BOYNE CITY - The Boyne City Ramblers have hired Mike Wilson to be their next girls varsity basketball coach. Wilson is a familiar face in Boyne City, having worked in the school district in a variety of roles over the last 17 years.
For the last 10 years, Wilson has been the middle school principal at Boyne City.
Wilson played college basketball at Indiana Wesleyan University and began his coaching career as an assistant coach at IWU. He also served as the boys varsity coach at Lakeview High School in Marion, Indiana.
A native of Harbor Springs, Wilson eventually moved back to Northern Michigan and was the head boys varsity basketball coach at Alanson from 2003-2006.
“I loved Indiana, I really did and I loved the people,” said Wilson. “But everybody says you’re going to miss the water, you’re going to miss the terrain [of Michigan] and I did, I really missed that. My family was up here as well at the time so coming back north was a goal of mine.”
In Boyne City, Wilson has helped with the girls basketball youth program and even started a travel basketball organization, Northern Michigan Elite, a few years ago.
“I just saw a huge need. Our girls who are passionate about the game didn’t have opportunities to play when the season was out,” he said of starting the organization. “I saw all the softball and travel teams springing up everywhere and I just didn’t see anything for basketball.”
Wilson said he’s looking to pass the torch for Northern Michigan Elite as he will not be able to be involved with it as the Boyne City varsity coach.
He said character development is at the core of what he wants to instill in the Boyne City program.
“I would much rather have five individuals, five girls on the floor that don’t have all the athletic experience in the world or just aren’t the best basketball players but they have one common vision,” he said. “I think that is probably the biggest goal. If everybody on that floor has a common vision and is playing unselfish basketball and just looking out for each other, I think that is going to contribute to more wins on the scoreboard.”
