Unity Adds Hoops to 2018-19 Trophy Run
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
March 16, 2019
EAST LANSING – Noah Wiswary answered quickly when asked Saturday night if he had planned on winning multiple MHSAA championships during his senior season.
“No,” the Hudsonville Unity Christian guard said shaking his head. “Not at all. When we started football, we were like, ‘Let’s get a winning record.’ When we started basketball, it was like, ‘Let’s win Districts again.’ Then we won Regionals, and it was like, ‘All right, let’s do this again.’”
Wiswary – who also played on the Crusaders’ Division 5 champion football team – scored 17 points to lead Unity Christian to a 58-55 win against River Rouge in the Division 2 Boys Basketball Final.
He’s one of seven players on the Crusaders roster who played on an MHSAA championship team in the fall, as the Crusaders also won the Division 3 soccer title. So while Saturday’s win gave the Crusaders their first basketball title, being in championship games was nothing new to many of the players.
“Being in the football one, we knew we just had to come out and play hard right away, and that’s what we did tonight,” Unity Christian senior T.J. VanKoevering said. “We came out and we played hard right away. That’s what we did in both, so I think that’s a big key to it.”
Unity Christian had to play hard from the beginning against a River Rouge program making its 20th Finals appearance – the most in MHSAA history – and seeking its first title since 1999.
The Panthers’ high-pressure defense forced Unity Christian into an uncharacteristic 23 turnovers.
“We do not turn the ball over, so I’m going to give River Rouge a lot of credit – we just don’t,” Unity Christian coach Scott Soodsma said. “We are averaging probably 10.5 to 12 all year long, and ball security is something we preach. But with the intensity of that game and the way they were coming at us, I give them a lot of credit. We did make a few mistakes that we probably typically don’t do.”
River Rouge had possession of the ball down just three with 12.4 seconds remaining. The Panthers were able to get two looks at a 3-pointer, but neither fell. Their final attempt to tie the game came on a ¾-court heave by senior Nigel Colvin, which was off the mark.
“I feel like (the first 3-point attempt) had a chance,” Colvin said. “But after I let it go, obviously I saw that it was off.”
River Rouge had trailed by as many as 13 points late in the third quarter, as Unity Christian started to heat up and looked to be putting the game away. Wiswary was big during the quarter, scoring 11 of his game-high 17 points.
“I just think my teammates got me open,” Wiswary said. “I got in the lane a little bit, and they were open on the three and I just got a lot of floaters, then Ryan Takens hit a big 3 there, so that was big.”
River Rouge was able to claw back with its pressure defense, however, and force the dramatic ending sequence. It was too little, too late, however, in River Rouge coach LaMonta Stone’s eyes.
“Our defense creates our offense, and defensively we were bad the whole game,” Stone said. “They were getting too many easy looks. They were getting in the lane, and that’s just not the way we’ve been playing defensive basketball to this point.”
VanKoevering had 13 points for Unity Christian, while Takens had 10, and Zac Velthouse had eight points and eight rebounds. Among the Unity Christian starting five – which also includes Chandler Collins, who added seven points – only Velthouse returns.
“I couldn’t be prouder of these two guys,” Soodsma said, gesturing to Wiswary and VanKoevering. “They’ve been leaders all year long, on and off the floor. They’ve put in all kinds of work and effort, and those are the two guys we look to all the time. They have been a little bit special – it's going to be hard to say goodbye to them.”
River Rouge, meanwhile, started five seniors – Colvin, who led the team with 15 points, Micah Parrish who added 13, Donavan Freeman, Bralin Toney and Dan Few. The group helped bring River Rouge back near the top, as the Panthers had advanced to the Semifinals in 2017 and 2018. It was a great ride, but at River Rouge, championships are the goal.
