Phelps, Mike (2018)

Mike is a 1966 graduate of GR Central Christian. Mike excelled in basketball and baseball in high school and college, in addition to one season of Cross Country at GRCCH.

After being cut from the JV team in his sophomore year, Mike worked hard at improving his basketball skills and made the varsity team the next year. A two-year varsity starter in basketball (coached by Hall of Fame member Ken Zandee), Mike was always known as a scorer. He set a school record of 41 points, a record that stood for many years. In baseball, Mike was a varsity player for all three of his high school seasons. He was selected as captain of the baseball team in his senior year. In both sports, Mike was selected to the All-City Team.

Mike went on to Calvin College where he continued to demonstrate his prowess in both basketball and baseball. In basketball, he was selected to the All-MIAA team in all but his freshman season and was the League MVP in his senior year. In his sophomore season he set a new Calvin College scoring record with 53 points (the final basket behind a screen set by fellow Hall of Fame member Rich Schrotenboer). This record stood until 1993 when it was broken by another Hall of Fame member, Steve Honderd. Mike was selected captain of the Calvin basketball teams in his junior and senior seasons.

In baseball, Mike was a 4-year starter at shortstop for the Knights. He was selected as team captain in his junior and senior seasons and was the MIAA League MVP in his senior year. Mike remains the only athlete in MIAA history who was the league MVP in two sports.

Mike went on to a career in teaching PE, coaching basketball, and athletic administration. His first teaching job was at Unity Christian High School in Orange City, IA. He then taught for one year at Hamilton (MI) High School before moving on to East Kentwood where he taught and coached basketball for 17 seasons. Among his players at EK was Loy Vaught, who went on to play at the University of Michigan and then in the NBA.

Mike finished his career in education at Holland Christian High School, teaching PE and then becoming the Athletic Director there. While at Holland Christian he had the pleasure of coaching his son Kyle as well as Kirk Cousins, now an NFL player. During his tenure as Athletic Director, Holland Christian began its football program and moved from being an independent high school to become a member of the OK Conference. Mike and Ken Zandee conducted a remarkable 39 seasons of summer basketball camps together.

Over the length of his coaching career Mike had several All-State players, including son Kyle. His teams won 12 conference championships, along with 16 district and 7 regional titles. His teams totaled 568 wins and 239 losses (a winning percentage of .704). He was named to several coaching honors, including the Michigan Basketball Coach of the Year for the 1991- 92 season, and he was nominated in 2003 by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan for National Coach of the Year. Mike was selected by his coaching peers to the Hall of Fame for the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan, and in 2017 was named to the Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Mike is particularly proud of the fact that he never got a technical foul called on him during his 807 varsity games.

Mike and his wife Sharon have three children: Kyle Phelps, April Borchert, and Karissa Klyn. Mike and Sharon are retired and enjoy traveling and spending time in warmer places during the winter months.

Mike’s Favorite Bible Verse

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all who believe in Him will not perish
but receive eternal life.

John 3:16