sport: November 2008

The Greater Lansing Sports Magazine

Greater Lansing Shines At Prep Tourney Time Area Football Stars Get Big Ten Scholarships Jeff Lerg Does It Right, Proves Critics Wrong

M i d - M i c h i g a n ’s

Mr. Basketball Gus Ganakas Has Seen It All November 2008 $3.00 U.S.

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SPORT CONTENTS

14 A DECADE OF DOMINANCE COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY SHARON WATSON

67 State Titles For Greater Lansing BY andy flanagan

18 Big 3 to the big 10

Jackson, Reynolds, Treadwell Impress Ohio State and MSU

BY CHUCK KLONKE

28 A FORTUNATE KID

A Look At MSU Goaltender Jeff Lerg

BY Ted Kluck

32 THE STATE OF THE HUNT

Has the slumping economy hurt hunting in Mid-Michigan?

BY doug warren

24

Playing The Game With Gusto Ganakas Has Seen It All And Made Greater Lansing Greater.

BY JACK EBLING

06

EB-SERVATIONS

08

NEWS + NOTES

10

PSYCHOLOGY

12

FITNESS

The State’s Great Divide

We Have Many Great Rivalries In The State Of Michigan

Marathon Runners Have Their Own Motivation In The Long Run

By Dr. John H. Braccio

41

OFFICIATING

Backtalk Can Backfire

Officials Are Human, So Why Not Treat Them That Way? By steve grinczel

Common Goal To Gain Control

38

medicine

“The Game” Must Go On…

Javon Ringer’s Remarkable Play, A True Team Effort By jeffrey kovan, d.o.

VanderWaals Does It All

No Challenge Is Too Great For A Non-Stop Battler

By rita wieber

42

SPECIAL OLYMPIC SALUTE

By Crystal Krauskoff

44

MEDIA

Responsible Reporting A Must

The Facts Still Come First With Reputations At Stake

By EARLE ROBINSON

NOVEMber 2008 3

Assists

SPORT CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rita Wieber Rita has worked in the health and wellness arena in Greater Lansing for more than 20 years as an exercise physiologist, a nurse and a college instructor. A former running columnist, she has been running for more than three decades to support her chocolate habit. Rita lives in DeWitt with her husband, David, and their four children.

Andy Flanagan Andy has written about high school teams and athletes in MidMichigan for more than a quarter-century, starting with the Lansing State Journal in 1982. The Everett High and MSU grad helped cover Spartan football from 1987-89. An avid homebrewer, Andy works in corporate communications for Auto-Owners Insurance Company. He and his wife, Jamie, have two children.

Crystal Krauskoff Crystal is a conservative business analyst for Blue Care Network by day and an outgoing sports freelance writer by night. A baseball lover, she covered the Detroit Tigers as a beat writer in another life.

In her spare time, Crystal enjoys hanging out with her husband, Pat, and her adorable dog, Lulu, going to the gym, gardening and watching her alma mater, MSU, beat up on Michigan.

Doug Warren Doug has been a sportswriter and broadcaster since 1996. He worked for WBBL and WLAV in Grand Rapids and for WILS in Lansing. Doug also served as a columnist/reporter for Scout.com, covering the Lions and MSU. He’s on the staff of Spartan Magazine and SpartanMag.com and is a dedicated stay-at-home dad. He lives in Lansing with his wife, Lori, and their two children.

The Greater Lansing Sports Magazine

Volume #1 • Issue #3 NOVEMBER 2008

Publisher NBB Publishing Editor Jack Ebling Assistant Editor Doug Warren Contributing Writers Dr. John H. Braccio Brendan Dwyer Jack Ebling Andy Flanagan Steve Grinczel Jud Heathcote Chuck Klonke Ted Kluck Dr. Jeffery Kovan Crystal Krauskoff Earle Robinson Walt Sorg Doug Warren Rita Wieber Photographers Jim Fordyce Mike Holder Ceil Heller Margaret Hehr Terri Shaver Rob Sumbler Sharon Watson MAGAZINE Design & LAYOUT Vision Creative Printing Millbrook Printing, Co. Mailer Aldingers, Inc.

SPORT, The Greater Lansing Sports Magazine is published monthly by NBB Publishing with offices at 1223 Turner, Suite 300, Lansing, MI 48906. Postage is paid under USPS Permit #979.

Subscriptions: One copy of SPORT, The Greater Lansing Sports Magazine is mailed complimentary to qualified business addresses in the Greater Lansing metropolitan area. Residential, household, promotional, out-of-area and additional subscriptions are available for $18.00 per year which is half of the shelf price of $3.00 per issue. Subscribe at: www.SportLansing.com Postmaster: Address changes should be sent to: SPORT Magazine, 1223 Turner, Suite 300, Lansing, Michigan 48906.

4 NOVEMBER 2008

Editorial Office 1223 Turner, Suite 300 Lansing, Michigan 48906 (517) 487-1714 www.SportLansing.com Copyright © 2008 NBB Publishing.

All rights reserved.

SPORT EB-SERVATION

Bumper Crop Of Memories MSU Win Over U-M Stops Traffic

If nothing else, it’s a rivalry again – a two-way street with pain and passion. It also shows what can happen when a sibling suddenly grows up.

When Michigan State scored the last three touchdowns to beat Michigan 35-21 on Oct. 25, it was more than the Spartans’ first football win in Ann Arbor in 18 seasons. It was proof that glory is a prize, not a birthright.

And it was hard to know who was happier that day: MSU coach Mark Dantonio, with perfect initials for a program that needed emergency care; fifth-year quarterback Brian Hoyer, the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week in an ideal week to offend Wolverines; senior tailback Javon Ringer, who went from out of the lineup to out of this world in 48 hours; junior wideout Blair White, a former walk-on who took “Go White!” literally; or proud alum Ted Fox, who put his money where his mouth has been.

It was Fox, co-founder of the Bitter Rivals website that was featured on ESPN, who produced a series of rotating U-M putdowns on billboards in East Lansing and Novi. Those messages were shelved a bit prematurely after stopping

traffic for nearly a week. But you can view them and order cards or a calendar at michiganisourlittlesister.com.

“We had 12 different captions that went with the final score,” Fox said, hoping most fans would pardon his arrogance. “And 12 is a special number, isn’t it? It is when it comes

to a calendar. My favorite could be, ‘Upon even further review, the ruling on the field stands,’ with the CORRECT score, 35-14.”

Reactions ran the gamut. A WLNS-TV (6 Sports) story on the billboard drew more than 20,000 hits on YouTube. Passers-by pulled over and took pictures at the eastbound split of Grand River and Saginaw avenues. Others said MSU should act as if had been there before, instead of gloating about

Jack Ebling SPORT EDITOR

Jack has covered sports and much more as a writer and broadcaster in Mid-Michigan since 1978. A three-time Michigan Sportswriter of the Year, he was a 2006 inductee into the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame. He has written five books–four on Michigan State and one on the Detroit Tigers– and has contributed more than 125 pieces for national publications. The former English teacher and coach spent nearly a quarter-century as a beat writer and columnist for the Lansing State Journal and won 21 major writing awards. He became a sports radio host in 2002 and branched into news talk in 2006. Currently, he hosts “Ebling and You” weekday afternoons and co-hosts “The Jack and Tom Show” Saturdays on 1320 WILS in Lansing. A two-time graduate of MSU, he has lived in the area for 36 years and has helped to raise two remarkable young adults.

6 NOVEMBER 2008

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROB SUMBLER

BY JACK EBLING

a win over a 2-6 team. And protests led to a premature pulling of the messages in East Lansing, though not at the Beck Road exit on westbound I-96 in Novi.

“In my defense I had seven years to plan this out, with at least three false starts in the overtime games and the 10-point lead that disappeared last year,” Fox said of green-and-white drought since 2001. “When you have a chance to polish a stone for that long, it better be shiny when you show it.”

Fox and I have a bond of sorts. As the CEO of Photo Marketing Association International, a worldwide organization located in Jackson, Fox is responsible for many things, including the irritation of communications director and U-M diehard Tom Crawford on a daily basis.

I take over that duty on Saturday mornings when Crawford and I co-host “The Jack and Tom Show” for three hours on WILS. The SPCC (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Crawfords) has been busy all year.

After a school-record 22 losses in basketball, the Wolverines rang in The Rich Rodriguez Era in football with the most defeats in the history of the sport’s winningest program.

It didn’t dampen the Spartans’ spirits that they had closed the coffin on the worst month in U-M football annals – an 0-4 skid with 33 more points allowed than ever before, three L’s at home, two Big Ten blowouts by Illinois and Penn State and a pratfall against then 1-4 Toledo – the Wolverines’ first stumble in 25 games against the Mid-American Conference. Suddenly, Appalachian State had a little brother.

For the Spartans, a quarter-and-a-half in the Soon-To-Be-Bigger-House was all it took to be relevant again on the mitten’s sports landscape. Seven days later, another rally with more drama against Wisconsin lifted Dantonio’s disciples to 8-2 and dispelled two MSU myths.

“S.O.S.” no longer stands for “Same Old

Spartans.” Past MSU teams would have found a way to lose to U-M or the next opponent. This year’s group has proven to be a brotherhood of resourceful winners.

If anything, those letters represent an international distress signal for a stunned program 63 miles southeast.

As tough as it may be for Woody and Bo to accept, the Big Ten’s Big Game won’t be played in Columbus, Ohio, on November 22. Suddenly, pile-ons have been replaced by pylons. Thus, U-M and OSU will meet at noon in the JV game before MSU and Penn State determine the league champion and 2009 Rose Bowl representative.

Perhaps Ted Fox can find a way to commemorate both matchups. While the Wolverines and Buckeyes bask in the past with the promise that they will be back on top, the Spartans and Nittany Lions are atop the Big Ten football world. And, no, that world hasn’t stopped spinning on its axis.

NOVEMber 2008 7

SPORT NEWS + NOTES

Something For Everyone

By Doug Warren & SPORT Staff

East Lansing seniors Blake Brogan and Bobby Cawood captured the No. 1 doubles title at the MHSAA Division 2 Boys Tennis Championship and helped the Trojans repeat as team titlists. The Trojans had only four seniors this fall, but all four won individual titles. The No. 4 doubles crown went to Johnson Ching and Peter Wolcott. No. 1 singles semifinalist Harry Jadun, No. 2 singles semifinalist Adam Jadun, No. 3 singles semifinalist Rollin Baker and No. 4 singles semifinalist Cutler Martin also scored important points for Coach Erik Anderson. T.J. Brogan and Robby Olds reached the No. 2 doubles semifinal for East Lansing. Okemos finished ninth in Division 2, as Ashkan Zamani and Sebastian Kwon reached the No. 3 doubles semifinals.

Lansing Catholic won three doubles titles and captured the Division 4 Boys runner-up trophy, while Williamston finished fourth. Adam

8 NOVEMBER 2008

Parker and Peter Murray ruled No. 2 doubles for the Cougars, while Adam Setas and Michael Maddalena won at No. 3 and Sam Reedy and Greg Waddell did the same at No. 4.

Alex Robinson and Jamaal Tarpeh fell in the No. 1 doubles finals. And the Cougars scored well with No. 1 singles finalist Peter Sienko, No 4. singles finalist Javin Raymont and No. 3 singles semifinalist Trevor Thompson, who fell to eventual runner-up Brett Graham of Williamston.

Ian Sheets led the Hornets with a championship at No. 2 singles, while Benno Pueppke and Ryan McGuire were No. 4 doubles semifinalists.

