By Craig Beilfuss
LocalSportsJournal.com
MUSKEGON–Muskegon Big Reds head basketball coach Keith Guy reached a milestone that most coaches can only dream about as he won his 400th career game.
The Big Reds defeated Ferndale 62-51 in the final game of the Muskegon Basketball Showcase on Jan. 7 for his milestone victory.
“Number one, what it means is that I am getting old,” said Guy. “Honestly what it means is that God has been good to me. I have been blessed to be able to do what I love to do and been fortunate to be surrounded by good people. I’ve had a lot of good players both in the past and in the present. I’ve had great community support and I am just so blessed.”
Guy, a 1993 graduate of Muskegon Heights high school, played for the Tigers and got his basketball coaching career started at the Heights. He coached 9 seasons for the Tigers and reached the Breslin Center semifinals a number of times. While running the Tigers program, the Heights never lost a district tournament basketball game.
Muskegon head coach Keith Guy giving instructions to his Big Reds (Photo/Tim Reilly)
“Heights is home for me ,” Guy said. “It will always be home for me. I had some great years there. I grew up there. I went to school there. I played ball there. I graduated from there. Unbelievable memories. I had a great staff there and some great players, but it was time to move on. The Heights made me the man that I am today.
“I still live in the Heights.”
The perfect opportunity came along in 2012 when he took over the boys’ basketball program as the Big Reds coach along with taking on the duties as the athletic director at Muskegon.
“I am really blessed here at Muskegon,” Guy said. “I have a lot of community support, administration support, school board support, parents and players support and assistant coaches who are very supportive. I am super blessed here. They welcomed me with open arms when I came here to be super successful. And I am super thankful.”
After his playing days at Muskegon Heights, Guy took his talents to Ferris State University in Big Rapids.
“I love Ferris State,” Guy said. “Oh my, I tell our kids here not to take college for granted. We have sent some kids to Ferris to play for the Bulldogs. I still talk with some former players and my coaches. We still have a tight bond. Without that experience I wouldn’t be here. Some of my best friends are former teammates and coaches during my time there.
Guy graduated from Ferris State with a major in business education and a minor in physical education and coaching. He later obtained his Masters Degree in counseling from Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant.
“I think the sky is the limit for us. We have a lot of experience, and these guys have played in some big games. I think this group will be successful, but it’s going to take us a while. It’s a process and we want to play to the Big Reds standard and develop good habits right away,” said Muskegon head coach Keith about his 2022-2023 boys’ basketball team. (Photo/Tim Reilly)
But when it comes down to it, Guy looks back on his high school career with the Tigers.
“I had a great time in high school,” said Guy. “I tell these kids here, that my time in high school and playing ball are some of the best years of my life. I encourage the kids here to bond together because when high school is done it is over. Enjoy every moment of it. Pure lifetime friends are made in high school.”
That love for the game is what inspired Guy to take the step up into the coaching ranks.
“I always wanted to be around the game of basketball and I knew it wasn’t going to happen as a player, so the next best thing was getting into coaching,” he said.
And when you’ve had success, people at other levels take notice. However, Guy is happy with his situation at Muskegon.
“I’m good,” he said. “I’m not looking for it (to move on). I’m here and I’m happy, but if something comes along, I’ll listen. This is home for me and I am totally content being here.”
The Big Reds’ coach establishes goals for his players, but probably none bigger than off the court.
“My No. 1 goal as a coach is that all of my players graduate and then go on to become productive citizens and give back to their community,” Guy said. “I try to set the example for them.”
Guy stopped short of naming any specific coaching mentors because there were simply too many to name. However, he did single out two.
“I’ve had so many mentors from a leadership perspective,” Guy said. “My main mentors are my parents. They always did what was best for me and they made me the person that I am today.”
And with the time commitment to coaching and athletic director duties, there also is his family
“I would like to thank my family (wife Kiesha, daughter Keiarra, and sons Christian and Cameron) for allowing me to do what I love to do,” the coach said.
“There is a lot of time spent away from home because I’m working,” said Guy. “But because they understand the mission, it makes things so much easier knowing I have their full support.”
Muskegon coach Guy celebrates his 400th career win with his players. (Photo/Tim Reilly)
