The Maroon’s longtime boys basketball coach, Mike Phelps, has been asked to resign.

You can read the full press release from Holland Christian’s website here.

HOLLAND — Mike Phelps, a man of calm demeanor and fierce competitiveness, is hanging up his maroon blazer.

After 21 seasons as the Holland Christian boys basketball coach, Phelps, 61, has been asked by the administration to resign his position.

Say whaaat?!

Exactly. The Holland Christian administration asked Phelps, the dean of area coaches and the all-time winningest area coach, to step down. He will not coach the Maroons next season.

He will not get a chance to lead them in a quest to repeat as OK Green Conference champs or to improve this season’s stellar 20-5 record and Class B quarterfinal appearance.

First off, Jane’s article is awesome, and is definitely worth a read.  That said, let’s dive in.

At face value, this is certainly a questionable decision.  He has been consistently among the top coaches in the area, and as Jane said he is coming off a season that was successful by any measure.  The Maroons were a bit turnover-happy last year, but it was about as big a deal as the color of shirt I wore to the game considering the level of their success (an appearance in the quarterfinals is a big deal).  There’s no question about the quality of Phelps’ coaching.

It’s not his character, either.  Ask most any Holland Christian boys basketball player, past or present, for a character reference.  What you’ll find is that Phelps was one of the most positively influential figures in these boys’ lives.

“Mike Phelps has been one of the most influential men in my life,” (Hope College Athletic Director and HC alumni Tim) Schoonveld said. “He has integrity and class, and he positively impacted most kids that played for him. We’ve all coached, and you are not batting 1.000 ever, but most kids would tell you they feel blessed to have played for him.”

In a school dedicated to spreading the message of God, Phelps was one to lead through word and through example.  In over 800 career games, not once was he called for a technical foul.  Talk about temperance.

Is it Phelps’ age?  Well, that’s a big, resounding, maybe.

A year ago, the administration asked (Phelps), along with other teachers with long tenures, to retire early from teaching. Phelps, a physical education teacher for 21 years, understood that the school needed to save money by getting in younger teachers, but he also said he still wanted to coach.

They told him he could coach for one more season if he wanted, but that was it.

Understanding that financial concerns can sometimes lead people to tough decisions, I get the decision to go with a younger teacher.  But I’m not sure why that meant he couldn’t coach.  Old guys can still coach, and besides the guy is only 61-years young.  That’s only six years the senior of Tom Izzo, who seems to be doing fairly well for himself.  High school coaches don’t make a lot of money, either.  Phelps might have even taken a pay cut (or coached for free?), his love of the game was so strong.

Despite all this, ultimately if Holland Christian doesn’t want to elaborate, they aren’t required to.  They’re a private school, not funded by taxpayer dollars.

Folks in the school will just have to trust that there is a proverbial method behind the perceived madness.

What remains to be said is this: On behalf of fans all around West Michigan, thank you Mike.  You’re an example of what it means to be a quality coach and a quality leader, and we were proud to have you involved in West Michigan athletics.  Good luck in your next challenge, and hopefully we’ll see you again soon!

Oh, and for any local team looking for a leader to bring their basketball program to the next level, hit me up.  I know a guy.

Keep up with the latest action and analysis by becoming a WMA fan on Facebook, or join the conversation by following WMA on Twitter.  Heck, even start your own topic over at Allstars Among Us.

Now this, is awesome.

A look around the wide world of high school sports.  Well, not the whole world, mostly just the distance between Lake Michigan and somewhere-in-the-vicinity-of-Lansing, give or take about 50-miles.  In an order wholly indecipherable to the naked eye.  So look closely:

1. South Christian’s Chris Jansen is home from the hospital — The Venerable Jane Bos
2. Kids in Rockford start dominating pretty early — Grand Rapids Press
3. Rivals top-100 football teams, none from West Michigan.  Ridiculous — MichiganPreps.com
4. Holland Christian dropped Holland in soccer shootout — Holland Sentinel
5. Football fans, your football Garmin is here, thanks to this guy’s hard work — Snooze2You
6. Want the latest football scores before the news gets them?  Get Twitter — Searn’s Board
7. South Christian=Tiger Woods at Kent County Invitational — Grand Rapids Press
8. Forest Hills Central claims FH Northern Tennis Invitational — Grand Rapids Press
9. Grand Haven scores on Reeths Puffer five times, gives up nothing — Muskegon Chronicle
10. Kalamazoo is interested in toughness.  Here’s 10-tough dudes — Scott DeCamp

Got a tip/link/question for West Michigan All Star?  Email westmiallstar@gmail.com, facebook us, or follow us on Twitter.  We have a great internet smile, and we’ll show it to you if you say hi.

In the past, high school students professionally enjoyed their summer vacation.  Not so much the case anymore.  At least not for athletes.

Today, yearlong dedication to athletics, if not a single sport, is all but required in order to compete at an elite level in any varsity sport.  Golf — a game that can turn on you with no explanation after even a single week away from the links — doubly so.  Today, prep golfers sacrifice sandy beaches and suntans for divoted driving ranges and farmer’s tans.  Extreme farmer’s tans.

Unless you’re someone like MacKenzie DeWitt, junior golfer out of Kalamazoo Central.  In which case, a summer spent in relaxation can be rejuvenating.

Wes Morgan of the Kalamazoo Gazette has the story:

While her opponents spend round after round grinding through the summer months, she spent time competing on the mock trial team at Kalamazoo Central and relaxing the rest of her break.

“I think that golf season is for golf season,” said DeWitt, the Maroon Giants’ No. 1 player who finished fifth in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference championship last season (89-91—180). “When I get into golf mode I love to do it and I’ll do it the best that I can. But I don’t want to spend my whole summer playing.”

Her approach to the game — keeping it enjoyable — has worked so far as she enters her junior year.

In fact, K-Central coach Jim Fett, in his 13th season at the helm, doesn’t dare mess with it.

“She’s the best I’ve had since I’ve been here,” Fett said. “She’s an enigma; just plays golf for fun.”

This is because DeWitt is one of the roughly-100 lucky people in America who could accurately be labeled as “naturals” on the golf course — a list that includes John Daly, Ty Webb and Moe Norman, to name a few.

For perspective, some very important people pay thousands of dollars and put in thousands of hours over a long period of time to acquire what DeWitt has.  And some not very important people pay hundreds of dollars over a couple years and still don’t get it, and then heave their clubs in a green-side pond at hole-17 at Grand Haven Golf Club, subsequently deciding to cancel next Saturday’s lesson (I hate that hole).

Either way, look for DeWitt along with senior Stephanie James to lead their Maroon Giants on a bid to compete for the SMAC title in 2009.  They’ve got some stiff competition — Portage Northern and Portage Central will both challenge Kalamazoo Central for the division title.

Girls golf links

It seems to be girls golf day today in West Michigan.  Here’s what you need to know.

• The season is encapsuled into little blurbs according to area schools — Muskegon Chronical
• The season is previewed according to division and players to watch — Kalamazoo Gazette
• The season starts at 9:00am next Tuesday — The Venerable Jane Bos
• Mona Shores Brooke Adamczak goes for a repeat all-state bid — Muskegon Chronical

Less than two weeks until the season tees off.  Keep updated on the latest goings on by following WMAS on Twitter.  Or, if you’re more of a Facebooker, become a fan of WMAS on Facebook.  Either way, you win!