Jeff McDonald Memorial Showcase Preview

On Saturday January 28th the Cadillac Viking boys basketball team will be hosting what I hope will become a annual event. The first ever Jeff McDonald Memorial Showcase. The three game event will feature some of the top teams in Northern Michigan taking on squads from the Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Lansing areas.

However before we get to the ball. Allow me to devote some time to the namesake of the event. Jeff McDonald was one of the more accomplished basketball coaches in Northern Michigan. He wrapped up his career on top with back-to-back trips to the Breslin Center. I could list off the resume and trust me it’s extensive.

Please understand this though. That is not why this event bears his name. He was one the finest human beings you would have been privileged to meet. He embodied the class, character, and dignity that his teams played with. He left us far to early and I hope this event plays a role in keeping his contribution to this game and more importantly his community alive.

That being said he was humble and understated. He would be uncomfortable and deflect everything in those first few paragraphs. He would say the game is about the kids and encourage the focus to be there. Let’s get onto games.

Game 1- Traverse City West vs Grand Rapids Union

The opener features two programs going through a bit of a rebuilding process. With second year head coach Doug Bauman. West will come into the event with a losing record. However Bauman knows how to build programs. He did it on the girls side also at West. He has some good young building blocks to work with. Chief among them is sophomore point guard Lincoln Lockhart. A crafty point guard who had a good summer playing all over the Midwest with the West Michigan Lakers. He is not alone in the 2025 class. As Winslow Robinson has also been generating some buzz early in his high school career. Recently the Titans hot hand has been coming from the junior class. With Ben Habbers posting 26 points in a victory against Alpena.

Like West, Union is a rebuilding squad after the departure of longtime head coach Brandoen Guyton. However unlike West they will come into to Cadillac with a winning record. Within that record are some resume boosting wins against state championship caliber programs like Benton Harbor among others. The strength of new head coach William Wright’s team is in the backcourt. They will be led by the duo of Marquan Ross and Kyale Lockridge. That being said they are also a good interior defensive squad. If you can defeat Muskegon Reeths-Puffer (Travis Ambrose) and Zeeland East (Layne Risdon) you know what you are doing low. Ambrose and Risdon are two better post prospects in the 2024 class.

Game 2- Petoskey vs St John’s

For the Northmen it starts, begins, and ends with senior 6-7 post Cade Trudeau. Trudeau has been averaging a double double and had an excellent game the last time he was in this gymnasium against the host squad. However if defenses key in on him too much. Petoskey has a young backcourt that can hurt you. Juniors Shane Izzard and James Marshall cannot be left alone.

From just outside of the Lansing area. St John’s competes in the always difficult Capital Area Conference. Featuring historical state championship programs like Williamston and Haslett. The Red Wings come in with a 7-3 record. 6-6 junior Keller Benjamin should be able to matchup with Trudeau down low.

An interesting little interconnected nugget that has nothing to do with the outcome of the game. John Flynn is a Petoskey and Grand Valley St legend who head coached the Northmen through the 2021 season. He is now the head coach across the Little Traverse Bay at Harbor Springs. He is married the former Amy Rehmann who was also a good player at Grand Valley and serves as the girls coach at Harbor Springs as well. Not entirely unusual but the symmetry does not end there. Amy Rehmann was also a standout player at— you guessed it— St John’s. If you finished this paragraph. Thank you for playing Six Degrees of Petoskey/St John’s. You were warned.

Game 3 Cadillac vs Kalamazoo Loy Norrix

The finale will feature the top team in the field. The host squad is a one point loss against Mount Pleasant away from an undefeated record. They are big, deep, and talented. Coming off of quarterfinal appearance the expectations are high once again in Cadillac. The one thing they might be missing is traditional experienced point guard play.

Enter the Knights who will feature perhaps the best traditional point guard in the field with Cedric Huntley. The junior point recently dropped 36 points against Battle Creek Lakeview. Lakeview has an excellent backcourt led by Jashaun Boggerty who will playing in college somewhere next year. Huntley didn’t just drop that 36 on some weak opponent. While they are currently below .500. Loy Norrix is a program on the rise. Featuring a good sophomore combo with Brandon Parker and Aquan Foster. Additionally a freshman Taveon Vaughn contributes as well.

Cadillac is led by junior forward Charlie Howell. If statewide readers are not familiar with the 6-5 forward’s game. It’s simply because he hasn’t been as active on the grassroots scene due to multi sport participation. Trust me he can play with anybody in the state. Senior leadership will come from Jaden Montague. Montague is an imposing and competitive 6-3 guard who will probably get the first crack at slowing down Huntley.

I’ll end with this note. Full disclosure I am slightly biased towards Jeff McDonald. Notice I have not referred to him as coach. I never played a second for him. He was my guidance counselor. He was very good at that job as well. He made you feel like the most important student on his caseload. My cynical adolescent self was not above thinking it might have been an act.

As I became an adult and entered education myself. I quickly realized two things. One, that was just who he was. It was completely sincere and organic. Secondly as a young educator I felt how rare and special that ability truly was. I could write a much longer antidotal column full of moving stories. I just might do so later. For now enjoy the games. But remember that— they are just games. When it’s all said it done people are not going to remember your won loss record. That is true for whatever field or career you operate in. Much of the history in Saturday’s gym will be a testament to that notion.