From house leagues to AAU all to high school, basketball is nearly a year-round sport, with families all experiencing the emotional rollercoaster that rolls through a season.
Add to that the dynamic of some dads coaching their kids, and it gets even more interesting.
That’s the case at Howell High where two generations of Piephos have navigated what has been at times tempestuous waters.
A quarter-century ago it was the late Lee Piepho, longtime Howell coach who died in 2024, and his daughter, Sara.
Jason Piepho, the current Howell coach (and Lee’s son), was an assistant, and at times a referee.
“I was the good cop,” he said, chuckling. “It was funny, because my dad would tell Sara something, but she was stubborn and wouldn’t listen. Then he would turn to me and be like, hey, go tell your sister this, and then she would listen.”
Both father and daughter were strong-willed individuals, and their mutual head-butting sometimes boiled over in games.
One night in Milford, Lee pulled Sara from the game, and they were having an animated discussion on the sideline.
“I got a little upset with Sara,” Lee said years later, “and I pulled her out of the game and was talking to her.”
Don Palmer, then the Milford coach, saw the interaction and jokingly offered his opinion; Lee Piepho later recalled Palmer telling him that if he didn’t want her, he’d take her.
Jason and his daughter, Gabby, have been in the same position the last four years, but it’s a much more harmonious one.
“It’s been a big joy,” Gabby Piepho says. “He’s been a huge mentor for me. Having him on the bench at home and as a coach helped shape my game and helped me as a person.”
The Piephos, along with Miss Basketball candidate Lilly Williams, will be looking to extend their time together on Monday, when they take on Belleville in the second game of a regional doubleheader at Northville High School.
Both teams are 23-1 this season after winning district titles on Friday.
Gabby says she talks about the game with her dad often.
“I bounce things off him, especially before games, watching film,” Gabby said. “We’ll talk about ideas. After games, we’ll do a 10-minute talk about the game, what I should have done better. Then we’ll just kind of go into life talk.”
And while there might be disagreements, father and daughter share the same good nature.
“We kind of have the same personality,” Gabby says. “We like to joke around, stay positive, and go with the flow.”
That is partly a deliberate effort by Jason Pieoho.
“I knew I had to balance it better with her,” Jaon said, “I had to balance it out and be able to leave it at the gym. I think we’ve done a good job over the years.”
Besides, Jason’s wife, Heather, an accomplished player in high school, sometimes adds her insight.
“I’ll be in there, ready to go, and Heather will dive in on coaching her on a few things,” Jason said,
“It’s been learning process over the years for Jason,” Heather said.”I think there’s definitely been some heated coaching conversations between Jason and Gabby, because it’s really hard as a coach and dad just to leave it at the gym and come home and not talk about it. They’ve found a way to make that work.”
The family’s love of basketball is readily apparent. After playing at the University of Cincinnati, Sara was Lee’s assistant for a short time before beginning her coaching career. Another son, Tracy, coached teams that reached the boys basketball finals in Kansas on a couple of occasions.
The Michigan high school girls basketball season is in its final two weeks, if all goes well, but it could end as soon as Monday night. In the meantime, coach and player will hope to continue that bond for as long as they can.
“We’ve been through it so long,” said Jason, who has coached Gabby since she was in the fourth grade. “I might say one word to her and she gets it, where I’ve got to say a little more to get everybody else on the same page. She’ll take what I say and communicate it out as well.”
Gabby Piepho has committed to play college basketball at Northwood University, and says she would like to coach some day, too.
“Hopefully my kids will want to play basketball, and hopefully I’ll get the chance to coach them,” she said.
But first things first.
“I’m focusing on the here and now, and then reminiscing after the season,” she said. “One game at a time, one practice at a time. That’s our big focus right now.”
If and when Gabby Piepho becomes a coach, she says she’d love for her dad to join her on the bench. But Jason, who is as animated on the sideline as any coach, says there might be a problem.
“She might have to seatbelt me down,” he said, laughing.
