TJ Kelly, State Champs

The season’s final team rankings are in and Brimley is the new No. 1 in Division 4 while Divisions 1-3 remain stable with a few shake ups for teams ranked in each of the divisions' 5-10 slots.


DIVISION 1

• 1. University of Detroit-Jesuit (18-2, 8-0 CHSL-Central champion) — Remains No. 1 in Division 1, 74-59 Feb 21 win vs. D1 No. 5 Detroit Cass Tech in Operation Friendship.
• 2. Flint Carman-Ainsworth (17-2, 9-1 SVL League champion) — Remains No. 2 in D1 ; 56-44 Feb 22 win vs. Mt. Pleasant in the SVL championship.
• 3. Clarkston (17-2, 12-0 OAA-Red League champion) — Remains No. 3 in D1 , 77-43 Feb 19 win vs. Oak Park, 48-35 Feb 21 win at Bloomfield Hills.
• 4. Forest Hills Northern (20-0, 10-0 OK-White champion) — Remains No. 4 in D1 ; 73-43 Feb 19 win at Forest Hills Central, 60-46 Feb 22 win at Grand Rapids Northview.
• 5. Canton (19-1, 14-0 KLAA champion) — Former No. 7 in D1, 78-58 Feb 21 win vs. Howell in the KLAA championship.
• 6. Muskegon (17-3, 9-1 No. 1 OK-Black champion) Former No. 10 in D1, 77-42 Feb 19 win at Muskegon Mona Shores, 64-38 Feb 22 win vs. Fruitport.
• 7. Detroit Cass Tech (14-5, 9-1 Detroit Public School League champion) — Former No. 6 in D1; 71-59 Feb 21 loss vs. D1 No. 1 U-D Jesuit.
• 8. Ann Arbor Pioneer (18-2, 10-0 SEC-Red champion) — Previously unranked, 80-41 Feb 19 win vs. Temperance-Bedford.
• 9. Okemos (18-2, 12-0 No. 1 CAAC-Blue) — Former No. 5 in D1, 63-51 Feb 19 loss at Haslett, 56-41 Feb 22 win vs. Dewitt.
• 10. Mt. Pleasant (18-1, 12-0 Saginaw Valley League runner-up) — Former No. 9 in D1, 66-60 Feb 19 win at Midland Dow, 56-44 Feb 22 loss at D1 No. 2 Flint Carman-Ainsworth.

DROPPED OUT

• Novi Detroit Catholic Central (13-6, 6-2 CHSL-Central runner-up) — Former No. 8 in D1, 45-42 Feb 19 loss at Dearborn Divine Child, 64-55 Feb 22 loss vs. Detroit Renaissance in Operation Friendship.

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DIVISION 2

• 1. New Haven (19-1, 10-0 No. 1 MAC champion) — Remains No. 1 in D2 , 74-58 Feb 20 win vs. D3 No. 7 DEPSA.
• 2. Williamston (19-1, 10-0 No. 1 CAAC-Red champion) — Remains No. 2 in D2 , 71-66 Feb 19 win vs. Lansing Everett, 60-55 Feb 22 win vs. Mason.
• 3. Benton Harbor (19-1) — Remains No. 3 in Division 2, 84-72 Feb 22 win at Ypsi Arbor Prep.
• 4. River Rouge (17-2, 8-0 No. 1 MMAC-Blue champion) — Remains No. 4 in D2 ; 51-46 Feb 20 win at Hamtramck, 75-48 Feb 22 win vs. Romulus.
• 5. Bridgeport (20-0, 10-0 Tri-Valley Conference-East champion) — Remains No. 5 in D2; 74-62 Feb 19 win vs. Flint Burton-Atherton, 55-24 Feb 22 win at Carrollton.
• 6. Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy (17-0, 10-0 No. 1 Charter School Conference) — Remains No. 6 in D2.
• 7. Pontiac (18-2, 11-1 No. 2 OAA-Blue runner-up) — Remains No. 7 in D2, 79-36 Feb 19 vs. Oxford, 64-47 Feb 21 win vs. Birmingham Seaholm.
• 8. Grand Rapids South Christian (17-3, 11-1 No. 1 OK-Gold champion) — Remains No. 8 in D2, 58-42 Feb 19 win vs. Wayland,75-57 Feb 22 win vs. Forest Hills Eastern.
• 9. Grand Rapids Catholic Central (18-2, 12-0 OK-Blue champion) — Remains No. 9 in D2 , 73-26 Feb 19 win at Sparta, 71-34 Feb 20 win at Comstock Park, 87-43 Feb 22 win at Spring Lake.
• 10. Otsego (20-0, 8-0 Wolverine Conference-North champion) — Remains No. 10 in D2 , 75-61 Feb 21 win at Sturgis.

