After a magical season, the leaders of the Perham Yellowjacket girls basketball team have received a pair of accolades. Perham Head Coach TJ Super was named the State Class AA Coach of the Year, while his assistant coach, Michelle Bormann, was named the State Class AA Assistant Coach of the Year.

The Yellowjackets finished the 2025-26 season with a record of 26-5 overall and captured third place in the Class AA Tournament. The Yellowjackets won their third Section 8AA Championship in four years on their way to the Class AA Tournament, where Super and Bormann were also named Section 8AA Head Coach and Assistant Coach of the Year.

Perham Activities Director Erin Anderson said he is proud of Super and Bormann for being selected for these awards. He said it is a well-deserved honor and that the staff and players have worked hard for their achievements this past season.

“This is a great reflection of the program that TJ has worked extremely hard to build. He, Coach Bormann, and Coach Cox have been a consistent and steady presence for the girls’ program year in and year out,” Anderson said. “This season, the culture of the program took on an inspiring theme, Sometimes Me, Sometimes You, Always Us, and I feel like the buy-in is at an all-time high.”

Super said he was happy for the program and the team when it was announced that he and Bormann received these honors. He added that for a coach to win this award, the team has to be really good and compete on a big stage, and the Yellowjackets did that at a very high level this year.

“It is an honor to receive this award, since it is voted on by all the coaches in the state, because they all understand the amount of time and effort that goes into being a coach,” Super said. “Minnesota has great girls’ basketball and great coaches, so to be recognized by them is an honor.”

Bormann echoed Super’s sentiments about the awards, and she said it reflects the growth the program has experienced over the years.

“Our younger players can see firsthand what hard work and dedication can lead to, and we’ve had so many talented athletes who have set a great example for them to follow,” Bormann said. “That really helps raise the standard each year and continues to push our program forward.

Super has built this program from the ground up, and his leadership has created a strong, consistent culture. From K-12, everyone understands the expectations and what it takes to be part of this program. When there is a clear vision and strong support system in place, it truly becomes the way that we do business each year.”

It has been quite the turnaround for the Yellowjacket girls’ basketball program under the guidance of Super and Bormann. During Super’s first season as head coach, the Yellowjackets posted a 2-23 mark. Since then, the Yellowjackets have posted a 336-185 mark in his 13 years at the helm, including four 20-win seasons.

While success on the court helped lead to the accolades, it is the work off the court and during the school week that has driven the program’s growth. Super, Bormann, and Assistant Coach Robbie Cox have instilled a program based on having fun. While the wins have followed, the foundation of the program goes far beyond the scoreboard.

“The number one thing that I love about this program is that we have a lot of fun. It is not always 100 percent of the time, but overall, we really like to have fun. The girls have a lot of fun with each other, and even in situations that are usually stressful, we will try to bring in some humor to the moment. Also, we try to celebrate all girls as MVPs in their team roles. Every year, we have a bunch of girls with different roles on the team. On a team, there are players who are good at different things, letting them excel in those areas and then celebrating the heck out of it is very important.”

And in the end, while the awards may carry the names of Super and Bormann, they reflect something much larger, an entire program built on trust, effort, and togetherness.

For the Perham Yellowjackets, it has never been about just one coach, one player, or one season.

It’s about “Sometimes Me, Sometimes You… Always Us.”