Michigan State senior cross country runner Nicole Bush became the fourth Big Ten Women’s Cross Country Champion in Michigan State history as she helped the Lady Spartans earn third-place at the Big Ten Championships Sunday (Nov. 2) in Ann Arbor.

The Michigan State Men’s Soccer Team captured the Big Ten regular season championship Sunday (Nov. 2) with a 1-0 home win over Northwestern. It is the first men’s soccer title in school history and is a great retirement gift for head coach Joe Baum who will retire after this season, his 32nd as Spartan head coach.

Waverly basketball alumna Britni Houghton was named to the 2008-09 Preseason All-Mid-American Conference Team. The Central Michigan junior forward earned third-team all-league honors last season, finishing ninth in points per game (13.1) and shooting from the field (47.7 percent).

The Potterville boys cross country squad edged Adrian Lenawee Christian 129-131 to win their second-straight Division 4 state championship (Nov. 1) at the MHSAA state finals at Michigan International Speedway.

DeWitt senior golfer Liz Nagel fell short in her quest for a third Division 2 Girls Golf Championship, losing a three-hole playoff to Birmingham Seaholm’s Alexandra Lipa.

Nagel, the state’s reigning Miss Golf, finished her high school career as arguably the best player in mid-Michigan history. The Michigan State recruit is one of just two area girls to win multiple state titles.

DeWitt took third among Division 2 teams with Nagel, Dena Droste, Andrea Duguay, Alyssa Duguay and Megan Koenigsknecht combining for a 753 (365-388).

East Lansing’s Bea Murray, Stephanie Chavez, Lizzie Cleary, Emily Koryto and Anna Rittenhouse grabbed fourth place with a 774 (383-391). Lansing Catholic’s Mara Kovac, Mackenzie Johnson, Katie Duda, Liddy Albright and Lucy Johnson took third in Division 3 at 740 (377-363). Kovac tied for fourth individually. Holt placed fifth in Division 1 with Jessica Peatross, Mariah Massa, Liz Couturier, Anne Couturier, Haley Bandt and Jennifer Anderson with an impressive 678 team total. Individually, Okemos’ Amy Ruthenberg finished 10th.

Grand Ledge senior catcher Dustin Ditsworth agreed to play baseball at Western Michigan after graduation next spring. Ditsworth hit .482 with 17 doubles, two triples and one home run while driving in 41 runs last season.

Former Michigan State women’s golfer Sara Brown is one of 32 players to advance to the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament after tying for 11th at last month’s sectional qualifier in Venice, Fla. Brown shot an even-par 288 (73-7272-71). The top 30 players and ties advances to the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament from Dec. 3-7 in Daytona Beach, Fla. Brown, a 2008 honorable mention All-American, is Michigan State’s career scoringaverage leader (75.29). She was a three-time first-team All-Big Ten picks and was twice named the George Alderton MSU Female Athlete of the Year.

Michigan State senior diver Danielle Williams was named Big Ten Diver of the Week from October 5-11. The award is Williams’ third-career conference Diver of the Week honor. The Dorchester, Ont., native placed seventh at the Canadian Olympic Trials.

Fitness Expo in Delta Township: The first annual Jingle Belle Women’s 5K & Holiday Expo will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13, at the Delta Township Public Library.

Walkers and runners of all fitness levels are invited to this eight-week session. For more information, contact Library Director Cherry Hamrick at chamrick@dtdl.org.

SPORT Correction: In the October 2008 issue, Martin Schneider, a bass drummer from East Lansing was left out of the listing of area MSU Band members.

Photo Correction: In the October 2008 issue, The Last Shot photograph was taken by Hannah’s 12 year old brother, David Bez.

SPORT COMMUNITY

Contribute News + Notes Contact Doug Warren telephone:

(517) 323-6452 (8 a.m.-5 p.m.) e-mail:

news@SportLansing.com web:

www.SportLansing.com

NOVEMber 2008 9

SPORT PSYCHOLOGY

The State’s Great Divide We Have Many Great Rivalries In The State Of Michigan

By Dr. John H. Braccio

Right here in Greater Lansing, we have passionate competition between Everett and Sexton, Holt and Grand Ledge, East Lansing and Okemos, Haslett and DeWitt and Bath and Laingsburg, to name just a few. We even have emotional battles between the church schools in the Lansing Catholic Youth League.

The same is true in both peninsulas, from Marquette to Monroe and Bad Axe to Benton Harbor. But one rivalry is felt and fought everywhere on every block. It is often a matter of contention under the same roof among spouses, brothers, sisters, parents and children.

Three hundred sixty-five days a year – and more in a leap year – there is always the fans’ favorite friction: Michigan State vs. Michigan.

We all have symbols we adopt and things we search for. We are always looking for something we can identify with to make life meaningful. But we’re all different entities. The same thing is true when spouses support different political parties or have different friends. There is no set rule about where we should bond.

10 NOVEMBER 2008

Austin Townsend and Brodie Megill are best friends. Both play quarterback at Bath High School. But while Austin and his mother are huge MSU fans, Brodie and his father are just as rabid in their support of U-M. If you listen closely, you might hear their arguments over which school and which team is best all the way from Clinton County.

“Fortunately, their rivalry doesn’t disrupt their long-term friendship,” Austin’s mother, Linda Townsend, said of one minor miracle.

Amy Killingworth of Grand Ledge is a diehard MSU fan, as are her parents, Larry and Jan of Holt. But Amy’s husband, Mike, is a solid U-M supporter. At a tailgate party before this year’s game in Ann Arbor, Amy’s father said Mike is a great son-in-law, even with his one major flaw. If time heals everything, it has helped both sides adjust to

some strange allegiances.

“My sister married a U-M fan who is having a get-together in Grand Rapids with Wolverine supporters,” Larry said. “Meanwhile, my wife and I are in Ann Arbor rooting for Michigan State.”

At a large pregame party in Ann Arbor, put on by Dave and Denise Farhat, the large group of buoyant revelers was a mix of MSU and U-M fans. Their son, Dave, was there in MSU gear. And their daughter, Jessica, wore U-M garb. Those combinations at tailgates and in groups walking across campus were everywhere.

I have one nephew in Orlando who is a fully committed MSU fan, while his brother and son in Grand Rapids bleed blue.

Even identical twins raised in Lansing vary in this rivalry. Tom Hurth roots for U of M and Cliff for MSU. Michelle Burns of East Lansing is an avid MSU fan, as was her late husband, Thomas.

Her children, Jessica, Christine, Jennifer, Sarah and Jacob, are serious Spartans. But her sons, Robert, Scott and Tommy, are U-M fans through and through.

“Everyone is civil about it,” Michelle said with a chuckle. “But Robert did leave the room when MSU was winning, and I was running my mouth.”

Ted Fox, one of the founders of the bitterrivals.com website, sent me pictures of billboards celebrating the Spartans’ 35-21 triumph on Oct. 25, their first win in Washtenaw County in 18 years. You know that they will appear in the Wolverines’ locker room when they prepare for the 2009 game – and perhaps long before that.

But there is always a lighter side to this rivalry. Even Tom Crawford, a truly great U-M fan and the co-host of “The Jack and Tom Show,” married a wonderful MSU graduate. Such choices, and a very wise one in this case, happen every day in Lansing and throughout Michigan.

As this colossal rivalry between great universities passes from one generation to the next, one thing is certain. We need to prepare emotionally for the fact that we may not like the team our children and grandchildren wind up supporting.

In the meantime, Go Green! And Go Blue.

NOVEMber 2008 11

SPORT FITNESS

Common Goal To Gain Control Marathon Runners Have Their Own Motivations In The Long Run By rita wieber

From a bird’s-eye view, we were nothing more than thousands of little specks of color. Seemingly insignificant as a group.

I stood as one of the specks in a pack of 45,000 people, feeling very insignificant.

The gun went off, and we moved forward as one. The pace went from a restrained walk to shuffle, to a slow jog until we finally hit the actual starting line eight minutes later.

Some hooted and cheered as they crossed.

Some cried. Others remained steadfast and focused on the task ahead – 26.2 miles to the finish line.

The crowd of runners began to spread out; the excitement of the start faded away as we settled into our paces to get the job done. Just as I struggled to keep my mind from repetitive thoughts of self-doubt, I saw my inspiration for the next four hours. She proudly ran by, dressed in a pink shirt, a head of short, new hair and a sign on her back that read: Chemo to Chicago in 149 days.

I suddenly felt very privileged to be one of that pack.

Someone once told me marathon runners are selfish. I can see her point. Life begins

12 NOVEMBER 2008

to revolve around the runner. Weekends are planned around the “long run.” Every ache, pain or sniffle becomes a concern. Time is measured as a countdown to Marathon Day. The entire family pitches in to help the runner achieve a personal goal.

Yet, as I ran among the pack I didn’t see selfish people. What I did see gave me new hope in mankind.

It was a large group of people sharing a common goal. Each had his or her own motivation that inspired many months of training.

For some it was a celebration of a return to health. For others it was a dedication to the memory of a loved one.

For one man who ran by me at the 17-mile mark, it was a chance to let his disabled young daughter experience the thrill of the marathon as he pushed her in a stroller.

For me, it was a chance to prove to myself that I can be physically in control of my life at age 45, where inevitable age-related changes move up a few notches on my list of useless things to worry about.

But what I found even more amazing were the 1.5 million spectators that lined the entire course. Some holding signs with sound advice (“Right, Left, Repeat”),

or signs with reality checks (“You are NOT almost there”). Others stood and clapped and cheered for five or six hours – another form of endurance in itself.

My own support group consisted of my husband, Dave, and two friends who frantically negotiated the crowd on foot, by train and by bus in effort to spot me and provide a quick moment of personalized encouragement.

They were there in sheer support of someone else’s goal.

At this moment in time political opinions didn’t matter, religious beliefs or ethnic backgrounds didn’t separate, and economic status was beside the point. This was over 1.5 million people united.

Running brings people together. It creates a sense of accomplishment and energy.

It provides an avenue for control in a time when so much is out of our control. Whether it’s in finishing a marathon or running a mile without stopping for the first time, the ability to do so is something that should not be taken for granted.

The bird knows better. Everyone of those specks, runners, volunteers and spectators are all significant.

Mid-Michigan Finishers

Lansing Area runners that completed the 2008 Chicago Marathon.

Charlotte

Andrew Shirvell Scott Blakeney

DeWitt

Peter Wujkowski Lindsay Wieber Rita Wieber Tammy Anderson Mary Pat Sullivan Greg Gill Scott Sowulewski Lori Gill Jeff Brooks Tanya Belbeck

East Lansing

Kelly Komray Mark Villwock Alexander Warning Kyle Martin Lori Kindsvatter Mike Walters Robert Pedrigi John Pike James White

Adrienne Domas David McKeague Brendan Edwards Daniel Isaac Kasper Volk Sarah Edwards Susan Danziger Richard Helder Jackie Wressell Charles Parker

Eaton Rapids Timothy Daiss

Fowlerville Steven Leaf Dion Clark

Grand Ledge

Fred Werner Steven Hirschman Maggie Olds Nickie Werner

Haslett

Lindsey Drake Kevin Burke

Ross Melvin Kristen Fields Ryan Lamothe Kevin Harty Jane Mulder David Mulder Catherine Lamothe Dan Homer

Holt

Steve Depestel Michael Potter

Lansing

Edward Husband Scott Fishel Steven Morris Gene Martin David Miller Jeff Triezenberg Mary Welch Amy Maurer Patricia Bednarz Arturo Mendez Jennifer Nelles Jennifer Kauffman

Andre Harris Jason Kerschke Joshua Reed Haley Rardin Blake Miller Jacki Miller

Mason

Emily Wandell Laurie Mulholland

Okemos

Ramon Hernandez James Feeny Catherine Wilson Robert Dorner

Perry

Angela Thornton

St. Johns

Jacqueline Bishop

Williamston

Jennifer Johnson Cheryl Hansen

NOVEMber 2008 13

By Andy Flanagan

14 NOVEMBER 2008

Ask how many state crowns have been won by Mid-Michigan high school teams in the last 10 years, and you won’t get the correct answer.

