SOUTH WAYNE — The Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced its 2024 Hall of Fame class on Tuesday, Jan. 30, where former Black Hawk girls basketball coach Michael Flanagan made the list.

“It’s a reflection point. Nobody can foresee how it unfolds,” Flanagan said of his coaching career. “If you’d have told me I’d be in the WBCA Hall of Fame, I’d laugh. It’s beyond my wildest dreams. It’s a very humbling experience joining such elite members.”

Before taking the helm of the Black Hawk girls basketball program for the 2006-07 season, Flanagan coached middle school girls and boys basketball. In 2005-06, Monroe boys basketball head coach Pat Murphy asked Flanagan to coach the freshman team. 

“It didn’t take long for us to realize he was going to be a good head coach,” Murphy said. “His attention to detail is at an elite level. He’s always been invested and put his heart and soul into it.”

In just one year, Flanagan said he learned “invaluable” lessons from Murphy, a 2020 WBCA Hall of Fame coach, such as how to plan a practice, scout teams and how to get the most out of players.

Flanagan took those experiences to Black Hawk, where the girls basketball program was 13-24 the two years prior. In his first year, Flanagan coached the Warriors to a 14-10 record, including a regional championship title. The program progressed each year, reaching a sectional final game in 2008 and the first of Flanagan’s seven trips to state in 2009. 

In his 15-year coaching career, Flanagan compiled a 309-71 record with two runner-up finishes and one gold ball. He was named the WBCA co-coach of the year in 2019-20 and was a four-time Six Rivers East coach of the year.

Derik Doescher, who was co-coach of the year with Flanagan in 2020-21, has coached with and against Flanagan for years. In that time, Doescher has come to respect Flanagan as a competitor and friend.

“I can’t think of anyone more deserving,” Doescher said of Flanagan’s induction. “I learned a ton from him. He inspired me to be a better coach and person.”

The two faced off multiple times in their tenure, but what Doescher remembers most is Flanagan’s class. The 2020-21 Warriors had a perfect 12-0 conference record, with Albany right behind at 8-2.  The two teams met in the sectional final, where Black Hawk prevailed 55-39.

“His teams always did things in a classy manner,” Doescher said. “Some years we got beat by 30, 40, or 50, but you knew it could have been worse. I’ve always respected that.”

Doescher and Murphy agree, a large part of Flanagan’s success came from his ability to get the most of out of his players. 

“He adapted to the kids he had,” Murphy said. “He’s so relatable to so many kids. People wanted to play hard for him.”

One of those players was 2020 graduate Natalie Leuzinger, who is currently in her senior season for the UW-Madison women’s basketball team. 

“Flan(agan) was a coach that pushed me to be not only a better player but a better person,” Leuzinger said. “He allowed me to see the game in different ways that I may have not seen before, and that has only expanded my basketball IQ. Something he always told me that sticks with me today is, ‘Don’t be afraid to be great.’”

Leuzinger is one of three Division I basketball players that Flanagan has coached, including Jen Wellnitz and Bailey Butler that both attended UW-Green Bay. Many others played collegiately at Division II or Division III, including Mellisa Wellnitz (Edgewood), Tara Wellnitz (UW-Stevens Point), Maddy Huschitt (University of Dubuque) and Makayla Mau (Saginaw Valley State University). 

While many collegiate basketball players have come from Black Hawk during Flanagan’s tenure, Flanagan takes more pride in the people he’s developed.

“I take more stock and pride in the human beings they become, from the talented players to the supporting role players,” Flanagan said. “I’ve been blessed with amazing athletes and parental and community support.”

Flanagan is currently the Darlington Elementary/Middle School Principal. He is still involved in basketball as a member of the WBCA Executive Board, chairing the girls All-Star fundraising. This summer, he coached the girls Division 5 South All-Star team.

The WBCA Hall of Fame banquet will take place on Sunday, Sept. 29 at the Glacier Canyon Lodge of the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells.