By Chad Koenen

Publisher

It may seem like a lifetime ago, but Henning High School boys basketball head coach Randy Misegades won just a single game in his first season as head coach. That win came near the end of their season against a school that closed several years ago. 

Fast forward 19 years, a state championship, a section runner up and several sub section titles later, and Misegades became the second coach in as many years to eclipse 300 career wins in Henning. Last season Henning girls basketball coach Mike Hepola won his 300th game as the girls coach. 

Misegades picked up his 300th win in an 84-33 win against Bertha-Hewitt on Feb. 20. Now in his 19th year as head coach of his hometown program, Misegades said he had an idea of how many wins he would need to eclipse the mark heading into the season as he reports his season record to the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association. That organization keeps a running total of the career record of all of the coaches in the state. Coming into the season he knew he needed just 22 wins to reach 300 career wins, something that would be a possibility if the team played up to its potential this year. 

Regardless of whether he would get to 300 wins this season or not, being anywhere close to that historic milestone was anything but a forgone conclusion after his first few seasons at the helm.

“If you would have told me 10 years ago I would have said you were crazy, but a lot of those wins have happened in the last few years,” he said.

The fact that Misegades even came to his former high school was a bit of fluke. 

After graduating from college in December, a rare mid-year teaching opening led Misegades back to his former high school. He quickly settled into his new position and eventually became an assistant coach under Neal Oscarson. Misegades played for Oscarson during his career at Henning High School and Oscarson’s son Mark is now an assistant coach in Henning as well. During his time in Deer Creek and Henning, Oscarson won over 400 games as head basketball coach. 

After Oscarson retired nearly 20 years ago, Misegades was named as the Henning boys basketball head coach and took over a program that has been a huge part of his family’s life for generations. While he was excited for the opportunity, getting in the win column proved to be a bit of a challenge during his early years at the helm of the basketball program. 

During his first year as head coach, Misegades won just one game, a late season victory over Eagle Valley (a school that closed several years ago). His second season was yet another challenge as they won just five games. Several families in the community began questioning the direction of the program, which led Misegades to reach out to longtime football coach and the activities director Don Seipkes to let him know he was willing to resign his position as head basketball coach.

“I talked to Don and said I don’t know if I want to do this. We are taking a lot of heat and we aren’t winning anyway,” said Misegades.

Seipkes said he would support whatever decision Misegades made and several parents in the community expressed their support for the young head coach. Misegades stuck with the program and eventually won 10 games and around his fifth season the Hornets finished with a .500 record.

Some of his fondest memories of coaching were in those beginning years as the Hornets continued to show signs of improvement on and off the court. It may seem like a far cry from the juggernaut program Henning has become over the past seven years, but there was a time not too long ago when the team celebrated winning 10 games in a season and finishing near the top of the conference standings. Those memories of upsetting teams on their schedule and being the spoilers for other programs in the region were among the highlights of his coaching career to date. 

In fact, Misegades said practice is one of the best parts of coaching as that is when players and coaches can see improvement on the court. 

“The part I like the most is the practice days, being in the gym and seeing how much you can improve,” he said.

While his coaching career may have gotten off to a rocky start, Henning has went on a tear since the 2017-18 season. Over the past seven years, the Hornets have posted a 170-28 record, including a state championship in 2019 in which the team dedicated their season to a fallen teammate and classmate Jacob Quam. Their state championship run was named as the top sports moment in the state of Minnesota in 2019.

This past season alone the Hornets finished with a record of 26-3 and a second place finish in the sub section. They were ranked in top 10 in the state for most of the season and won their fifth conference championship in the past seven years.

All of the success in recent years has put the Hornets on the map statewide, but also requires a buy-in from coaches, players and parents who put in quite a bit of work in the offseason, as well as during the season. 

It is not uncommon to see former players stopping by practice during extended breaks from college or leading up to a big game as they share their experience of playing basketball for the Hornets, while playing a few shifts on the scout team. 

“They like to see what is going on and happening in the gym,” said Misegades.

Many of the former players even come to games and sit near the bench to show their support for the former team. The former, current and future basketball players all share a common bond and continue to show support for one another, much like a family would for one another. After all, he has had the opportunity to coach all three of his sons, a number of nephews and the children of longtime friends in the Henning orange and black. 

After finishing this season as the fourth ranked team in the state, and with just one senior on this year’s team, Misegades will have a good opportunity to add to his win total next year.