Fast Break with Bret Bakita: Recent Episodes
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Bret Bakita interviews coaches, players and even sports broadcasters local and nationally recognized.
Davenport University is partnering with Rockford Construction for a new workforce development project. Dr. Richard J. Pappas, President of Davenport University joins us to discuss how this will benefit students.
Dan Watson, head coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins joins us to discuss the start of the Griffins' run in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Captain of the Grand Rapids Griffins Dominik Shine joins us for our weekly Griffins Power Play.
LMCU High School Game of the Week | Boys BBall (D2 Semifinal)| Unity Christian vs. Detroit University Prep
LMCU Game of the Week | PLAYOFFS | Div 5 State Final | West Catholic vs. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
LMCU Game of the Week | PLAYOFFS | Div 4 State Semifinal | Unity Christian vs. Vicksburg
LMCU Game of the Week | PLAYOFFS | Div 2 District Final | Byron Center vs. Portage Central
LMCU Game of the Week | PLAYOFFS | Div 3 Pre-Districts | East Grand Rapids vs. Cedar Springs
Dan Dickerson joined us to discuss the importance of this final week of the regular season.
West Michigan Whitecaps Manager Tony Cappuccilli joins us to discuss the Whitecaps' championship season!
Van Andel Arena is hosting the annual Detroit Red Wings Red VS White Game. We talk Red Wings and Griffins with Matt Batchelder, Vice President of Ticket Sales and Digital Marketing with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
We spoke with Whitecaps General Manager Jim Jarecki on this special season as the playoffs start in just over a week.
NFL insider Ty Hallock joined us to discuss who he is looking forward to watching in tonight's NFL Hall of Fame Game featuring the Detroit Lions.
This morning our West Michigan's Morning News team spoke with legendary voice of the Detroit Tigers, Dan Dickerson.
Bret Bakita and Steve Kelly break down the inductees to the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame.
Andrea Koop, Co-Founder of the Beer City Open and professional pickleball player joins us to discuss this huge tournament going on at Belknap Park over the next 4 days.
More information can be found here: https://www.beercityopen.com/
Detroit Tigers Broadcast Reporter Daniella Bruce joins us to discuss how this year's Tigers team has become the best team in baseball!
West Michigan Whitecaps Vice President and GM Jim Jarecki joined West Michigan;'s Morning News to discuss the hot start to the 2025 season for both the Whitecaps and the Tigers.
2025 Queen of the Court - Girls HS Basketball All-Star Game Coming June 7th to Aquinas College!
Chris Fritzsching, Executive Director of Football Education for the Detroit Lions joins us to discuss community initiatives surrounding football - including girls flag football starting in high schools across the state.
Head Coach Dan Watson of the Grand Rapids Griffins joins us to discuss the team as they head into game 3 on the road in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Isaac TeSlaa - 70th overall pick for the Detroit Lions joins us to discuss the opportunity to play for his home team!
WMU Head Hockey Coach Pat Ferschweiler joins the West Michigan's Morning News team to discuss the first ever National Championship win in Bronco Hockey history.
We spoke with Amadeus Lombardi of the Grand Rapids Griffins to discuss the team's mentality going into the playoffs.
We join Vice President and General Manager of the West Michigan Whitecaps Jim Jarecki to discuss the team's upcoming season!
GVSU Women's Basketball is playing for their first National Championship tonight! Head Coach Mike Williams joins us to discuss their historic season!
Our friends at West Michigan's Morning News spoke with captain of the Grand Rapids Griffins - Josiah Didier.
West Michigan's Morning News spoke with Griffins Head Coach Dan Watson as they head up to Manitoba.
We speak with WMU Hockey Coach - Pat Ferschwiler on the hot start to this season and what he is looking forward to in this year's Great Lakes Invitational.
Tickets to the GLI can be purchased here: https://www.vanandelarena.com/events/2024/great-lakes-invitational2
We speak with Michigan State Hockey Assistant Head Coach Jared DeMichiel on what he is looking forward to as we approach the Great Lakes Invitational.
Tickets to the GLI can be purchased here: https://www.vanandelarena.com/events/2024/great-lakes-invitational2
Dan Watson, head coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins joins us for a Griffins Power Play!
Our coverage of the 2024 Amway Riverbank Run - with Steve Kelly, Lauren Smith, Bret Bakita, Buck Geno, and Chuck Latour.
Produced by John Illk and Adam Arocho.
Michigan Tech Head Coach Joe Shawhan sat down with Bret to discuss this year's Great Lakes Invitational.
A 6-time NHL All-Star, 5-time Stanley Cup champion and Hockey Hall of Famer that many people say might be the best goaltender to ever play the game, Grant Fuhr, is coming to Grand Rapids on July 12th as a head coach for the 2nd season of the 3ICE Hockey Tournament! This week he sat down with WOOD Radio & 96.1 - The Game - Sports Director, Bret Bakita, talking about his playing days in Edmonton and winning Stanley Cup championships with those great Oiler teams along with what it is like to now coach his own team in the 3ICE Hockey Tournament!