“We’ve talked all week and talked all year, River Rouge basketball is based on state championships,” Stone said. “There’s banners in our gymnasium – there's 14 state championship banners. (Former coach Lofton Greene) has a number of runner-up places, but he didn’t place those banners in the gymnasium, so I’m not going to place it. That’s my mentor, that’s the guy I played for. Everything I know about basketball is based on Coach Greene. If he’s not satisfied with runner-ups, neither can I be.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Hudsonville Unity Christian raises its Division 2 championship trophy Saturday night at the Breslin Center. (Middle) Unity’s Chandler Collins gets a hand on a River Rouge shot.
Branstrom-Led Mid Pen Built to Play Big
January 10, 2018
By Dennis Grall
Special for Second Half
ESCANABA - Mark Branstrom was a prolific scorer when he played at Perkins High School more than 40 years ago.
Now, as coach of the Mid Peninsula Wolverines – the consolidated school that grew out of Perkins and Rock high schools in 1977 – defense has been the calling card for Branstrom as he tries to overcome the odds and put his players into competitive positions.
"It might look ugly. We are not as good as anybody else but we can play defense with anybody," Branstrom said about developing an approach that gives Mid Pen – with just seven players on the varsity – a good chance to hang around against better teams with deeper rosters.
Branstrom became Mid Pen's coach in 1984-85, sitting out the 2007-09 seasons for health reasons. The Wolverines are off to a tough start this winter at 0-6, still searching for their first win and with a couple of close losses. But against heavy odds, he has guided Mid Pen to a pair of Class D District titles and one Regional championship and was selected Upper Peninsula Class D Coach of the Year in 2015-16.
That happens through diligent practice sessions, made easier perhaps because Branstrom has also served as junior varsity coach the past four years.
"Everyone knows their job," said Damian Richmond, a former player now with the revived program at Bay de Noc Community College in Escanaba. "He makes sure everyone is in their spot. He runs plays over and over in practice."
Branstrom, who has coached all three of his sons during his tenure, adopts a buddy-buddy approach with some players and serves as a father-son figure as well, according to Richmond. "He took me under his wing," said Richmond, who indicated Branstrom played a vital role in his decision to play college basketball after graduating from high school in 2016.
Branstrom's youngest son, Brett, is Mid Pen's all-time scoring (1,785) and rebounding (1,328) leader, a two-time Class D all-stater and later four-year regular at Northern Michigan University. He supplanted his brother Carl (1,161 points) as scoring leader. A sister, Hunter, scored 1,019 points. A third brother, Marcus, also played for his dad.
Mark Branstrom holds the scoring record at the former Perkins school, scoring 1,451 points for the Yellowjackets, who played in one of the smallest gyms in the state – typical of that day and age.
"The basketball floor is my element," said Branstrom. "I enjoy every aspect of it, and then I have the kids who respond. I get to teach (young) people who are like a sponge.
"There is never a time since I went into coaching that I did not think we had a chance to win, even against (three-time Class D champion) North Central these last few years."
That was underlined in a recent game at Rapid River, which had halted North Central's state-record 84-game win streak Dec. 7. Mid Pen led much of the first half, using tough defense and a patient offense with Branstrom adroitly guiding everything from the sideline. That lasted until the Rockets settled in and scored the final nine points of the half en route to a 67-41 victory.
"The hardest thing is to get them to communicate on the floor defensively," said Branstrom. "It is like a musical for me to sit there and watch them when they communicate on defense."
Rick Pepin, now Rapid River athletic director but a former coaching opponent of Branstrom, knew what he was getting into against the Wolverines.
"He's always done a great job forcing tempo to fit his style. He never lets his kids play outside of their ability," said Pepin after that recent game in Rapid River.
Branstrom, who has mellowed considerably in recent years, now understands another side of coaching better. "Everything happens for a reason," he said, recalling his earlier days when he was prowling the sidelines with a hot temper.
"I get along with people a lot better (now). There is so much more to basketball than just basketball," he said with a twinkle in his eye. He said long-time basketball referee Dave St. Onge of Marquette was a factor in that change, telling him once "you've got to enjoy this."
Coaching the jayvees has also helped in that adjustment. "It is energizing to the point it has made me a better coach at the next level," he said. "This year I've literally had to collect kids just to have a jayvee team (three of the starting five are in their first year of basketball)."
