MIDDLETOWN — One day after telling his players he wouldn”t return for a seventh season as head coach, Middletown”s Mike Mullin watched the Mustangs play a strong second half and beat the Upper Lake Cougars 54-28 in a North Central League I interlock varsity boys” basketball game on Thursday at Middletown High School.
Mullin, who guided Middle-town to a school-best 23-6 record in his second season as head coach (2005-06), will finish out the year before stepping down.
“I thought about coming back for only one more season after this one anyway,” Mullin said. “There are some things that happened that I don”t really want to get into now. There are a few little issues, but I”m comfortable with my decision.”
Mullin said he had the complete support of Middletown High”s administration, which he greatly appreciates, but there was a “lack of support” in other areas that he did not want to discuss at this time. “I still have the rest of the season to go and I want the focus to be on the kids, not on this. We still have a chance to win league and that”s all I”m concerned about right now.”
The Mustangs started slowly this season but came on strong last month to claim the 16th annual Record-Bee Hoop Classic title at Lower Lake High School, the third time Mullin has led Middletown to that tournament”s championship. Going into Thursday”s contest against Upper Lake, the Mustangs had dropped three straight.
While Middletown hasn”t experienced a winning season since the record-setting 2005-06 campaign, the Mustangs” program appears to be on the rise. Joining such veterans as John Hays and Kyle Harmyk on this season”s squad were several key players off last season”s 20-0 junior varsity team, including Bo Sheffer, Jereomy Hoefer, John-Wesley Davis and Chris Oatman.
Middletown”s current JV squad has lost only one game and is loaded with talent again, a good omen for future varsity teams at the school, according to Mullin, who spent four seasons as Middletown”s JV coach before moving up to the varsity ranks.
However, expectations that the success of last year”s JV team would translate into instant success this season at the varsity level may have been too high in the minds of some, according to Mullin, who said it doesn”t always work that way.
“I had teams go 19-4 and 21-2 (at the JV level),” Mullin said. “The 21-2 team was the one that did so well (in 2005-06), but we also had Gipson,” Mullin said of Lower Lake transfer Josh Gipson, who played a major role in that team”s success. “It”s easier to win at the JV level because the kids you get out of middle school play sports … that”s all they do. Juniors and seniors have cars and girlfriends … it”s the same everywhere, it”s not unique to here.”
Looking back on the success enjoyed by last season”s JV squad, Mullin said, “I think there were some unfair expectations. Even so, I didn”t feel any pressure to win this season, I felt that pressure would be next season. But that”s not why I”m leaving. I don”t have any question there is talent coming up.”
While Mullin said parental issues are involved in his decision to step down, he added it”s more of a cumulative effect from his five-plus seasons as varsity coach rather than any one single problem he experienced this season.
“As a coach you deal with things like that every year, so it”s nothing new,” Mullin said. “It”s just to the point now where it”s not fun anymore.”
An off-campus coach, Mullin owns Whispering Pines Water. Asked if he would reconsider his decision over the final months of the season, Mullin said, “No.”
With the most important half of their season still ahead, the Mustangs are among the teams to beat in the upcoming North Central League I North race, and Mullin said he would like to end his coaching career at Middletown by winning a league title.
“The kids I”ve got are great,” Mullin said. “It”s a good group that I enjoy coaching.”
Mullin enjoyed the second half of the Mustangs” win over Upper Lake much more than the first as Middletown entered halftime with an 18-15 lead.
“Both teams were kind of sluggish in that first half,” Mullin said. “In the second half we went to a half-court trap that started things rolling and created a little more energy.”
Middletown outscored Upper Lake 18-9 in the third quarter and 18-4 in the fourth quarter to turn a close game into a rout.
Harmyk scored all eight of his points in the second half for Middletown and Hays had seven of his eight over the final two quarters. Sheffer led the Mustangs with 15 points, including three first-half 3-pointers.
“That”s what we need,” Mullin said. “We need players to have more confidence in their shots and then those shots will start falling.”
Davis also had nine points for the Mustangs, who not only squared their record at 7-7, but Mullin”s overall record at Middletown at 75-75 (see graphic).
Mike Cox”s 11 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks paced the Cougars (4-10).
and Brandon Bills had seven.
