By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
Chris Michaels has become pretty well known in St. Joseph.
In his first two years as the head girls' basketball coach at his alma mater Benton, he's taken the Cardinals to two Final Fours. He was nominated as St. Joseph Sports, Inc. Coach of the Year just this week.
But, that may not be the top thing he's known for. Anyone who's attended a Benton girls' basketball game over the last two seasons has probably heard Michaels' voice above the fullest of gyms.
Rest assured, his shouting is purely motivational. And it works.
"His intensity motivates all of us and pushes us even harder," junior Kelsey Johnson said. "And it makes the game a lot more fun. He makes practices and games super enjoyable."
Practice, Michaels says, is a whole different approach than a game.
"I'm not out here screaming and hollering at practice," Michaels chuckled. "If I raise my voice, it's usually because we're laughing so hard and we have to get our focus again."
It's clear Michaels has a passion for the game, and his team. He's also fond of caffeine. He had a good amount of it before Benton's state quarterfinal win over St. Pius X last Saturday.
"He had three Monsters and three cups of coffee," Johnson laughed. "So, it was worse."
Michaels, who downgraded to a more tame can of Pepsi at Wednesday's practice, cites a lack of sleep the night before.
"Any coach that tells you they can sleep the night before a quarterfinal game that decides their fate on whether or not they go to the Final Four is lying," Michaels joked.
Take the caffeine out of it, and Michaels will tell you - that fire, that intensity, that shouting from the bench will always be there. And that's by design.
"In the game, I want to give the same energy and effort that they've given me all week," Michaels explained. "That's my goal. My goal is to pay them back. All of that effort they gave us, we use in the game. They respond pretty well."
Benton (24-5) has responded well the last two years. The Cardinals, winners of 12 straight games, are back in the Final Four a second straight year and a fifth time since 2007.
They come into this Final Four with nine more wins than what they had at this time a year ago. Senior Lauren Burright has a theory on why that might be.
"This year, we focused on taking care of each other more," she said. "When we're on the floor, that brings a different kind of intensity when you're there for everyone else. When you're there for everyone else, it just amps up the energy and that kind of stuff."
Benton faces Helias Catholic (23-7) in the semifinal on Friday at 4 p.m. at JQH Arena in Springfield. The Cardinals and Crusaders met once this season already in the Jefferson City Invitational in late December.
Helias, who's in the Final Four for just the second time in their history and for the first time since 1995, got off to an 11-0 start in that game against Benton and overcame an eight-point fourth quarter deficit to beat the Cardinals 41-39 on Dec. 27.
Benton's record since that day is 18-1. Their only loss in 2022 is to Kansas' Class 6A runner-up Olathe North (23-2) on Jan. 21 at the Basehor-Linwood tournament.
That game may have also been a turning point. Michaels had a shoe break during that game, and had to get some backups.
"We've been hot since," he said. "It wasn't a choice. My shoes broke, so we put the new ones on and they've stayed heavy since then. They're just old dress shoes, right? I've had them for 15 years, right? So, we'll see what happens. Hopefully they can stay hot and heavy."
Benton's record with Michaels' 'old dress shoes' is 12-0. Superstitions exist for a reason.
"But superstition is only there if you believe it," he added.
Benton has a lot working in their favor. A young, passionate and successful head coach. A core group of starters back from last season. A 12-game winning streak. Lucky shoes. The whole smash.
They also have belief, which in the month of March, is the most important thing to have on a basketball team.
"We got fourth last year," Johnson said. "I think we have a lot more motivation to make it even farther this year and that's our goal."
You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.