Entering the 2025-26 season, the Macomb High girls basketball team has a tough act to follow.
Last year’s squad finished the season with a final record of 21-10.
It was the first time a MHS girls basketball team had achieved 20 wins in a season since the 2007-08 campaign under coach Jeff Thorman.
But times change, and so do the faces and the names on the roster.
That change starts at the top as Justin Elbe takes the reins as head coach, replacing Jackson Kane who resigned following last season.
Kane posted a record of 70-48 in his four years at Macomb, including last season’s 21-10 finish.
Four seniors also graduated from the team, including 1,000-point scorer Kylie Robinson, along with Drew Creasey, Kate Storzum and Madeline McClure.
Despite the turnover, with a summer of work and two weeks of practice, Elbe has been with the early results.
“The progress has been good,” he said. “This group is ready to make its mark.”
“That’s a lot of opportunity for these girls and they know that,” added Elbe. “They’re ready for it.”
Three seniors and a junior return from last year’s team. Senior Jordan Hines (five-feet, eight-inches) is a lefty who is aggressive and athletic.
“We’re going to rely on her,” said Elbe. “She’ll probably lead us in rebounding. She might lead us in scoring. There’s going to be a lot of nights where she gets double-doubles.”
And he noted those double-doubles may include any combination of points, rebounds and steals.
Dakota Thorman (5-6) is back as a post player and defender. Elbe noted that Thorman can get buckets on the block, while also possessing a 15-foot jumper, along with an occasional three-pointer.
“She’s got a good work ethic, leads by example and she’s also vocal about it too,” said Elbe. “That’s what’s impressive about her.”
The third returning senior is 5-6 guard Sophie Wilson. “She’s a quintessential point guard,” said Elbe, who noted that Wilson is smart about getting the ball to the right people, but can also score.
“The seniors we have this year, they’re ready to get buckets. They’ve made an emphasis on that, whether that’s in transition or off our offense,” said Elbe. “Getting in enough shots every day (at practice) to be able to knock down an open shot.”
“At the end of the day in basketball, if you can knock down an open shot, you can play,” he added. “You can do some good stuff and you’re going to get playing time if you can knock down some open shots.”
“I think these girls realize that.” Another senior joining the program is Jordyn Shoopman, who hasn’t played since eighth grade.
A three-sport athlete, Elbe noted that Shoopman brings a senior leadership mentality to the team in working with the younger players.
One senior that saw her season cut short was 5-9 guard Ella Hare, who suffered a knee injury during volleyball season that required surgery.
Despite being unable to play, Hare still attends practices and team functions.
“What a boost for our girls to have her here,” said Elbe of Hare. “She wants to be involved. Just her being here, the girls love it.”
The Bombers have just one junior in Aubrey Holthaus, but Elbe is excited about what she brings to the varsity mix.
“She can dominate it sometimes, defensively or offensively,” he said of Holthaus. “She’s a force to be reckoned with.”
“A lot of teams aren’t going to be ready for that the first couple of weeks,” Elbe added. “But the word’s going to get out pretty quick how good she is.”
From there, the roster gets young quickly. Rounding out the roster are sophomores Brooklyn Lyles (5-3), Josie Elbe (5-9) and Kinley Sloan (5-7), along with freshmen Grace O’Hern (4-11), Taylor Mann (5-3), Olyvia Clark (5-2), Reese Watson (5-6) and Ella McKee (5-4).
“They’re all going to get minutes,” said Elbe. “And some of them are going to start. We’re going to need their offense too.”
A year ago, the Bombers averaged 53 points per game. Elbe is aiming for the sam output, taking approximately 60 shots per game, including 40 from the paint “We’ll see how that works out,” he said. The more important element for the team however, will be its ability to play defense.
“If we can’t play defense the way we want to, then we’re going to have a long season,” said Elbe. “But I think we’re going to be able to hang our hat on that.”
Though last year’s seniors are gone, Elbe noted that the returning players benefitted from facing those seniors in practice on a daily basis.
“You can see how that’s translated to them this year being in that spot,” he said. “I watched a lot of game film from last year and as I watched the game film to how we’re playing right now (at practice), they’ve gotten a lot better.”
“These girls were part of a 21-win season last year,” added Elbe. “I don't know how we’re going to be, or how many wins we’re going to have, but in these girls’ eyes, they want to beat that number. They’re that competitive.”
Elbe understands though, the road will not be an easy one.
“I know our area has a lot of high caliber coaches and a lot of high caliber players, which is good,” he said. “It should bring our team up.”
In an effort for the Bombers to achieve success, Elbe stated that there are three keys.
“Number one, we’ve got to be healthy,” he said. “Number two, defensively, we’re going to have to get enough turnovers that creates some offense for us. And I think number three, they’re going to have to know that it’s a long season.”
“We’ve got a stretch there where we play a lot of good teams,” Elbe added. “If we lose three out of four, or something like that, we can’t get down on ourselves. We have to have that mentality of (focusing on the) next game. We’re going to learn from that loss or bad game and we’re going to get better from it.”