This week's Al & Bob's Sports - Sportsmen serving Sportsmen - Spring Fishing Series podcast focuses on pan fishing on inland lakes in Michigan, and what to look for in the lake's makeup in the spring to help you find where the fish are as they make the transition from wintering areas to spawning areas! Also, our expert, Ben Rand, from Al & Bob's Sports, will discuss some different lures, rods, reels and techniques to try and catch bluegills, perch, crappy and other pan fish in the West Michigan area!!
We discuss what you need for rods, reels, lures and clothing for river fishing in the spring for Walleye...primarily on the Detroit River...with Ben Rand of Al & Bob's Sports!
This week Bret & Ben Rand, Fishing Buyer and Expert at Al & Bob's Sports, talk about the new styles, brands & gear that are available at Al & Bob's Sports for 2022, including Big Lake gear is back!!! Their new & old brand lines include: AFTCO, Simms, Striker, BlackFish, Huk and more! Plus, their inventory is getting better and more rods, baits and other products are now in stock with the Spring fishing season upon us!
We kick off the new season of the spring fishing podcast series with the event that gets it all started in West Michigan - The Ultimate Sports Show at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids - March 10-13! Listen to Ben Rand - Fishing expert with Al & Bob's Sports and Bret Bakita talk about the highlights at this year's show.
This is the week 5 edition of the High School Basketball Blitz hosted by Bret Bakita and Jason Hutton.
This is week 3 of the High School Basketball Blitz hosted by Bret Bakita and Jason Hutton.
96.1 the Game's Sports Director Bret Bakita and FOX 17 Sports Director Jason Hutton host week 1 of the High School Basketball Blitz.
It is back....and bigger and better than ever....the Jam at the Van 2.0 presented by Consumers Credit Union! 4 games in one day...with 8 teams from around the state of Michigan that will feature the best collection of boys high school basketball players at any time this season. Bret Bakita caught up with GR Catholic Central head coach - TJ Meerman to preview the upcoming event and some of the great teams and players that will be playing December 30th in the Jam at the Van at Van Andel Arena!!
HS Football Game of the Week: Division 5 State Finals - GR Catholic Central vs. Marine City
One of the top high school football teams in the West Michigan area all season long has been the Cougars of Grand Rapids Catholic Central, who after their win last Saturday over Frankenmuth (35-0) in the Divison 5 Semifinals, is now 13-0! This Saturday afternoon they will face (13-0) Marine City in the Div. 5 state title game at Ford Field trying to defend their championship from a year ago! This week Bret Bakita & Fox 17-Sports Director - Jason Hutton caught up with GR Catholic Central head coach - Todd Kolster in the Coaches Corner - Playoff Preview podcast....
HS Football Game of the Week: Division 4 State Semifinals - Unity Christian vs. Edwardsburg
In 2018, the Unity Christian Crusaders won the Division 5 state title in football, their first in school history! That same year, the Edwardsburg Eddies won the Division 4 state championship at Ford Field!! This Saturday afternoon, they will meet in a Div. 4 Semifinal matchup at Portage Northern High School with both teams coming in at (12-0) and a trip to Ford Field next weekend on the line. Hear what Unity Christian head coach - Craig Tibbe has to say about this amazing team for the Crusaders, who didn't get to finish last year's playoff run due to COVID 19 protocol, and what he has to say about the tremendous Edwardsburg team that they will face on Saturday! Our pregame coverage will begin at 12:30pm with Bret Bakita and Buck Geno on the call on 96-1 - The Game!
Last week, Cedar Springs knocked off OK-Green division champion - Muskegon in a Div. 3 - District final (21-14) to claim their first District title since 2018! Now this Saturday they will face the Div. 3 defending state champs - DeWitt!! Hear what Coach Kapolka has to say about the Red Hawks big win, and what they expect from DeWitt this weekend....
Bret Bakita and FOX 17 Sports Director Jason Hutton bring you the last High Football Preview of the 2021 season.
Bret Bakita and FOX 17 Sports Director Jason Hutton preview week 7 of High School Football in West Michigan.
Final Score: Catholic Central 28 South Christian 6. Bret Bakita and Buck Geno on the call.
Final Score: Unity Christian 58 Grand Rapids Christian 21. Bret Bakita and Buck Geno on the call.
Bret Bakita and FOX 17's Jason Hutton preview the first week of high school football in West Michigan.
It's our 2021 season preview of our Detroit Lions with a familiar voice to sports talk fans in West Michigan - Jim Costa, who is now hosting shows at 97.1 - The Ticket in Detroit and is the NEW studio host for the Detroit Lions Radio Network heard across the state of Michigan! For this episode, I caught up with Jim to get his thoughts on the Matthew Stafford blockbuster trade, the new draft picks coming into the fold along with a new head coach this year in Dan Campbell, and where are the strengths and weaknesses of this year's edition of the Detroit Lions as they try to build a playoff team again for the future!!
