Jackarus Smith Signs

Over the weekend, senior Jackarus Smith signed to continue his education and his basketball career at Paris Junior College. The Dragons boast one of the top junior college programs in the state of Texas. 

Smith paced Grand Blanc in both scoring and rebounding this year, while leading the Bobcats to a 19-4 record. Along the way, Smith won honors for All Conference, Flint Dream Team, and was honorable mention All State. Grand Blanc had numerous scoring threats this year, but in the biggest games especially, Smith stood out above the pack:

• Averaged 24 points in the Bobcats' two contests with rival and state quarterfinalist Carman-Ainsworth
• Scored 21 & 18 in a pair of matchups with conference foe and state semifinalist Novi
• Tallied 19 against three-time defending state champion, Beecher
• Averaged over 22 points per game in Grand Blanc's three District contests

Grand Blanc Coach Mike Thomas said, "Jackarus was a huge part of our team's success. With his versatility, he caused a matchup problem every single night which opened things for other players. Not only was he a great player, but he was also a great teammate and one of my most coachable players ever."

Thomas went on to say: "Jackarus is a very special player whose best basketball is still ahead of him. He is a natural born leader, and if he continues to work, great things will happen for him."

Florida State Coach Leonard Hamilton Visits

GBHS coaches with Coach Hamilton

It was great to have Florida State Head Coach Leonard Hamilton stop by Tartoni Athletic Center at Grand Blanc High School to visit with our coaches and work out a few of our players!

In addition to his experience as a head coach in the NBA, Coach Hamilton best known as one of the best college coaches in the business. Fresh off leading his Florida State Seminoles to the Elite Eight in this year's NCAA Tournament, he has won over 500 NCAA games in his tenure at Oklahoma State, Miami and Florida State. His teams have played in nine NCAA Tournaments, twice reaching the Sweet Sixteen in addition to this year's Elite Eight run. A two-time Big East Coach of the Year (1995 & 1999) and two-time ACC Coach of the Year (2009 & 2012), Coach Hamilton was also the UPI National Coach of the Year in 1995. He also coached the 1999-2000 Big East regular season champions and the 2012 ACC Tournament champs.

What an incredible resumé! Great to have you with us, Coach!

Head Coach Mike Thomas

The 2017-18 season was the first for Mike Thomas as head coach at Grand Blanc, and it proved to be a highly successful one. The Kensington Lakes Activities Association Champions went 19-4 under his leadership, winning the KLAA’s Gold Division in the regular season, and defeating state semifinalist Novi (for the third time in the season) in the league championship game.

A graduate of Saginaw High School, Thomas’s first varsity head coaching job was at Kalamazoo Central High School, beginning in 2008. Over the next four years, he led the Maroon Giants to two state championships as well as one state runner-up finish, compiling a record of 92-11. In 2010, both the Detroit Free Press and the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan named him their Michigan High School Coach of the Year.

In 2012, Thomas returned to his alma mater, serving as an assistant coach at Albion for five seasons. While a player at Albion, Thomas was a four-year starter, helping the Britons achieve MIAA championships in 2003 and 2005 and a trip to the sectional title game in the 2005 NCAA Division III Championships. A three-time all-MIAA first team selection, Thomas is second on Albion’s all-time scoring ladder with 1,389 points. He is also third in school history for most 3-point field goals and free throws made in a career.

Coach Thomas and his wife Trish have three children, Makaiya, Michael Thomas lll, and Micah.

Skills Camp

Sign up today for Skills Camp with Coach Thomas!

Postseason Player Awards

Congrats to the following Bobcats who received various individual awards this season!

 

 Associate Press All State:

•  Jackarus Smith  (Honorable Mention)

All Conference (KLAA Gold Division):

• Jackarus Smith
• Lon Martin
• Goliath Mitchell
• Mark Miller (Honorable Mention)

Flint Area Dream Team (mLive):

• Jackarus Smith  (First Team)
• Lon Martin (Third Team)
• Mark Miller (Honorable Mention)

All-Flint Area Team (Buick City Basketball):

• Jackarus Smith  (First Team)
• Goliath Mitchell (Second Team)
• Lon Martin (Third Team)

The following team awards were presented at our post-season banquet:

• Most Valuable Player: Jackarus Smith (Sr.)
• Most Valuable Offensive Player: Lon Martin (Sr.)
• Most Valuable Defensive Player: Kortez Toles (Jr.)
• Most Improved Player: Mark Miller (Soph.) 
• Most Coachable Player: Jack Scribner (Sr.)
• Hustle Player of the Year: Devin Hampton (Soph.)
• Practice Player of the Year: Joe Rechsteiner (Jr.)
• Academy Award for the Best Coach Thomas Impersonation: Cam Cyborowski (Sr.)
• Highest GPA: Jack Scribner & Cam Cyborowski (4.167)
• Most Improved GPA: Joe Rechsteiner (Jr.)
• Team GPA for 2017-18 Season: 3.2

Season Highlights

Check out the season highlight video below with plenty of clips from all your favorite Bobcats. (FYI...it doesn't include any dunks, because they have their own video here). Make sure to click the "mute/speaker" button at the bottom of the video screen for audio.

Jam Time

Check out the video below which includes every Grand Blanc dunk from the 2017-18 campaign.  Make sure to click the "mute/speaker" button at the bottom of the video screen for audio.