Cass Tech’s state champion boys basketball coach Steve Hall teaches lessons on and off court

Steve Hall coached Cass Tech High School boys basketball team to its first state championship, but his vision for the team and his players extends far beyond the court. Also, the school’s athletic director, Hall is a leader of young men and women every day.

Recently named, 2023 Michigan boys’ basketball overall Coach of the Year spoke to rolling out about the current state of basketball, winning the state title and mentoring the next generation of leaders.

What was it like to win the first boys’ basketball state championship in school history?

You establish your goals, and as a competitor, you set them high, but when you reflect on what you accomplish, you realize how big of a deal it is. Every day, you realize it even more. Years from now, it’ll be something people can reflect on and still feel good about.

It feels great. It’s a phenomenal accomplishment.

Blessed and Honored to be chosen for Division 1 First Team All State. @tech_cass @detroitnews @TheDZoneBBall pic.twitter.com/GLbUMUPsFx

— kennethrobertson3 (@kenbasketbalI3) April 14, 2023

Senior Kenneth Robertson was named an All-State selection from The Detroit News. What was his game like?

Kenneth is a scorer. As he’s gotten older, he’s learned to coexist with other people to the point where he’s a very efficient scorer. He doesn’t need a lot of shots to get his points and he’s not a bad teammate.

He’s someone that makes me feel good because we’re big on development. His role grew every year. He came off the bench as a junior and now he’s an All-State senior. That’s indicative of his work and patience. In this day and age, I think [patience] is a rare quality, so I appreciate that.

How difficult is it to be a high school coach these days?

I’ve coached at three different high schools. Each high school brings about different challenges. I left between high school stints to go to college and then came back, so what I’ve noticed that’s complicated and difficult now is it’s individualized. It’s about individual and instant gratification.

Winning championships and all of that is great, but people want to know about their individual situations.

“How early can I play?”

Parents generally are sometimes difficult to deal with because they’re fixated on their horse in the race. Some of that’s natural and some of it can be managed, but we just try to keep the team goals in the forefront to counter some of those things that can be difficult to deal with.

You’re in a mentorship role as a grade school coach. How do you handle that responsibility?

I come from a family of educators. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel all around the world and fortunate enough to come back where I started. I remember the things that were done for me to help me get me where I’ve been able to go.

I believe it’s a calling, it doesn’t require a lot of effort. It’s something I enjoy doing, especially back at my school, I realized these are some of the best years of your life.

I’ve been as far as Australia. and I can really recollect my high school days vividly. So being a part of these kids’ lives at this point in time is something I treasure, value and I think they’ll remember it forever. It’s important to me, and it’s natural for me.