It's Week 2 of our College Football Previews on the "Fast Break" podcast series, and in this episode, I sit down with Senior Editor of The Wolverine Magazine and thewolverine.com - Rivals site, John Borton, to preview the 2021 edition of the Wolverines under head coach Jim Harbaugh. This offseason saw some significant changes to Harbaugh's coaching staff and a lot of change to U-M's roster, especially at the QB position. We get John's thoughts on both sides of the line of scrimmage for Michigan and who are some names that we should hear to make impacts this season, and just where can U-M expect to finish in a loaded Big Ten - East Division!
This is the first of our college football preview episodes for the upcoming season! In this episode, we feature the Michigan State Spartans football team under head coach Mel Tucker, who is getting ready for his second season on the Spartans' sideline. Jim Comparoni, publisher of Spartanmag.com of the Rivals.com family, joins me to talk about Mel Tucker and the overhaul that he and his coaching staff have done with the MSU roster, we talk recruiting and the Class of 2022, which is shaping up to be a Top 25 class in the nation and loaded with some talent, and as camp has now opened for the Spartans, who are some players to watch and at what positions to make impacts for MSU this season!!
After 10 seasons in the NFL and a chance to play in the playoffs with Green Bay and MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, big Jared Veldheer is ready to hang up his cleats and enjoy life in West Michigan and some of his favorite hobbies! See what the former FHN and Hillsdale College alum has to say about his football career in the league and the different route through the GLIAC that he took to get there!! It's all there and more in this week's episode of the "Fast Break" podcast series presented each week by Grand Rapids Community College....West Michigan's Best Choice!
So the Detroit Pistons franchise went through a complete roster overhaul with new GM - Troy Weaver, and now the franchise has the #1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft to work with too! In this episode of the "Fast Break" podcast series, I caught up with writer and editor for the Detroit Pistons franchise, Keith Langlois, to see what Detroit might do with the pick, and there was a recent sighting of Cade Cunningham, who many experts think is the consensus #1 pick in this year's draft out of Oklahoma State, at a Detroit Tigers game with Pistons head coach, Dwane Casey, and others from the organization. Are the Detroit Pistons back on track to get to the playoffs soon??? Find out in this week's episode of the Fast Break podcast series presented by Grand Rapids Community College!
Enhancing greater Grand Rapids through sports, and fostering economic development by attracting sporting events which improve the quality of life of the citizens of West Michigan! That has been the mission of the West Michigan Sports Commission since it was created 14 years ago and headed up by still current president, Mike Guswiler. Hundreds of events later and the creation of things like the annual Meijer State Games of Michigan and the West Michigan Sports Complex, we check in with Mike during this episode to talk about the commission and its growth and impact here in West Michigan, and what is next as far as 'Bucket List' items or events that they would like to bring into the Grand Rapids area in the future!!
It will be his 11th Olympic games that he has covered, even though this one will be quite different, and he has already waited an extra year to make the trip to Tokyo! This week we feature Jack Doles, sports director at WOOD-TV 8 on why covering the Olympics and the outstanding athletes from our state of Michigan has been so special to him over his career!! Plus, he previews this summer's games and some of the athletes and stories he will be following later this month in Japan.
A couple of weeks ago, Joe Fox, who played at Greenville High School, was announced as the next head men's basketball coach at Grand Rapids Community College! It is his first head coaching job after being a longtime college assistant with 3 different schools, but his journey and family background of basketball coaching are what make his story very interesting and unique!! Basketball junkies....you will truly enjoy this week's episode and what Joe has to say about his travels and mentors along the way.
We here at IHeartmedia have teamed up with Van Andel Arena to bring back the Jam at the Van event that hasn't taken place since 2010, and we are making it even bigger and better with 8 teams, 4 games and featuring some of the top players from all over the state of Michigan!!! GR Catholic Central head coach - TJ Meerman had the idea of trying to revitalize this event after his Cougars' team played their Division 2 - Semifinal game against Ferndale at Van Andel Arena, and his kids really loved the atmosphere and venue! GR Catholic Central is scheduled to play Grand Blanc, the defending Division 1 state champions, in a marquee match-up as part of this new event, and you can hear from both TJ & the Bobcats head coach - Mike Thomas about the teams, players and coaches that will be coming to Grand Rapids this December!!
It got cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is back in West Michigan again for 2021....the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give is coming to town this week to beautiful and newly renovated Blythefield Country Club and featuring some of the best female golfers in the world!!! Now in its seventh year as a tournament stop, we thought it only fitting to sit down with Executive Director - Cathy Cooper of Meijer to talk about the great history of this event and the impact that it has had on the communities that Meijer serves throughout the Midwest! Plus, we discussed some of the changes and things that you should know about this year's tournament if you are looking to come out and be a spectator June 17-20!!