DIVISION 3

• 1. Flint Beecher (18-2, 10 GAC-Red champion) — Remains No. 1 in Division 3, 60-37 Feb 22 win vs. Corunna.
• 2. Hanover-Horton (19-1, 14-0 Cascades Conference champion) — Remains No. 2 in D3, 78-73 Feb 19 win at Ypsilanti Lincoln, 88-32 Feb 21 win vs. East Jackson, 69-35 Feb 22 win at Napoleon.
• 3. Pewamo-Westphalia (20-0, 16-0 No. 1 CMAC) — Remains No. 3 in D3, 59-42 Feb 19 win vs. Fowler, 68-40 Feb 21 win vs. Bath.
• 4. Iron Mountain (20-0, 8-0 PAC-Iron champion) — Remains No. 4 in D3, 69-51 Feb 19 win vs. Ishpeming, 79-52 Feb 21 win at Houghton.
• 5. Maple City Glen Lake (18-2, 14-0 NW Conference champion) — Remains No. 5 in D3, 69-33 Feb 19 win at Sutton’s Bay,73-34 Feb 21 win vs. Kingsley.
• 6. Detroit Pershing (16-2, 10-0 No. 1 DPS-East) — Remains No. 6 in D3.
• 7. Detroit Edison PSA (13-7) — Remains No. 7 in D3, 74-48 Feb 20 loss at New Haven.
• 8. Wyoming Potter’s House Christian (18-1, 8-0 Alliance League champion) — Remains No. 8 in D3; 49-33 Feb 19 win at Martin, 85-50 Feb 22 win at Kentwood Grand River Prep.
• 9. Unionville-Sebewaing (18-0, 12-0 Greater Thumb Conference-West champion) — Remains D3 No. 9, 64-21 Feb 20 win at Vassar, 55-37 Feb 22 win vs. Bad Axe.
• 10. Michigan Center (18-2, 12-2 No. 2 Cascades Conference) — Remains No. 10 in D3, 80-38 Feb 20 win vs. Homer, 61-46 Feb 21 win at Vandercook Lake.

DIVISION 4

• 1. Brimley (20-0, 8-0 Eastern UP Athletic Conference champion) — Former No. 2 in D4, 77-49 Feb 19 win vs. Harbor Springs Harbor Light Christian, 74-64 Feb 21 win at Sault Ste. Marie.
• 2. Southfield Christian (14-6, 10-0 MIAC-Blue champion) — Former No. 3 in D4.
• 3. Howardsville Christian (19-1, 10-0 BCS-White champion) — Former No. 4 in D4, 94-12 Feb 19 win vs. Covert, 93-44 Feb 22 win vs. New Buffalo, 85-32 Feb 23 win vs. Lawrence.
• 4. Pittsford (18-2, 16-1 SCAA-East champion) — Former No. 5 in D4, 66-42 Feb 19 win at Sand Creek, 70-53 Feb 22 win vs. Jackson Christian.
• 5. Bellevue (19-1, 16-1 SCAA-West champion) — Former No. 1 in Division 4, 60-37 Feb 19 win at Climax-Scotts, 55-48 Feb 22 loss at Athens.
• 6. Wyoming Tri-unity (17-3, 7-1 No. 2 Alliance League) — Remains No. 6 in D4, 67-36 Feb 19 win vs. Fennville, 62-49 Feb 22 win vs. Muskegon Oakridge.
• 7. Pellston (18-2, 14-2 Ski Valley Conference champion) — Remains No. 7; 92-66 Feb 19 win at Onaway, 54-39 Feb 21 win at Gaylord St. Mary.
• 8. Athens (17-3, 14-3 No. 2 SCAA-West) — Previously unranked, 73-18 Feb 19 win at Waldron, 63-51 Feb 20 win at Camden-Frontier, 55-48 Feb 22 win vs. former D4 No. 1 Bellevue.
• 9. Adrian Lenawee Christian (14-5) — Former No. 8 in D4, 59-26 Feb 20 win at Hillsdale Academy, 57-51 Feb 22 loss vs. Hillsdale.
• 10. Camden-Frontier (15-5, 12-2 No. 2 SCAA-East) — Former No. 9 in D4, 63-51 Feb 20 loss vs. Athens.

