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NEW HAVEN BASKETBALL

Coach Tedaro France named top Coach in the Detroit Area Coaches Poll earning 3,775 votes.

1/28/2016

By Jared Purcell | japurcell@mlive.com

DETROIT -- There are so many accomplished boys basketball coaches in the MLive Detroit coverage area that it is hard to pick out the best.

Or is it?

We want to you to vote for which MLive Detroit area basketball coach you would hire to lead your program. There are plenty of great choices so choose wisely.
Vote once every hour in the poll below until noon on Jan. 15.

Since this is strictly a fan poll, the order of finish will not have any influence on MLive Detroit's postseason honors. It is strictly for bragging rights.

Below is a list of current choices from, strictly, the MLive Detroit coverage area. If you think we left someone off of the poll, please request nominations in the comments below. We'll take nominations until the end of the day on Tuesday, Jan 12.

Dan Fife, Clarkston
Tedaro France, New Haven
Pat Donnelly, Detroit U-D Jesuit
Greg Esler, Warren De La Salle
Derrick McDowell, Detroit Western International
Josh Baker, Southfield Christian
Wydell Henry, Detroit Pershing
Venias Jordan, Detroit Renaissance
Todd Negoshian, North Farmington
Paul Tocco, Macomb Dakota
LaMonta Stone, River Rouge
Duane Graves, Clawson
Tobias Tuomi, Detroit Consortium
Kenneth Flowers, Detroit Henry Ford
George Ward, Detroit Martin Luther King
Paul Robak, Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes
Mark Kraatz, Allen Park Inter-City Baptist
John Buscemi, Detroit Loyola
Marc West, Birmingham Groves

New Haven breezes to another win

1/26/2016

William Moore

By Kevin Lozon
@MIPrepZoneMD

New Haven’s Romeo Weems may only be a freshman, but he played like a varsity veteran on Tuesday night.

Weems poured in 17 points to lead the Rockets to a 71-33 MAC crossover boys basketball win over Anchor Bay.

“Romeo plays well for us,” New Haven coach Tedaro France III said. “I know he can score, but he passes the ball well and rebounds well. He gets his teammates involved and plays defense hard.”

Weems asserted himself right from the open tap, scoring 12 points in the first quarter, staking New Haven to 26-10 lead. Eric Williams Jr. added eight points the period, including a triple. France said defense dictated the opening-quarter run.

“The kids played hard,” France said. “We want to spark our game by how we play on defense. Team defense is what we preach every day. The kids know if they don’t play defense for me, they won’t play. That’s the key on how our program is built.”

The Rockets didn’t let up in the second quarter, outscoring Anchor Bay 17-8 in the frame, including six points by 6-foot, 11-inch Innocent Nwoko, increasing their lead to 43-18 at halftime.

“They’re very good,” Anchor Bay coach Bob Jolet said. “We knew going in that you can’t teach height. You can teach a lot of things, but height isn’t one of those things. Our bigs and juniors aren’t big or strong enough. They manhandled us.”

Anchor Bay never threatened to overtake New Haven in the second half, getting outscored 17-11 in the third quarter, and 11-4 in the final stanza.

“They’re all great kids and we work hard,” France said. “We have a young group this year and the more we play, the more experienced with get. We have to let them play through some mistakes to build that cohesiveness to be a good team.”

Beside Weems’ big night, the Rockets also received 12 points from Nwoko, while Williams Jr. had 11 points, and Jerry Ben added nine points. The win improved New Haven’s record to 10-1 overall.

“We still haven’t put together that complete game, yet,” France said. “We want to win the day. We want to win each drill, each pass and win each day. We still have things to work on, including that cohesiveness that we need to be a good team.”

Anchor Bay was led by Brendan Vermander with 10 points, while Jordan Irwin added five points. The loss dropped the Tars’ record to 7-5 overall. Jolet said his postgame talk centered around Friday night’s MAC Blue Division game against visiting Grosse Pointe South, which trails the division-leading Tars by a game in the standings.

“We told the kids that this one is done and over with,” Jolet said. “We erased the board and there’s only one thing on our mind and that is Grosse Pointe South (on Friday night). That’s our most important game of the year. Tonight was a scrimmage with uniforms on.”

Freshman Romeo Weems named Week 6 Bank Hoops Class B Underclassman of the Week

1/24/2016

Romeo Weems

Class A Player of the Week
Demetrius Lake 5-9 Jr Holland: Lake is the first player of the week repeat winner this season, for any division. He made his case by breaking a 55-year old Holland High scoring mark with 50 points against Zeeland West. None of them were cheap, as Lake’s final three-pointer was the game-winner. It’s not Lake’s first erasure in the Dutch record book, as last year he broke the two-decade old single-season scoring mark.

Belleville’s Davion Williams did nothing to dissuade his top three overall status in Michigan’s 2018 class by scoring 27 against Romulus.Class A Underclassman of the Week
Davion Williams 6-2 So Belleville: The Tigers want it to be a real rivalry with their neighbor Romulus, one of the state’s elite programs. It just got real with Williams scoring 27 in Belleville’s three-point win. That followed 26 earlier in the week in a win over Thurston.
Class B Player of the Week
Kenny Davis 6-0 Sr Big Rapids: He scored 43 points, two off the school record, including 11 three-pointers in a blowout of Morley Stanwood.
Class B Underclassman of the Week
Romeo Weems 6-6 Fr New Haven: He won this honor just a week ago yet it’s hard to deny Weems with his 24 points and 12 rebounds against St. Clair then 19 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and seven steals against St. Clair Shores Lakeview, both New Haven wins.
Class C Player of the Week
Elijah Smith 6-5 Jr Melvindale ABT: Who says QBs are soft? He ate glass all week in an homage to Ben Wallace’s jersey retirement. Smith had 20 and 20 as ABT beat Hamtramck, then 25 and 20 in an OT win against Taylor Prep.

Elijah felt the force.Class C Underclassman of the Week
Xander Okerlund 6-1 Fr Maple City Glen Lake: He plays with poise well beyond a ninth-grader, and stepped up with a career-high 19 points with eight rebounds and two blocked shots in a defeat of Suttons Bay.
Class D Player of the Week
Derrick Edington 6-7 Jr Pickford: He had two 26-point games in Pickford wins over Harbor Springs, when Edington added 22 rebounds and five blocked shots, and Cedarville, with 26 rebounds and 11 blocked shots.
Class D Player of the Week
Jaylon Rogers 6-0 So Frankfort: This is a return appearance in this space for Rogers, thanks to a 27-point effort as Frankfort handed Buckley its first loss of the season.

Rockets ‘happy’ to come away with the win at WWT

1/20/2016

New Haven cools off Warren Woods-Tower. Junior Guard Eric Williams Jr lead the way with 17 points

Eric Williams Jr

By Andrea Nelson
@MIPrepZoneMD

Road wins in the MAC Gold may be hard to come by, but they’re crucial to the success of teams vying for a league championship.

On Tuesday night, New Haven got a little taste of the significance that goes along with winning on the road.

The Rockets earned a signature win, claimed the top spot in the division and handed Warren Woods-Tower its first league loss of the season with a 58-47 victory.

“It’s always tough to come in here and win,” said New Haven coach Tedaro France II. It’s not the best we’ve played this year but a road win in our league is always huge so we’re just happy to come away with the win here.”

New Haven scored 15 straight points to take a 19-5 lead early in the first half, which proved to be the difference in the game.

The Rockets led by as many as 19 points in the fourth quarter.

“We kind of got ourselves in a hole but the guys competed and kept working hard and didn’t give up so that was good,” said Warren Woods-Tower coach Nick Evola. “But we just gotta do a better job executing. There was too much inconsistency.”

Junior Eric Williams Jr. led New Haven with 17 points. Innocent Nwoko grabbed 11 rebounds and Jerry Ben recorded nine rebounds and five blocks.

Freshman Romeo Weems scored 13 points to go along with 10 rebounds, five assists and five blocks.

“He does so many things well for us just to be a freshman, but he plays like a senior,” France said of Weems. “He does a lot of things well, a great leader and one of our hardest workers, too.”

Jauron Vicks led Warren Woods-Tower with 17 points and CJ Barnes scored 10.