From an assistant coach under Wes Cummings when Davenport University started their baseball program, to now a season during the COVID-19 pandemic that saw the Panthers win their first-ever GLIAC regular season and tournament championships and advance to the NCAA Div. II Midwest Regional, D-U head coach - Kevin Tidey has seen a lot of changes to his very successful program in his now decade as the Panthers baseball coach! From the building of the state of the art Farmers Athletic Insurance Complex as their home stadium to moving up from NAIA and the WHAC Conference to now NCAA Div. II and participating in the GLIAC Conference against rival Grand Valley State, hear the stories and a little bit about Kevin's ties to baseball in the West Michigan area in this week's episode of the "Fast Break" podcast series presented each week by Grand Rapids Community College - West Michigan's Best Choice!
American Dunes Golf Club, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course project that benefits Folds of Honor and used to be formerly the Grand Haven Golf Club, had its grand opening earlier this month to rave reviews in Grand Haven, Michigan!
The vision and mission of this unique golf course started over 3 years ago with a conversation between Lt Col Dan Rooney, the CEO and founder of Folds of Honor and a PGA Professional, and legendary golfer and golf course designer, Jack Nicklaus. What has transpired is truly amazing and inspirational to all who see it or play it, and the club will now serve as golf's most patriotic experience, giving back to military families by providing educational scholarships to spouses and children of military members who have fallen or been disabled while serving in the United States Armed Forces, and inspiring guests to join the Folds of Honor Squadron!! Hear the stories behind this great project coming to life from its general manager, Doug Bell...
This spring I am teaming up with the downtown YMCA and the Whitecaps Community Foundation to revitalize the Give-A-Glove campaign and give the gift of baseball to over 500 kids in the inner city of Grand Rapids! Ted Rasberry was a former Negro League player and owner back in the mid-1900s who played an intrical part in the history of professional baseball in Grand Rapids! Hear how you can help and how the Ted Rasberry Youth League has thrived and helped so many kids in our community through the great game of baseball!
For the last 2 decades in the state of Michigan, there has been one man who has risen to the top of the leaderboard when it comes to covering the approximately $4 Billion industry that is the game of golf in Michigan! His name is Bill Hobson, and 22 years ago his idea came to life on the radio with the now defunct Buick Open as his title sponsor for a statewide golf show! This summer he will be broadcasting LIVE from the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit, the Meijer LPGA Classic in our own backyard and some of the best resorts and golf courses in our great state!! Michigan Golf Live airs every Saturday morning from 7-9am during the summer on ESPN 96.1, so you can check out the show for yourself and maybe win a free round or overnight stay!!!
Just over 7 years ago, the Grand Rapids Drive franchise of the then NBA D-League, now G-League, became a reality in West Michigan thanks to the work hard and never give up attitude of 2 young professionals who were former college roomates! Steve Jbara and Wes Weir convinced NBA executives and the Detroit Pistons organization to give them a shot, and then they were able to purchase the Springfield Armor franchise and make their dream come to life at the DeltaPlex in Grand Rapids! Now after 6 seasons on the court and surviving the COVID pandemic, the franchise has a new NBA affiliation with the Denver Nuggets and will soon go through a name change and rebranding of its logo and color scheme....so stay tuned!!
A former Hudsonville High School standout athlete in his own right, Casey Glass earlier this month followed in his father's coaching footsteps and led the Eagles girls varsity basketball program to its first state championship in school history!!! But their state title quest really started a year ago, when Hudsonville's season abruptly ended the day that they were supposed to play for a regional championship! Hear their collective story in this week's episode of the "Fast Break" podcast series.
From a coach's son to a state championship coach himself, listen to the story of TJ Meerman and the Meerman family, and growing up with high school sports in the small community of Coopersville, to playing Div. I college basketball at Central Michigan University, and now just a couple of weeks ago, leading the Grand Rapids Catholic Central boys basketball team to a perfect (20-0) season and the Division 2 state championship! The first state title in boys basketball in school history for the Cougars!!
Van Andel Arena has now existed as a pillar of the new downtown Grand Rapids for 25 years, and the man in charge of it and also booking the great entertainment and sporting events to take place in it, is Rich MacKeigan - General Manager of Van Andel Arena and DeVos Place for ASM Global. Over its history, Van Andel Arena has played host to everything from Garth Brooks and Elton John concerts to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. title fights and NHL &NBA games! The Van Andel Arena itself, along with its sister-venue DeVos Place have changed the lifestyle and entertainment values that are now seen with a revitalized downtown area in Grand Rapids!! If you build it, book it and maintain it, everyone should come, but that is the constant challenge for MacKeigan, who, along with his great staff, have made Van Andel Arena one of the top venues in the country!!!!
From a state championship and back to back 50+ goal seasons in high school at East Kentwood for the Falcons hockey team to playing for Team USA and over 1,000 games in his NHL career and everything in between, current Grand Rapids Griffins assistant coach - Mike Knuble sat down with me to talk about his incredible career and journey with the game of hockey and how it has brought him back to Grand Rapids to work with the Red Wings and Griffins organizations!
