Cleverly disguised as a Tiger assistant boys basketball coach, Mike Becker clandestinely tucked away ideas and strategy while on the staffs of Russ Collins and Joe McDevitt.
Now Becker is about to set out on his own, having taken the reins of the program when Collins stepped down with plans to relocate out of state following the end of last season.
“I can’t wait to apply what I’ve stolen through the years,” Becker said.
McDevitt won a Macomb County Coach of the Year award for breathing life into what had been a moribund Blue Water Area Conference program, and Collins employed a full-scale youth movement a few years ago, the benefits of which Becker’s first team could feel.
“What they taught me was through the roof,” Becker, who’s been an Armada teacher for eight years, said.
“I don’t know if I could find better mentors in the area.”
Adam Job and Dylan Szafranski were freshmen when Collins promoted them to the varsity in 2014.
Today they are senior backcourt mates around whom Becker will build his initial team.
“They’re both great guards,” Becker said.
Job is a point guard and Szafranski a “defensive guru,” Becker said.
“They’ve seen all the different styles of play in the BWAC,” the coach added. “We’re trying to get the young guys to catch up. It’s going to be a matter of how fast we pick things up.”
Almont won the BWAC championship last season with a 13-1 record, and the Raiders won a district championship before bowing out with a 20-4 overall record.
Seniors Drew Revoldt, Ethan Hall and Chase Kapron return to coach John Hall’s club.
Becker believes the Raiders, Imlay City, Richmond and Yale could challenge for the top half of the league standings.
The Tigers were 7-7 in the BWAC last season.
“I don’t think we hit our full potential,” Becker said. “Last year we missed some chances in close game, we mentally lost some battles.”
Becker has structured practices around drills that he hopes will swing some of those battles in the Tigers’ favor.
“I try to make our practices high-intensity, putting a premium on conditioning,” Becker said. “I’m trying to harp on situational play.
“I’m going to run them through the wringer thinking-wise, so that when we get into game situations we’ve already seen things.”
Becker is one of four new coaches in the league.
Algonac, Croswell-Lexington and Yale also have new coaches.
Three of the Tigers’ first four opponents are Macomb County schools.
Armada opens at home against Memphis on Dec. 5; plays at Richmond on Dec. 19, and meets Anchor Bay at Imlay City on Dec. 22.
“We’re going to have to have the right balance,” Becker said. “We’re going to run a little big when we have the right crew, and other times we’ll have to play smart, intelligent basketball.”
