Eastern Michigan Athletics
Home Again: Stan Heath Completes First Day at the Helm of Men's Basketball
4/13/2021 2:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball, General
The 30th head coach in program history completed a full day of activities for his new role
Watch the Behind the Scenes Video | Re-watch the Press Conference.
Photo Gallery | EMU In the News.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Perhaps it is luck. Perhaps it is coincidence. Perhaps it is something more.
For as the sun rose today, April 13, 2021, and was welcomed into homes and offices around a calm and restful Ypsilanti, another son was welcomed home to this city that made him.
Stanley Heath III. Detroit raised, Ypsilanti made.
A three-time letterwinner, basketball student-athlete, EMU graduate, and accomplished coach; Now, the 30th head men's basketball coach at his alma mater, Eastern Michigan University.
The morning began on the campus he once roamed, inside the historic Susan W. Martin emu House, where he and his bride of nearly 30 years, Ramona, are settled in for this life-changing week. A walk down memory lane for the pair, the couple met on campus when Heath was a student-athlete in the late 80's.
As Ramona finished her ensemble that featured a flowing gray dress, her husband gently intertwined the ends of a bold, green necktie. With the tie positioned above a crisp white shirt and nestled between a gray suit jacket of his own, the pair loaded into their vehicle, and made the short drive down Washtenaw Ave. Hand-in-hand with his wife, Heath glided down the stairs of the Convocation Center arena, to the main floor of the stadium he will now call home.
With a grin from ear-to-ear, Heath was met by EMU President Dr. James Smith, Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee, and Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations Greg Steiner. The trio, along with Heath, were about to begin the new head man's introductory press conference in front of a socially-distanced crowd that featured Eastern dignitaries, alums, media, donors, and fellow head coaches such as football's Chris Creighton.
Brief remarks by Steiner opened the show before Smith detailed the qualities he saw in Heath, which make him poised to excel as a leader.
"In our conversations, we talked about the recruitment of good athletes, good men, and men that will walk across the stage and receive their diploma," said Smith. "Coach Heath had tremendous examples in all those categories."
Wetherbee's sentiment was similar. The leader of the department, who forwent a search firm and instead spent nearly every hour of the previous three weeks making calls to coaches, alums, and mentors across the country to find his man, stated "Coach Heath has this fire in his belly – he has a fire and is excited to get Eastern Michigan back to winning MAC Championships and making the NCAA Tournament."
Next up, the man of the hour (and hopefully many, many more hours to come), who graciously approached the podium to a thunderous standing ovation. He spoke from the heart, with passion – with the very fire that Wetherbee had alluded to.
"The basketball part will take care of itself. We're going to be good. We're going to have success, and it's not going to take a long time," Heath proclaimed boldly. "You're going to like the way we play. It's going to be different, but different is good. It's going to be fast. We're going to be prepared for the other team and we will exploit their weaknesses."
Nestled with impressive references to the alumni of the program that he hopes to bring back, the talk of on-court improvement, and the continual theme that the department, its teams, the University, and the community must all come together as one, Heath's words garnered the complete attention of everyone in attendance.
After another round of applause helped to close the event, Heath, greeted by those very alumni, athletic department employees, and of course, his wife Romona, immediately began the day's next task: photos.
Headshots, action shots, family shots, and more, Heath, a seasoned professional, smiled as the snapshots shuttered. A new era, which had begun just moments before, was now cemented with the images that will be attached to this early portion of his Eastern tenure.
Done with his photographs and heading towards the Convocation Center media room for a one-on-one with the play-by-play voice of the Eagles, WEMU 89.1 FM's Tom Helmer, Heath detoured. With many alums, current student-athletes, and staffers still mingling throughout the arena, Heath crisscrossed and zigzagged to ensure that he shook the hand of every one of them, ask their name, and thank them for attending. A set of moments that again, made the eyes of those individuals widen in amazement.
Now in the room with Helmer, the duo laughed and shared stories about their time at Eastern, the path to coaching, and the philosophy and culture Heath will look to employ. An interview that lasted close to 15 minutes finished with the pair again exchanging pleasantries, and wishing each other well.
Done with his most recent commitment – Heath was then graced with an hour break, which he used to refuel in his office, or so he says. Numerous department sources claim they saw him already with his sleeves rolled up, writing notes, and making calls during the "break."
As 1 p.m. rolled around, Heath rejoined Wetherbee and Steiner for a joint session with media members. Now draped in adidas team gear, Heath took part in a Zoom call in which he answered questions and continued to describe his goals.
As the call ended, and Heath continued with his day that would have most individuals completely exhausted, he beamed with excitement. He beamed because he was about to do what he came here to do – coach.
As Eastern players took the court for the last of their NCAA-allotted workouts for the spring, Heath joined them to evaluate, watch, and yes, offer immediate wisdom and advice. In his element, doing what he loves, and coaching the sport he was meant to coach.