The Rockets will look to stay on top of the division when it hosts Sterling Heights on Thursday, and the Titans return to action when they travel to St. Clair next Tuesday.

Romeo Weems: The next basketball phenom

1/19/2016

By Branden Hunter -
January 19, 2016

Romeo Weems is only 14-years-old, & already one of the best players in the state.

ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. – While taking in a game between St. Clair Shores Lakeview, and New Haven, the Lakeview crowd was in awe by what No.23 for New Haven was doing on the court. On several occasions he stole the ball near half court, and went down the other way for a thunderous dunk, or the way he was able to dribble the ball, pass the ball, and shoot the ball, for someone his size, at 6-foot-6, 196-pounds.

The three Lakeview students sitting to my right wondered who this player was that was dominating this game at all phases. I then leaned over and answered their question.

“That’s Romeo Weems,” I said. “The top freshman in the state.”

They responded with peculiar faces, in disbelief that the kid they were watching was only in the 9th grade. Weems finished that game with 19 points, 12 rebounds, six steals, and five assists in a blowout win. Just three days prior, Weems recorded a triple-double, with 24 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, and six assists, his third of the year. He has been filling the stat sheets up all season, and has been living up the hype so far, averaging 17 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and four steals this season.

“Romeo’s a great, great kid,” said his head coach at New Haven, Tadero France. “I mean, he is talented, but, the thing I like about him is that he wants to be coached. He’s the first one in the lab, and last one to leave, and makes the people around him better.

“He does so many things on the floor, and can play the 1, 2, 3, 4, or the 5, when we go small. He wants to be coached hard, and he’s like a sponge when it comes to messing up, and learning from your mistakes. The sky is the limit for him.”

The highly-touted, Weems, plays his AAU ball for The Detroit Family, where he will be playing with the 16-Under team in the spring and summer, after he completes his first year of high school. Weems was originally going to play at Detroit Country Day, but due to the distance of his home in Macomb County, all the way to Country Day, the almost one hour trip was not feasible on a daily basis. So Weems chose to play at New Haven, where he and his teammates are off to a terrific start, at 7-1.

The Rockets made a deep run in the Class B state playoffs last season, and with the addition of Weems, along with 6-11 Innocent Nwoko (Central Michigan), 6-9 Jerry Ben (Cornell), and Eric Williams, just to name a few, they will be hard to knock off this season.

“I thought it would be a good organization to play at,” Weems said of New Haven. “I like the fellows here, the coaches are good, and I just like it here. I think I fit in good here, and Coach France pushes us to work hard. He’s a tough coach, but he lets us have fun, and we play hard for him.”
“We’re a pretty good team, and I don’t think too many teams can beat us. We have size, skill, shooters, and my guys work hard. We have a little bit of everything.”

Weems, who hails from Detroit, but moved to the New Haven area a few years ago, and actually played football first for a couple of years, as a quarterback and defensive end with the Clinton Township Cowboys. But Weems continued to grow, and got better and better at basketball. Many regard him as the best freshman in the state, and the best since Josh Jackson, now the No.1 high school player in the nation, graced Michigan’s presence at Detroit Consortium in 2012. Weems’ game is reminiscent of Jackson’s, too, when he was a freshman. They’re both around the same size, can play multiple positions on the floor, have a skill set that is out of this world, and are still able to remain humble to the game at a young age.

“I was like ‘wow’ when I first found out he (Weems) was coming here,” France laughed. “It’s a blessing to be able to coach a kid like him, and a blessing to be able to coach kids period. Romeo plays like a senior, and to me, his best attribute is his IQ. People ask me if he is really a freshman, and I say, yes. But, his IQ is so high, that I’m able to do a lot of things with him because of his knowledge of the game.

“He’s a very, very humble kid. He knows how highly regarded he is, and he hears it, but yet, he works like he’s not even him. People always tell him how great he is, but he always come to me asking how he can get better. He treats it like he’s not that great, and it’s good to see that from young kids nowadays, because kids heads get so big, and he’s a humble and hard working kid, and I’m blessed to be apart of his life now.”

