In a mere two seasons, head coach Steve Hettinga guided the Lake Superior State men's basketball team out of a tailspin that spanned five seasons to a division title and NCAA Tournament appearance.
Hettinga, a Three Oaks, Mich., native, became the 13th head coach in LSSU's 62-year men's basketball history on July 1, 2007.
Led by All-Great Lakes Region First Team forward Tim VanOudheusden and All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference First Team center Ryan Kuhl, the 2008-09 Lakers won the GLIAC North Division title, finished 22-9 overall and earned the second NCAA Tournament berth in the program's history. With an impressive inside/outside attack, LSSU led the nation in three-point field-goal percentage (.431) and was ranked fourth nationally in assist/turnover ratio (1.43).
In 2007-08, during Hettinga's first season at LSSU, the Lakers recovered from an 0-7 start and went 12-9 the rest of the way for their first winning sseason since 2001-02. The Lakers ended the regular season with four straight wins, including conference road victories at Ferris State, Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech. They advanced to the GLIAC Tournament for the first time since 2001 and reached the tournament semifinals for the first time since 1996. The Lakers tied for second in the GLIAC North Division standings.
After serving as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Olivet College, for four seasons, Hettinga became one of the nation's youngest head coaches when he took over the Comets men's basketball program in 1997. Olivet finished 5-20 during his first season in 1997-98, but posted back-to-back 15-10 records during the next two years and enjoyed its first winning season since 1982.
Hettinga left Olivet after 11 seasons and served as head coach of the IBL's Grand Rapids Flight in 2004-05. The Flight were 15-5 during their inaugural season, and Hettinga was named IBL West Coach of the Year.
In 2006-07, Hettinga was head coach at MacMurray College, a Division III institution with an enrollment of 700 students located in Jacksonville, Ill. A team that finished seventh in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference prior to his arrival finished 14-4 for its best record in two decades and won the SLIAC title during his first season. Hettinga was named SLIAC Coach of the Year.
Hettinga has quickly embraced Sault Ste. Marie's unique attributes and is seeking the right kind of players who will thrive at Lake Superior State.
"We are looking for great student-athletes and high-character kids who fit in with the philosophy of what we want to do," Hettinga said. "We want this to be a family atmosphere. We want to find our own niche, and get that type of kid.
"The faculty here is great, and there are so many positives at LSSU. We can offer some things that other schools can't, and we want to focus on that...The reality is that people are drawn to winners and want to be part of something special. It's up to us to make sure that happens."
Hettinga, a 1993 graduate of Olivet, earned an
M.A. in teaching from Olivet in 2003.
Former Muskegon Catholic Central High School boys basketball coach, athletic director and dean of students Trevor Hinshaw joined the LSSU staff as a men's basketball assistant coach in June, 2009.
Hinshaw was 50-37 during four seasons at MCCHS. His 2007-08 team finished 17-7 for the school's best record since 1954. He also served as a head girls varsity basketball coach at Orchard View High School in Muskegon and held assistant positions at Mona Shores and Fruitport.
Hettinga and Hinshaw first met when working a camp in lower Michigan. Hinshaw played two collegiate seasons at Madonna University, where his teammates voted him most-improved player as a freshman and "Mr. Hustle" as a sophomore. He received his undergraduate degree, a B.S. in liberal arts, from Grand Valley State.
Hinshaw is proficient in video editing and brings a unique perspective because of his administrative experience.
"He has some different ideas that can always help us down the
road, such as with fund-raising and managing different sports,"
Hettinga said. "He is very mild-mannered, which is different from
me. He knows the west side of the state, which is a tough area for
us to recruit because of all the great programs in the Grand Rapids
area. Maybe we can steal a kid or two from there. He has no
experience with recruiting, but I'm confident that he will hit the
ground running."
Brandon Lokken is in his second year with the Laker men's
basketball team serving as a student assistant coach. Lokken was
also a student manager for one season. He is a secondary
education major.
