Geoff Mott
Sports Scene
First-year Nouvel Catholic Central boys basketball coach Joe Jacobs learned quickly about the family atmosphere at his new job.
“The people at Nouvel were very welcoming to my family and very supportive,” said Jacobs, an athletic standout from Frankenmuth who coached for the Eagles junior varsity basketball team before taking over the Nouvel boys program.
“I lost my mother shortly after I got the job, and there were people from Nouvel at the funeral. It was a nice gesture from people who really didn’t know me.”
Nouvel girls basketball coach Will Jones, a veteran coach who’s also in his first season with the Panthers, has also enjoyed the atmosphere at Nouvel. Jones is familiar with the Catholic community. He is an alumnus of Pontiac Catholic High School, and his last job was at Gabriel Richard Catholic High School in Riverview. Jones has coached basketball for more than 25 years.
“What you find in everything good about youth sports and the community is it’s about people,” Jones said. “That’s consistent wherever you go. The colors and mascot change. But it’s been really good here. There’s great sports programs and the players are receptive to learning.
“And there’s a real nice quality of basketball up this way. This has been a lot of fun.”
Jacobs took over for Dale Roberts after the Panthers finished 10-11 last season with a loss in the district opener. The Panthers won four state titles in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and Jacobs is looking to lead them back.
“Nouvel is known as a football school for a long time and still is, but basketball is important here too,” he said. “They’ve won four state championships here, and we want to get back on the map and make it relevant again. Brick-by-brick, build the foundation.”
Nouvel finished 6-4 in the first half of the regular season, responding to a three-game losing streak by winning four of its last five games. That included a 70-66 win over regional rival Valley Lutheran, which suffered its first loss of the season with the defeat.
“We’ve had a tough schedule with some good Class A teams in there,” Jacobs said. “There were a couple top-five teams in there, and a lot of these close games have helped us.
“[The win over Valley Lutheran] shows that the kids are buying in and having fun. They deserve it. I’m comfortable where we are at because we’re getting better, but we also have tough games with Sanford Meridian, Bay City John Glenn, Flint Powers, Midland High, Michigan Lutheran Seminary, and Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart.”
Jacobs opened the doors for competition when the team worked out during the summer. That friendly fire has fueled some momentum for the team. “Everybody had a clean slate and a clean audition for playing time,” Jacobs said. “There was opportunity there, and that was the difference in the practice.
“We struggled a little with commitment in the summer, because they’ve never really done it here with summer camps. It’s been all football. But [Nouvel football coach and athletic director] Mike Boyd has helped me, and the kids are buying in.”
Senior Garrett Graham leads the Nouvel offensive attack with 14.8 points per game.
“Our team lost a lot of leaders, and Garrett sticks out as our most skilled scoring option,” Jacobs said. “We need him to do those things, and right now we’re getting the effort on the offensive end where we don’t have to rely on one person.”
Playing his senior season for a new coach was something that interested Graham after Nouvel’s ouster in the districts last season. “I was excited just to try something new,” he said. “We got together in the summer and hit some team camps and got some chemistry going.”
Graham said Jacobs has fit in well in his first experience as a varsity head coach.
“I think he’s doing a great job,” the 18-year-old guard said. “I think he pushes us a bit harder in practice and gets a little more involved. And we’re starting to feel more comfortable in our offense.”
Jacobs praised the play of Nate Garpiel as the Panthers second-highest scorer. An all-stater on the soccer field, Garpiel “is our best defender, and he loves the challenge of guarding the opposing team’s best player,” Jacobs said. “He gives 100 percent every time on the court, and he can shoot well. Shooting is sometimes half the battle.”
James Fabiano gives the Panthers strength inside, as the senior averages six points and six rebounds a game.
“He works hard and has very long arms,” Jacobs said. “He needs to box out a little better, but he does get in good position and he gets us steals. We’re turning him into a stronger scorer.”
For the girls, Rachel McInerney returns as the leading scorer and rebounder for a team that finished runner-up at the Class C state final under former coach Kris Hengesbach, who resigned after two state championships in 12 seasons as head coach.
“It’s kind of been a big transition in changing coaches,” McInerney said. “Defense is a big difference. Coach Kris always had us up in the passing lane, playing face-up and trying to get the steal and turnovers.
“Coach Jones is more help defense, a little more laid back than the presses we had with Coach Kris.”
McInerney has committed to play for Ferris State University next year, and Jones is helping to make the transition to the college level easier.
“He’s been really great in helping me with my footwork,” McInerney said. “The Ferris coaches said they want me to play on the wing or power forward. They are more guard-oriented, and I’m able to work on my outside game.”
Jones praised McInerney’s game and her willingness to learn.
“We are moving her around a bit, but she is long and can bang and grind inside,” Jones said. “She’s a baseline forward and can play some wing, but now she is going face up and not in the traditional forward way. We’re making it harder to game-plan on her because she’s in the high post, and on the wing, and even at point.”
The Panthers are 8-3 at mid-season, and they sit ranked No. 6 in the Class C Associated Press prep poll.
Nouvel lost by 10 points to Class B No. 5-ranked Bullock Creek before beating honorable mentions Clare, Chandler Park Academy, and West Catholic. The Panthers beat Class A regional rivals Saginaw High and Arthur Hill and claimed wins over Sacred Heart Academy and Valley Lutheran before a 61-41 loss to unbeaten Detroit Country Day, the No. 4-ranked team in Class B.
“Each game we see someone different, and it’s a great learning laboratory every game,” Jones said. “We are making adjustments, and the girls are taking advantage of it. They are a fantastic group of kids, and they absorb everything we tell them.”
Sophomore Laurel Jacqmain gives Nouvel a quality second scoring option, while 5’11” Nicole Buckingham is the x-factor.
“[Jacqmain] has tremendous upside, and at a long 5’9″, she has great instinct and can really position herself,” Jones said. “It’s cliché, but she has a nose for the ball. She’s always around the ball.
“Buckingham’s basketball I.Q. is off the charts. She is the proverbial x-player. You can plug and play with her. Her outside shot is fantastic and smooth, and she’s a great defender in the post.”
With unbeaten Hemlock looming in a district tournament and No. 1-ranked Reese a possibility in the regional tournament, Jones likes his team as a sleeper.
“I like flying under the radar, and the girls know the value behind it,” Jones said. “They weren’t ranked very high last year and guess what? They snuck up on everybody and made the finals.”