Yet, few would call the Lansing area a championship hotbed. Perhaps it is time to rethink that.

From the 1998-99 school year through the 2007-08 season, Greater Lansing teams won 67 Michigan High School Athletic Association state titles. The total grows to 70 if you count Waverly’s lacrosse teams (2000 and 2001 for boys, 2001 for girls) before the sport was sanctioned.

Most of those trophies have come in the last four years. Beginning with the 2004-05 season, prep teams from the Lansing area have won 35 state titles. Last season produced 12 champions, the most in the 10-year span.

The Okemos Chieftains have led the way in that decade with 12 titles in five sports. Most of the hardware has come in tennis, where the boys have won six titles and the girls another three. The school’s other titles have come in softball and boys and girls soccer.

“Certainly, you have to have state (championship)-level athletes,” said Okemos Athletic Director Keith Froelich, who has held that job for 14 years. “It all starts with a quality coaching staff and a community that supports extracurricular activities.”

The school with the second-most titles may prove surprising. Williamston High has won nine state championships in the last 10 years, including seven by boys track and cross country teams under the coaching of Hall of Famer Paul Nilsson. The Hornets were runners-up in cross country three more times in that span.

Nilsson completed his 36th and final season as cross country coach for the Hornets this fall. But he didn’t have instant success.

It took 15 years before one of his teams won a conference title.

“You have to get over the hump,” Nilsson said. “You have to get the first one.”

Twenty-three schools in the Lansing area have won 67 titles in 16 sports. Girls basketball is the leader with eight state trophies, including three for Portland St. Patrick. The

Shamrocks have been D runners-up three That’s especially important in cross counmore times in the last 10 years under Coach try, Nilsson said.

Al Schrauben.

“We’re not the biggest school in the Lan“It starts with good players,” Schrauben sing area with 650 kids,” he said. “We moved said. “We’ve got a system they believe in. to Division 2 this year, and we’re one of the They’ve always put the team in front of their smallest schools in track and cross country.” individual achievements.”

As Nilsson notes, the Hornets were still Lansing Christian (2003-04) captured good enough to win the Division 2 title two state titles in girls basketball, thanks last spring. They won the Division 3 title in largely to Tiffanie Shives. A two-time Class 2001, 2003 and 2006.

D player of the year, Shives is the state’s “We’ve gone to all the mega-meets,” he career 3-point leader with 300. She scored said. “The fact remains, you need good com2,176 points and was named Miss Basketball petition, and you need to go where it’s at.” in 2004. Shives will begin her second season Schrauben said he finds success with a with Gonzaga this month after transferring more minimalist approach. While other teams from Michigan State. are practicing hard and going to camps durLansing Everett ruled Class A in girls ing the summer, Portland St. Patrick doesn’t basketball in 2000 and 2001 under Johnny participate in any organized activity.

Jones’ leadership. Jones also coached the “They play at the park,” Schrauben said Vikings to the boys state title at the highest level in 2004.

Of the 42 area coaches with state titles - Keith Froelich, Okemos Athletic Director in the last 10 years, Jones is the only one to accomplish that feat with boys and girls. of his team’s off-season workouts. “That’s “It’s a special situation because I know not pretty much our summer program. They can too many coaches have done it,” Jones said. work on their skills. Anytime you play, you Indeed, Jones is one of only three coaches develop your skills.” with boys and girls state championships in Schrauben also said that he wants his playMichigan. One of the others was Paul Cook, ers to enjoy the game and everything that who led Eastern’s boys to the 1980 Class A goes with playing high school basketball. title and the Lansing Catholic girls to the “Having fun throughout our program is 1995 Class C crown. important,” Schrauben said. “Every year we “It’s very special just to be named with tell them our emphasis is on having fun. those guys,” Jones said. “We had special Of course, winning is a lot more fun than players, special coaches. It was just an losing.” honor to be involved with that. Every once Obviously, getting kids out for the sport in a while I’ll bring a (state championship) is easier once a program wins titles. Nilsson ring out, show the players and say, ‘This is said it took some time to get to that point what can happen.’” in Williamston.

What makes some programs more success“Cross country and track are not glamour ful than others? It appears there are many sports where it’s easy to recruit athletes,” he answers. Nilsson cites good competition said. “Over the years you have to create that during the regular season as one key. climate. When it becomes successful, a lot of “What we have done is schedule up when kids go out for the team with their friends. we can,” Nilsson said. “We go to invitation- We’ve done a good job of getting the people als – there’s great competition in that. We go out of the halls and onto the field.” out of our way to find it. When we get to the Schrauben said his program feeds off its past successes, which motivates his girls. state finals, they’ve seen the kids before.”

“It all starts with a quality coaching staff and a community that supports extracurricular activities.”

Keith Froelich, Okemos Athletic Director, Paul Nilsson, Williamston Boys’ Track and Cross-Country, Al Schrauben, Portland St. Patrick Girls’ Basketball, and Johnny Jones, Everett Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball (L to R)

NOVEMber 2008 15

A Decade Of Dominance

MHSAA Championships

By SchooL School TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS:

1998-99 through 2007-08

School Titles Sports

Okemos

12

Boys Tennis (6) • Girls Tennis (3) • Boys Soccer (1) Girls Soccer (1) • Softball (1)

Williamston

9

Boys Track (4) • Boys Cross Country (3) Girls Tennis (1) • Wrestling (1)

East Lansing

4

Boys Soccer (2) • Boys Tennis (1) • Boys Golf (1)

Lansing Catholic

4

Boys Golf (3) • Boys Basketball (1)

Pewamo-Westphalia

4

Girls Competitive Cheer (3) • Boys Track (1)

Holt 3

Boys Basketball (1) • Girls Gymnastics (1) Wrestling (1)

Everett

Girls Basketball (2) • Boys Basketball (1)

3

Potterville 3

Boys Cross Country (1) • Boys Track (1) Girls Track (1)

Portland St. Patrick

3

Girls Basketball (3)

Mason

3

Wrestling (3)

Grand Ledge

2

Football (1) • Gymnastics (1)

DeWitt

2

Girls Golf (2)

Bath

2

Boys Basketball (1) • Softball (1)

Lansing Christian

2

Girls Basketball (2)

Ovid-Else

2

Girls Competitive Cheer (2)

Waverly*

2

Boys Basketball (1) • Girls Basketball (1)

Fowler

1 Football

Fulton-Middleton 1 Football Laingsburg

1

Girls Track

Olivet

1

Boys Basketball

Eaton Rapids

1

Wrestling

Sexton

1

Boys Track

Haslett

1

Boys Golf

*Waverly won state titles in Boys Lacrosse (2000 and 2001) and Girls Lacrosse (2001), but lacrosse was not sanctioned by the MHSAA at the time.

16 NOVEMBER 2008

“They’re probably more motivated than me,” he said with a laugh. “I guess they’ve seen the success we’ve had. A lot of their cousins or sisters have gone through the program. They know what it’s about. And we’ve got great parental support. The parents have been very good to me and the program.”

Bryan Polston said there are several reasons why Okemos has had so much success in boys tennis over the past decade.

“Whenever you have that kind of success, you can’t tie it to one thing,” said Polston, who coached the Chieftains to four straight state titles from 2004-2007. “So many factors have to come together. It starts with the parents and the kids.

“I think my part is to put it all together at the very end. I think we’ve been successful at that. Some kids are more talented than others, but all have been receptive to what we’re doing.”

Polston said he benefited from taking over the program after Jim Powers retired.

Powers coached Okemos to Division 2 state titles in boys tennis in 1999 and 2000.

Before that, he won five titles in Class A from 1989-1997.

“Jim Powers did such a phenomenal job establishing the program,” Polston said. “As a coach you want to keep that going. We’re motivated by the past, even as coaches. You do feel a responsibility as coaches and players to be proud of what you leave behind.”

Jones said there’s a big difference between coaching girls and boys.

“Girls are more receptive to doing what you want,” he said. “They don’t feel like they know it all. Sometimes boys get caught up on the glamour stuff. Sometimes they think they know more than they do.”

Everett’s girls lost the Class A title game in 1999 to Utica. Its core players were mainly freshmen and sophomores, which made them “kind of hungry” to get back to the state final. Those teams were led by Candice Jackson and Patrice McKinney, who signed with Michigan State, plus Shakera McReynolds and Tiffany Douglas.

“The difference between the teams was that we had a nucleus coming back (with the girls), were talented and knew what to expect,” Jones said. “The boys had been trying to do it but had never tasted it. (Current MSU senior) Goran Suton told me, ‘I’m going to get you a state championship before I leave here.’”

Suton was one of Jones’ key players on the 2004 state championship team, along with Derrick Nelson (Oakland University),

Clyde McKinney (Ferris State) and Mike Stevenson.

Jones will coach the Everett boys again this winter, but not the girls. The CAAC Blue changed its format, making Tuesday league games triple-headers, with the girls playing freshman, junior-varsity and varsity games at one location and the boys at another.

“Last year I was able to coach both because we had varsity girls playing first, then varsity boys,” Jones said. “They changed the schedule, so I chose the boys, my first love.”

Will he miss not coaching the girls for the first time in 15 years?

“Very much,” Jones said. “I would have liked to decide one or the other on my

own behalf.”

Polston liked the competition his Chieftains faced on the way to the state finals, especially from the East Lansing Trojans.

“All the kids know each other,” Polston said of the rivalry. “A lot of them grew up together and take the same lessons from the same pros.”

Polston said Okemos’ goal is always to win a championship, whether it’s a league, regional or state title. That’s part of being a top-flight program, which Polston said has its good and bad points.

“It gives you some advantages, but it also makes it harder in some ways,” he said. “The kids do feel a responsibility to maintain the tradition. Also the bar gets

set so high, if you don’t reach it, it’s seen as kind of a failure.

“Last year we finished fourth (in the state). At some schools that would be a reason to celebrate. At Okemos, it’s kind of like, ‘What happened?’ You have to take the good with the bad. It also gives you a lot to live up to.”

Despite the fact the Lansing area has been blessed with so many state champions, no one should take that success for granted.

Reaching the top in any endeavor, especially high school athletics, is difficult.

It is also a habit in Mid-Michigan.

mellow

caramel mmm...mellow caramel and marshmallow – the perfect combination

NOVEMber 2008 17

Jackson, Reynolds, Treadwell Impress Ohio State and MSU

BY CHUCK KLONKE 18 NOVEMBER 2008

James Jackson, Micajah Reynolds and Blake Treadwell stood out among the Lansing area’s elite high school football players in 2008.

They were on the recruiting lists of major colleges in the Midwest and beyond for quite some time.

And each played a key role in helping his team reach the state playoffs this season.

Now, they’re all getting ready for the next step in their football careers – the Big Ten. Reynolds, a two-way lineman from Lansing Sexton, and Treadwell, who plays both sides of the line for East Lansing, are headed to Michigan State. Jackson, a wide receiver and return specialist from Grand Ledge is bound for Columbus, Ohio, and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

It’s not surprising that Treadwell chose MSU. But it wasn’t for the reason most folks would expect.

The fact that his father is the Spartans’ offensive coordinator didn’t have a lot of bearing on Treadwell’s decision.

“Very little,” he said. “It was more Coach (Mark) Dantonio. I’ve known him since I was a little kid. We got to know each other real well. It’s mostly him that made me commit to Michigan State.”

