WCHS product Jordyn Coon clips his piece of the net after helping his Bethel College team win the Crossroads League Tournament title game in his final home game on Feb. 28 (File photos by Nick Goralczyk)

MISHAWAKA – Jordyn Coon has been part of something very special during a storybook senior season so far at Bethel College.

Now, he just hopes that the high-flying Pilots are able to write the final chapter of that story in fitting fashion.

Coon, a former standout at WCHS, looks to help his No. 3 ranked team send coach Mike Lightfoot out in style. The Pilots will begin play in the NAIA Division II National Championships on Thursday night. Bethel, a No. 1 seed, will face Calumet (Indiana) in a first-round game of the 32-team field in Point Lookout, Missouri.

Coon, a 6-2 guard, is one of five seniors on the Bethel roster looking to send their coach out with a championship. Lightfoot made it public in early January that this season, his 30th at Bethel, would be his last.

“We have a lot of motivation,” said Coon in a phone interview Friday. “We are playing for coach and we are playing for each other. We want to send him out the best way possible and that just drives us that much more to win a national championship.”

The Pilots have been on some roll since Lightfoot’s decision became public. They are 15-1 since then and won both the Crossroads League regular-season title and the tournament championship. Bethel beat Indiana Wesleyan 83-75  in the title game of the league tournament last Tuesday night in Lightfoot’s final game in the Wiekamp Center on Mike Lightfoot Court, which was named that last month when the school honored him.

Coon has been a huge part of what a hard-working, unselfish and driven team has done. He has made 32 starts for the Pilots, who take a gaudy 29-4 mark into the national tournament. He has played the most minutes on the team (958). Coon is averaging 11.2 points-per-game (one of five players averaging double figures) to go with 5.6 rebounds per night. He leads the team in assists with 104 and ranks third in steals with 27.

“I’ve had a different mindset this year in that playing defense comes first,” remarked Coon. “I’ve been a lot better defensive player. I’m surrounded by great players and that helps me a lot.

“This team is not the biggest, but we fight every possession. We play defense and we play hard. We have a guy like Clay Yeo who came back (from a knee injury) and is playing on one leg. I have a ton of respect for him.

“We just have to keep playing the way we have. That’s hustle, play defense and be scrappy.”

Coon, who averaged 9.4 points-per-game last season, hit several big shots late in the game last week as the Pilots beat league rival and defending national champion IWU for the third time this season. He finished with 18 points in the victory.

“If I could script a senior season, it would be how Jordyn’s is going,” said Lightfoot. “He’s playing his best basketball right now. We call him our X factor. When he is at his best defensively is when we are at our best as a team.

“He’s embraced his role on defense this season. He’s showed grit and toughness, guarding bigger people. He has bought in and embraced other parts of the game, other than just scoring. I’m so happy for him and what he has done.”

“It’s been amazing to see his progression in the last year. He’s matured as a person and been outstanding as a leader for us.”

Coon, who was the third leading scorer for the Tigers on a 13-6 team his senior season in 2011-12, credits his coach.

“Coach Lightfoot has been a great mentor to me,” said Coon. “A great mentor to all of us here. It’s not just about basketball with him. It’s about life. It’s about making you a better person with him.”

The Pilots roster also features former area prep stars in seniors Clay Yeo (Triton) and Nick Kindig (Tippecanoe Valley) and Tanner Shepherd (Triton). Yeo had originally decided to end his career after another knee injury, but chose to return in January after Lightfoot announced his decision to retire.

Lightfoot, who owns 792 wins and seven national championships, says it’s been a terrific final run.

“This has been an amazing season in many ways for me,” said the highly-respected Bethel coach. “The success that this team has had has really been mind-boggling. To win 16 in a row in a league as good as ours like they did.

“This group of guys has just rallied around each other. They just go out and play hard and play for each other. I don’t have to worry about where they are mentally and their chemistry is incredible. Very few of our guys are healthy. But they just tape it up and go. That’s their mentality. The way that they have dealt with adversity is rewarding for me.”

Lightfoot, who began his coaching career at Marian High School in Mishawaka,  also says that he has taken time to enjoy the journey in his final season on the bench.

“It has sunk in that this is it and I’ve really worked hard at the process of embracing and enjoying it after I made the announcement in January,” explained Lightfoot. “It’s been a good thing for me to get a sense of closure.”

Lightfoot says that this last week or so (the title game at the tournament is March 14) will not define his final team in his eyes.

“Of course we want to win the national championship and that’s what we are going out there for,” said Lightfoot. “But. I will not allow myself to measure the success of this team by what happens in the national tournament.

“This senior class are unsung heroes. They have bought into everything. They are already champions. They have proved that to me. It’s rewarding for me to go out with this group. They have given everything they have to this program.”

Jordyn Coon is part of a special senior class for the Pilots. Bethel takes a 29-4 mark into that NAIA National Tournament this week.