IONIA, Mich. — Ionia Middle School basketball coach Craig Gurnee's TikTok account has been blowing up lately — partially because of the half-court shots he's incorporated into his online repertoire.
It all started with a quest for sweets.
"I was dared by my girls to shoot from half court, and if I missed it, I had to buy him donuts. We recorded it for evidence, so they could say I missed it, but unfortunately for them, I made it. So the next day, they dared me again, and I made that one. So then it became a habit of just recording these half-court shots," said Gurnee, who's an eighth grade Spanish teacher.
"I made about four or five, and so they wanted to make it a little more challenging because they really wanted those donuts. So we did a behind-the-back, and I even made that one, so then I just started posting them on Facebook just for fun."
The half-court shots show people online what Gurnee's team members already know — Coach Gurnee is a pretty fun guy to play for.
"It's a lot of fun, because he's always positive. Even if we make a mistake, he gives us positive feedback. I feel like it's just really easy for us to grow and improve from that instead of having someone scream at us all the time," said Alex Jensen.
Alex's classmate Miah Wittenbach agreed.
"He's fun. He brings joy. He knows how to make it so we're learning and doing new things, but he also knows how to make it super fun and enjoyable for everybody," she said.
But Coach Gurnee once had the joy of the court taken away from him when he was fighting for his life.
"In the summer of 2013, I was visiting some friends in San Diego. I used to live there. And I was swimming in the Pacific Ocean and I had a seizure, nearly drowned, woke up in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. After many CT scans and MRIs, I found out I had a massive brain tumor on the left side of my brain and I had to have an emergency craniotomy followed by six weeks of radiation," said Gurnee, who spent the next year recovering.
"Unfortunately, during the surgery, my tear duct was paralyzed. I can no longer produce tears out of my left eye, so I have to carry around a little tube of teardrops, and I take them every 30 minutes. For the last 11 years, it becomes just like breathing."
Gurnee survived cancer, but his health struggles weren't over.
"A year and a half ago, I was training for a marathon and I herniated a disc in my neck. So I had a spinal fusion as well, and that wasn't as big of a surgery but it had a stronger impact on me, because I felt like I was going through the same tragedy over again," said Gurnee, who had to step away from coaching once again.
"This is the first time I've been back to coaching, and it has been the most positive impact for me. I look forward to practice everyday because these girls come with such bright, bright attitudes and personalities. They're fun to be around. They make me laugh. When I shoot half-court shots, they laugh and they support me. They're encouraging. No matter what doctors can do for me, this is the best medicine."
Gurnee said he found out through his health struggles how many things he had been taking for granted.
"There are times I'll get a little down, and I'll get a little stressed out with my job. I have to remember, I have a second chance. I need to remember that every day. I have an opportunity to coach still because it was found when it was. It could have been a little bit more traumatic," he said.
Gurnee told his story because he wanted to help others overcome whatever they might be experiencing. He also wants to raise awareness for Gilda's Club of Grand Rapids.
"It's a cancer support center in Grand Rapids. When I was going through my brain tumor, I dealt with it all on my own. I didn't know there were resources out there like that, and it was a tough road," he said.
"If I had known about places like Gilda's Club, I would have reached out and got the support I needed. So I strongly encourage people who are going through any type of grieving process or cancer to know that there are clubs and resources out there. You don't have to deal with this kind of stuff on your own."
One way to support Gilda's Club is to attend Laughfest events, which are coming up. They have an entire schedule of events on their website. You can also support Gilda's Club directly. They have volunteer and donation opportunities on their website.
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