laugh.

Passing a family member in the Muxlow house – regardless of how many games that family member had to miss – is quite an accomplishment, as the family is all over the Brown City basketball record books. Kendal is the all-time leading scorer in the girls program, with 1,419 points. Mom, Shari, isn’t far behind at 1,363, and dad, Doug, had 1,327.

Gaden sits at 1,481, atop his family ranks and 22 behind the school’s all-time leading scorer Justin McPhail.

With the postseason starting tonight for Brown City, it’s not a guarantee Muxlow will catch McPhail – but it’s a pretty comfortable expectation.

He’s scored at least 22 points in 18 of the Green Devils’ 22 games this season, averaging 27.6 points per game on his way to a school-record 607. The person he had to pass to break that record? Dad.

“Ever since I was a kid, basketball has always been a big focus in our family,” Gaden Muxlow said. “I remember watching my sister in AAU tournaments as a kid, it’s always on the TV. Since I was a kid, I always had goals to beat my siblings. It always gave me a little bit of fire, and I started getting a little more into the season, and as I got closer, we started talking about it a little more in my family. (Passing Kendal) actually felt really good, because my sister was pretty talented, and I grew up watching her play.”

It’s not just family records that Muxlow has been breaking, as he and his teammates enjoyed a 21-1 regular season, which included a Greater Thumb Conference East title.

Muxlow scored a school-record 45 points in a game against Ubly. He has hit 187 of his 222 free throws, smashing the previous mark of 127. He’s also made 62 3-pointers on the season, 13 behind the school record, but not out of reach if the Green Devils make a run.

The Muxlows celebrate Gaden’s signing with Rochester College. “He’s a great player,” Brown City coach Bob Hatten said. “He elevates the players around him. He does a good job of staying unselfish, but he also knows in key moments when to take over.”

Muxlow has signed to play at Rochester University, making him the fourth player in his family who will play college basketball.

Kendal is currently at Purdue University-Fort Wayne, Shari played at Dayton and Doug played at Cornerstone.

Gaden’s older brother, Caleb, played football at Concordia.

“I guess it wasn’t as much pressure as it was a lot of people were telling me they were expecting big things from me, and they were excited to watch me play,” Gaden said. “I guess it was a little bit of pressure, and a bit of excitement, as well. I wanted to do as well as I could to live up to the hype or the name, or whatever.”

He’s certainly done that. And when opposing teams were throwing every exotic defense they could think of at him this season, it wasn’t because of his name. It was because of his track record.

“Early in the season, we saw everything,” Hatten said. “Box and one, triangle and two where both guys were on Gaden. We saw teams full court deny him with two guys. We trailed in the second half in seven of our first nine games, and we had to find a way to win some close ones. It was probably midseason when a lot of our guys started falling more in line with their roles and started being more comfortable.”

Thanks to those players fulfilling their roles, and playing well around Muxlow, the Green Devils have thrived, and teams can be punished for focusing too much attention on him.

Fellow senior captains Clint Ford and Callen Hagey have excelled in leadership roles, while also providing some scoring cover for Muxlow. Senior Brandon Kohler has been a threat from the outside, keeping teams honest.

As a team, the Green Devils are holding the opposition to just 39.3 points per game. They’re also executing in areas that win big games, shooting 72.5 percent from the free throw line and turning the ball over fewer than 10 times per game.

The cohesiveness and success make sense when you realize most of these players have been playing with one another since elementary school.

“I think that’s probably the biggest piece to our success; we never have to worry about any drama,” Muxlow said. “Everybody gets along, everybody’s goal is the same thing – just to win. Everybody is buying into their roles. I don’t really feel like I’m doing this in a ball hog way, it’s just a piece to the puzzle that we’ve built along the way. Everybody bought into their role, and everybody knows what they’re doing. I know my role is to put the ball in the bucket, and I do whatever I can to help us win.

“It feels more special that it’s helping and leading to wins.”