In today’s age of social media, and recruiting sites popping up on a daily, filling kids heads up with false entitlement, it is easy for a young 14-year-old basketball phenom like Weems to get sidetracked, and stop working as hard. You see it on a daily, kids paying too much attention to rankings, and forgetting that success begins and ends with your work ethic. Weems said he starting hearing from colleges as early as last season as an 8th-grader. New Haven has become even more of a must-see program this year, because of the “top freshman” that they have. Weems is already a national recruit, but still none of that matters to him.

“I just play basketball,” Weems said. “That means nothing to me. I want to be the No.1 freshman in the country, and I’m not there yet. I just have to keep working hard. I think I’m close to that, but I have to work on my ball-handling, my shot, and pretty much everything.”

www.soodetroit.com

Branden Hunter is a sports journalist for SooDetroit Magazine. "I'm not as fast,i'm not as tall,but before I pass,I gotta ball."

Cornell recruit Jerry Ben fires up Rockets by ‘going and going’

1/18/2016

By Chuck Klonke
@MIPrepZoneMD on Twitter
Cornell’s basketball program is going to get a shot of energy when Jerry Ben arrives in Ithaca, N.Y., later this year.

New Haven was leading St. Clair by more than 20 points when a loose ball hit the floor. In a split second, there was Ben — all 6-foot-9 — diving on the court to prevent a Saints player from grabbing it and going in for a transition basket.

“That’s how much he cares,” said New Haven coach Tedaro France II. “That’s how hard he plays. As a coach, you can’t teach that. He has a motor that just keeps going and going. He’s a great kid.”

That wasn’t the only time that Ben showed the hustle and willingness to scrap for a ball that’s usually the trademark of an undersized player.

“If I’m not real skilled yet, or if I don’t have all the mental part I want to bring something to the game,” he said. “I’m an energy player. I can’t just keep quiet.”

Ben and 6-11 Innocent Nwoko have come a long way since they played their first games for the Rockets as sophomores. Basketball was new to both of them. They had played mostly soccer in their native Nigeria. Now they’re senior leaders on a basketball team that’s loaded with underclassmen and off to a 6-1 start.

Ben and Nwoko, who has a scholarship to Central Michigan University, are both students at Austin Catholic, but because Austin didn’t have enough students to field a boys basketball team they were able to play at New Haven through a co-op agreement.

There was a lot more than just learning how to shoot and dribble a basketball for Ben to grasp when he joined the Rockets.

“The hardest was getting the mental part of the game,” Ben said. “Getting to know what position I’m supposed to be in to rebound and to play defense.”

Ben gives credit to France for helping him develop from a raw talent to a college recruit.

“Coach France works with me every day in practice,” Ben said. “He wants me to get better. And I’ve taken it upon myself to be a better person and a better basketball player.”

France marvels at how far Ben and Nwoko have come since their first practice with the New Haven team.

“Both have improved by leaps and bounds,” France said. “When they first came here, they barely touched the ball. They’re both like a sponge. We had to teach them, not only how to play, but the rules. Soccer was their sport. To see how far they’ve come is amazing — and they’re still raw. I don’t think they know how good they can be.”

Ben, along with his teammates, has benefitted from a change France instituted in the team’s film study.

“We used to watch film as a group,” France said. “This year, I’m sending them the film to a link we have through an app. Each player has a note pad. The more they can watch it themselves, the more it will help them. They can take notes and learn from it, not just from what I tell them.”

It showed in Tuesday’s game against St. Clair. The Rockets seemed to know what the Saints were going to do every time they had the basketball. It led to several turnovers and easy baskets in transition.

“That helps with their anticipation,” France said. “They’ve seen it on film. We did our scouting prep. Now they can make plays because of the work they’ve put into it.”

Ben is looking forward to playing basketball for Cornell, but that wasn’t all that went into his decision to join the Big Red.

“I visited the school and I liked it,” Ben said. “It has a good academic system. It will help me become a better person on top of being a basketball player.”

Prep Insider: Freshmen Romeo Weems, Hartman standing out already

1/17/2016

David Goricki, The Detroit News

What do Romeo Weems of New Haven and Laya Hartman of Okemos have in common?