Don Treadwell was a member of Dantonio’s staff at Youngstown State, and Blake was born in the Ohio city.

“I considered a couple other schools,” Blake Treadwell said. “Since I was born in Ohio, I thought about Ohio State. But when Michigan State offered me a scholarship, I made up my mind. It’s right across the street from my high school.

“For me, (the recruiting process) was kind of fast. It was kind of crazy at first because I didn’t know what to do. My dad is a football coach, so he helped me along. It’s a lot of things at once that come at you.”

Treadwell isn’t sure how the Spartans plan to deploy him.

“I think they’ll try me at D-line and at O-line and see where I fit best,” he said.

Treadwell knows where he’d like to settle. an eye toward the future.

“We talk a lot,” Blake said. “After my “I love the D-line,” he said. “There’s less restrictions there than on the offensive line. games, I’ll see what I can do better and what D-I coaches are looking for. My dad And I love getting after folks.”

While East Lansing coach Bill Feraco is tells me to improve on something every pleased that Treadwell is going to play at game, whether it’s running to the end of the next level, he’s going to miss No. 67 a the whistle or something else that needs to be done.” great deal.

Treadwell realizes that he isn’t ready “I’d say quite a lot,” Feraco said. “Obviously, he’s a talent, but all the other things to step right into the MSU lineup. There’s are as important or more important. He plenty of work to be done.

“I have to work on strength and speed,” models the behavior you’d want in a studentathlete. He works extremely hard, and that he said. “Next year, there will be a lot faster work ethic allows other student-athletes to guys and bigger guys. I have to gain a little weight and get my speed up to par. Right gravitate to him.

“There are no airs with Blake. He’s just a now, I weigh 270. I think 280 to 285 is good football player – an old-time football player. for a defensive lineman -- as long as I can He’s competitive. He has good quickness and still move.”

Treadwell has good quickness. He was a very good speed. His instincts are good, and he wants to get better. You know what soccer player until he gave football a try you’re getting every day that he’s here. He when he was in the seventh grade. brings 100-percent effort. He’s a team player, and that’s very comforting to know.”

As soon as Treadwell moved to East Lansing, Feraco knew that he had something special.

“He played half his sophomore year on defense, and you could see those instincts that you like in a lineman,” Feraco said. “Last year, he averaged seven tackles a game.

And he’s right around there this year, even with the extra attention he’s getting.

“The thing that really stands out is the offensive side. He hadn’t played there since his ninth-grade year. But you could tell that if he continued to work, this was a special player – so special that I haven’t been around a lineman in my coaching career who has as much of an impact on either side East Lansing’s Blake Treadwell’s relationship of the ball. He’s that good. He with Coach Dantonio made MSU a clear choice. combines all the characteristics a lineman needs to have.”

Being the son of a coach obviFeraco recalled a couple of games where ously has helped Treadwell, but there’s Treadwell was a dominant force for the more to it than that.

“His dad has been a darn good coach for Trojans.

“On the offensive side, it was our playoff many years, so that’s the outer layer,” Feraco said. “But it’s in the genes. He’s an athlete. game against DeWitt last year,” Feraco said.

He enjoys playing, and he’s competitive as “We were running to his side. I think we were balanced, but when it got down to it, heck. It’s fun to watch him work.”

Treadwell said that he and his father we isolated him and ran that way.”

East Lansing beat DeWitt 42-35 and study the films of East Lansing games with NOVEMber 2008 19

first-round playoff game. But Reynolds had a major impact on the contest. Sexton’s offensive line paved the way for 325 rushing yards, including 202 by running back Onija Miller.

While Treadwell and Reynolds opted to stay close to home, Jackson chose to take his eye-popping speed across state lines.

The fastest player in Michigan and one of the fastest in the country, Jackson, said that he fell in love with OSU quickly when he visited the Columbus campus last March.

“I decided to commit because of the feeling I had inside all along since the first time I went to the Ohio State campus,” Jackson told the Columbus Dispatch. “The feeling never really went away. I just feel like Ohio State is the place to be.”

Jackson, a 6-foot, 175-pounder with 4.31-second speed in the 40-yard dash, was regarded as one of the top receiving prosJames Jackson flashes the greatness that will take him to OSU next season. pects in the country. He also played in the defensive secondary as Grand Ledge finished the regular season with a 9-0 record.

Comets coach Matt Bird has been a Jackadvanced to the Division 2 semifinals last Division I schools. son booster since he first saw him as an year. But his best game on defense as a Several of Reynolds’ friends and family eighth-grader in a 7-on-7 camp at Jenison junior was in a 7-0 loss to Lansing Everett. members were Spartans, so he said that he High School.

Bird was an assistant on Pat “He played sideline to sideline, and that’s felt a closeness to the program.

O’Keefe’s staff at the time.

Reynolds’ drive and power give him an pretty dramatic for a defensive lineman,” “He made a phenomenal athletic move Feraco said. “He makes other people better. upside to match any player in a heralded and I told Pat, ‘I think he’s ready to be a And he makes enough plays himself that it’s class of pledged recruits. He reminds some varsity player as a freshman,’” Bird said. “In hard to miss him. It’s not just a lumbering people of Roland Martin, MSU’s starter at four years, James and I got pretty tight. He’s right guard. thing. He’s there in a flash.” bought into everything we’ve tried to do. So Reynolds’ prep career ended on a disapEven though he’s the East Lansing player many times you see kids as talented as he is with the highest profile, Treadwell is just pointing note as DeWitt used a 27-point with egos, but he’s pure excitement for his second half to beat the Big Reds 27-26 in a one of the guys. teammates and the team. There isn’t a self“He’s a very engaging kid,” Feraco ish bone in his body.” said. “There’s a camaraderie built A Division 1 state chamaround the offensive and defensive pion in the 100-meter dash lines. He has a lot to do with that. as a sophomore, Jackson We have a lot of good kids, but he’s has received more attencommitted to Michigan State and tion from Grand Ledge’s works as hard or harder than anyone opponents each year. He else. It’s easy to gravitate to him.” hasn’t pouted when he The Spartans are projecting the was blanketed by double 6-foot-5, 315-pound Reynolds to – and sometimes triple -become a stalwart on their offencoverage. Instead, he has sive line. enjoyed the breakout seaHe impressed MSU’s staff in sons by quarterback Nick 7-on-7 drills and the Big Man Camp Kissane’s Comets’ other on its campus. It was after that sesreceivers, Joe Estrada and sion that Dantonio told Reynolds he Tony Wieber. hoped the Sexton standout would Bird said that he has wear green and white next year. tried different ways to get Sexton Offensive Lineman, Micajah Reynolds, gears up Playing for his hometown team the ball to Jackson. for next season as a Spartan. had been a dream of Reynolds’ “We’ve even had him line up at quarterback, the since he began being recruited by 20 NOVEMBER 2008

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE HOLDER

Big 3 To The Big 10

way Darren McFadden did at Arkansas,” Bird said. “When you have a player that talented, you have to be creative in finding ways to get him the ball. And James has gone along with everything we’ve tried.”

Jackson got on the national recruiting radar in a game against Jackson High School when he was a sophomore. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and had a pair of touchdown receptions.

“He had one 95-yard return in that game where he showed great moves and acceleration,” Bird said. “I think he realized then that God had blessed him with a special talent. I know we did.”

This year’s game against Lansing Everett also stands out among Bird’s mental snapshots of Jackson’s ability. The Comets trailed by a touchdown at halftime, but Jackson turned the momentum around with a 95-yard return of the second half kickoff.

Grand Ledge won that game 21-19.

“He had a great defensive game, but what really stands out was the kickoff return,” Bird said. “He ran by three kids who had angles on him. As coaches you kind of get caught up in the game, but as a staff we all looked at each other and just said, ‘Wow!’ Michigan was one of the first schools impressed by Jackson’s ability, and Jackson was impressed by Head Coach Lloyd Carr. When Carr retired after last season, OSU became the front runner, although the Buckeyes had to battle UCLA for Jackson’s commitment.

“One of the things that impressed James – and impressed me, too – was the family atmosphere that Coach (Jim) Tressel has brought to Ohio State,” Bird said. “He cares about the players beyond football.”

What might have sealed the deal for Jackson was something that occurred when Jackson and Bird visited Columbus.

Tressel introduced the recruits to more than 20 people who were connected with the football program, but it went beyond mere introductions.

“He talked about what their connection to the program was, he talked about their families and gave an obscure fact about each of them. And he did it all without notes,” Bird said. “That impressed me. He showed that he was concerned about relationships.

“Relationships with my players are something that’s important to me, too. I look at all of them as my sons.”

Jackson, Reynolds and Treadwell have thrilled Lansing Area football fans with outstanding high school careers.

And those same fans will be interested in watching them pursue their dreams in the Big Ten on Saturday afternoons.

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GLSA Helps Greater Lansing Bowl Perfect Game Community Strength, Relationships, Hard Work Bring In State’s Largest Tournament

By BrEndAn Dwyer

If you’ve spent any time in Michigan’s Capital City you know area residents have a passion for sports.

That fact doesn’t change when cold temperatures hit and indoor recreation takes over the landscape. Lansing’s strong bowling community and leading-edge venues helped the Greater Lansing Sports Authority convince officials to choose the region as host to the largest athletic tournament in the state, the 2009 USBC Michigan Men’s State Bowling Tournament.

“We had everything this tournament required to be successful, except a unified voice and an organized team ready to put all the components together for review by the United States Bowling Congress,” said Mike Price, Manager of Sports Development for the Greater Lansing Sports Authority (GLSA.) “That’s where the GLSA came in to lend a hand.”

A partnership was established among two area bowling centers, Royal Scot and Pro Bowl, the Lansing USBC Association and the GLSA. The group then generated a proposal to host the event that simply bowled over the State Selection Committee. Lansing was up against several other communities for the desirable event, which expects to draw up to 12,000 bowlers and an additional 8,000 family members, friends and spectators every weekend from January to May 2009. Considering the large influx of 22 NOVEMBER 2008

Recent upgrades made Royal Scot tournament ready.

visitors, the economic upside for the community is huge.

“We decided to hold the tournament in Lansing for many reasons,” said Barney Eagan, Tournament Director and Manager of the Michigan State USBC Bowling Association. “Two critical factors were the region’s convenient central location and all the great people there are to work with. Lansing also has two of the best bowling centers in the state, with Royal Scot and Pro Bowl, so we’re really excited for a fantastic tournament.”

Because the State of Michigan has the second-highest number of registered bowlers in the country, this event is one of the biggest of its kind in the nation. Debbie Cochran, Lansing USBC Association President, knows what securing this event means for promoting Lansing’s offerings to bowlers across the

state, as well as the impact this tournament will have on the local economy.

“The opportunity to showcase these two bowling centers has spurred some really nice upgrades, which is great for their business and our community,” said Cochran. “Then, when the tournament begins in January, area hotels, restaurants and retailers will feel the impact. It’s a win for the whole region.”

To learn more about the GLSA or the Men’s State Bowling Tournament call (517) 377-1406 or visit www.lansingsports.org.

PHOTOGRAPH BY BRENDAN DWYER

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With 24 NOVEMBER 2008

h Gusto Playing The Game

Ganakas Has Seen It All And Made Greater Lansing Greater

BY JACK EBLING

The two Greeks arrived on campus in East Lansing just one year apart. More than six decades later, Sparty and Gus Ganakas are closer than ever.

But there’s more to Ganakas’ story than a Class B State Championship as the East Lansing Trojans’ head basketball coach and a classy run at Michigan State as the athletic department’s ultimate role player.