From a school that no one knew much about or even exactly where it was, to a boys basketball state power in Class D, producing players like Chris Kaman, who played in the NBA, to Bryan Foltice and Brandon Voorhees! Mark Keeler has coached the boys varsity basketball team at Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian for now 34 seasons and counting and has produced 4x Class D state titles and 4x more state-runner up finishes with 600+ career wins!!! Hear how it all started, the great rivalry games in the old River Valley Conference and playing on a Friday night in the home gym that Defender fans called, "The Box"!
Brian Morehouse just finished up his 25th season as the head coach of the Hope College women's basketball team, but once again, his #1 nationally ranked team did not get a chance to play for a Div. III National Championship because the tournament was cancelled! However, Coach Morehouse couldn't be more proud of this year's squad and his 9 seniors that had a Senior Day at Hope to always remember. In fact, this year's team left a legacy of a current 45-game school record winning streak that will pick up again next season!!
It is almost now 50 years old and you have visited it without even maybe knowing it, but if you adventure in a little bit deeper, you will realize how vital local sports teams and their athletes, coaches and organizations have been in making up the fabric of the Grand Rapids area and community! From the just under 170 inductees that are now housed inside Van Andel Arena, to how the public can nominate someone or a team to be considered for induction, to the many events each year that the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame is involved with to promote its mission and help local youth sports programs or charities, current president, Mark Kimball, sits down with Bret Bakita to tell the story and share some of his great memories from past induction ceremonies or even discussing nominees for consideration!
The MSU-U-M Rivalry on the hardcourt will play out twice this week coming up with the crazy COVID 19 rescheduling, and I thought that it would be interesting to hear from a guy who played in that rivalry over the years, and also, get his perspective on this year's edition of those squads and the Big Ten conference in general, who hasn't had a team win a men's basketball national championship since the Mateen Cleaves led Spartans did it back in 2000!
Starting with the "West Michigan Race Reflections Show" on 1340 AM - WBBL in the mid-1990s to now the main booth voice of NASCAR racing for MRN Radio, the story of Jeff Striegle from Grand Rapids is an amazing one that I was lucky enough to be able to ride along on and watch from a good friend's perspective! Jeff is an amazing broadcasting talent, that I like to take a little credit for because I gave him his first gig back in my days as program director for the old WBBL-AM. And now to cover the sport that he grew up loving for 20+ years and interviewing names like Earnhardt, Gordon, Wallace and others....it is the DREAM JOB for this West Michigan racing fan!!!
This episode I had a chance to sit down with the head coaches of each one of our GLIAC Conference schools in the West Michigan area...GVSU, Ferris State and Davenport and talk about this year's recruiting classes for football and the local prospects that they were able to sign! The brand of Div. II football in the GLIAC Conference, which is predominantly now made up of Michigan-based schools, is second to none in the country, and this episode spotlights that from all 3 programs perspectives!!
This episode is near and dear to my heart because Ray Bentley was a boyhood hero of mine that I loved to watch play as a kid back in his CMU days at Kelly-Shorts Stadium in Mt. Pleasant! And now, to be able to call him a good friend and mentor, who I got to co-host a radio show in Grand Rapids with, is truly a blessing to me and my media career!! Ray was a standout player at Hudsonville High School, who went on to play for legendary coach Herb Deromedi at Central Michigan University and was was named the 1982 MAC Player of the Year! His professional career started in the USFL where he starred for the in-state Michigan Panthers and helped them win the first-ever USFL Championship!! Then, he played for the Buffalo Bills and was a part of 2x AFC Championship teams.....twice going to the Super Bowl!!! I hope you enjoy this conversation and stroll down memory lane with the unique personality that is.....the one and only Ray Bentley!
In the fall of 1992, Pat Collins, senior QB for Montague High School under head coach Ken Diamond, helped lead the Wildcats all the way to the Class CC state championship game where they suffered their only loss of the season to Detroit St. Martin DePorres (12-7). As Pat went on to college and got married and started to think about what he wanted to do with his life, that loss always was there lingering as unfinished business for Montague football and their proud program! In 2004, Pat Collins became the varsity head football for the Wildcats, and now 17 seasons later he has delivered 3x state titles to his alma mater and hometown!!
Earlier this month, Cornerstone University announced that they are adding a men's wrestling program next year as their 20th varsity sport! West Michigan features some of the best high school programs in the state of Michigan, which seems like a natural fit for creating a local collegiate program, and the funding is there from private donations. Also, I talked to Aaron about the local small college sports scene in West Michigan, which makes our sports landscape so unique when you talk about the teams to follow from GVSU, Ferris State, Davenport, Hope, Calvin, Aquinas, Grand Rapids Community College and more...as Aaron has worked in both the Cornerstone & Davenport University Sports Information Departments
in his career!
He was the first ever Mr. Basketball from West Michigan with a standout senior season back in 1988 that led his South Christian team to the Class B State title! As a McDonald's All-American, Steigenga could have gone anywhere in the country to play, but finally decided on MSU over North Carolina and playing for Jud Heathcote. In 1990, playing with the likes of Steve Smith and Mike Peplowski, Steigenga was a part of the 1990 Big Ten championship team for the Spartans and went on to get drafted by the Chicago Bulls and win an NBA Championship ring in 1997! Today, Matt works as a color analyst for the Spartan Sports Network calling Michigan State men's basketball games on the radio with partner Will Tieman.