Well, they are freshman phenoms on the basketball court, leading their respective teams while playing like senior leaders.
Weems, 14, is the top freshman boys basketball player in the state, but his goal is to become the top player in the country in his class.

At 6-foot-6 and 196 pounds, Weems is a dominant force with the ability to play any of the five positions. He plays small forward, but can handle the ball as a point guard and defend in the paint. He also causes havoc in the press, playing up top while using his long wingspan to force turnovers.

Weems is averaging 17 points, 11.5 rebounds, six assists and four steals for New Haven (7-1, 3-0 MAC Gold), which advanced to the Class B state quarterfinals a year ago. He posted his third triple-double of the season in a win over St. Clair Tuesday night.

On Friday, Weems put on a strong showing with 19 points, 12 rebounds, seven steals and six assists in an 82-56 rout at St. Clair Shores Lakeview. He set the tempo in the opening quarter, scoring nine points on 4-of-4 shooting while also getting three steals, dishing out three assists and grabbing three rebounds for a 30-13 lead for New Haven, which forced several turnovers with its full-court pressure.
Weems scored in all types of ways, off a putback, on a driving layup, a dunk off a steal and then a 3-pointer from the right wing.

“Romeo is a very talented and skilled player, but what makes him special is his work ethic, coach-ability and his high knowledge of the game of basketball,” coach Tedaro France said of Weems, who has played four years of AAU ball for the Detroit Family. “He is one of the first individuals in the gym and the last to leave. I literally have to turn off the lights on him some days to get him to leave, along with Eric Williams Jr. and Tavares Oliver.

“He plays with passion, poise and a determination you expect from seniors with years of experience. I expected him to be able to score but what has impressed me the most is his ability to rebound, pass the ball by setting teammates up the way he does, his defensive presence with great anticipation, awareness and with his ability to defend all five positions at 6-6.”

France has New Haven playing inside-out for good reason with 6-11 senior Innocent Nwoko and 6-9 senior Jerry Ben as interior threats. Nwoko, who moved from Nigeria his sophomore year, is improving every day in just his second year of playing organized ball. He had 13 points, 10 rebounds and several blocks in the win over Lakeview.
Weems has no problems being the third or fourth option in the half-court set, especially since he gets enough touches in transition or by getting steals and rebounds at the defensive end.

“I just try to get my teammates involved and make sure we get the win,” Weems said. “If they need me to score, I’ll score. So far they haven’t needed me to really score. I feel my strength is rebounding.
“We have an offense where we set things up against the man or zone and pass, cut, but we’re going to look to the bigs because they are big and they’re going to get open a lot. We play inside-out ball.”
When talked about being the top freshman in the state, Weems replied: “I just play basketball and stay in the gym. I want to be the No. 1 freshman in the country and I’m not there yet so I have to keep working. I have to work on my ballhandling and my shot, really everything.”
Weems has yet to receive a Division 1 offer, but once one comes it’s certain that others will follow.

“He’s big-time,” said Ypsilanti Lincoln 6-6 senior Ty Groce, a Northeastern commit who is averaging 22 points, 11 rebounds, 5.5 blocks and 5.3 steals. “We played them earlier this season (65-46 New Haven win) and he’s really aggressive, versatile where he can do it all. They pressed us and he was up top and forced some turnovers with his length. It’s amazing that he’s just a freshman.”