DROPPED OUT

• Martin (13-2, 6-2 No. 2 Southwest Athletic Conference-Lakeshore) — Former No. 10 in D4, 49-33 Feb 19 loss vs. D3 No. 8 Wyoming Potter’s House, Feb 22 at Gobles.

Predicting winners for Michigan boys basketball state tournament

​Mick McCabe, The Detroit Free Press

The calendar still says February, but the Madness cannot be stopped by a mere calendar.

The boys basketball tournament begins Monday even if we won’t reach March until the district finals.

Because of the availability of the Breslin Center, the boys will begin state tournament play a week before the girls and finish at The Breslin in East Lansing on March 16.

If that isn’t confusing enough, for the first time since the tournament began in 1926 there will not be a Class A state champ ... or a Class B,C or D champ for that matter.

To align with the way most sports classify schools, we will have champions in four equal divisions.

If none of this makes sense to you, we’re here to help. Here is a division-by-division breakdown of the tournament and, at no increase in price, we’ve even included the eventual four state champions.  

Division 1

Defending champ: Clarkston. The Wolves, under the direction of someone not named Dan Fife for the first time in 36 years, lost virtually everyone who scored a meaningful point last season, but are on a 17-game winning streak. Tim Wasilk, who played and coached under the legendary Fife, has done a remarkable job considering the backcourt of Keegan Wasilk and Fletcher Loyer are freshmen and 7-foot junior Matt Nicholson barely played last season.

Toughest district: At Belleville. This district is absolutely ridiculous. With Ypsilanti, Belleville, Saline, Ann Arbor Huron, Ypsilanti Lincoln and Ann Arbor Pioneer there isn’t a bad team here. And with 6-9 Lincoln freshman Emoni Bates this will also be the best-attended and most entertaining district in any division.
Emoni Bates, who is a freshman this season, is already gaining national attention. Joey Delgado, Special to Detroit Free Press

Final four: Saginaw, Detroit Cass Tech, U-D Jesuit, Muskegon.

Darkhorse: Ann Arbor Pioneer. The Pioneers will have to survive the district at Belleville and could then get on a roll. They have a good inside/out game with 6-7 Kasean Pryor and point guard Drew Louder. To get to the final four it would have to get by a quality team like Cass Tech, but that isn’t out of the question.

State champ: U-D Jesuit. After a two-year absence, the Cubs take home another title. Daniel Friday and Julian Dozier have carried much of the load this season, and with 6-10 Jalen Thomas back in the lineup, the Cubs show why they were our No. 1-ranked team in the preseason.

Division 2

Defending champ: Benton Harbor. After beating River Rouge recently, the Tigers look ready to repeat, but this will be every bit as difficult to win as last season’s title. A year ago, Carlos Johnson, only a sophomore, led the Tigers with 24 points and 10 rebounds. More importantly, he hit a 3-point shot with 10 seconds left in overtime to secure the win.

Toughest district: Mt. Morris. The opening game between Chesaning and Ovid-Elsie features two good teams and the semifinal between Corunna and Mt. Morris is even better. Flint Powers is the only team in this district that has struggled, but the Chargers played a much tougher schedule than any of the others.

Final four: Bridgeport, Benton Harbor, River Rouge, New Haven.

Darkhorse: Williamston. The Hornets played River Rouge in the regional finals in 2016 and ’17 and split the two games. With Sean Cobb, Jay Wallace, Mason Docks and Joseph Hahnenberg averaging in double figures, it is impossible to key the defense to stopping one player.

State champ: New Haven. Like Benton Harbor’s Johnson, New Haven’s Romeo Weems won a state title as a sophomore. A poor shooting game in the semis cost the Rockets a chance to repeat. Weems is better this season and so are his teammates.


