‘Tis the Season… for Basketball
Area sports fans are likely quite aware of the clouds currently hovering over NMU’s football and hockey programs.
The football Wildcats wrapped up their season by finally breaking into the win column after 28 straight losses. The team saw a little sunlight with three victories in their last five games, but they also found themselves in search of a new coach after Shane Richardson left the post.
Northern’s Division 1 hockey program continues to struggle in the throes of what is hoped to be a successful rebuild. Athletic Director Rick Comley, who knows what it takes to win as much as anybody, picked NMU alum Dave Shyiak to take over after the departure of Grant Potulny two years ago.
Better Times
Though there’s optimism for better days ahead for both programs, you don’t have to look far to find a couple of teams wearing the Green & Gold, winning now. Both men’s and women’s basketball are turning the new Vandament Arena into a house of pain for opposing teams.
Coach Matt Majkrzak has his cagers continuing the roll they’ve been on since he took over in 2019. They’ve blown by the optimism phase and now answer to expectations. They’re currently 7-1, and winners of 6 in a row, after last night’s decisive victory over Division III Concordia of Wisconsin.
Regular readers of Word on the Street may recall previous articles about Coach Matt’s team, but it’s time we all caught up with the other basketball Wildcats.
A Different Game
With Caitlin Clark bringing new interest to the women’s game, basketball fans have discovered a brand of ball they may not have known existed. If you thought “playing like girls” was a slight, you might be thinking back to the days when the girls used the same ball as the boys.
Once the girls’ game went to a slightly smaller ball in 1984, the level of play improved dramatically. And as Title IX continued to turn cheerleaders into team leaders, those sports previously assigned only to the guys experienced a new level of competition.
Today… strong, fast, and skilled are terms better suited to the action displayed by the fairer sex. And Coach Casey Thousand’s ‘Cats have all that and more.
A Record of Success
In her fourth year at the helm, Thousand’s teams have improved every year. Now, coming off last year’s 23-9 campaign, they stand at 10-1 and show no signs of letting up.
I asked Coach what it takes to establish that kind of winning culture. “Recruiting great people who understand it is about our team and not about any one individual!” That sounds simple enough, but I think there’s more to it.
“We want recruits who understand the journey won’t be easy, but who have the drive to keep fighting and growing,” Thousand says. “Just as important, they must be outstanding students and exceptional people—on the court, in the classroom, and in our community.”
There’s also something to be said for the idea that winning begets winning. And it doesn’t hurt to have a men’s program just as successful. Do they feed off each other? “1000%,” says Thousand. “Our conversations center on basketball and how we can each contribute to making the other better. We’re fortunate to have a staff that communicates well, works well together, and genuinely supports each other.”
Coach Thousand’s Wildcats go for their fifth straight victory next Wednesday when they host Northwood University at the Vandament. Ticket information, and anything else you’d like to know about Wildcat athletics can be found here.
More Basketball
As long as we’re talking about basketball, I might as well weigh in on the discipline issue that alarmed the passionate fans of Negaunee Miner basketball.
Briefly, a varsity player missed two practices to go hunting, which led the coach to suspend that player from the team for the entire season. A Facebook post by the player’s mother, protesting what she considered to be punishment too severe for the infraction, resulted in a chain reaction of opinions on both sides of the issue.
Coach Billy Hill, a Negaunee alum and standout player during his days, made the call in question and responded with a post showing the team’s practice schedule, which looked like it allowed a fair amount of time off for hunting. And as of today, his decision stands.
Differing Opinions
Fellow coaches and hard-nosed players have largely supported the coach, while a number of parents and others have sympathized with the player’s mother.
As with so many other disputes, it’s possible a breakdown in communication contributed to the disagreement. However, if the player in question knew of the consequences of his actions, and decided to hunt rather than practice with his teammates, he basically determined his own fate.
Agree or disagree with the severity of the punishment, a head coach has every right to set rules and hold players accountable. Though schools are charged with book learning, often times some of the best lessons come from outside the classroom. Regardless of how it affects the team’s success on the court, hopefully both coach and player come out of this a little wiser, and more understanding of each other, as well as life’s expectations and consequences.
More Negaunee
On a more upbeat note, City Manager Nate Heffron, building on a run of successful initiatives taking place in Negaunee, has announced the formation of a special advisory committee called Community Heart & Soul.
According to Heffron, Community Heart & Soul is something being implemented in other Michigan communities. “The idea of utilizing the programming developed by the Community Heart & Soul organization has been in the works for some time. I was introduced to its concepts a few year ago while attending a Michigan Downtown Association conference.”
According to the Negaunee city website, Community Heart & Soul is “a resident-driven approach to community development that focuses on identifying what residents love most about their town and creating a shared vision for its future”.
The committee will be made up of five Negaunee residents, appointed and assisted by Heffron. “Once the committee completes its work it will be forwarded on to the City Council for review,” Heffron says. “Follow-up on recommendations from the report may be formally adopted in different planning documents such as the Master Plan, Recreation Plan, Capital Improvements Plan, Economic Development Strategic Plan, and the Public Participation Plan.”
Resident input… organized and focused on community improvement. What a concept.