Taking the reins of a storied basketball program is a job suited for very few. During his 33-year tenure as Western Michigan Christian High School’s head varsity boys basketball coach, Jim Goorman proved he was one of those rare individuals capable of building upon tradition established by his mentor.
When Goorman assumed the boy’s basketball head coaching duties at WMC, everyone knew he was stepping into a role previously manned by a local legend. Elmer Walcott, a 1988 inductee into the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame, had built a stellar program at the small parochial school located on the east side of town. His squad earned six trips to the state finals, the first in 1958. Along the way, the Warriors won four state crowns. Walcott last team finished the year as runner-up to the Class D title.
A graduate of Holland Christian High School and Calvin College, Goorman joined the staff at WMC in 1970 as the freshman basketball coach. He had played only a single year of JV basketball while he was in high school, but studied the game during that season, and enhanced his skills over nine years as head coach of the JV squad and under the guidance of Walcott.
In his first season as varsity mentor, Goorman’s 1979-80 Warriors again finished the state tournament as Class D runner-up. After his coaching career following the 2011-12 season, his teams had scored five state championships (1992, 1999, 2008, 2009, 2010) and finished runner-up three times (1980, 1993, 2000). Goorman’s teams were consistently strong, as evidenced by his spot in the elite 500-win coaching fraternity, finishing with an overall varsity record of 504-282. That total placed him at the top of the Muskegon area’s list of all-time leaders in varsity basketball coaching wins, unseating Okie Johnson of Muskegon Heights, an inaugural MASHF inductee. Goorman’s combination of longevity, consistency and excellence landed him a spot in the Basketball Coaches of Michigan Hall of Fame in 2012.
A solid baseball player during his high school and college days, Goorman also served WMC as their varsity baseball coach for 25 seasons (1970-82; 1988-99). He has also become well-known around the Midwest as the director of numerous American Youth Basketball Tournaments.