Column: Season of challenges makes Essexvile Garber stronger, closer, better than ever before

ESSEXVILLE, MI – The game was nothing special.

Until it ended.

Essexville Garber was in control from start to finish, never allowing visiting Otisville LakeVille to become much of a threat as the Dukes methodically put away a 75-44 victory. But the postgame made it a night to remember.

On a night when Garber’s six seniors stepped on their home court at the Duke Dome for the final time, they didn’t want to step off it. As this nondescript game played out, it began to sink in what kind of team they’ve become – and just how much being a part of it means to each one.

“This is the closest team I’ve ever been a part of,” said Blake Oakes, who returned to the court with his fellow seniors – still wearing their uniforms – long after the crowd had gone home. “We come out and battle for each other every night. We love each other, and that’s why we might be the most special team we’ve ever had at Garber.”

These Dukes are trying their very best to not make that an overstatement.

Special. This team is certainly starting to look that way.

Blake Oakes wipes away tears while meeting with family and friends after his final home game at Garber. (Amanda Ray | MLive.com)

In a program not known for its success stories – with just two district titles and four league championships in its 50-year history -- Garber is scripting a mighty one this season. Friday’s victory gave the Dukes a 15-4 record, their most wins in a season since going 19-3 in 1987.

But how they got there is the heart of the tale.

Coming off an 11-10 season that was their first on the plus side since 2003, the Dukes packed some promise for 2014-15. But it would entail handling a steady stream of curveballs – beginning with bringing in a new coach.

When Devon Gilliam departed after his fourth year at the helm, the program sorely needed the kind of coach who would keep pushing Garber forward and not allow the backward step that has hampered it for years. Chris Watz is that kind of coach – and his new team discovered that quickly.

“He’s all about hard work,” Oakes said. “You’d better be willing to put in the hard work -- coming in at 6 a.m., running on the track, lifting weights. He wants you to be mentally strong. If you’re not, you’re probably not going to be able to play for him.”

Watz, who coached Bay City Western to its greatest heights during the Matt Costello era before spending the past two seasons as an assistant at Olivet College, saw Garber as a good fit for his return to the prep scene. Certainly not because of its history, but because of its present promise.

“I talked to a lot of people before accepting this job and they kept saying ‘These are good kids.’ Not talking about talent, just that they are good kids to coach. And I went for that,” said Watz.

“We built trust in each other really early on. We spent a lot of time together, and you could tell they were willing to be coached. Everything I asked them to do, they tried. And they developed full trust in me and I developed full trust in them.”

And then the talent started coming in waves.

Garber faced the unique situation of planning for three versions of one team. Senior C.J. Glaza – a dazzling athlete who missed virtually all of last season with an injury – would be ready to return five games into the season. And when point guard Trey Newsham transferred from All Saints, the Dukes would be injecting another game-changer in the ninth game of the season.

That meant the entire team needed to make major adjustments – and sacrifices – on the fly. And those are things that can often derail a basketball team. Instead, these Dukes embraced each change and turned a promising season into a special one.

“That boils down to the family feeling we have on this team,” Watz said. “They were going to have to be accepting of these steps in order for it to all work out. And they have been unselfish enough to let it happen.”

After starting the season 2-3, the revamped Dukes have rattled off 13 wins in 14 games. Along the way, responding to that steady stream of curveballs helped forge a bond that is making this team special. And they felt it Friday after a game that wasn’t very memorable -- until it ended and they stepped off that floor for the final time.

"It was emotional and full of excitement," said Oakes, his school's all-time leading scorer. "We've all worked so hard and become so close, and all that emotion came out tonight."

Lee Thompson covers local sports for The Bay City Times and MLive.com. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter: @LeeTsports