After 4 seasons as the head football coach at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, Derek Pennington wanted to move to West Michigan and take over a program in the OK-Conference. He took over a Zeeland East program that was (1-26) the 3 previous seasons before he arrived, and made it a powerhouse over the next 13 years...having 12 winning seasons, 10 playoff appearances, 4 conference championships, 2 district titles, 1 regional title and in 2018, they advanced to the Division 3 semifinals! All while having to share the spotlight with sister school, Zeeland West, who was having their own success under Hall of Fame coach John Shilito. But now, Coach Pennington has a new challenge, the OK-Red division....and a new program to lead in the Fighting Scots of Caledonia!!!
In this episode, Bob chats with me about his 41-year career in hockey that started as a kid in Jacksonville, Florida, and then brought him to Grand Rapids where he has been behind the mic calling Griffins games for 20 seasons now! In that time, he has called both of Grand Rapids' Calder Cup championship series wins, and even got his own NHL call-up to Detroit to broadcast games on radio & TV for the Red Wings!!
With the early signing period happening this week for high school football players around the country making their choices of where they want to play football in college, I thought it was time to catch up with West Michigan's own Josh Helmholdt, who has spent most of his professional career writing about and covering college football and recruiting for Rivals.com! Hear some of the names that Josh has seen in high school who are now playing in the NFL. Plus, his thoughts on the transfer portal, the 2021 recruiting classes of Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame and more!!
For this episode, I decided to double dip with 2 guests, as I am joined by Mona Shores head football coach - Matt Koziak and his star senior and recently named M-Live High School Football Player of the Year in the State of Michigan, Brady Rose! We talk about everything from last year's state championship team, to beating Muskegon this year, Brady being named the M-Live Player of the Year, and what life is like now in playoff limbo as the Sailors are trying to defend their Divison 2 state title!!
From being recruited in high school by Florida and Steve Spurrier to ending up at WMU where he threw for over 11,000 yards and 87 TDs in his career, Bronco Hall of Fame quarterback Tim Lester has now made a name for himself in Kalamazoo as the head coach of his alma mater that is off to a (4-0) start this season and poised to win the MAC West division and earn a trip to the MAC Championship game at Ford Field later this month!
I have been fortunate enough to work with Jason "The Book" Hutton for over a decade now covering high school sports in West Michigan on both the radio and TV! His knowledge and passion for covering high school sports is second to none in this area, and he has come up with something special this Thanksgiving weekend for high school football fans that might be suffering from withdrawal with no state championship games being played this weekend!! Plus, find out how Jason got nicknamed "The Book", and how he knows so much about the players and coaches of so many programs around West Michigan.
In his 28th season as Cornerstone University's men's head basketball coach, Kim Elders has truly been a pillar of success in building one of the strongest local college basketball programs in the country! Earlier this month, he earned his 700th career win at Cornerstone, which makes him the 20th NAIA coach all-time to reach this milestone. He helped build what was Grand Rapids Baptist College to now Cornerstone University, the home of 3 National Champion men's basketball teams and one runner-up. He has won 11 WHAC Conference titles and 4 times been named a National Coach of the Year award winner, and he accomplished all of this in one of the most competitive small college basketball areas in the country!!
From a former high school player himself at Grandville, to a 22-year old head varsity boys basketball coach, and now the current athletic director at Hudsonville High School, Kevin Wolma has seen high school sports through a lot of different lenses, and he wanted to use this experience and these different perspectives to be a great sports dad for his own kids! But what he found and wrote down, were the numerous challenges and difficult situations that parents, coaches and student-athletes go through, and how could they have been handled better. The book is called "30 Second Timeout", and is a must read for parents with children in youth and high school sports, young coaches, and even young athletes themselves. Listen to this week's episode, and you can even find out how to get a FREE COPY for yourself!
In the last 10 days in the state of Michigan sports cycle we have had Michigan State knock off Michigan at the Big House, and what does that mean for the future of Jim Harbaugh as the coach of the Wolverines, the Detroit Tigers have hired AJ Hinch as their new manager, the Lions couldn't get over the .500 mark at home against Indy, and what is the current state of the Red Wings and Pistons franchises who not too long ago were playing for championships! We touch all the bases on this inside the park home run of an episode with the one and only Sean Baligian...I hope you enjoy it!
Noel Dean got his first high school football head coaching job at the age of 22 right out of Olivet College, and from there, moved with his wife, Jill, to Lowell to raise their family.....the rest is Red Arrow football history! A 19-year playoff run, 6 state finals appearances, 3 state championships and a community event like the Pink Arrow Project are now left as a legacy to the school and town of Lowell, and will Coach Dean come back to coaching again? Find out by listening to this week's episode!!!