That underscores why he has stayed on the sidelines. "It is for the love of it. I extremely enjoy it," Branstrom said. "I'm doing something for the kids."
His two teams will practice together, and varsity players will serve as assistant coaches.
The response of his players has kept Branstrom motivated to be in the gym and handle the extensive travel during the winter. His family also lived briefly in Coldwater and White Pine before finally settling in Perkins prior to high school, and he said a childhood friend in White Pine was a big influence.
Ward Helakoski is the son of Ed Helakoski, who directed Chassell to a then-state record 65 straight wins and three consecutive Class D basketball titles in the 1950s. Young Helakoski was a good all-around athlete and excellent student. "He helped me out considerably. My grades improved and I stayed eligible," Branstrom said, adding, "I dedicated myself to basketball when we moved to Perkins because we had no football."
He has remained dedicated, to the sport and to his players, through all the ups and downs of his profession. "I won't leave," he said. "I think I do a pretty decent job. If I wasn't, I would leave. You have to be dedicated to the kids, and I am extremely dedicated and loyal to the kids.
"I love Class D basketball. We have one of the best Class D (basketball) conferences in the state. The competitive level is to the point where the level of play has gotten so good."
However, he has seen how declining enrollments impact the game, noting the 67 students at Mid Pen face Class D schools with enrollments just shy of the Class C level. "Getting to twice or three times the enrollment levels in the same class is not good," said Branstrom.
More than a dozen U.P. schools have enrollments below 80 students. But those are the kind of challenges that also motivate Branstrom and his athletes. Branstrom also was cross country coach for the Mid Pen boys and girls teams last fall, guiding the girls to a Division 3 runner-up finish in the Upper Peninsula.
He believes the farming, rural community is beneficial in the work ethic displayed by many U.P. athletes. "They seem to work harder," he said, noting their academic and athletic endeavors seem to confirm that observation.
Pepin recalls his battles against the Wolverines. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Branstrom," he said. "I watched him coach in the (lopsided) jayvee game (last week) and he never gave up, he never stopped coaching. He took every advantage to teach that team."
Pepin noted Branstrom was also teaching character and pride during that game. "Those are important character traits for life," he said.
"He has never given up on his community, his school, his student athletes. When Mark Branstrom is coaching our kids, they are better off. He makes your team play four quarters because he inspires his kids to play hard."
Basketball has obviously changed since Branstrom led the Upper Peninsula in scoring in 1974-75, with the inception of the 3-point shooting arc primary. "The mid-range game is not there anymore," said Branstrom, who worked that area of the floor. "In pick-up games and practices, they want to shoot those threes, and that has changed everything.
"The two-point shot is still worth so much more. The threes make it a more exciting game to come back (from a deficit), but it takes away from the scenario of the inside-out game. I like the mixture. I'm not for it, but I deal with it."
Dealing with players has also changed during his tenure, as he noted he could not coach today the way he did earlier in his career. "You've got to roll with the flow," he said, which includes adjusting to evolving basketball strategy and how a coach and player communicate. "If you don't change, you don't belong there," he said.
Branstrom has adjusted through the years and shows every night he is totally involved with the game and his players.
Denny Grall retired in 2012 after 39 years at the Escanaba Daily Press and four at the Green Bay Press-Gazette, plus 15 months for WLST radio in Escanaba; he served as the Daily Press sports editor from 1970-80 and again from 1984-2012. Grall was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and serves as its executive secretary. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for the Upper Peninsula.
PHOTOS: (Top) Coach Mark Branstrom of Rock Mid Peninsula talks to his varsity during a timeout at a recent game in Rapid River. Branstrom, who is also the junior varsity coach, has just seven boys on his varsity team. (Middle) Branstrom directs his team to back off on the tempo as the Wolverines bring the ball up court against the Rockets. Branstrom has been the Mid Pen coach since 1984-85 after playing at Perkins High School, which consolidated with Rock High School in 1978 to become Mid Pen. (Below) Branstrom applauds his team prior to pre-game introductions. (Photos by Dennis Grall.)