Yes, he’s the answer to a trivia question: “Who’s the only coach with a 1-0 record against River Rouge legend Lofton Greene and Kentucky institution Adolph Rupp?”

And yes, for all his triumphs with the Trojans and special days with the Spartans, he could have gained much greater glory if a commitment from Magic Johnson would have mattered.

The great thing about Ganakas now, as it has always been, is that he never seems bitter. Instead, every place he has been is a little bit better.

“I guess I’m most proud of our accomplishments at East Lansing High,” Ganakas said. “And I’ve been around some great athletes. You think you’re blessed to have an Art Brandstatter. Then, you wind up coaching Ralph Simpson.”

The what-if department starts with the puzzler, “What if Simpson’s dad hadn’t rushed him to the the ABA after one varsity season in Jenison Field House, a year when he averaged 29.0 points?”

It makes you wonder, “What if a football investigation hadn’t led to a sweep of the MSU athletic department, when five straight winning seasons meant nothing?”

Of course, it always comes back to his chance for an NCAA Championship

or two if he had stuck around to coach the greatest player in Big Ten history.

“It was the spring of his junior year at Everett when I was told that Magic was coming to State,” Ganakas said, recalling every detail of an evening conversation in Jenison. “It was a secret. But I was stupid.

I should’ve put it in the paper. Then, when the president told me about the reassignment, I could’ve said, ‘Look, I’ve got Earvin Johnson in my hip pocket!’… I wasn’t that kind of person, I guess.”

He has always been the kind of person that makes you appreciate him the longer you’re around him. Tom Izzo, who has been around him for 25 years, understands that completely.

“Gus has been an incredible positive for this program,” Izzo said of his favorite radio analyst. “He helped us build a bridge between the past and the present. And he can find a silver lining in the darkest cloud.

One year at Wisconsin, we scored about four buckets in the second half. Gus found a way to make them all seem like highlights.”

The highlights of Ganakas’ career were the Trojans’ triumphs in 1958 and the first night he walked from the locker rooom to the court at Jenison as MSU’s head coach.

It took the shocking death of his close friend and predecessor, John Benington, after a workout in Jenison for Ganakas to become a collegiate head coach. In typical, self-deprecating fashion, the pride of Mount Morris, N.Y., wondered if he moved up in the summer of 1969.

“When I left East Lansing High to head the Ralph Young Fund at MSU, I coached the eighth-grade team at St. Thomas Aquinas

PHOTOGRAPH BY SHARON WATSON

“Gus has been an incredible positive for this program… He helped us build a bridge between the past and the present.”

- Tom Izzo, Spartan Basketball Head Coach

for two years as favor to Father Mac. Then, I became an assistant with the Spartans and, finally, the head coach… I kept working my way down.”

It’s astounding that Ganakas ever found work with the program, given his strange path from New York to Japan to San Diego NOVEMber 2008 25

to a place in Mid Michigan he knew almost nothing about.

“I was in the Marine Corps for 25 months and fought in the Battle of Okinawa,” Ganakas said. “But I was in artillery and hurt my back lifting shells. I finally had surgery on my lumbar region. That all but ended my athletic career.”

Ganakas talks strategy with former captain Lloyd Ward

During a visit to his mother, who had just moved to Michigan, Ganakas heard of Michigan State College for the first time. Instead of enrolling at Ithaca in Upstate New York, he decided to give East Lansing a try.

“We were sitting in Scottville when my brother told me about State,” Ganakas said.

“I knew about the University of Michigan and Tom Harmon, but that was it. The next thing I knew, I was taking a bus to an entrance exam. I got off at the corner of Grand River and Abbot, stayed overnight at the Union, then headed for Jenison. I had to ask someone, ‘Where’s the Field House?’ I figured it was out in the field somewhere.”

That was before Biggie Munn and Duffy Daugherty became Spartans and before the school’s football uniforms switched back to green-and-white from black-and-gold.

But Ganakas had always wanted to coach.

When he moved into a house on Erie Street, near the intersection of Saginaw and Larch in Lansing, and slept in the same bed with a housemate he had just met, that dream was one step closer to reality.

The following year, Gus married his wife, Ruth, and lived in a trailer near the corner of Harrison and Kalamazoo. Their rent was 26 NOVEMBER 2008

$17 a month.

“I played shortstop on the freshman baseball team, even with my back problem,” Ganakas said. “Robin Roberts was the star back then. And the football team had guys like George Guerre, Muddy Waters and the great Lynn Chandnois. the most versatile athlete I’ve ever seen here.”

That’s saying a lot when Ganakas coached three-sport performer Brad Van Pelt. But before he could make it back to campus in an official role, there was work to do in Olivet and East Lansing.

Following his graduation in three years, Ganakas took a teaching job in Olivet but didn’t coach there. Since he was commuting from East Lansing, it made more sense to live in East Lansing, when the opportunity arose to coach multiple sports. Who cared that he had never played football? It was a foot in the door. And he never let it shut.

Back where he belonged, Ganakas found a special collection of athletes led by the Brandstatter boys, Art and John. That basketball team had its 50th reunion last winter. And the Class of ’58 just had its Silver Anniversary celebration.

“It was great to see those players again,” Ganakas said with obvious pride. “They all came back, just about every one of them.

Then, we had the class reunion last month.

I told them all how proud I was of them. But before we left the house, I told Ruth, ‘You’d better hurry up. As old as everyone is going be, all the handicapped parking places will be gone.’”

In 1964, just as the Spartans began another fabulous era in football and other sports, Ganakas was hired as the director of the Ralph Young Fund.

“It was very traumatic that they opened the doors of East Lansing High School without me,” said Ganakas, a reluctant fundraiser. “I started to get withdrawal pains. I could still walk to work – a few blocks south instead of north.

“I played in so many alumni outings that when they asked my daughter, Marcy, what her dad did for a living, she said, ‘Oh, he plays golf for Michigan State!’ The funny thing is that I didn’t even like golf in those days. I used to hope that it rained.”

It rained on Ganakas’ early teams at MSU, including some tough times with Gary, his 5-foot-5 playmaking son, at point guard.

But when Gary hit sweet-stroking Mike Robinson with perfect passes on the perimeter, the Spartans had a two-time Big Ten scoring champ. And when Lindsay Hairston and

Terry Furlow chipped in, Jenison was jumping for big games against Michigan, Purdue, Indiana and, yes, Notre Dame.

“We used to bus everywhere,” Ganakas said. “One year we went to Illinois, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Michigan in the span of eight days and almost went 4-0. That’s when the problem arose with Notre Dame.

I suggested to our A.D., Burt Smith, that we try to move that game from January to December. Digger Phelps didn’t want to do that and was looking to get Notre Dame out of the series. He told Moose Krause, their A.D., that he didn’t want to play.”

When Ganakas’ best team went 17-9 in 1974-75, it failed to make a post-season tournament when just two or three spots were available for the conference. That didn’t help his job security. And when MSU’s African-American players walked out of a pregame meeting before a date with topranked Indiana, Ganakas issued one-game suspensions and played the JV team. That scar helped cost him his job more than a year later.

“The walkout had a lot to do with it,” he said. “Let’s just say I didn’t pick up a lot of supporters. I wouldn’t change how I handled it that day. But I knew it would detrimental to my career. When we got through the next year OK, I thought we were over the hump.

But then I was out, just when Magic was coming.”

Instead, a different sort of coach arrived from Montana. Somehow, Jud Heathcote and Ganakas became great friends, regular golf partners and opponents and colleagues in a revamped athletic department.

Ganakas served in a variety of functions in and out of the office and finally found a home as MSU’s radio analyst. He had done a few high school games in the area and did a 12-game Pistons TV package with George Blaha. But he was a more than a color man during the Spartans’ great run in Breslin Center. He was one of Izzo’s most-trusted advisors.

“When I left coaching and Earvin came, I told my assistant, Vernon Payne, ‘That probably cost me $1 million,’” Ganakas said.

“Vernon told me, ‘No. It cost you more than that.’ And when we played out in California one year, Magic came on the radio and said how much he wished he could’ve played for me. ‘Not as much as I do!’ I said.”

But when MSU had Magical years and National Championships in 1979 and 2000, Ganakas was there in any way he could be, helping out with both of them.

PHOTOGRAPH COUR TESY OF MSU ATHLE TIC COMMUNICATIONS

Playing The Game With Gusto

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By Ted Kluck

28 NOVEMBer 2008

Most standout athletes move about campus in a way that suggests physical superiority, if not regality. They wear team-issued sweats like a badge of honor and walk slope-shouldered and tight-hamstringed to classes, where peers and professors stare upward and gawk at their sheer size and prowess.

Jeff Lerg, by comparison, is the size of your average chemistry major. Walking from building to building in jeans and a ball cap, he looks like a kid. Come to think of it, he looks strangely kid-like in goal, too – almost engulfed by gigantic pads and gloves.

This is one of the appeals of hockey players. Of all the elite athletes on campus, they look the most like everyone else. But no one has ever called Lerg average. He’s a CoSida/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American, an honor he earned against real student-athletes in smart-kid, non-revenue sports. He has been named Michigan State University’s Male Athlete of the Year. Twice. He’s asthmatic. And he’s probably the most decorated current player in his sport.

Lerg is short. Let’s get that out of the way. He’s the shortest guy in college hockey, stretching toward 5-foot-6. Yet, his job is to get in the way of something big. The net stands 4 feet high and 6 feet wide, a lot of area to cover when you weigh a buck fifty with skates on. Think of the Denis Lemieux character in Slapshot.

Lerg should be tired of being featured as “the guy who has overcome being short to do great things.” He’s probably also sick of being “the guy who has overcome asthma to do great things.” Yet, Lerg hooks himself to a nebulizer each day before practice, and is never far from an inhaler.

Like most elite athletes, Lerg has learned to talk without saying much. He has mastered the art of being self-effacing and deflecting praise. That means he’s comfortable talking about himself without looking like he is too comfortable talking about himself. He is the type of young athlete about whom people say, “If you have kids, you want them to be like Jeff Lerg,” a Zamboni-sized yoke of responsibility.

“I think of goaltending it as a skill, something you acquire,” he said of the art-vs.-science argument. “You play it your whole life, and the skill level comes. When you’re a kid and you’re just playing, they don’t shoot it 90 miles per hour. It’s just fun to try to get in front of it and stop it. Now, as you get older, the players get better, the shots get harder, and you just have to adapt.”

While forwards and defensemen do different things in practice and even banter a bit while waiting in lines, a goaltender’s life is solitary. He basically does nothing but stop pucks for two hours - Jeff Lerg, MSU Goaltender each day. Extrapolated over a career that began in midget hockey, it’s striking the sheer amount of time that Lerg has spent stopping a six-ounce piece of vulcanized rubber.

“I started travel hockey right away,” he said. “I started Triple A at the earliest age you could start. I was always right there on the curve of the highest skill level, which helped me along the way. When I started getting attention from junior hockey and college teams… that’s when I started to believe I could have a chance to play at a high level.”

Prior to his college career, Lerg played for the Omaha Lancers in the USHL, the top junior hockey league in the nation. He led the league in shutouts, goals-against average, wins and minutes played and was named CCHA Rookie of the Year upon his arrival in East Lansing in 2005. With the Spartans’ 2007 National Champions, he held a 1.25 GAA and a .954 save percentage in the NCAA Tournament. That, he said, was the beginning of the end of his anonymity on campus.

“You have to have a short memory as a goaltender…

And you have to know that the game is 60 minutes long.”

NOVEMber 2008 29

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MSU SPOR TS INFORMATION

A Fortunate Kid

Last year Jeff was a finalist for the Sullivan Award, given to the nation’s outstanding amateur athlete.

