Sports Spotlight: MJ Yeager Sets School Record

Photo by: NouvelSports.com

Max Novak ’23

Video Announcements Producer

Nouvel Catholic Central’s boys basketball team has gotten off to a strong start this season, so far meeting and exceeding preseason expectations. After graduating three players from last year’s regional finalist team, Nouvel has picked up some big wins along the way to their 6-2 record. While victories over strong programs such as Reese, Hemlock, Valley Lutheran, and Michigan Lutheran Seminary were key, one win that stood out among others is what sports fans would call a “statement win”. On Tuesday, January 3, 2023, Nouvel played Kalamazoo Hackett Prep, a team touted as one of the tops in the division. A 82-68 victory for the Panthers was a team effort, but the team was helped by a 42-point performance from junior MJ Yeager. 

Not only did the starting point guard score 42 points, he did it by putting in nine three-pointers. Although MJ will be the first to tell you that the team victory was most important, his individual performance broke the Nouvel school record for most three-pointers in a career with 170. Besting 1995 alumni Preston Murphy’s former record. 

MJ Yeager has been playing basketball his whole life with his twin brother, Donny Yeager, who starts at the shooting guard position and is the second leading scorer on the team. The two have been playing basketball for almost 15 years, training the whole offseason for the winter, including playing on an AAU team out of state called the Ohio Buckets. MJ credits the different coaches and mentors he has met along the way for having an impact on how he plays the game. “The best piece of advice I received was to outwork everyone. Hard work is what makes good players great.” 

MJ is not afraid of hard work, or facing difficulties head-on in his basketball life. He believes that learning to love adversity is the first step to becoming a better player. One of his biggest challenges, he admits, is his smaller build. He has also gone through stretches of bad shooting and turning the ball over too much, just like any other player. But he learned to play through this by outworking, and thinking two steps beyond everyone else on the court. Improving his game, and ultimately improving his team performance. One of the most unselfish players on the team, MJ is okay with not scoring a ton of points each night as long as he plays well and his team gets the victory. His recent personal victory is one step toward his team goal of wanting to win a state championship with his teammates before leaving high school, “I would like to thank all of my teammates who have helped me to reach this point in my basketball career and look forward to what the rest of the season holds.”