By Nate Thompson
LocalSportsJournal.com

SPRING LAKE – In regards to longevity and success in multiple sports at one public school, Bill Core could be considered a unicorn. 

In today’s age, it’s almost mythical to see an individual stick around and thrive for 35 seasons like Core has at Spring Lake High School, simply because of the time constraints and other responsibilities that coaching demands – and often breaks. 

In other words, in coaching basketball alone, if you’re not willing to be away from your family 5-6 nights a week throughout the winter and into early spring, complete with long bus rides and late nights breaking down film, while running camps and training sessions in the summer, well, you’re not going to last long.  

But Core, 60, has kept plugging away, not only in basketball, but previously, for 30 seasons in softball (where he compiled 642 wins, 10 district and 3 regional titles) and during his early coaching days, for 14 years in girls basketball.  He even coached his daughter, Jenna, during her seventh- and eighth-grade basketball seasons, where he only managed to go 28-0 in two seasons.  

And if he wasn’t busy enough nowadays, Core has signed on to coach his first season of varsity baseball this spring for the Lakers. He must bargain for more hours in the day, as he’s more than a quarter of the way through his boys basketball season, and he said he’s starting to run preseason workouts for baseball.

Spring Lake head coach Bill Core during a timeout (Photo/Leo Valdez)

“It’s really busy right now,” Core said with a chuckle. “But I don’t see an end of the tunnel. The fire is still there.”

Of course, Core must have a very understanding and patient wife, otherwise, his crazy schedule wouldn’t fly.  Core and wife Tracy have been married for 26 years. 

“No. 1, I’ve been blessed to be a part of a great school district, a great community and a family that has made a lot of sacrifices,” he said.  “Luckily, Tracy loves it. It’s a true family event for us and our kids. 

“That, and I’ve always had a very supportive administration, outstanding coaches around me and great players.”

Core’s family, which includes daughter Jenna and sons Jackson and Jaden, have seen a lot of highs throughout his coaching career, and he says they help him cope and bounce back from stinging losses. They surely celebrated together when Core clinched his 300th career win in boys basketball on Dec. 20 with a 74-43 win over Sparta. Core said he received a number of calls and texts from his past players congratulating him on the milestone.

Spring Lake head coach Bill Core with Hudsonville Unity Christian head coach Scott Soodsma (Photo/Leo Valdez)

“I told them they’ve been around for a lot of those wins,” he said. “I couldn’t have achieved it without them.” 

Core admitted that he believes seeing more coaches match the milestone will become more and more rare.  

“I think longevity comes to mind,” he said. “A lot of kids nowadays, sports are a year-round thing. And as a coach, you feel like you have to go year-round to keep up with the Joneses. You get these parents who paid for their kid in travel ball and you owe it to them to get the most out of their kid. And for a lot of younger coaches, it’s very difficult to meet those demands.”  

A passion for competition is important, and Core said it was instilled in him at an early age, thanks to supportive parents Bill and Lynne and three younger brothers, Mike, Mark and Chris, which led to plenty of battles of backyard hoops and other sports. 

“I knew from a young age that I wanted to get into coaching,” Core said. “Just the teaching part of it was always very appealing.”

Photo courtesy of LSJ Photographer Leo Valdez

Core was a three-sport standout at Traverse City High School, where he was a teammate on the hardwood and diamond for one season with Dan Majerle, who would go on to star as a sharpshooter with the Phoenix Suns in the NBA, earning the nickname “Thunder Dan.” 

“He got moved up to varsity for districts as a sophomore when I was a senior in both basketball and baseball and he started in the districts in both sports,” Core recalled. “The Majerle and Core families were very close. They had three boys and we had three boys all about the same age.” 

After high school, Core continued his athletic career at Alma College. During his freshman season, he was the quarterback on the JV football team for the Scots and also played basketball and baseball. 

Core admitted it was “a little too much,” trying to balance three sports, so he continued on with just baseball and basketball. One of his teammates with the Scots was Tony Annese, who just led Ferris State University to back-to-back Division 2 national championships and also had an illustrious coaching career at the high school level, including at Muskegon High School.

Core began his student teaching and coaching career at Grand Haven in 1987 and said he would have stayed there, but Spring Lake was the first to offer a full-time teaching position. He’s rubbed shoulders and shared strategies with a number of coaches from both schools over the years. At Spring Lake, Core said a number of young up-and-coming coaches typically got their start as the school’s study hall supervisor, including Core, longtime coach and athletic director Cavin Mohrhardt, future Grand Haven superintendent Scott Grimes, and longtime coaches Kirk Taylor and Thad Shank. Shank’s Ludington Orioles teams and Core’s Lakers had many spirited battles when both were in the Lakes Eight Conference.

Spring Lake head basketball coach Bill Core with Ludington head coach Thad Shank (Photo/Joe Washington)

Core has settled into his role at Spring Lake Middle School, where he’s the physical education and health teacher. But on the hardwood, he’s evolved from his early years, where his teams pressed a lot. Now, he takes pride in his teams playing stifling halfcourt man-to-man defense, aided by longtime assistant Randy White and prior to his retirement, Dr. John Nametz.   

“I figured if (the other team’s) good ball handler was up on varsity, we could get away with pressing them,” Core said of his JV coaching philosophy. 

He still prides himself on being more organized and prepared than the opposition, a trait that Spring Lake varsity girls coach Rich Hyde said he marveled about Core when he was learning the craft.  

“Nowadays, you’re required to put your game film in a pool online for the (Ottawa-Kent) conference, so teams always have a good idea what you’re running,” Core said. “There’s really no surprises anymore so I try not to run a lot of sets. I don’t want them being robots out there. It’s more about athletes making plays.” 

He’s now at 303 career wins and counting with a squad this year that lost nine seniors but still could contend for his seventh district championship. But one victory that has eluded Core is at the quarterfinal level, where he’s fallen short twice.  He’s said it would be special to one day lead the Lakers to the Breslin Center in East Lansing, which plays host to the state semifinals and finals.  But at the same time, it will not define him as a coach. 

“I’ve been going to the finals (as a fan) since I was a junior in high school. So like 42 years and I’ve only missed it a couple times,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it’s a regret not reaching that level. It’s more like, ‘Dang.’  It would be fun to be down there, but it’s not a goal that defines a successful season.”

What’s more important in Core’s mind is the relationships he’s developed with his small army of past players, many of whom are now old enough that Core is now coaching their kids. 

Core said he had a big smile on his face after a recent game when he was shown a video of the Lakers’ student section, “Core’s Crazies,” and seeing a lot of old, familiar faces. Of course, he’s attended a lot of former players’ weddings and tries to keep in touch with as many as possible. 

“The aspect I enjoy the most is seeing the development of a young team; just the strides they make,” Core said. “Just being a part of March Madness, to me, it’s the greatest time of the year. Going from winning districts to regionals, it’s special. And the journey to get there, with the team dinners and all the preparation they put in, I can say I honestly still love it.”

Photo courtesy of LSJ Photographer Leo Valdez

Photo courtesy of LSJ Photographer Leo Valdez

Photo courtesy of LSJ Photographer Joe Washington