“I could kind of hide in the crowd for a few years,” Lerg said. “I think winning the championship a few years ago helped get recognition for the whole hockey team. But as a goaltender, you’re on TV a lot and get a lot of recognition that way.”

Much has been said and written about the lack of perspective among parents in youth hockey. There are always sensational stories about fights in the stands and grueling, year-round schedules that plague young players. In spite of this, Lerg manages to maintain a sense of sheer joy when he talks about playing the game.

“My dad always had a good influence because he insisted we take the summers off to recharge the battery,” he said. “You go hard for 7 or 8 months a year, and it’s smart to take some time off so that you can come back fresh and excited to play. The work 30 NOVEMBER 2008

ethic was instilled in me when I was young.

I would be racing from one sports thing to another, doing homework in the car.”

Lerg’s father, Ken, played at Ohio State.

His uncle, Dan, played at Michigan. And his cousin, Bryan, was a teammate at MSU. Actually, he was a teammate for most of the fifteen years that Jeff has spent playing organized hockey. Bryan and Jeff grew up on the same street in Livonia and navigated the youth hockey waters like brothers.

“It’s fun,” the younger Lerg said. “It’s a privilege to be a hockey player at Michigan State. It’s a thrill to play for MSU in front of 6,000 people in the sport you love. You can’t beat that. This is the time of day I get to have the most fun. You have to go to classes and do homework, which isn’t much fun. Then, I get to come over and be with my buddies and let off steam.”

A Hobey Baker Award candidate heading into this season, Lerg has earned the respect of his teammates as well.

“We’ve got a great goalie,” senior forward Tim Crowder said. “He has been good and always will be. So we’re happy to have him back there. He’s definitely the leader of the team. It’s good he has got the ‘C’ on his chest, because he deserves it.”

Lerg’s allergies and struggles with asthma are no surprise to his teammates.

“I’ve had it since I was 4 years old and have had to use the breathing machine,” he said. “At times I’m not feeling well, and my body is just run down. The weather change is obviously a tough time for people with allergies and asthma.”

On the eve of a big game last season, Lerg had an allergic reaction at the hotel to something he ate at a pregame meal. Head Coach Rick Comley entered a meeting room to find his team looking crestfallen.

“Jeff had to leave,” they said, to which Comley responded, “If you’re kidding, you’re all benched.” Lerg left with a team doctor to get treated for the reaction and

was in the hotel lobby later that evening to greet his teammates. The next day, he pitched a shutout.

On the back page of the MSU Hockey Media Guide, a 184-page, glossy tool to help recruit future Spartans, there is a full-page picture of Lerg in his gear. Inside, there are pictures of Lerg smiling and gesturing at podiums across the country, accepting awards.

There is usually an eye-rolling, PDAtapping weariness among major-college sports information directors, whose job it is to make all great athletes sound like “great kids.” But MSU SID Jamie Weir is nothing short of ebullient in her praise of Lerg.

“I drove him to the Big Ten hockey media day in Grand Rapids recently,” she said. “He did homework in the car on the way there and back.”

“Academically, I came here because MSU is a great place to get a degree,” Lerg said.

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, so I just went into finance in the college of business.

A lot of kids in my class have a great foundation and have had a lot of great internships in the field. But my internship is hockey, doing that kind of stuff all year-round.”

Lerg’s honesty about that disguises his interest in the National Hockey League, which also has a vested interest in him.

Lerg looks kid-like in net until he begins to move, relying on what have been called “the fastest legs in hockey.” From a prone or split position, his recovery time is amazing.

When Lerg crouches in the crease, the crossbar is higher than the top of his mask.

But his speed, reflexes and tenacity make up for a lack of size. That unique combination of skills that allowed him to post a 1.62

GAA in eight NCAA Tournament games, sixth-best in history, and to rank first among all Division I goaltenders in saves with 1,136 in late March and April.

“I like to watch Manny Legace in St. Louis,” Lerg said. “He’s not a big guy and has to make up for it with speed and quickness, which is what I have to do. There have been scouts and coaches who have doubted me. But there have always been the handful of people who believed in me and gave me a chance to play.”

Lerg has learned the fine art of dealing with adversity from his NHL mentors. That coping mechanism is especially important for big-league pitchers, goalies and NFL cornerbacks, positions where athletes must finish a game after being beaten.

“You have to have a short memJeff and Coach Rick Comley with the George ory as a goaltender,” Lerg said.

Alderton MSU Male Athlete of the Year Award “And you have to know that the game is 60 minutes long. There have been games – a lot of junior games and college games – where you give going on around the league and the country. up a goal at the beginning, and it’s the only And being a leader the last few years here, one you let in. Or you can play a whole game if I saw something going on with a player or and give up two or three right at the end.” the team, I wouldn’t be afraid to say it.”

As in almost all sports conversations, the Lerg seems very grown-up, talking about talk eventually turned to adversity and the these things. It’s almost as though he’s an types of problems Lerg has faced in his life. actor playing an athlete and giving perfect Instead of griping about asthma or being answers to interview questions. It was only vertically challenged, No. 1 surprised us near the end of the conversation, when one more time, after pausing and thinking asked which Slapshot player he related to, for a moment. that his eyes lit up.

“You know,” he finally said. “I’ve always “Probably more of a Reggie (Dunlop),” he been a pretty fortunate kid.” said, smiling. “I’m more of a player-coach.

Almost as fortunate as Lerg’s teams and I’m a guy who really pays attention to what’s his teammates.

Readers should submit their story ideas, News + Notes and Last Shot photographs by the 20th of each month.

To be a part of the community, go to: www.SportLansing.com

PHOTOGRAPH BY DOUG WARREN

The State Of The Hunt

Has The Slumping Economy Hurt Hunting In Mid-Michigan?

BY DOUG WARREN

When times get tough economically, folks often feel the need to cut The Retailer’s Take Ken Morrison, Store Manager at Gander back on the excess expenditures. Maybe, you’ll take a few less trips to the Mountain, in Delta Township, said that once movies this fall. Some may spend more nights making dinner at home the season arrives, so do their sales. instead of going out. Instead of that yearly trip to Ford Field or Joe Louis “Early on we noticed a slowdown,” MorArena, you have decided to spend more time and money at local high rison said, “but now that the season’s here, it’s not. People will buy hunting items. I school or college sporting events.

For those who make their fun in Mid-Michigan’s outdoors, maybe you have decided to cut back, or even eliminate, some of your traditional fall activities. For some, that may include one of Michigan’s longest and dearest autumn sporting pastimes – hunting.

With the fall hunting season now upon us, Sport Lansing decided to find out how the economy has affected Mid-Michigan’s hunting economy.

32 NOVEMBER 2008

don’t care if General Motors goes on strike.

We always pick up business this time of year.

People who hunt are going to do what they can to hunt. Hunting sales are not down at all, at least in our facility.”

While Morrison says that overall hunting sales remain strong. He does notice that customers are doing more bargain shopping this season.

“Early on, people were a little bit pickier with their bows,” Morrison said.

“People were repairing their bows. But now, people are spending money like they have it. The economy has not really affected us at all. When it comes to bow

Bruce and his son, Matt Holliday of Dimondale shop for muzzleloaders at Gander Mountain in Delta Township.

hunting, business is good.

“Now with firearms, the used portion of our business is booming,” Morrison continued. “More people are buying used (guns) because they are trading theirs in and buying another used firearm. And it’s a perfect way to do it. Because we are particular in what we accept on trade, so you’re going to get a good value on your gun. And in return you get an inspected and quality used firearm at a good price. For the last six months, our used firearm sales have been much higher than our new sales.”

Processing Success With hunting sales up on the economic front end in places like Gander Mountain; we wondered how other areas of Mid-Michigan’s hunting economy were being affected.

George DeVries, owner of George’s Processing in Charlotte – a company that specializes in processing deer and other meats – said he is doing well too.

“Up to this point and compared to any previous year,” DeVries said, “we have processed more deer than at any other time in our 19 years in business. There is a silver lining in all of this negative stuff we have been experiencing. And that is that it brings people back to basics. You know, all of these nice imported meats have to be flown in from Chile and Brazil. And the cost of doing that has gone way up. Transportation is expensive.”

As transportation costs soar and retail prices follow suit, DeVries believes that more Mid-Michigan folks are in search of food options of all kinds closer to home.

“There have been many articles here locally and on national news shows and the Internet of late that talk about how local produce is becoming more popular,” DeVries said. “Roadside produce stands have done a really good business this past summer.”

In addition, DeVries wonders if something else has contributed to his increased business this fall.

“I have to consider another factor and that is the temperature,” DeVries said. “I have a state-inspected operation because I

have coolers and process a lot of sausage and ready-to-eat products. By comparison, the ones that I call “fair-weather operators” – meaning they can only operate when the temperature is cooler because they have to hang their meats outside for a couple of days or in a barn somewhere – those people come to me because they know I have coolers. So that may also be a factor because it has been a warm season.”

Club Memberships Holding Steady The Capital Area Sportsman’s League, which is a 400-plus member pistol, rifle, skeet shooting and archery club founded in 1935, also continues to do well at the present time. But as League President George Allen admits, things could change if the economy and the costs associated with shooting sports become too much for the average person to bear.

“We have not seen a decrease in revenues,” said League President George Allen, “Certainly, we have not seen a decrease in the number of people who use our facilities or have joined our facility. This quote – economic morass – unquote we are in right now, has been short term in how it has affected people. We would expect at some point that people will prioritize how they will spend their money. The question is, has it had such an effect that folks can’t pay $100 for their membership dues? Or will they pay the fee and just not shoot as much at the range because the cost of ammunition is rising?

Those are good questions that have yet to be answered. So we are not going to know how it will really affect us until membership renewal time at the end of the year. Because of course, Christmas is coming and we will see how that all goes.”

Economic Impact Natural Resources Boost Michigan’s Economy Michigan ranks 3rd in the nation in licensed hunters (more than 750,000) who contribute $1 billion annually to our economy. Some 3.2 million non-consumptive users contribute $1.5 billion to our economy.

Michigan ranks 5th in the nation in numbers of licensed resident and nonresident anglers who contribute $2 billion annually to our economy.

Michigan ranks 1st in the nation in the number of registered snowmobiles and 3rd in the number of registered boats; recreational boating contributes $2 billion annually to our economy and when there is an abundance of snow, snowmobilers create a $1 billion bonanza for northern Michigan communities.

With 22 million visitors annually, state parks and recreation areas play an important role in Michigan’s tourism industry, contributing $580 million to the state’s economy.

Michigan’s nearly one million registered boaters spend $873 million on trips during our relatively short boating season.

Michigan DNR manages the largest dedicated state forest system in the nation; forest products industry and recreational users contribute $12 billion and 200,000 associated jobs annually to our economy.

Source: Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Taxidermy Still Stuffing Profits Mark Esch, a longtime wildlife taxidermist in DeWitt, has good news to report from his side of the business, albeit with a few twists.

“I have not seen a difference in the amount of deer, bears and other big game being mounted,” Esch said. “However, one thing I do see is that guys are quite a bit slower in picking up their finished deer, NOVEMber 2008 33

PHOTOGRAPH BY CEIL HELLER

The State Of The Hunt

PHOTOGRAPH BY DOUG WARREN

Lloyd Barcroft, of the Capital Area Sportsman’s League, takes aim at the group’s skeet range in Delta Township

bear and fish mounts.

“One other thing I have noticed,” Esch continued, “is that I’m seeing a lot less smaller items. I’m seeing less squirrel, bluegill, things like that; things that I have done a lot of in the past. So I think folks are being a little more selective in what they are having mounted.”