At the end of this year, the MHSAA will lose another pillar of its longtime leadership as John Johnson, the first communications director and now broadcasting director, will be retiring! This comes just 2 years after the man that hired him back in 1987, Jack Roberts, decided to pass the reins off to Mark Uyl as the executive director of the statewide association. In this episode, we talk about the uniqueness and importance of high school sports and how things have evolved over the years in the state of Michigan, and also, what are the challenges moving forward to keep high school sports viable and a true life lesson opportunity for so many student-athletes and coaches!
A Hopkins High School alumnus, Cody Francis, is living out his career dream in his hometown following in the footsteps of some great mentors from his playing days! Now in his 10th season as head coach of the Vikings, Cody has Hopkins at (4-0) this season atop the OK-Silver division and ranked #5 in the state this week in Division 5. Hopkins has qualified for the MHSAA playoffs in 6 of the 9 seasons under Francis, and his career record is (63-32)...a winning percentage of 66.3%!! This week Francis was named the Detroit Lions High School Football Coach of the Week for Week #4 in the state of Michigan, and we caught up with him to talk about his career path in coaching and teaching at Hopkins.
It is the largest high school sports conference in the state of Michigan and one of the largest in the country with 49 participating schools in 6 divisions across 7 counties in West Michigan! We are talking about the OK-Conference, which was established back in 1958 and has had tremendous growth in the last decade. In this episode, I sit down with the commissioner of the conference, Dave Feenstra, to talk about the current state and health of high school sports in the West Michigan area, and what are some of the challenges today that they are facing to make sure that the student-athletes, coaches and officials stay safe and have the best experience possible on the field!!!
With the Detroit Tigers 2020 season now complete, I caught up with the radio voice of the Tigers - Dan Dickerson to recap the season and get his thoughts on Detroit's search for a new manager, and what will the 2021 Tigers roster look like as well as their minor league system! Also, will there be any changes by Major League Baseball after this shortened season to the game moving forward.
A key figure in Grand Valley State University's rise to the top of Division II athletics the last 20 years, Tim Selgo helped the Lakers win 19 NCAA Division II National Championships in a variety of sports and 173 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference crowns! GVSU also won 11 Learfield Sports/NACDA Directors' Cups nationally and 18 consecutive GLIAC Presidents' Cup titles during his era!! Before coming to Grand Valley in 1996, Selgo graduated from and played men's basketball at the University of Toledo, and he also served as a men's basketball assistant, women's basketball head coach and associate athletics director for the Rockets.
From a 2-time National Championship head football coach at Grand Valley State after serving as an assistant coach for the Lakers under Brian Kelly, Chuck Martin then had the opportunity to work under Kelly again on his staff at Notre Dame! A longtime Fighting Irish fan growing up in the Chicago area, Chuck was the offensive coordinator for ND in the 2012 season when they went (12-0) and earned a berth in the BCS National Championship Game against Alabama. In December of 2013, Martin was named the head coach at Miami, OH in the Mid-American Conference and in the 2019 season led the Red Hawks to the MAC Championship!
From his high school days at both Forest Hills Central and Grand Rapids Christian High where he became an all-state performer and Mr. Basketball finalist, to his outstanding career that just wrapped up after 3 seasons at Michigan State playing for Tom Izzo, meet husband, father and great basketball player Xavier Tillman as he prepares for this year's NBA Draft in this week's episode of the "Fast Break" podcast series!
It was supposed to be the 27th Season of Whitecaps baseball in West Michigan this summer, but it never happened because of the COVID-19 pandemic. One staff member over at 5/3rd. Ballpark has been involved with all 26 seasons previous from parking cars, to making sure fans have the best experience possible and the grounds crew is ready if they have to pull the tarp for rain moving in. Whitecaps vice president and general manager and good friend, Jim Jarecki, sits down with me in this week's episode to talk about the history of the Whitecaps organization in West Michigan, and the future of minor league baseball going forward as Major League Baseball looks for more control and transformation!
He has been coaching high school football in West Michigan for 36 years and counting, and currently is the head coach of the Zeeland West Dux, where he has won 4 state championships in 15 seasons! John Shillito has coached at Comstock Park, Muskegon Orchard View, East Kentwood and now Zeeland West, and all he has done is simply win every where he has been and in 2005 he was inducted into the Michigan High School Football Association - Coaches Hall of Fame!
From Greenville High to the Michigan State gridiron and an 8-year NFL career, Ty Hallock has had a tremendous life involving the game of football, but now, he enjoys giving back by coaching at the high school ranks at Forest Hills Central and watching his kids create a Spartan Legacy for the Hallock family! Hear his story as a player, coach and proud dad in this week's episode!
For 38 years and counting now, sports fans across West Michigan have heard the voice of Rick Berkey talking about their favorite teams or doing the play-by-play of their games! From the Grand Rapids Sullivans baseball team back in the day, to the first voice of the West Michigan Whitecaps, GVSU Men's Basketball to the Grand Rapids Hoops, the Rampage to now the voice of Davenport football and men's basketball and always over that span covering the high school ranks, Rick has done just about everything that you can do in West Michigan as far as a sports broadcasting career and certainly has some great stories to tell about his experiences!!!