A fitting start to a new era of men's basketball at Eastern Michigan. The Stan Heath era.
Stanley Heath III. Detroit raised. Ypsilanti made.
Home again.
Photo Gallery | EMU In the News.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Perhaps it is luck. Perhaps it is coincidence. Perhaps it is something more.
For as the sun rose today, April 13, 2021, and was welcomed into homes and offices around a calm and restful Ypsilanti, another son was welcomed home to this city that made him.
Stanley Heath III. Detroit raised, Ypsilanti made.
A three-time letterwinner, basketball student-athlete, EMU graduate, and accomplished coach; Now, the 30th head men's basketball coach at his alma mater, Eastern Michigan University.
The morning began on the campus he once roamed, inside the historic Susan W. Martin emu House, where he and his bride of nearly 30 years, Ramona, are settled in for this life-changing week. A walk down memory lane for the pair, the couple met on campus when Heath was a student-athlete in the late 80's.
As Ramona finished her ensemble that featured a flowing gray dress, her husband gently intertwined the ends of a bold, green necktie. With the tie positioned above a crisp white shirt and nestled between a gray suit jacket of his own, the pair loaded into their vehicle, and made the short drive down Washtenaw Ave. Hand-in-hand with his wife, Heath glided down the stairs of the Convocation Center arena, to the main floor of the stadium he will now call home.
With a grin from ear-to-ear, Heath was met by EMU President Dr. James Smith, Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee, and Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations Greg Steiner. The trio, along with Heath, were about to begin the new head man's introductory press conference in front of a socially-distanced crowd that featured Eastern dignitaries, alums, media, donors, and fellow head coaches such as football's Chris Creighton.
Brief remarks by Steiner opened the show before Smith detailed the qualities he saw in Heath, which make him poised to excel as a leader.
"In our conversations, we talked about the recruitment of good athletes, good men, and men that will walk across the stage and receive their diploma," said Smith. "Coach Heath had tremendous examples in all those categories."
Wetherbee's sentiment was similar. The leader of the department, who forwent a search firm and instead spent nearly every hour of the previous three weeks making calls to coaches, alums, and mentors across the country to find his man, stated "Coach Heath has this fire in his belly – he has a fire and is excited to get Eastern Michigan back to winning MAC Championships and making the NCAA Tournament."
Next up, the man of the hour (and hopefully many, many more hours to come), who graciously approached the podium to a thunderous standing ovation. He spoke from the heart, with passion – with the very fire that Wetherbee had alluded to.
"The basketball part will take care of itself. We're going to be good. We're going to have success, and it's not going to take a long time," Heath proclaimed boldly. "You're going to like the way we play. It's going to be different, but different is good. It's going to be fast. We're going to be prepared for the other team and we will exploit their weaknesses."
Nestled with impressive references to the alumni of the program that he hopes to bring back, the talk of on-court improvement, and the continual theme that the department, its teams, the University, and the community must all come together as one, Heath's words garnered the complete attention of everyone in attendance.
After another round of applause helped to close the event, Heath, greeted by those very alumni, athletic department employees, and of course, his wife Romona, immediately began the day's next task: photos.
Headshots, action shots, family shots, and more, Heath, a seasoned professional, smiled as the snapshots shuttered. A new era, which had begun just moments before, was now cemented with the images that will be attached to this early portion of his Eastern tenure.
Done with his photographs and heading towards the Convocation Center media room for a one-on-one with the play-by-play voice of the Eagles, WEMU 89.1 FM's Tom Helmer, Heath detoured. With many alums, current student-athletes, and staffers still mingling throughout the arena, Heath crisscrossed and zigzagged to ensure that he shook the hand of every one of them, ask their name, and thank them for attending. A set of moments that again, made the eyes of those individuals widen in amazement.
Now in the room with Helmer, the duo laughed and shared stories about their time at Eastern, the path to coaching, and the philosophy and culture Heath will look to employ. An interview that lasted close to 15 minutes finished with the pair again exchanging pleasantries, and wishing each other well.
Done with his most recent commitment – Heath was then graced with an hour break, which he used to refuel in his office, or so he says. Numerous department sources claim they saw him already with his sleeves rolled up, writing notes, and making calls during the "break."
As 1 p.m. rolled around, Heath rejoined Wetherbee and Steiner for a joint session with media members. Now draped in adidas team gear, Heath took part in a Zoom call in which he answered questions and continued to describe his goals.
As the call ended, and Heath continued with his day that would have most individuals completely exhausted, he beamed with excitement. He beamed because he was about to do what he came here to do – coach.
As Eastern players took the court for the last of their NCAA-allotted workouts for the spring, Heath joined them to evaluate, watch, and yes, offer immediate wisdom and advice. In his element, doing what he loves, and coaching the sport he was meant to coach.
A fitting start to a new era of men's basketball at Eastern Michigan. The Stan Heath era.
Stanley Heath III. Detroit raised. Ypsilanti made.
Home again.
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