While Esch continues to get customers both locally and from his worldwide contacts that bring him business from as far away as Africa and New Zeeland, he admits that not too long ago he wondered if he would have to seek another line of work.

“To be honest,” Esch said, “I thought (taxidermy) would come to a halt. I think taxidermy is nothing but a luxury. And it is if you really think about it. I mean, if you have to make a house or car payment, a guy is going to make that before he gets his deer done. But, I do know a couple of (hunters) who are really bad off financially right now.

And they have both told me that if they get that big buck of a lifetime – some how some way – it’s going to go on the wall.”

The DNR Struggles

As you may expect, if there would be one

area where Michigan’s economic difficulties may negatively affect the hunting economy it would be with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Mary Dettloff, Public Information Officer for the Michigan DNR, talked to us about how, in recent years, they have had to do more with less.

“DNR License sales right now are down 2-3 percent,” Dettloff said. “And that’s been the trend for the last several years due to many reasons, including an aging population, competition for leisure time, lack of leisure time, and yes, the economy.”

With license sales down, we asked Dettloff if attendance at Michigan’s state parks had been impacted negatively too.

“Yes, park attendance was down about 5 percent this year,” Dettloff said. “That is due to higher fuel prices and weather. We had a bad June, a better July and a great August (weatherwise).”

Like nearly every Michigan government agency in recent years, the DNR has had its share of budget cuts.

“For example,” Dettloff said, “starting in the previous administration (John Engler), all General Fund

(money) has been removed from the state parks’ budget. State Parks today survive on what they bring in at the entrance (entrance stickers and camping fees). Our proposed budget for 2009 is about 2-3 percent less than last year’s.”

One has to wonder that if the current trends continue what the future holds for the DNR. “Next year, our state parks budget should be okay,” Dettloff said. “However, we are projecting a deficit in that budget starting in 2010. We will be advising the Legislature of this situation as we develop the budget.”

To make up for that projected gap and the other demographical changes in the DNR’s longtime customer base, the department is looking at developing new revenue streams.

According to Dettloff, those efforts include extensive programming aimed at non-traditional users (minorities in urban areas, children, women) to encourage them to begin to take advantage of Michigan’s parks, hunting and fishing resources.

Dettloff did note one positive in Michigan’s slumping economy is that Conservation Officers are reporting no increase in poaching.

While the state of Mid-Michigan’s hunting economy remains a bit mixed, it’s safe to say at this time that one of the areas most popular autumn pastimes is far from becoming passé.

Orin Benner, a Gander Mountain employee, restrings a compound bow

NOVEMber 2008 35

2008 MSU Radio Network Football Affiliates

Market Station Dial Position

Adrian WABJ-AM 1490 Alma WQBX-FM 104.9 Alpena WATZ-AM 1450 Ann Arbor WLBY-AM 1290 Bad Axe WLEW-AM 1340 Battle Creek WBCK-FM 95.3 Benton Harbor WCSY-FM 103.7 Cadillac WCKC-FM 107.1 Caro WKYO-AM 1360 Detroit WJR-AM 760 Escanaba WDBC-AM 680 Flint WWCK-AM 1570 Gaylord WAVC-FM 93.9 Grand Haven WGHN-FM 92.1 Grand Rapids WBBL-AM 1340 Greenville WSCG-AM 1380 Greenville WSCG-FM 106.3 Hastings WBCH-AM 1220 Hastings WBCH-FM 100.1 (varies) Holland WPNW-AM 1260 Iron Mountain WMIQ-AM 1450 Jackson WIBM-AM 1450 Kalamazoo WKZO-AM 590 Lansing WJIM-AM 1240 Lansing WMMQ-FM 94.9 Ludington WKLA-AM 1450 Manistee WMTE-AM 1340 Marquette WDMJ-AM 1320 Midland WLUN-FM 100.9 Mount Pleasant WMMI-AM 830 Newberry WIHC-FM 97.9 Ontonagon WUPY-FM 101.1 Petoskey WJML-AM 1110 Port Huron WPHM-AM 1380 Saginaw WNEM-AM 1250 St. Ignace WIDG-AM 940 Sturgis WMSH-AM 1230 Tawas City WKJC-FM 104.7 Traverse City WCCW-AM 1310

Join us for the 2008 Michigan State Football Season

George Blaha Jim Miller Jason Strayhorn Will Tieman

Subject to change 7/01/08

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36 NOVEMBER 2008

SPORT QUICK HIT

Molly Peterman Where Is She Now?

By WALT SORG

PHOTOGRAPH BY JIM FORDYCE

She was the consummate team player at Eastern High School and had an annual award created in her honor.

As a basketball star at Detroit-Mercy, she led her team in scoring and rebounding in 2002. And she has traveled the world for the past six years, chasing her dreams across three continents.

But since her days as the girl in teacher Karen Hoekstra’s first gym class at Pattengill Middle School, Molly Peterman’s story has been less about athletic accomplishments and more about the drive to excel.

“Molly was always looking to make the team better, to make the other players better,” said Hoekstra, now the junior-varsity coach at Eastern and a teacher at Pattengill.

Hoekstra was so impressed that she pushed to create the Molly Peterman Award, recognizing the Quaker who best exemplified Peterman’s leadership, commitment and skill.

“I advise people to do what they are passionate about, then give it their all,” Peterman said during a short visit home.

If she hasn’t made every shot, Peterman has always made the best of tough circumstances.

As a senior at Eastern, her team was a dismal 3-17. But 23 points per game produced a scholarship offer from the Lady Titans.

Peterman had dreamed of playing at Michigan State. Her 5-foot-8 frame and her team’s record didn’t convince Head Coach Karen Langeland.

Instead, she became the co-MVP of a 16-14 team her senior year at Detroit-Mercy. Even after growing an inch, she was viewed as being too short to play guard in the WNBA. Most players would have quit right there.

Most players aren’t Molly Peterman.

“It’s something I identified with for so long that it’s part of who I am,” Peterman said. “I didn’t want to take the normal route and do what everyone else is doing: graduate, get married, have kids, get a job.

Twenty years from now I don’t ever want to be asking, ‘What if…?’”

Instead, she launched an international basketball odyssey with stops in Grand Rapids, Chicago, Argentina, Germany, Ireland and Iceland. She was almost always the top player on her team, peaking in Ireland two

years ago with 35 points and 12 rebounds per game.

In 2007 her quest took her to the parking lot of the WNBA’s Detroit Shock practice facility to personally sell her skills to hardheaded Head Coach Bill Laimbeer.

“I walked up to him when he got out of his truck, and told him, ‘I want to play for you,’” Peterman remembered.

Unaccustomed to being stalked by job applicants, Laimbeer told her to have her agent get in touch.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Peterman promised, gym bag in hand.

“No, you won’t!” Laimbeer said.

A day later, Molly Peterman was in the Shock’s front office, saying. “Coach Laimbeer is expecting me.”

The onetime Pistons “Bad Boy” wasn’t in, but Peterman’s marketing package wound up on his desk.

That strategy led to a call from Laimbeer to Peterman’s now former agent. When her representation dropped the ball and never pushed to get Peterman a tryout, a WNBA dream was all but done.

“I would have played for free,” Peterman said.

If it wasn’t about the money or saying she had played at the highest level, what drove Peterman to keep driving? It was all about the journey.

“I can say I gave it my all, and it wasn’t meant to be,” she said.

Now, that same drive is focused on launching Peterman in another of her passions. She is busy writing the autobiography of a basketball nomad, with a focus on the qualities that brought her success.

Her second book will be a collection of short essays on WNBA players, from stars to bench-warmers. After that, she hopes to write a series of children’s books..

The goal of each one is to inspire young women to reach for their dreams.

Her children’s book may include illustrations by a passionate, young artist.

That, too, would be Molly Peterman, always drawing from deep within.

NOVEMber 2008 37

SPORT SPECIAL OLYMPIC SALUTE

VanderWaals Does It All No Challenge Is Too Great For A Non-Stop Battler

By Crystal Krauskoff

Whether he is participating, watching or cheering for someone else, count on VanderWaals making an appearance.

That may not seem much different from your typical 21-year-old. But the East Lansing High School student has overcome countless challenges to make it to the sidelines, let alone onto the playing field.

“He has had 42 surgeries on his eyes and ears combined,” said Debbie Aronson, Donny’s mother. “He was born blind. They removed the lenses of his eyes when he was 3 weeks old. I had to put in contacts for him. And he had glasses when he was 6 weeks old.”

VanderWaals was born with a Oculocerebrorenal Syndrome, more commonly known as Lowe’s Syndrome. It is a rare genetic condition that causes physical and mental handicaps, almost exclusively in males. It impacts the eyes, brain and kidneys.

In addition to the vision trouble that required getting implants nearly six years ago, it was recently determined that VanderWaals’ kidneys are at Stage 4 of a possible 5.

“He’s not at the point where he needs dialysis,” Aronson said. “(The doctors) don’t know how long that will be. It could be soon or it could be years. Who knows?”

VanderWaals also battles scoliosis, stands just shy of 5 feet tall, weighs 81 pounds and had a mass removed from his forehead about two years ago.

None of that has stopped VanderWaals. It hasn’t even seemed to slow him down..

“He’s probably the most intense competitor that we have, but in a fun-loving way,” said Chuck Wilkinson, who taught VanderWaals for five years in East Lansing and has been one of his Special Olympics coaches. “He loves sports and the team environment.”

VanderWaals has been an active participant in the Michigan Special Olympics since he was about 7 years old.

He has played everything from poly hockey to handball and tried every activity from track to snowshoeing. But basketball is VanderWaals’ favorite. And why is that?

“Because you can pass the ball to other people, your teammates,” said VanderWaals, who is nicknamed the “Weasel” for his strong defensive play on the court.

38 NOVEMBER 2008

When not suiting up for a Special Olympics squad, he is busy with a youth bowling league on Saturday mornings at Holiday Lanes.

VanderWaals owns three bowling balls. His latest acquisition is an 11-pound Tropical Storm that has helped raise his average almost seven pins in a three-week span.

VanderWaals’ passion for sports and compassion for others helped earn him the state’s top honor as the 2003 Special Olympics Inspirational Athlete of the Year.

In addition to that award, he was featured along with U.S. Olympic figure skater Todd Eldridge on a box of Michigan-themed Frosted Flakes.

“Since he was on that cereal box, he’s been really independent,” Aronson said. “I don’t know what happened.”

When he isn’t competing, VanderWaals takes tickets for the Trojans football team and works security for the East Lansing High basketball games.

He picked up an assistant coaching position for the freshman volleyball team this fall and plans to return as a helper for the girls varsity basketball team for a second straight season.

As a volleyball aide, VanderWaals runs drills on one side of the net, while head coach Amanda Moran takes care of business on the other side.

“He’s always so positive,” said Moran, who is VanderWaals’ teacher this year. “There’s nothing negative in him. Even if the girls mess up, he says, ‘OK, do it again.’

“If every student had the attitude he did, I’d teach for free. He’s just so positive and always so excited to learn.”

Not everything in VanderWaals’ life revolves around sports. He’s employed part-time at an area pet store and at L&L Food Center in Haslett.

He gets to and from work by hopping on a bus and rides his bike to school activities. Either way, VanderWaals is on the move.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARGARE T HEHR

Describing Donny VanderWaals as a sportsaholic is an understatement.

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SPORT OFFICIATING

Backtalk Can Backfire

Officials Are Human, So Why Not Treat Them That Way?

By STEVE GRINCZEL

The next time your company accountant makes an error or accuses you of fudging expenses, charge at him in an obscenity-laced rage, eyes bugging and veins bulging. Thrust your index finger his way several times, then call him the worst bean-counter ever.