Division 3

Defending champ: Detroit Edison. At 10-10 last season, Edison became only the fourth team in tournament history to enter the tournament at .500 or below and win the title. Of course, last season’s team also won the Detroit Public School League title so the championship was not a shocker. This season’s team did not compete in the PSL, but still played a rugged schedule.

Toughest district: Iron River West Iron County. Right off the bat you’ve got a whopper of a battle of unbeaten Iron Mountain playing 19-1 Ironwood. The winner of the Norway-L’Anse game will have to play a good Calumet team, and the final could be Iron Mountain and Calumet, which would be an excellent matchup.

Final four: Maple City Glen Lake, Flint Beecher, Hanover-Horton, Pewamo-Westphalia.

Darkhorse: Hanover-Horton. For a lot of fans, the Comets are an afterthought here. But you need to realize their only loss came to Toledo St. Francis. Even better, last week it fell behind Division 1 Ypsilanti Lincoln 15-0 and came back to win. Don’t take the Comets lightly.

State champ: Flint Beecher. The Bucs are looking to win their sixth title in eight seasons, and don’t bet against them. They are led by a pair of exceptional juniors — Jalen Terry and Earnest Sanders. Terry may be the best player in his clas,s and Sanders may be the best athlete — holding Division I offers in football and basketball. And the duo has plenty of help.

Division 4
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Defending champ: Southfield Christian. The Eagles won their fourth state title in seven years last season. The star of the show was junior Harlond Beverly, who scored his team’s first 11 points on the way to a 23-point, eight-steals, seven-rebound, six-block performance.

Toughest district: Frankfort. Buckley should get past Forest area in the opener, but Bear Lake will be a tough test in the semifinal. Frankfort and Onekema will battle in the first round and the winner will face a solid Brethren team.

Final four: Brimley, Southfield Christian, Big Rapids Crossroads, Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian.

Darkhorse: Marcellus Howardsville Christian. Having the No. 3 scorer in state history — 6-4 Dylan Jergens — on your side helps. He had 47 points the other night, which is more than all of the students in the school, to top the 2,500-point mark for his career. He can carry this team a long way.

State champ: Southfield Christian: With Beverly returning, this was a forgone conclusion. But Beverly didn’t return, and neither did Caleb Hunter. Beverly took off for Montverde Academy in Florida, and Hunter transferred to U-D Jesuit. But the rugged nonconference schedule remained the same, preparing the Eagles for another long tournament run.

Mick McCabe is a former longtime columnist for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at mick.mccabe11@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.


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State Super 20

• 1. Benton Harbor (19-1, Division 2)
• 2. New Haven (19-1, Division 2)
• 3. U-D Jesuit (18-2, Division 1)
• 4. River Rouge (17-2, Division 2)
• 5. Clarkston (17-2, Division 1)
• 6. Flint Beecher (18-2, Division 3)
• 7. Williamston (19-1, Division 2)
• 8. Bridgeport (20-0, Division 2)
• 9. Canton (19-1, Division 1)
• 10. Saginaw (17-3, Division 1)
• 11. Muskegon (17-3, Division 1)
• 12. Detroit Cass Tech (15-4, Division 1)
• 13. Grand Rapids Catholic Central (18-2, Division 2)
• 14. Ann Arbor Pioneer (18-2, Division 1)
• 15. Flint Carman-Ainsworth (17-2, Division 1)
• 16. Otsego (20-0, Division 2)
• 17. Ypsilanti Lincoln (16-4, Division 1)
• 18. Okemos (18-2, Division 1)
• 19. Roseville (15-4, Division 1)
• T20. Mount Pleasant (18-1, Division 1)
• T20. Detroit Renaissance (16-4, Division 1)

Detroit

• 1. U-D Jesuit (18-2)
• 2. Detroit Cass Tech (15-4)
• 3. Detroit Renaissance (16-4)
• 4. Detroit King (15-4)
• 5. Detroit Edison (12-7)
• 6. Detroit Pershing (16-2)
• 7. Detroit Henry Ford (13-7)
• 8. Detroit Loyola (12-8)
• 9. Detroit CMA (11-9)
• T10. Detroit Mumford (9-11)
• T10. Detroit Douglass (8-12)

