Hale lands in third final four in four years

FARMINGTON -- When Paul Hale was hired nearly four years ago to coach the Notre Dame boys basketball team, the school's principal, Brother David Migliorino, called it a grand slam.

On Saturday night, Migliorino repeated, "We couldn't ask for anything more."

The Bulldogs earned their third berth to the MSHSAA Class 4 final four in Hale's four seasons with a 61-33 victory over St. Clair.

"Three in four years, that's kind of special," Hale said. "I feel really fortunate to do that. With this group we have the last two years, I've been really fortunate."

This group -- with seniors Ryan Willen, Ty Williams and Mark Himmelberg close to finishing their careers -- will go to Columbia this weekend to try to improve on last year's state runner-up finish.

Notre Dame coach Paul Hale and his players put their hands in after a timeout. (Aaron Eisenhauer)

And it's not just the seniors who may be making their last run. Hale, too, said it's possibly his last season of high school basketball after 30 seasons.

"It just might be, we'll have to see," Hale said.

He stands now with 571 career victories, closing in fast on 600. "That's not important to me," he said.

Competing is important to Hale.

It keeps him awake at nights.

"It's not nerves," he said. "I just can't sleep, and I don't know why. I think I just get worked up about competing. Evidently I don't need to sleep because I've been living on about three or four hours a night."

Among his players, many of whom played soccer on the back-to-back Class 2 state championship teams for the more reserved Brad Wittenborn, Hale's intensity often is a topic of conversation.

"He asks us to give him 110 percent and he gives us 110 percent," Himmelberg said of Hale. "He pushes to be the best basketball players we can be. He's yelling and screaming because he wants us to do our best."

Said Willen: "Coach Wittenborn is quiet during games and he doesn't say too much until halftime. They're drastically different. Coach Hale is always telling us what we should be doing and what we're doing wrong."

The Bulldogs have done little wrong in four playoff blowouts -- including the 23-point win against Sikeston in the District 1 final.

After scoring the first 39 points in Wednesday's sectional win against De Soto, Notre Dame was ahead of St. Clair 44-12 at halftime Saturday.

"Even tonight, just before we went out for the second half, he was yelling at us because I guess he knew we were going to play bad," junior John Unterreiner said. "He knows what he's doing."

Hale admits with the way things have gone lately for Notre Dame, "It's kind of hard to keep your focus."

Notre Dame scored just seven points in the third period before Himmelberg's 3-pointer at the buzzer and still had the running clock for much of the fourth quarter.

"He pretty much sticks to his game plan," Unterreiner said. "He likes the transition game, and if you can't do that, pound it inside. And we always work on free throws.

"I'm sure he takes some criticism for not changing his offense or his [match-up zone] defense, but that's what he does, win or lose. And he wins a lot."

With an 84-43 mark at Notre Dame, including a 14-win team he took to state in his first season, Hale is 571-252 in a career that has included stops at Stoutland, Delta, Bernie and Dexter. He retired from Dexter in 2001 following a 24-4 season.

When he was hired in May of 2004, he called Notre Dame the only school for which he would come out retirement.

His first team in 2004-05 included Willen's older brother, Bryce, and Unterreiner's older brother, Mark.

"We got to hear a lot of the varsity guys' stories," Willen said.

Were the stories just exaggerations?

"No," Unterreiner said. "He's pretty much all business."

"Actually," Willen said, "he's pretty easy going if you do what he asks. All he wants you to do is play hard all the time."

All the time. His players can recount his admonishments and encouragements in their sleep: "Go hard, boys." "Just play helter skelter."

Willen remembers one that always will stick with him.

"In my freshman year, we were goofing around and one of my friends air-balled a layup," Willen said, "and coach Hale yelled 'holy shamoligans.'"

St. Clair 5 7 10 11 -- 33

Notre Dame 24 20 10 7 -- 61

St. Clair (33) -- Zach Hoffman 2, Kevin Lashley 4, Justin Narup 5, Jordan Flora 10, Mike Stolle 8, Garren Zingrich 2, Tom Deason 2. FG 14, FT 2-10, F 20. (3-pointers: Flora 2, Narup 1. Fouled out: none)

Notre Dame (61) -- Nick Koeppel 4, Ty Williams 9, Blake Gaddis 2, Mark Himmelberg 14, John Unterreiner 7, Austin Greer 5, Ryan Willen 17, Joseph Tolbert 2, Logan Glueck 1. FG 18, FT 18-24, F 18 (3-pointers: Himmelberg 4, Williams 1, Willen 1, Unterreiner 1. Fouled out: Greer)