New Hartland girls basketball coach Mike McKay has ties to Don Palmer

Mike McKay doesn’t remember much about specific Hartland girls basketball players, but some significant things stick out from coaching against the Eagles last November.

McKay was beginning his seventh season at Grand Blanc when Hartland visited the Bobcats. The Eagles fell behind by 11 points late in the first half before rallying to win, 51-44, against a team that finished 19-5.

“We had a good lead on them right off the bat,” McKay said. “They just kept coming and coming and coming. They weren’t deterred. They didn’t turn away and walk away. They were on the road and they just kept battling.

“That’s one of the key things I knew about Hartland. It doesn’t matter what year it is, what group it is, they’re always going to keep coming at you. That never-give-up attitude is one I’m looking forward to coaching.”

McKay began the process of getting to know Hartland’s players Monday when he was introduced to the team as the Eagles’ new head coach. He takes over from Reyna Luplow, who coached one season.

McKay is no stranger to Hartland, and not just because he coached against the Eagles seven times while at Grand Blanc.

Coaching Hartland will be a homecoming of sorts for McKay, who was the Eagles’ junior varsity coach for seven seasons. His time with the Eagles was part of a 19-year working relationship with former Hartland coach Don Palmer at Milford and Hartland.

Palmer won 1,025 career games coaching boys and girls basketball at Milford and girls basketball for 13 seasons at Hartland. He retired after leading the Eagles to the 2022 state Division 1 championship game.

McKay, 52, couldn’t have asked for a better mentor in the coaching ranks.

“I soaked up as much as I could,” McKay said. “The core of my coaching comes from watching him, watching him in different situations, how he reacted, what he did, just practicing fundamentals. Even when I was a lower-level coach, I would go and watch his practice, watch how he handled kids, watch how he handled the program.

“Even as much as I thought I learned from him, I had no idea until I went out on my own up to Grand Blanc. I admire him even more for doing it as long as he did, the success he had, and the time and dedication he put into it. I learned you have to outwork people; that’s what he did.”

McKay took over a Grand Blanc team that went 5-15 the season before he arrived and compiled a 96-52 record. The Bobcats were 77-29 in his last five seasons, winning district championships the past three years.

He leaves a team that will return four starters, most of whom were getting their first meaningful varsity experience in that season-opening loss to Hartland.

“Grand Blanc was not doing well,” he said. “I had a daughter who was a freshman there. She was on the varsity as a freshman while I was still coaching at Hartland. She talked to me once the coach resigned and said, ‘Dad, we need you up here in Grand Blanc.’ So, I applied for the job and got it. I went to work trying to change the culture, which is kind of a cliché, but we had to change the mindset of the players up there and get it going in the right direction.

“I’m very pleased with the progress we made and where the program is now. I left one of my most talented teams I’ve had since I’ve been in Grand Blanc, so it was a tough decision to make.”

Aside from basketball, returning to Hartland makes sense for McKay from a logistical standpoint. He teaches in Milford and lives in Fenton, one exit away from Hartland. He was driving 45 minutes after school to coach in Grand Blanc.

A Hartland team that was gutted by graduation after being the Division 1 runner-up went 14-11 last season. The Eagles could return 10 of their 14 players next season, many of whom were first-year varsity players last winter.

“It’s one of those towns, it’s a girls basketball town,” McKay said. “It seems they keep coming and coming and coming, which is a good thing. They take pride in it. They’ve got a lot of tradition and they demand excellence. The kids put in time and work and the parents are very supportive.

“(Monday) was the first night I got to introduce myself to the players and talk to them a little bit; it was nice to do that. I look forward to getting more acquainted with the players.”

McKay has had success as a basketball coach, despite the fact he didn’t play the sport in high school. He was a baseball pitcher at Swartz Creek, plus some golf and tennis.

“It’s one of the sports I didn’t play, but I’ve always enjoyed,” he said. “My dad coached youth basketball. I was helping him out. He went on vacation one time when I was really young and I coached his team for a weekend. I kind of just picked it up along the way. I’ve always been a student of the game, I guess. I always learned by watching and being around it.”

Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillKhan.

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: New Hartland girls basketball coach Mike McKay has ties to Don Palmer