North

• 1. Clarkston (17-2)
• 2. Oxford (19-1)
• 3. Pontiac (18-2)
• 4. Detroit Catholic Central (13-6)
• 5. Walled Lake Northern (18-2)
• 6. Rochester Adams (17-3)
• 7. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (13-7)
• 8. Farmington (15-5)
• 9. Southfield Christian (14-6)
• T10. Madison Heights Madison (17-3)
• T10. Howell (14-6)

East

• 1. New Haven (19-1)
• 2. Harper Woods Chandler Park (16-0)
• 3. Roseville (15-4)
• 4. Sterling Heights Stevenson (14-5)
• 5. Macomb Dakota (14-6)
• 6. Warren Mott (15-4)
• 7. Eastpointe (14-6)
• 8. Clintondale (14-6)
• 9. Warren Lincoln (12-8)
• T10. St. Clair Shores Lake Shore (17-3)
• T10. Warren De La Salle (11-9)

West

• 1. River Rouge (17-2)
• 2. Canton (19-1)
• 3. Ann Arbor Pioneer (18-2)
• 4. Ypsilanti Lincoln (16-4)
• 5. Ypsilanti (13-4)
• 6. Dearborn Divine Child (16-4)
• 7. Wayne Memorial (15-5)
• 8. Woodhaven (16-4)
• 9. Northville (16-4)
• T10. Ann Arbor Huron (13-7)
• T10. Belleville (13-7)  

Vito Chirco, Special to Detroit Free Press

Romeo Weems' quadruple-double highlights top performances from week

Here are the top high school basketball performances in Michigan from Feb. 20-22: 

Boys
​

• Romeo Weems, New Haven: Accumulated 34 points, 12 rebounds, 10 blocks, 10 steals and five assists in New Haven’s defeat of Detroit Edison.
• Ronald Jeffery III, New Haven: Finished with 29 points and six rebounds in New Haven’s 74-58 victory vs. Detroit Edison Wednesday night.

• Tyson Acuff, Detroit Cass Tech: Finished with a team-high 21 points in Cass Tech’s 79-59 defeat at the hands of Detroit U-D Jesuit (18-2).
• Caleb Albrecht, Lapeer: Racked up 26 points in Lapeer’s 56-55 overtime loss to Saginaw Heritage Thursday night.
• Xavier Bargesser, Grass Lake: Produced 31 points in Grass Lake’s 74-69 victory vs. Chelsea Tuesday night.
• Caleb Bates, St. Clair Shores Lakeshore: Recorded a double-double -- 30 points and 19 rebounds -- in Lakeshore’s 63-59 triumph over Detroit Old Redford.  
• Jalal Baydoun, Dearborn Edsel Ford: Posted 26 points, becoming the all-time leading scorer in Dearborn Public School history with 1,545 points, in Edsel Ford’s 77-47 victory vs. Melvindale Wednesday night.
• Elijah Belle, Detroit Voyageur: Posted 24 points in Voyageur’s 70-35 defeat of Gibraltar Carlson.    
• Pierre Brooks II, Detroit Douglass: Scored 30 points, and grabbed 10 rebounds in Douglass’ 79-78 triumph over Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood Wednesday night.
• Benjamin Brown, Chesterfield Austin Catholic: Poured in 19 points in Austin Catholic’s 52-49 loss to Inkster American International.
• Jimiere Cannon, Warren Michigan Collegiate: Logged a triple-double -- 17 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists -- in Michigan Collegiate’s 79-67 defeat of Pontiac Arts and Technology.   
• DaVeaun Cole, Pontiac: Finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Pontiac’s 64-47 defeat of Birmingham Seaholm.   
• Julian Dozier, Detroit U-D Jesuit: Finished with a game-high 23 points in U-D Jesuit’s win over Detroit Cass Tech.
• Hakeem Fitahey, Dearborn Edsel Ford: Finished with 25 points in Edsel Ford’s win over Melvindale.  
• Alex Kreft, Chesterfield Austin Catholic: Posted 23 points in Austin Catholic’s 75-42 loss to Memphis Wednesday night.
• AJ Massucci, Royal Oak Shrine: Scored 26 points in Shrine’s 77-43 defeat of Center Line Thursday night.
• Glenn Miller, Pentwater: Scored 25 points in Pentwater’s 70-42 victory against Mesick.
• Steven Morrissey, Northville: Scored a team-high 21 points in Northville’s 65-57 defeat of Westland John Glenn Thursday night.  
• Matt Nicholson, Clarkston: Finished with a double-double -- 19 points and 12 rebounds -- in Clarkston’s 48-35 win vs. Bloomfield Hills Thursday night.
• Brody Parker, Troy: Finished with a game-high 21 points in Troy’s 65-55 loss to North Farmington (12-7, 6-6 OAA Red) Thursday night.    
• Mike Sherman, Warren De La Salle: Posted 20 points in De La Salle’s 73-61 victory against Detroit Old Redford Wednesday night.
• Dawson Stier, Memphis: Recorded 21 points in Memphis’ win against Chesterfield Austin Catholic.
• Brian Taylor, Detroit Edison: Posted 20 points in Edison’s loss to New Haven.   
• Evan Thomas, Okemos: Finished with a double-double -- 22 points and 10 rebounds -- in the 56-41 victory for Okemos (18-2) over DeWitt (16-3).
• Renel Thrasher, Westland John Glenn: Recorded a game-high 23 points in John Glenn’s loss to Northville.  
• Mark Tocco, Macomb Dakota: Racked up 40 points, eight rebounds and five steals in Dakota’s 75-64 win over St. Clair Shores Lakeshore Thursday night.
• Nate Vesper, Clawson: Led the Trojans with 19 points in their 72-61 loss to Ferndale University Thursday night.  
• Richard Washington, Clinton Twp. Clintondale: Recorded 34 points and eight rebounds in Clintondale’s 66-56 win over Warren Michigan Collegiate Wednesday night.

