Record-setting winner Reddy steps down as Canton hoops coach

Way back in December of 2009 — a few years before smart phones and social media infiltrated our lives — 28-year-old Jimmy Reddy walked into the Dearborn Heights Crestwood gymnasium to coach his first-ever game as Canton’s varsity boys basketball head coach.

“I don’t remember a lot of details from that game, but I do remember I was nervous during pre-game,” Reddy admitted Thursday night. “But you know what? I was nervous before every game I coached because I wanted to win so badly.”

And, boy, did he win — at a record-setting pace for Canton’s hoops program.

March Sadness

On Wednesday, Reddy revealed to his talented group of 2024-25 seniors and underclassmen that he had coached his last game for the Cobras.

“I actually made the decision that this past season would be my final one last summer during a family vacation in west Michigan,” Reddy said. “I put a lot of thought into it; it wasn’t a rash decision by any means.

“Wednesday, once word got out I was resigning, I received so many texts from former players. It was a pretty emotional day.”

Reddy decided not to tell the players on his final team that this past season would be his last until after the season, “because I wanted this year to be about the players and their success, not what I was doing.”

But he knew, adding an extra layer of emotions to every game, especially as the end neared.

Emotional journey

So when Senior Night rolled around last month, it was hard for Canton’s all-time winningest boys basketball coach (Reddy finished with a sterling record of 260-94) to maintain his composure during the pre-game ceremony that honored final-year players.

“We have a tradition where the players and coaches line up and the seniors go down the line and get hugs and congratulations,” he said. “When the seniors get to me at the end, I tell them I love them and how much they meant to me and the program.

“Well, the first senior to get to me this year was Teddy Winstel. Just as I was about to tell Teddy how much he meant to me and the program, I broke down, bawling my eyes out. I was so emotional, I couldn’t get the words out. It was so emotional because of all the work I’d put into this over the past 16 seasons.”

What made Reddy’s career most remarkable was the fact that — like many programs — seemingly his three best players would graduate every season, but he’d consistently keep winning with a reshuffled deck, a feat not many high school coaches can match.

Proud of consistency

“That’s what I’m most proud of — the consistency we were able to develop here,” Reddy said. “But the only reason we were able to do that was because our players worked so darned hard.”

On Thursday, Reddy, a physical education teacher at South Lyon’s Centennial Middle School, reflected on the greatest successes of his career at Canton, as well as the heart-breaking setbacks.

Although Reddy’s lone team to win a district title was the 2012-13 squad, his squads could have won at least four or five more if not for some unfathomable bad luck.

For instance in 2018, the team he called “probably my most talented” was knocked out in a district semifinal game when a Novi player tipped in the winning basket just before the buzzer sounded. Novi ultimately advanced to the MHSAA Division 1 Final Four.

“B’Artis (White) made a late three to tie it, then they got that last-second tip, which was heart-breaking,” he said. “That’s the team with B’Artis, Ian Barker, Noah Brown, Connor Engel and Chase Meredith. We get past Novi and who knows how far we could have gone.”

Post-season heartbreak

His 2015-16 team led by future Division 1 player Logan Ryan went 20-0 in the regular season before suffering heartbreak in the district tournament.

His 2021-22 contingent was on the verge of a post-season run before its best player, Cole Vickers, suffered a season-ending knee injury on Senior Night.

And his 2019-20 squad advanced to the district final, which was abruptly cancelled — along with the rest of the post-season — by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the successes Reddy’s teams accomplished that will be hard for future Canton coaches to match is the 40-2 record in KLAA West Division games from 2022-24.

“We had a pretty big target on our backs because of the success we were able to experience,” Reddy said. “You could tell that teams, especially within the division, got up to play us.”

Titles galore

Reddy’s teams captured 10 division titles and five conference championships.

His decision to step away wasn’t dictated by one factor, he emphasized, rather a combination of things.

“I don’t think coaching has changed that much since I started here,” Reddy revealed, “but the high school sports landscape has definitely changed. When I started, there wasn’t the recruiting you see now … kids didn’t transfer at the rate they’re transferring now. I think they see the college players doing it and that influences their decisions.”

The fact that Reddy’s two daughters — Julia and JoJo — weren’t allowed to attend the high school where their dad coaches for so long (the Reddy family lives in Canton) weighed on his decision.

No flexibility

Julia, a stellar multi-sport athlete who is currently an eighth-grader at Pioneer Middle School, will attend Northville High School beginning in the fall.

“The chip she drew wasn’t Canton, which was disappointing,” he said. “She said, ‘Dad, is there something you can do so I can go to Canton? I mean, our girls literally grew up in the Canton gym. Our athletic director at the time, Kristen Farkas, tried to fix it, as did our principal, but the district basically said it’s not fair to let coaches’ kids choose which (P-CEP) school they attend.

“Since my wife (Jeannine) is the girls soccer coach at Northville, they allow coaches’ kids to attend high school there even if they don’t live in the district, so that’s where the girls will be going.”

Reddy said he wants to coach again someday, but it won’t be at Canton.

He’ll be missed.

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.