This week we highlight the unbelievable coaching career of Tony Annese and the coaching tree that he has grown across the state of Michigan! Over 30 plus years as the head man on the sidelines and has won at every stop he has made, including 3 high school football state championships, 2 NJCAA Div. II National Championships at Grand Rapids Community College and has taken Ferris State to the NCAA Div. II Semifinals 3 of the last 4 seasons with a national runner-up finish in 2018!! In this episode, you will hear the stories behind his incredible journey as a football coach.
The decade of the 1980's was arguably the best in the Grand Rapids area when it came to individual talent and teams in boys high school basketball, and one of the best to take the court in the early 80's was Garde Thompson of East Grand Rapids High School, who finished runner-up for Mr. Basketball in 1983 to Antoine Joubert! Garde went on to play for Bill Frieder at the University of Michigan winning an NIT Championship and 2x - Big Ten Regular Season championships in 1985 and 1986!!
After attending Grand Rapids Junior College at the time and having an outstanding basketball career for the Raiders, David knew that this was the place that he would eventually like to work one day and call Grand Rapids his home. 31 years later....he has been a constant pillar in the foundation of now Grand Rapids Community College, serving as the head men's basketball coach for 20 years and on the staff, and now as the Associate Dean of their K-12 Enrollment program across West Michigan! In this episode, David helps us look at the great coaches and athletes that have created the outstanding winning tradition of Raider athletics!!!
For 50 years, Mick McCabe, also known as the Son of Swami, has been covering high school sports all around the state of Michigan! Now you can hear some of his stories about the players, coaches and even venues new and old that he has been in over the years, as he has seen the finest from the Mitten State perform before they headed off to college or were lucky enough to even play in the pros!! Plus, find out about Mick's first ever book coming out this fall called, "Mick McCabe's Golden Yearbook".
The story of David Kool comes full circle as this past April he was hired to be the new athletic director at South Christian High School where he starred in basketball and became the school's second Mr. Basketball back in 2006, helping lead the Sailors to 2x - Class B State Championships in his career! From there he took his talents to Western Michigan University, becoming the school's all-time leading scorer before he left with over 2,000 career points and was named the MAC Player of the Year his senior year!! After a few seasons as an assistant to head coach Steve Hawkins at WMU, David decided to comeback to the high school game as a head coach at both Jenison and Holland Christian before now taking the athletic director job back at his alma mater.
Almost 50 years old now, we relive the history of driveway basketball in West Michigan and what turned into the Gus Macker All-World Basketball Tour! Bret sits down with Gus Macker himself, Scott McNeal, and goes back through the memories of what started as a summer driveway tournament with 18 players in Lowell to a Sports Illustrated feature article and now tour and business that draws over 200,000 players annually across the country and 1.7 million spectators!!! If you have ever played or been to a Gus Macker Tournament over the years, you are going to want to listen to this episode as Scott lays out the history of the tournament with some great funny stories along the way.
Bret sits down and talks with Dan about bringing a minor league hockey franchise to Grand Rapids and Van Andel Arena in the late 1990's, the importance of the affiliation between the Griffins and the Detroit Red Wings, winning championships with both the Griffins and Rampage, and more!
Bret sits down one-on-one with legendary sportscaster George Blaha to talk about the "Bad Boys" and the "Go to Work" championship teams of the Pistons as well as his 40+ year career behind the mic for Detroit, and they also discuss Michigan State football and the Mark Dantonio era for Spartan Football!
The return of high school sports in the state of Michigan after the COVID-19 pandemic as MHSAA Executive Director - Mark Uyl is our guest in this week's episode! Plus, I also discuss with Mark the declining participation numbers in the sport of football, the continuing need for officials for high school sports and where are we at with the creation of high school E-sports teams.
From preferred walk-on out of NorthPointe Christian High School, to Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2018 at MSU, to now 7th Round pick and property of the Minnesota Vikings, I hope you enjoy the incredible story of Kenny Willekes in this episode of the "Fast Break" Podcast series presented by Grand Rapids Community College..."West Michigan's Best Choice"!
We chronicle the fast track coaching career of Jeff Blashill from Big Rapids as a goaltender for the Bulldogs all the way to Hockeytown and one of the storied franchises in professional sports....the Detroit Red Wings!
A 7-time Emmy and Cable Ace Award winner, Roy Firestone was one of the ESPN original on-air talents that hosted a program called "Up Close" , which was the motivation of this podcast! Roy is multi-talented as a personality, entertainer, musician, author and more, but one of the things that I always admired about his talent on the "Up Close" program was his ability to interview some of the biggest personalities on the planet and get some so interesting and personal stories out of them. In this interview, Roy displays his different talents with a poem to the late great Al Kaline and a hip hop themed song to the history and great people that have come out of the state of Michigan.
From Mr. Basketball at Wyoming Park High School to MSU All-American: The Basketball Career of Drew Neitzel!
From Mr. Basketball at Wyoming Park High School to MSU All-American: The Basketball Career of Drew Neitzel!