Honorable Mentions

• Austin Brown, Madison Heights Madison: Finished with 17 points in Madison’s 71-50 victory over Marine City.   
• Ben Dierker, Canton Salem: Posted a double-double -- 14 points and 14 rebounds -- in Salem’s 62-48 win over Livonia Churchill Thursday night.   
• Jon Gardner, Birmingham Roeper: Posted 16 points in Roeper’s 49-48 triumph of Auburn Hills Christian.   
• Mak Manciel, Birmingham Detroit Country Day: Finished with 16 points in Country Day’s 65-56 defeat of Detroit CMA.
• Zavion McClendon, Detroit Douglass: Recorded a double-double -- 17 points and 14 rebounds -- in Douglass’ victory vs. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood.
• Jason Norton, River Rouge: Scored 17 points in River Rouge’s 75-48 win against Romulus.  
• Ken Thomas, Harper Woods: Finished with 17 points in the 55-53 loss for Harper Woods (17-3) to Warren De La Salle (11-9).

George Pohly, The Macomb Daily 

Malen Lewis has made up his mind about New Haven teammate Romeo Weems.

“He’s Mr. Basketball,” the senior forward said. “That’s what I believe.”

Whether Weems becomes on March 11 the first Macomb County player to win the award remains to be seen, but there’s no doubting the resume quality of the 6-foot-7 wing who  Friday was named one of four finalists for the award.

The most intensely recruited county player in the last 50 years, Weems has 2,021 career points, which makes him No. 1 in county history and places him between Magic Johnson (2,012) and Dugan Fife (2,032) on the all-time state scoring list compiled by the Michigan High School Athletic Association.

A member of two gold medal-winning age-group teams with USA Basketball, Weems has displayed a well-rounded game while helping the Rockets win four consecutive MAC division championships and three regional titles with the 2019 state tournament still ahead.

He had a quadruple-double with 34 points, 12 rebounds, 10 blocked shots and 10 steals in the Rockets’ 74-58 victory over Detroit Edison Academy on Wednesday.

“Romeo Weems does a great job of doing everything,” DEA coach Brandon Neely said. “He does everything right.”
“I just do what I can to affect the game,” Weems said. “You don’t have to score 1,000 points a game.

“I’m double-teamed, triple-teamed a lot, so I dive on the floor, try to make the right play, do whatever I can to affect the game.”

No matter when it occurs, no matter the outcome, Weems’ final game in a New Haven uniform will mark the end of an era in county basketball history.

The DePaul signee, who picked the Blue Demons from a short list that included Michigan and Michigan State, has been the centerpiece of a program that has won a county-record four consecutive regional championships.

The Rockets won the 2017 state Class B championship, only the second won by a county boys team. They won their final 26 games that season, starting a streak that stretched to a county-record 52 in 2017-18.

