Central Michigan Life

Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: Sports

Sophomore guard Jordan Bitzer was a three-sport star at Unionville-Sebewaing Area High School in Sebewaing. He said he chose basketball because it has always been his first passion. [Click to enlarge]

Sophomore guard Jordan Bitzer looks to pass in CMU's 79-66 loss to Kent State on Feb. 12 at Rose Arena. Bitzer averages 7.6 points per game for the Chippewas. [Click to enlarge]

For the last two seasons of Jordan Bitzer's high school basketball career, coach Mark Gainforth did little coaching.

He didn't need to - Bitzer was a coach on the court.

"Here's a guy who probably knew what was going to happen before the play ended, which put him a step ahead of everybody else," Gainforth said. "When you look at a guy that's skilled and put a high IQ behind it, I think that's the part of the game that you can't coach. I probably did less coaching those two years because I knew you had somebody on the floor that could take care of those things."

A state championship in football. Three state finals appearances in football and basketball. The state's second-most interceptions in a single-season. The Michigan record for most 3-pointers in a game - all came when Bitzer still was at Unionville-Sebewaing Area High School.

"He's not an extrovert, he's not a talker, so I think he just feels his way through that," Gainfoth said. "As far as being a leader, he just leads by example. Very seldom was he the one leading the charge in the huddle."



Bitzer, a sophomore guard on the men's basketball team, was a three-sport star in Unionville, located in Michigan's thumb.

"I definitely got a lot of attention by my community," Bitzer said. "Going over to the elementary school, all the little kids look up to you. Especially with being as successful as my teams were in high school, that definitely put more attention upon my teammates than myself. It was cool."

But he followed his passion - basketball - even though he helped USA to its 2004 Division 7 football State Championship.

He also led the baseball team to the state quarterfinals his senior season.

"He's probably the most popular athlete in a long while to graduate from the thumb just because of the exposure he got, being in three state finals," Gainforth said. "Being an all-stater in three different sports, he's very recognizable by a lot of kids and a lot of adults. But I think what impressed most people when they came to see him play was how he handled himself. He definitely could've been cockier."

Bitzer, who graduated with a class of just more than 100, is far from arrogant, CMU coach Ernie Zeigler said.

"I think he is very well-mannered and very easy-going off the floor," he said. "He has a very soft demeanor off the court, but he is a warrior on the court. He definitely turns into another guy."

Gainforth said Bitzer made frequent appearances on television as the athlete of the week and was routinely interviewed by local newspapers.

"You wouldn't know ... he treats everybody extremely nice," he said. "That's what is special about him. A lot of times you get athletes who don't behave very well, but he was never like that at all."

Bitzer was recruited by former CMU coach Jay Smith, but after Smith resigned in 2004, he began his collegiate career under Zeigler's tutelage.

"I love the kid," Zeigler said. "He has so many intangibles about him as a player, and as a person that really exemplifies his upbringing and family. He's just scratching the surface on what he can do here."



One-sport focus

While Bitzer is focused on basketball, he did entertain the though of playing other sports.After teammate and fellow former three-sport high school star Robbie Harman decided he would join the baseball team after the conclusion of basketball season, he said it entered his mind.

"I thought about it, but basketball season is long enough," he said. "I talked to my parents about it, but I decided just to focus on basketball."

Harman said he and Bitzer trade stories of past accomplishments.

"It's fun because we both have stories," Harman said. "He was a star, so he had all these stories about winning games, and we'd always try to outdo each other. We have a good time with it."

As CMU's 3-point specialist, Bitzer has made 46 field goals - 32 of which came from behind the arc. He averages 7.6 points per game.

"He definitely has that role. He's one of our better shooters," Zeigler said. "He's been able to take advantage of getting a lot of open looks on the perimeter, but I think he's done a much better job of expanding his game so he can make more things happen."

Despite his winning ways in high school, Bitzer's experienced 18 losses his freshman year and 14 so far this season. He went 45-6 in during his junior and senior years of high school.

"It's different, and it's not something any competitor wants to have," Bitzer said. "But then again, these are the times that will pull the leadership skills out of you. It's definitely something that's changed, but it's something we're trying to change here."



sports@cm-life.com

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