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Chris Shepard, the head coach of the Henry Ford College Men\u2019s Basketball Team, was named Coach of the Year for the fourth time.<\/p><\/div>\n
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\u201cNone of this happens without them,\u201d said Shepard, of Warren. \u201cI’d like to thank my assistant coaches for all their hard work. Without them, none of this is possible. I’d also like to thank Russ, Rochelle, and Holly for their support this year. And of course, the players for all their hard work and dedication not only on the floor, but in the classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
The basketball team had one of its best seasons in College history.<\/p>\n
“This team just completed the best regular season and conference tournament in school history. They won 22 straight while playing the very best in the country. They have worked incredibly hard,\u201d said Shepard.<\/p>\n
On March 24, the Hawks concluded their run in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Championship Tournament, finishing in 6th<\/sup>\u00a0place. They lost their final game to No. 1 seed Davidson-Davie Community College 110-102 in double overtime.<\/p>\n \u201cWe fell short of our main goal of winning the national championship,\u201d said Shepard. \u201cHowever, this group had a great year, going undefeated in the conference, winning the state, and winning the district championship. This marks the third\u00a0year in a row we\u2019ve made the Elite Eight. Only one other program in the country has done that in the same time-frame.\u201d<\/p>\n Coach Chris Shepard rallies the team during a timeout.<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n 5 fabulous seasons at HFC<\/strong><\/p>\n Shepard began coaching at HFC during the 2017-18 season. This was his first experience as a head coach. In his first year, he guided the Hawks to an MCCAA Eastern Conference Championship, compiling a 23-7 record. He and his team followed that up with another MCCAA Eastern Conference Championship, along with an MCCAA Championship, in 2019.<\/p>\n Shepard graduated from Warren Mott High School, where he participated in basketball, football, and track. He continued his basketball career at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. He was a 1,000-point scorer at UM-Dearborn and served as team captain his final year. He earned his bachelor\u2019s degree in secondary education and political science.<\/p>\n He later earned his master\u2019s degree in special education from Saginaw Valley State University. In addition to his duties as HFC basketball coach, Shepard is the assistant principal at Warren Mott, his alma mater.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the coaching position at HFC opened up, I applied. I felt like there was an opportunity to be a head coach and still maintain my current school position,\u201d he said. \u201cHFC has been really good to me, and I hope I have represented the College well.\u201d<\/p>\n Shepard\u2019s coaching career began as a graduate assistant at\u00a0UM-Dearborn. He then returned to Warren Mott to coach the freshman and junior varsity boys\u2019 basketball teams for four years. Then he became head coach of the boys varsity basketball team at\u00a0Warren Cousino High School, where he led the team to a district championship in 2013 for the first time in 33 years.<\/p>\n \u201cI have played basketball my entire life,\u201d said Shepard. \u201cI wanted to continue to be around the game as a coach, helping student-athletes become the best versions of themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Prior to coming to HFC, Shepard was the assistant coach of the men\u2019s basketball team at Macomb Community College for three years. During his stint at MCC, the Monarchs advanced to the NJCAA National Basketball Championship for the first time in school history.<\/p>\n \u201cCoach Shepard\u2019s name is synonymous with quality basketball nationally,\u201d said Taylor.\u00a0\u201cHis ability to attract talented players and help them to grow and succeed at four-year institutions is a testament to his work ethic and commitment to our program.\u00a0We are lucky to have him on our athletics staff and are happy that he is again the Coach of the Year.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n PHOTO CAPTION 2:<\/strong>\u00a0Coach Chris Shepard rallies the team during a timeout.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/IMG_6731-300x191.jpg\")