The Ball Bounces

Catholic Central, West Bloomfield high school boys’ basketball coaches thrilled there is a season

By Steve Stein

Brandon Sinawi and Jeremy Denha have had to be more than coaches as they’ve navigated the ever-changing landscape of high school sports during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sinawi is in his third season as the boys’ basketball coach at Novi Detroit Catholic Central after being the coach at Novi for four years; Denha is in his 11th season as the boys’ basketball coach at West Bloomfield after coaching at Berkley for three years.

Their 2020-21 season finally began in early February after Governor Gretchen Whitmer gave the go-ahead on February 4 for winter indoor contact sports to have normal practices and competitions as long as strict safety protocols were followed. Games were allowed to be played starting February 9, two months later than normal.

Jeremy Denha

The Michigan High School Athletic Association has scheduled the state tournament for March 23 through April 10, so “March Madness” will extend into April this season.

Besides coaches, Sinawi and Denha needed to be mentors and counselors to keep their players mentally strong at the times when it seemed like there wouldn’t be a basketball season. “As a coaching staff, we were most worried about the social and emotional toll on the players when we weren’t practicing or playing games,” Sinawi said. “I never thought there wouldn’t be a season, but I certainly had bouts of frustration. I had to endure each pause, and stay positive.

“It was easy to be negative, but our staff focused on what we could control and keeping the kids upbeat. We had to lead from the front.”

Sinawi said when the MHSAA allowed fall sports to finish in January, he became confident there eventually would be a winter sports season. “It wasn’t going to be a complete season, of course, but it would be a season that starts and finishes,” he said.

Denha said he trusted the decisions made by experts from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the MHSAA when it came to the fate of the basketball season. “I would have liked to wait until the spring to have a longer season, but we’ll go with the flow and do the best we can,” he said. “We’ll be playing 17 regular-season games in six weeks. We’re going to have more games than practices. We played our first game without a practice. We played our first three games with only one practice.

“Winter is usually the longest high school sports season, and this year it’s a very short season,” says Denha. “But we’re going to stay positive. As I’ve told the kids, the alternative is having the doors locked.”

Both coaches said their players are ecstatic to be playing, even if they have to wear masks during games and only a few fans can be in the stands. “The gyms are open and our guys are with their teammates,” Denha said. “They get to socialize with their best friends. That’s good.”

Sinawi said coaches also are benefitting from the resumption of basketball. “We were missing time with the kids,” he said. “That’s a big reason why we coach.”

Catholic Central started its season 0-2. West Bloomfield started its season with three losses. But neither coach was concerned.

“We need to adjust our expectations this season,” Denha said. “It’s always important to get better each day, and that’s even more important this season. We want to be playing our best basketball when it comes to state tournament time.”

“The season is young,” Sinawi said.

Sal

Sal Malek has been a high school athletic director for 28 years, first at Livonia Ladywood for 20 years and now at Bloomfield Hills Sacred Heart. He calls this school year the “strangest ever in my career. No question. I’m glad winter sports have started. Kids need to play. Kids need the camaraderie.”

Sacred Heart hosted its first girls’ basketball game the first week of the season. It was a surreal sight in the gym. Each player from Sacred Heart and Clarkston Everest could have two relatives at the game. Nobody else could be in the stands. Temperatures were checked at the door. Bleachers were marked to show where people could sit, and an empty row separated each row of seating.

With a 600-seat gym, there was plenty of room for social distancing, but fans still needed to wear masks. Even the officials wore masks.

“Everything went smoothly, and our kids were elated to play,” Malek said.