Be that belligerent with another independent arbiter, say a cop or a judge, and you’ll likely end up in jail.

But an official must endure that treatment, whether he’s a 15-year-old trying to make a little cash by refereeing youth soccer or a linesman in a Big Ten football game.

The view from the sideline, touchline or bench brings out the worst in amiable people and evil in some with marginal character.

The question that should be asked, however, is what do coaches get in return for the pound of flesh they rip from the officials’ hide?

No matter how animated, vitriolic, prolonged or righteous the argument, it seldom results in getting the call reversed, so what’s the point?

Furthermore, does any coach in his right mind believe he can curry favor with an official by insulting, degrading and berating him? Try that with your better half some time.

The results can be disastrous, as Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema learned in a 25-24 loss to MSU on Nov. 1.

When Bielema lost his cool over a decision that went against the Badgers, he stepped onto the field to make his protest loud and clear. When order was restored, he proceeded to give the official on his sideline an earful before each of the next three or four plays.

However, with the Badgers seemingly in command with an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead, Bielema crossed the line once too often. His argument over a 5-yard delay-ofgame penalty for obstructing the sideline earned him a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct call.

Instead of starting at their 41, the Spartans began at the Wisconsin 44. Bielema’s outburst directly contributed to the 13-0 run

disdain for officials. Nor did he ever apologize for his behavior.

Rather, he spoke for coaches on every level when he said, “At some point, the game makes fools of us all.”

MSU used in the final 8:13 to eke out a win.

Haslett High football coach Charlie Otlewski comes across in interviews as a genuinely good guy. Another side came out in his first-round state playoff loss to East Lansing. When a perceived interference penalty on the last play of the game was a no-call, Otlewski threw his hat and yelled what can only be imagined since it was out of mic range.

Afterward, he blasted the official on camera for what he said was “a chicken call.”

What Otlewski failed to do was to look at it from both sides, as the official must do. Had he been on the other sideline, would he have graciously accepted the defeat that may have occurred after an interference call?

Officials often face what is called a “moment of truth” in a game. It is the point where they must, in a split-second, make an impartial ruling that is going to delight one side and possibly destroy another. Even if they have the wisdom of Solomon, they can’t call it both ways.

At best, the official will keep his cool and continue to function at a professional level, even if the coach does not.

At worst, the coach runs the risk of alienating the official or affecting his work. The rare bad-seed official may strike back and slant the game in the other team’s favor, while the inexperienced or weak ref might tighten up and stop making calls altogether.

The coach who bullies an official into making poor decisions that benefit his team is a cheater. Some may say it’s part of the game. That may be true. The bottom line is, it’s unethical and an unfortunate part of the game.

Former MSU basketball coach Jud Heathcote was notorious for his often-comical responses to calls. He never retracted his NOVEMber 2008 41

SPORT MEDICINE

“The Game” Must Go On… Javon Ringer’s Remarkable Play, A True Team Effort By jeffrey kovan, d.o.

The story said his team won a must-win game on the road against its arch-rival. It followed with the description of his jaw-dropping performance: 194 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries.

The next week’s storyline was remarkably similar - another big win, two more scores and all the makings of a great season. The tale could easily end there with the team’s success and the star’s accomplishments.

But stories often emerge after the glory is celebrated that make the moment a lot more special. Such was the case with Michigan State runner Javon Ringer and his desire to play despite injury and illness.

With a heart bigger than any physical setback and the mindset to follow his spiritual side and overcome adversity, Ringer chose to return to the lineup and challenge any physical roadblocks.

Two nights prior to the Spartans’ 35-21 win over Michigan in Ann Arbor, Ringer made a quick turn on a seemingly harmless punt return at practice and collapsed with a sharp pain in his injured hamstring.

Carried from the field and carted to the training room, Ringer’s chances of playing less than 48 hours later were as small as most tacklers’ odds of stopping No. 23 in the open field.

42 NOVEMBER 2008

Instantly, a talented and experienced athletic training staff began the physical and emotional recovery that produced a remote chance to return. Treating the injury was essential. So was a connection with the athlete’s spiritual needs with 36 hours till kickoff.

From there, determination, hope, prayer and hours of treatments led to a memorable game with little more than a trace of soreness to follow.

The following week, with his hamstring injury behind him and the next game just six days away, a viral illness with painful oral ulcers again left Ringer weakened – unable to eat and swallow.

A 10-pound weight loss, understandable lethargy and hours of bed rest restricted Ringer to a mere 30 minutes of practice in Week 10. He couldn’t do anything relevant until Thursday.

Medications, nutrition counseling and Ringer’s heartfelt hopes and prayers again propelled him to game day and another test of his ability to overcome adversity.

In the field of medicine, we often look back at challenging and complicated cases and assess whether our actions best served the patient. In Sports Medicine, the results are often easy to see.

Did the athlete return to play? And if so, how effective was he or she in leading a team to victory? In Ringer’s case, credit should be spread across the many “players” on the medical team who worked so hard to help him return to the playing field.

In retrospect, the No. 1 hero was actually Ringer himself. Without his determination and strength of mind, body and soul, nothing would have been possible.

It has become clear over the years that the mind truly has the capability to overcome injury and despair. The spiritual side of all of us, whether it be religion and prayer, solitude and personal reflection or a deeper connection to the self, provides an inner strength to achieve and to overcome many obstacles.

Javon Ringer continues to lead his team to victory. At the same time, he has allowed me to reassess my role and that of the others in his recovery. His belief in faith and prayer provided the self-reflection needed for success.

As he continues to prosper on the playing field, I feel fortunate to have learned from his character on the field and out of uniform.

Never underestimate what the mind can do. And always hold out hope that despite the circumstances we may be faced with, our inner strength can lead to some pretty incredible things.

It can lead to an 8-2 start for a football team, a string of individual honors for a stubborn senior and a fall that we will not soon forget.

NOVEMber 2008 43

SPORT MEDIA

Responsible Reporting A Must The Facts Still Come First With Reputations At Stake

By EARLE robinson

In today’s 24-hour journalism, reporters rely more and more on undisclosed sources for information. Those sources are called on to verify stories the public wants to see, hear and read.

As always, accuracy is the key.

For example, it was erroneously mentioned on Detroit’s WDIV-TV that Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins was involved in a fight with Spartan hockey players at a party the morning of October 19, 2008.

The story was reported as a rumor by Rob Parker, who is also a columnist with The Detroit News.

Parker said that he had three solid sources. If those sources could have been verified as accurate, he had every right to stand by his story.

Often, journalists trust their sources and will use those tips without stopping to check them. They trust that their sources are giving them good, accurate information.

If a journalist has to verify that his or her sources are providing good, accurate information each time a story is published, that would take a lot more time.

In turn, that could mean that someone else may beat them to the story. And that would make their editor mad.

That’s just the way it goes. A journalist’s first responsibility is to the truth.

44 NOVEMBER 2008

Though journalists are under great pressure to make deadlines and make sure their paper is the first to report a story, that doesn’t change one fact. Accuracy is essential.

Even if it means that a story could be told in other publications first, the first obligation is to the truth. If the story is inaccurate, especially in a case where reputations can be damaged, the consequences are much greater.

Editors will always say that they want their reporters to be accurate first. What they won’t say is that they want the reporter to be accurate and be first.

They want to beat the competition. And they want their paper to have the reputation of having the story first, while maintaining 100-percent accuracy.

Sometimes, it’s tough to have it both ways. But in many cases, that’s what editors want: accuracy and being first.

In the case of Cousins, the story wasn’t reported in the paper. It was broadcast on a television show about rumors the reporter had heard. The damage was roughly the same.

Because Parker represents the paper, the News is still held accountable in the eyes of the public. The reporter was introduced as a representative of the paper, which gives the broadcast credibility.

Parker has been suspended for two weeks and has issued an apology to the family of Kirk Cousins.

But it’s important that young journalists learn from this embarrassing situation. They need to remember to take the time to check their sources.

If that happens, perhaps this incident can have a positive impact – if not for Cousins and Parker, for a lot of athletes and reporters to follow.

There are times when people have knowledge or information on a story you may be looking to write. But if you can’t prove it, you can’t print it or air it.

You may have to go to other people to corroborate the information. Being second with a story is never appreciated. Being wrong is much, much worse.

No one seems to remember the retraction – except in cases where the writer or broadcaster is wrong and the public loses more respect for the media.

The bottom line? If you can’t verify everything you’ve heard, then don’t run the story.

The risk is simply too great.

Your name is on the story. Someone else’s name is in it.

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NOVEMber 2008 47

SPORT FINISH LINE

My Friend, Gus We Always Had A Ball

By JUd heathcote

In our profession there are good coaches, good guys and coaches who are fun to be with. There aren’t many people who fit all three descriptions. Gus Ganakas is one of them.

Former MSU Spartan Basketball Coach Jud Heathcote

48 NOVEMBER 2008

I still remember that our offices in Jenison Field House were the ones located next to each other for 13 of my 19 years at Michigan State. We often visited about basketball, golf and “Greek logic.”

Gus was always jovial and friendly.

One day I asked him, “Gus, why are you so friendly to me when I’m the one who replaced you as head coach?” He finally answered, “Why shouldn’t I be? You had nothing do with my firing. President Wharton and the Trustees are the ones who fired me. You didn’t.”

This brings me to a well-known fact: Gus Ganakas didn’t deserve to be fired. He was coming off five straight winning seasons and three straight in the Big Ten. All you hear about in this year’s election is “Change! Change! Change!” Gus got caught up in a change. The board was replacing the athletic director and the head football coach and decided to make it three-for-three. Gus got caught in the middle.

Gus stayed on as an assistant A.D. and often was asked to represent the university at a high school coach’s retirement banquet.

Whenever I would ask him how it went the next day, he would always say “Same old, same old. The coach is really going to miss the kids, the parents and the games…Who’s kidding who?” I would say, “How about the officials?” And Gus would say, “I don’t know.

He never mentioned them.”

After he left coaching in ’76, Gus liked to try to guess the outcome of basketball games and see how close he could come to the score. Believe me, it’s harder to do that than most people would think.

When Gus would ask for my opinion on games, I’d give him my thoughts. Then, he would go to Tom Izzo and ask his opinion

on the same games. If Tom and I agreed on the outcome, Gus would pick the outcome the other way. And he was usually right. So much for basketball coaches’ expertise.

But it was golf where I enjoyed Gus’s friendship the most. Of all the golf I’ve played and all the people I’ve played with, there has never been a better person to have as a partner – or as an opponent – than Gus. He was always the same – a fierce competitor who never let anything upset him.

Gus was always on an even keel, win or lose. The only time I remember him getting slightly frustrated was when he took five shots to get out of a sand trap on hole No. 4 at Walnut Hills Country Club.

Gus has worn a lot of hats in his long tenure at Michigan State University. And he has worn all of them well, I must say. The one hat that he has worn the best, however, is the one as color analyst on the Spartan Basketball Network. He begins his 23rd year this month and is still as insightful as ever.

He knows the game and adds great expertise to every broadcast. He will be sorely missed when he decides to hang it up.

To sum it all up, I’m proud to call Gus Ganakas my very good friend. Time and distance can never change that. And I wish Gus and the Spartans another great year.

Jud Heathcote arrived from Montana in 1976 and coached MSU to the 1979 NCAA Championship, three Big Ten titles and a school-record 340 wins. He also served as a mentor and friend to hand-picked successor Tom Izzo.

Heathcote and his wife, Beverly, follow the Spartans from their home in Spokane, Wash., and in person along the tournament trail.

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