New Haven went 42-0 in MAC (Gold, Blue and White) division games with Weems on the roster.

In his four seasons, the Rockets lost only two home regular-season games -- to Ford when Weems was a ninth-grader and Roseville in the second game of this season.

New Haven is 19-1 with an 18-game winning streak in play as the Rockets enter the state tournament at a district they host beginning Monday.

Their cumulative record in Weems’ four seasons -- he missed a handful of games -- is 94-6.

“He’s a great leader, and his teammates love to play for him,” New Haven coach Tedaro France II said of the player who passed Eli Sims, the first two-time county Player of the Year, to become New Haven's career scoring leader. “He’s a great, great player. I’m blessed to be able to coach him.”

New Haven won its state championship with a lineup that included Eric Williams Jr., a shooting guard who’s averaging 13.2 points per game in his second season at Duquesne.

Last season, the Rockets went unbeaten until they lost to Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Michigan State recruit Marcus Bingham Jr.  in a state semifinal.

Since the loss to Roseville, which the Rockets avenged in the MAC Red/White tournament championship game on Feb. 16, New Haven has retooled its lineup.

Transfer Trenell Payne became eligible in January, and players like guard Darrius Brooks and Lewis have taken on more prominent roles.

“This is the deepest team I’ve had in years,” France said.

And Weems , the county 2018 Player of the Year, isn’t New Haven’s only star.

Guard Ronald Jeffery III, who scored 26 points in the tournament victory over Roseville, scored the 1,000th of his career against Detroit Edison Academy.

“I feel like we’ve got a chance to win (the state championship),” Weems said. “We need to keep getting better every day.
“We’ve got a lot of depth. If we keep rotating on defense and working hard, we can do it.”

The MHSAA went from the class format to divisions in boys and girls basketball this season.

County teams are involved in 16 district tournaments. Games are Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

New Haven is in Division 2, and the Rockets play host to Lutheran North at 6:15 p.m. Monday.

The winner of that game plays Algonac on Wednesday night.
​
“Everyone’s goal is to win state,” Lewis said.

Jared Purcell, www.mlive.com

The search for finding the next Hal Schram Mr. Basketball winner took a crucial step this morning as four finalists have been announced by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan and the Detroit Free Press.

This year, the finalists are all from the Metro Detroit area: Joe Moon of Westland John Glenn, Chandler Turner or Detroit Renaissance, Romeo Weems of New Haven and B. Artis White of Canton.

The four finalists were each listed with high chances to be named finalists on MLive's Mr. Basketball watch list heading into the announcement. It guarantees that this year's Mr. Basketball winner will be from Detroit for the third time in four seasons as Clarkston's Foster Loyer won the award in 2018 year while Detroit U-D Jesuit's Cassius Winston won it in 2016. Kalamazoo Central's Isaiah Livers won the award in 2017.

Mr. Basketball is an annual award given to the individual voted by members of BCAM as the top senior player in Michigan. It has been presented annually since 1981 and this year's winner will be announced in a ceremony on March 11 in Detroit.

Also, BCAM has announced Retro Mr. Basketball award winners since 2010 for players from 1920-1980.
Here is a brief look into each of the 2019 Mr. Basketball candidates, listed in alphabetical order of last name.



Joe Moon IV,  6-0 G, Westland John Glenn

College commitment: Uncommitted

Moon has been a prolific talent all season and he recently became John Glenn's all-time career leading scorer when he scored 23 points in the Rockets' 68-34 defeat of Livonia Churchill on Feb. 1. On that night, he pushed his career point total to 1,214 and he has since surpassed the 1,300-point mark. So far this season, Moon is averaging 27.5 points, 5.1 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game as John Glenn heads into the state tournament with a 12-8 record.

Chandler Turner, 6-6 G/F, Detroit Renaissance

College commitment: Signed with Bowling Green

Already the recipient of the Mr. PSL award -- and award given to the top player in the Detroit Public School League -- Turner has led Renaissance to a strong season despite battling adversity. Renaissance's former coach was fired in the fall while top teammate Carrington McCaskill transferred to SPIRE Academy in Ohio just as the season was starting. Still, Turner led Renaissance to the PSL tournament championship game before losing to Detroit Cass Tech. So far this winter, Turner is averaging 23 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists per game and has led Renaissance to a 15-4 record heading into tonight's regular season finale against Detroit Catholic Central.