Paul CostanzoPaul 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) Brown City’s Gaden Muxlow, right, brings the ball upcourt during a win over Burton Atherton this season. (Middle) The Muxlows celebrate Gaden’s signing with Rochester University. (Photos courtesy of the Muxlow family.)

Reigning Division 4 Champion Munising Eager to Begin Next Tournament Run

By John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com

February 27, 2024

MUNISING — The Munising boys basketball team is primed for what the Mustangs hope will be another deep run into the MHSAA Division 4 Tournament.

Upper PeninsulaThe reigning champion is 17-4 this season and drew an opening-round bye in its District, and will visit Newberry (5-16) to open its run at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

“There was a little more pressure as defending state champion early in the season,” Munising coach Terry Kienitz said. “We could tell we had a target on our back, but once we got some games in we were fine. Expectations are to get back to the Breslin Center (at Michigan State) and defend our title. You do the mapping and look at who might win the other Districts. It will be a lot harder road to get there this year. 

“Norway and Pickford beat us, and we had close games with Crystal Falls (Forest Park) and Rudyard. It was nice to beat Forest Park because they’re so deep. They have a real good team. The new foul rule I think will help the deeper teams. We have to focus on staying out of foul trouble and staying healthy.”

Junior point guard Trevor Nolan reached the 1,000-point mark on the last shot in an 86-44 victory over Rapid River on Feb. 13.

“It was an amazing feeling to see the team come together,” Nolan said. “It was also great for the community and took a little pressure off me doing it as a junior. We’ve definitely had some adversity, but have gotten through it and I think we’re better for it. 

“Both Regionals are tough in the U.P. There’s so much competition. Whoever gets to the Breslin will be battle-tested. Our District will also be challenging. Newberry is well-coached. They have good athletes who play very hard. There’s always a chance for an upset. You always have to be at your best, because it’s one loss and you’re done.”

Munising's Trevor Nolan (5) is defended by Ishpeming's Hunter Smith.Senior Tyler Nelson noted the Mustangs’ experience. Nolan, Carson Kienitz and Jack Dusseault all started as sophomores in Munising’s 39-37 championship game win over Wyoming Tri-unity Christian.

“The District will be a challenge,” Nelson said. “There’s a target on our back and we know it, but we have three starters back and a lot of experience. The whole tournament run last year was a bit of a highlight. We had a great group of guys.

“Basketball is such a great sport, and we definitely have a great group of guys again this year. We certainly have our work cut out. Nobody’s going to just give it to us. There’s a lot of competition, but we’re looking forward to it. It’s definitely going to be a fun tournament. I’m glad to see basketball is on the upswing in the U.P. Many of our teams are getting recognition.”

The Mustangs are taking a four-game winning streak into the postseason since dropping a 52-48 decision to Escanaba on Feb. 6. Total, they’ve won 13 of their last 14 games.

“The season is going real well so far,” junior guard Carson Kienitz said. “We had a couple unfortunate losses, but records don’t matter once you get into the tournaments. The game at Escanaba was tough. It seemed like it was all there for us. Our offense is better than it showed in that game. I think we can definitely win our District, although it’s not like we're looking past anyone. Newberry will be a challenge. The most improvement I’ve seen is the way we’re playing as a team, and we need to do that to win the bigger games.”

The Mustangs defeated Newberry 51-29 in their lone regular-season meeting Jan. 24.

“I think Newberry will be tough in our District,” Coach Kienitz said. “They’ve got talent. That was a good test. Everybody’s 0-0 once you get into the tournaments. We made a lot of adjustments which is something we needed on offense.”

If they win their opener, the Mustangs will visit Big Bay de Noc (14-4) or Rapid River (7-15) for Friday’s District Final.

“I think the bye will help us,” Nolan said. “No matter who comes out of the other bracket, you have to be ready. We have very good coaches. We always believe we’re well prepared.”

John VrancicJohn Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.

PHOTOS (Top) Munising's Carson Kienitz (2) and Ishpeming's Caden Luoma go after a loose ball during the Mustangs’ 54-48 win Dec. 28. (Middle) Munising's Trevor Nolan (5) is defended by Ishpeming's Hunter Smith. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)