Superstitious shoes, special group spark unbeaten season for Van Hoosen girls basketball

ROCHESTER HILLS — Sweet, sweet repeat. Middle school sports are a nice forecast for who the high school stars of tomorrow are going to be, and Rochester Adams has an influx of them coming in girls basketball.

They were unbeaten as seventh graders, and one final win against Hart Middle School Oct. 24 clinched not only the city championship but also solidified a perfect 12-0 season for Van Hoosen Middle School’s eighth grade girls basketball team.

“You always say groups are special every year – coaches are notorious for that – but I will say that this group was special in checking every box,” head coach Justin Howard said. “They were special in preparing themselves before the game. They listened. They let me challenge them. They were disciplined, and they came ready to play. They were a great group to hang around.”

Howard, in his fourth season as head coach, said the challenge for him was inheriting an unbeaten team and handling the pressure of making it back-to-back seasons.

The upset alert came early as Van Hoosen took on Baker Middle School (Troy) in the first game of the season as the Vikings trailed Baker heading into the final quarter.

Van Hoosen made the adjustment and walked away with the six-point win, setting the tone for the 2024 season.

“The defense that we played was full-court man and no trapping, which disrupted our opponent,” Howard said. “I think that changed the season.”

Howard, himself, took precautionary measures in efforts to keep the streak intact, wearing the same shoes, his black-and-yellow Air Jordan 4s, to every game.

There was a moment or two where Howard thought about switching the footwear for a game, but his team made sure to intervene and steer him back to the old reliables.

In addition to the superstitions and uniqueness of this group, Howard said there were multiple things on the court that separated them from opposing teams.

“We were very disciplined when it came to our offensive execution, where we knew we could run a set play, a pick-and-roll, and where we could push the ball upcourt,” Howard said. “I think the bonus was that our second and third string were tough, so there were games where the first string didn’t play the fourth quarter because the second and third string were tough. We didn’t have to rely on one group this year, which was great.”

Howard also credits assistant coach Rachel Deering, a parent volunteer with twin daughters on the team, for the team’s success.

“It was such a bonus this year having her, because doing it by yourself when you’re trying to grow a program can be tough,” Howard said. “It was fun having a partner in crime. She was great this year.”

This won’t be the last time Howard holds the clipboard across from this group of ladies as he enters his sixth season as the JV girls basketball head coach at Rochester Adams.

When asked if he thinks this group is going to take over the varsity basketball scene, Howard only needed one word to sum up his answer: “Absolutely.”