School Size and Recruitment Isn't As Big of A Problem As People Think 

The first thing Jaylen Rutherford, University Liggett’s Varsity basketball head coach, noticed when he stepped into the gym was the potential. 

“Diamond in a rough,” he said. “I felt like the place just needed a person who can bring in some enthusiasm, some energy and a high level of communication and dedication.”  

Many schools in Michigan have teams drawn from student bodies much bigger than Liggett’s. Grosse Pointe South has an enrollment of 1090, which is 3.8 times Liggett’s. Some private schools even recruit, so Liggett's athletes regularly match up and compete against opponents with deeper benches, taller rosters, and more experience.

Liggett’s size is its biggest limitation. The Lutheran North Mustangs football team beat Liggett 62-0.  Lutheran North is 2.1 times Liggett’s size, with 621 students. 

But Liggett’s coaches and administrators insist that the school’s mission-driven approach is not a barrier to success. 

Some teams have still had success against larger schools. Liggett’s men’s soccer team beat Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 3-1. That scholl has 913 students, 3.2 times Liggett’s size. 

For Rutherford, who had arrived this season as the new boys basketball coach, that difference is felt every day. At larger programs he coached previously, he said, talent could overpower weak fundamentals or the lack of discipline.

At Liggett, however, nothing is taken for granted, he said. “It's different coaching for sure because you deal with kids who are also multi-sport athletes,  “ so that's what I like about Liggett, they don't make you just throw all your eggs in one basket.”

While recruiting is common elsewhere, Anderson says “You're here to be a student first. We don't go out and say lets go find a point guard or a wide receiver,” 

Without the ability to recruit for athletics, Rutherford  emphasizes fundamentals, multisport commitment, and long term development over specialization. “A kid can come in and really know nothing about basketball,” he said. “But I can always pull something out of the kid that he didn't have inside, I can make players believe in themselves.” 

Anderson said, “Sometimes the small school is a big advantage because you have a more close knit team.”

The imbalance in enrollment is a challenge, “For every one kid that we have to pick from, they've got eight,” he said. But Liggett has taken down schools bigger than itself, such as Grosse Pointe South. 

“They come to little McCann Arena and they get humbled,” Anderson said. 

Rutherford sees it both a physical and mental challenge. “I’m going to overprepare my kids.”  “I feel like we can play against anybody.” 

That confidence fuels his expectations for the season, “Most people don't know what's coming.”  “They are going to be 110 percent satisfied,” said Rutherford.