Romeo Weems, 6-7 G/F, New Haven 

College commitment: Signed with DePaul

Weems has been heralded as one of the state's top talents since he started his high school career. Having played every position on the floor for New Haven, Weems has developed into one of the top wing players in Michigan. He had a phenomenal regular season this winter, averaging  28.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.5 steals, 4.2 assists and 2.8 blocks per game. In his final game of the regular season on Wednesday this week, Weems registered a quadruple-double effort with 34 points, 12 rebounds, 10 steals and 10 blocks in a win over defending Class C state champion Detroit Edison Public School Academy. He also eclipsed 2,000 career points in that game, leading New Haven into the Division 2 state tournament with a 19-1 record.


B. Artis White, 5-11 G, Canton

College commitment: Signed with Western Michigan

The key figurehead on a Canton team that has gone 38-3 since the start of last season, White became the second player in Canton history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark for a career with a 24-point effort in a win over Northville on Jan. 29. One half of possibly the strongest backcourt pairing in Michigan, White possessing great speed and slashing ability, putting forth many game-changing efforts for the Chiefs. So far this winter, White is averaging 21.5 points, 5 assists, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game as Canton heads into the Division 1 state tournament with a 19-1 record.

The Detroit News

One of the state's best players had a quadruple double to lead one of the state's best teams to its 19th victory Wednesday night.

Romeo Weems had 34 points, 12 rebounds, 10 steals and 10 blocks to help New Haven (19-1) to a 74-58 victory over Detroit Edison. Weems also had five assists.

Ronald Jeffery had 29 points, six rebounds and five steals and Trenell Payne nine points and five assists for New Haven.

Brian Taylor scored 21 for Edison.

More boys basketballDearborn Edsel Ford 77, Melvindale 47: Jalal Baydoun had 26 points and six assists and became the all-time leading scorer in Dearborn Public Schools with 1,545 points, and Hakeem Fitahey scored 25 for Edsel Ford (16-4, 10-3 Downriver). Josh Moody scored 22 for Melvindale (7-11, 5-5).

Detroit Douglass 79, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood 78: Pierre Brooks II had 30 points and 10 rebounds, Zavion Mcclendon 17 points and 14 rebounds and Sean Fulton 12 points for Douglass (8-11). Terrell Williams scored 16 for Cranbrook (13-6).

Detroit University Prep 65: Detroit University Prep Science & Math 46: Ashton Henderson had 24 points, four rebounds and three assists and Jarreau Gonville 15 points, 11 rebounds and two assists for University Prep (9-1), which claimed the Michigan Metro Black League title. Alonzo McGhee scored 17 for University Prep Science & Math.

Detroit Voyager 59, Detroit Henry Ford Creative Studies 54: Damian Clark scored 20 and Kelin Sykes 10 for Voyager (7-10). Joshua Wilson scored 13 for Detroit Henry Ford Creative Studies (7-9).

Macomb L’Anse Creuse North 58, Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse 45: Brian Bendo scored 20 for L’Anse Creuse North (1-18). Andrew Salter had 13 points and 16 rebounds for L’Anse Creuse (9-10).

Marshall 59, Quincy 34: Caleb McCavit scored 18, William Dunn and Matthew Hagaman four for Quincy (16-3, 12-1 Big 8). Marshall is 12-7.

Memphis 75, Austin Catholic 42: Dawson Stirer scored 21 for Memphis (5-13). Alex Kreft scored 23 for Austin Catholic (4-10).

River Rouge 51, Hamtramck 46: Nigel Colvin scored 13, Donavon Freeman 11 and Bralin Tony 10 for River Rouge (16-2, 9-0 Michigan Metro Blue). Javier Whit scored 20 for Hamtramck (12-7, 4-6).

Warren De La Salle 73, Detroit Old Redford Academy 61: Michael Sherman scored 20 and Nick Troszak 18 for De La Salle (10-9). Kenjuan Andrews scored 15 for Old Redford (7-10).

West Bloomfield Frankel Jewish Academy 67, Lutheran Westland 17: Noah Schrussel and Ethan Mostyn scored 21 for Frankel Jewish Academy (13-7). Andrew Burk scored six for Lutheran Westland (4-15).