Meet Gavin and Macey, the latest Snowbirds' stars in the Bebble-family legacy

GAYLORD ― If you've spent any time around Gaylord St. Mary's, you're probably familiar with the name Bebble.

It's kind of hard to escape it.

Maybe you went to school with or around the same time as the countless Bebble family graduates that have made the halls of St. Mary's their stomping grounds for decades. Maybe you're a fan of Northern Michigan prep sports and have watched one of the many talented members of the Bebble family lead a St. Mary's team to success in recent years.

No matter your perspective, it's pretty obvious the influence the Bebble's have had on St. Mary's, and vice versa.

And this year, the latest chapter of the family's story is coming to a close with the conclusion of the high school careers of cousins Gavin and Macey Bebble.

Two fellow Class of 2023 members, Gavin and Macey share a special bond as leading members of multiple talented Snowbirds' teams. Macey and the St. Mary's volleyball team just wrapped a run to the MHSAA Division 4 regional semifinals that included a district championship, while Gavin wrapped a similar run as the Snowbirds' quarterback in the 8-man football Division 2 playoffs. Gavin is also one of the leaders of a successful St. Mary's baseball program.

But both are very honest when you ask them what their favorite sport is.

"Basketball is one hundred percent my favorite sport," said Macey.

"I started basketball as soon as I could walk," said Gavin. "It is an obsession at this point."

An obsession with basketball isn't all they share; both rock jersey number eleven, both serve as the floor general point guards for their successful basketball teams, and both see their bond as family members as something special that motivates them to be better at whatever they do.

"I think we are really lucky because some people aren't as close with their family and their cousins," Macey said. "The fact that Gavin and I are so close and got to grow up with each other is a blessing."

Family Ties

Gavin and Macey were introduced to the St. Mary's family before they can even remember, but their family has been intertwined with the school for decades. Gavin's late father graduated from St. Mary's back in the 1980s, while his mother, Kim, is still a teacher at the school. Macey, on the other hand, will be the first St. Mary's graduate in her immediate family, though her father spent time as a student there before transferring to Gaylord.

Gavin's sisters (also Macey's cousins) played a big part in bringing the two closer to the school and the basketball programs. All three of his older sisters graduated from St. Mary's, with his oldest sister Jada graduating in 2013, his middle sister Danica graduating in 2016 and his youngest sister Averi graduating in 2018. Another one of their cousins, Kari Borowiak, graduated in 2018 as well.

All four of them played big roles on various St. Mary's teams throughout the years, especially the girls' basketball program, with Averi and Kari going on to have successful collegiate careers at Concordia University Ann Arbor.

Both Gavin and Macey have attended St. Mary's since preschool, and they say watching their cousins play key roles in the St. Mary's athletics programs while they were growing up helped push them toward their current paths.

"I think the reason I developed the obsession (with basketball) is watching my cousins and sisters win so many trophies and the crowds that would come out to watch them, I've always wanted to be a part of that," said Gavin.

"For me personally, I always looked up to my older cousins when I was growing up," Macey said. "I was a huge fan of them and when my Uncle Dan coached, it was what inspired me to play honestly."

Special Bond

At a small school like St. Mary's, having a close-knit group of friends is not uncommon considering how much time students spend with each other throughout the years. It is rare, however, to have two family members in the same graduating class like Gavin and Macey. It can cause some confusion when people first meet them.

"We are sometimes mistaken for siblings by people who first meet us," said Macey.

Both are 17 years old, with Macey being slightly older (a month and six days separate the two's birthdays), and on top of going to school together, they grew up living down the street from each other for most of their lives. That meant they would do a lot of things together as they grew up (including playing a lot of basketball), they developed a lot of the same interests and have a similar group of friends.

That has given them a special bond that they both cherish more than other relationships.

"Having someone like Macey to talk to at all times about anything is awesome," Gavin said. "It is going to be awesome to throw our caps at graduation together after going through St. Mary's together for so many years."

"Gavin and I were really close growing up and we still are. We did everything together and it's like he's my actual brother," Macey said. "He's definitely my best friend."

Fellow floor generals

With basketball season coming up quickly, both Gavin and Macey are eager to get back to the sport they love the most. And with all the similarities they have off the court, they don't stop when they hit the floor.

Both are point guards and floor generals for their respective varsity teams, with Macey serving as a defensive ace for the talented girls' team while Gavin tends to lead the scoring for the boys' team.

Macey led the Snowbirds in both steals (4.8 steals per game) and assists (4.3 assists per game) from the point guard spot in the 2021-22 season, helping St. Mary's advance all the way to the D4 state quarterfinals. Gavin, meanwhile, averaged 20 points per game, six rebounds a game, and three steals per game for a boys' team that fell in the district finals.

It makes for an interesting dynamic between the two that leads to some expected competition, but still an overall supportive relationship.

"It's funny because when we scrimmage the boys during practice, Gavin and I always guard each other," Macey said. "But I think it's beneficial because we always make each other work harder."

That close relationship, their shared love of basketball and their overlapping talent have led them to consider attempting to play at the same college on more than one occasion. They have even tossed around the idea of hosting a dual-commitment event if the stars aligned to let them commit to the same school at the same time.

"It would definitely be a cool thing if that's where it takes me," Macey said. "Being able to commit to the same college as each other would be awesome and I'd love to do it."

Currently, Gavin holds an offer to play basketball at Alma College, an NCAA Division-III school in mid-Michigan, as well as a handful of other NAIA schools. Macey has been in contact with a handful of schools as well.

First, though, the two are eagerly awaiting the beginning of their final high school basketball season, with high hopes for what they can accomplish with their teams. Both teams have high expectations heading into the season, and if they want to accomplish them, Gavin and Macey are sure to be a big part of their plans.

"Basketball is a huge team sport and I look forward to giving everyone shots so that we can come away with the win at the end of the night," said Gavin. "Our goals are to win a district and regional title for sure. I think we have a great shot at the Ski Valley as well so I am super excited to get at it."

"My goals for this team are to be more competitive and aggressive than last year, and make it to Breslin," said Macey. "That's definitely my main goal and something I've always dreamed of."

If they can help their teams accomplish their goals, maybe they can add a bit more legacy to the Bebble name.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Meet Gavin and Macey, the latest Snowbirds' stars in the Bebble-family legacy