'Cat cagers like intensity 2nd-year coach Soukup brings to court

  During the latter stages of a recent practice session, Plymouth High School head boys basketball coach Mike Soukup used a safari-animal analogy while stressing the keys to chipping away at a sizeable deficit.

  "How do you eat an elephant?" Soukup asked his team, getting silence in return.

  "One bite at a time."

  The popular second-year coach's  quip generated a few groans and a lot of smiles from the Wildcats, who got the point: Big rallies don't happen with one trip down the court.

  Soukup's engaging, high-energy style has earned the respect of his players,

  "Coach Soukup is a really intense guy at times, and he'll let you know when you do something wrong, but you know he's doing it for you; he really cares for his players," said Plymouth senior guard Mike Nadratowski.

  "He definitely earns your respect the minute you walk into the gym," added senior Pat Salo.

  With a large number of returning contributors back from last season's 11-10 squad, the Wildcats shouldn't have to eat too many elephants this winter.

  Among the returners are seniors Brennen Beyer and Jake Morris, two key members of Plymouth's Division 1 runner-up football team who missed the first two weeks of hoop practice due to their gridiron commitments.

  Nadratowski and Salo agreed that the football team's accomplishments can only help the hoop team.

  "They showed what you can accomplish when you push it every week," said Nadratowski."They earned our school a lot of respect," said Salo. "And they proved that you can beat anybody if you set your mind to it."

 Soukup said he was pleased with the progress the Wildcats displayed in his first year at the helm, but he's far from satisfied with their "slightly-above average" record.

  "The first thing I wanted to do last year was changed the mentality of our players, which is not an easy thing to do," said the former assistant at Redford Union. "The best comments I heard from other coaches last year were, 'Man, that's not the same group of Plymouth kids that normally come into the gym.'

  "This year, we're focusing on changing (the mentality) even further. Last year, we had times of let-down and reverted back to being the Plymouth of old. At times it wasn't as noticeable; other times it was big-time noticeable."

  Like with any  second year of a new coaching regime, Year Two should run more smoothly, Soukup said.

  "This year, the honeymoon period isn't necessary," said Soukup. "They know me. I know them. They know what to expect out of me. One of the things about this year's team is that guys like Mike and Pat are holding the rest of the team accountable, along with holding themselves accountable. By February of last year, I was exhausted having to do it all myself. This year, I expect to be more energized toward the end of the season."

  Led by Nadratowski, Salo, Beyer, Morris and Zach Yokom, the Wildcats are an athletic, senior-laden team.

  "Along with our seniors, we have a group of younger guys who are really excited to push the seniors for minutes," said Soukup. "We have a sophomore, Josh Priebe, who is really pushing for minutes. He's not up here to sit. And we have guys like Marcus Oden, who will push for minutes.

  "Last year, we had a clear division between the starters and the non-starters. This year, that isn't the case."

  Until Beyer and Morris get back up to basketball speed, the Wildcats' line-up will be a work in progress. One thing is for sure: Nadratowski, Salo and Yokom will be on the court a lot.

  "Mike is one of our best players and top scorers," said Soukup. "He's a gamer. In big games, when he plays big, we'll be very successful.

  "Pat is probably our wild-card. Every team needs three guys to be very good night in and night out. For 11 games last year, he was very good. For 10 games, he wasn't. We need him to be good on a consistent basis this year.

  "Zach didn't see as much time as he would have like as a junior, but I'm very excited about what he's bringing this season. He's a glue guy: somebody who gets some garbage points and gets us extra possessions with his hustle."

 The 6-foot Oden will start the season as the Wildcats' point guard following a stellar JV season.

  "Marcus has the most stoic face in the world, but deep down inside there's  a very fierce competitor in there. He's a 4.0 student in the classroom and a great student of the game on the court. He can play."

  Prieb  has earned the praises of Soukup for his pre-season work.

  "He'll have to earn time off the bench early on, but I'll be shocked if he's not in the starting line-up soon," said Soukup. "He comes to work every day and tries to learn. That's all you can ask of a young guy."

  Soukup has the utmost confidence in his reserves – Steven Jahn, Jimmy May, Jeff Heuer and Jalen Eason.

  Ed Wright can be reached at (734) 453-1980 or info@plymouthcantonsports.com.

Junior point guard Marcus Oden pushes the ball up the court during a recent practice. (Ed Wright photo)