Hartman proves clutch

Hartman, a 5-11 point guard, is averaging 19 points for Okemos (4-5), including a double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds) in a 62-49 win over Holt earlier this month.
Hartman was never more dominating than Friday when she scored 31, including eight straight during the final 38 seconds in a 46-45 win at Jackson.
With Okemos trailing 45-38, Hartman started the run with a jumper from the paint to cut the gap to five. She then went coast-to-coast, hitting a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left to pull within 45-43. Then, after yet another defensive stop, she brought the ball up and made an NBA-range three with five seconds left for the game winner.
“I think for being a freshman and playing at the varsity level, just the level of composure she has stands out,” Okemos coach Tyler Hersey said. “She took over the game during the final minute (against Jackson), made two 3-pointers, one with twenty seconds to go and another with about five and on both shots she just looked so confident, expecting them to go in. She just has tremendous talent and composure that’s rare to see in a freshman.”
College coaches already know all about her. She has offers from eight Division 1 schools, including Michigan State, Michigan, Purdue, Villanova and Oregon State.
Hartman talked about playing on varsity as a 14-year-old.
“I think it’s really brought a lot of good opportunities for me to learn a lot about leadership and playing up to the physicality,” she said. “It’s a new experience, something I’ve never done before. My teammates are really positive and we play well as a team.”
So, what does Hartman think are her strengths?
“I feel I do a really good job of using my speed and trying to get up and down the court and my pull-up jumper. I know I have to get a little bit stronger so I can be more physical.”
Hartman spent her early years in Connecticut and her parents took her to some UConn women’s games.
Hartman moved to Michigan in secondary school. Her father, Doug Hartman, is a professor at MSU.
“I’ve been playing basketball since about the third grade,” said Hartman. “We used to live in Connecticut so we went to some UConn games and that’s when I started to like basketball. We lived right next to the campus and I remember watching Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi play.”
Hartman has been playing AAU ball since fifth grade, the last few years for the Lady Gym Rats based out of Indianapolis.
More frosh contributors
There are other talented freshmen playing big roles for their teams, including 5-8 guard Drew Lowder of Ann Arbor Pioneer (11-0), who has been a thorn in the side of crosstown rival Skyline, scoring 23 in a 90-81 win earlier this month and 14 on 6-of-9 shooting in a 71-64 overtime win in December.
Unfortunately, Lowder will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks because of a stress fracture in his foot.
“He is super-skilled,” coach Red Stanczak said of the 14-year-old Lowder, whose father, Tracey, is principal of Pioneer and the former head basketball coach at Jackson. “He can really shoot it and can handle it with both hands. He’s going to be a great player before he’s through.”
... Chandler Turner, a 6-4 freshman, was an immediate contributor for Detroit Renaissance, scoring 12 and making four 3-pointers in a season-opening 64-58 win over Chicago Kenwood.
Turner gives PSL power Renaissance added size to a team led by 6-8 senior center A.J. Jackson, 6-5 sophomore Jalen Tobias and 6-4 senior guard Justin Turner, who is no relation to Chandler.
... Southfield Christian has been a dominant team under Josh Baker’s guidance, led by senior Marlo Brown. But freshman guard Caleb Hunter is also playing a role, scoring 10 in a win over Plymouth Christian.
Hunter is the son of former Pistons guard Lindsey Hunter.
“Caleb has played in every game and is going to be good,” Baker said. “He has several colleges interested in him already.”
Top game last week
Walled Lake Western 64, Walled Lake Central 60: This has developed into a great rivalry with Western defeating Central for the KLAA Lakes title last year despite a 41-point night by Walter Kelser and Central coming back to avenge the loss in the Class A district championship game.
Western (7-2) led 28-12 Saturday night and had to hold off a late Central (6-2) rally. Kelser and Anton Lucaj each scored 21, bringing Central within 62-59 with 5.7 seconds left. Cody White scored 15 for Western, which also received 13 points and eight assists from Kam Ford, 14 points from Delano Smith and 15 rebounds from Donovan Williams.
Top game this week
Clarkston (7-1) at Rochester Adams (8-0), 7 p.m. Tuesday: Adams will be Clarkston’s next test after the defending OAA Red champion defeated state powers North Farmington (60-47) and Detroit Renaissance (55-33) on consecutive days Friday and Saturday.
Adams is led by 6-4 senior guard Spencer Littleson, who had a double-double (25 points, 10 rebounds) in a 57-45 win over rival Rochester Friday at the O’rena. Littleson will be going up against 6-4 Clarkston senior Dylan Alderson.
By the numbers
2 -- Players lost from Saginaw Arthur Hill’s team with five-star guard Brian Bowen leaving for LaLumiere (Indiana) prior to the season and Will Rodgers departing for Colorado this past week
11 -- Consecutive wins to start the season by Ann Arbor Pioneer heading into its rivalry game at Ann Arbor Huron Friday
35 -- Points scored in consecutive games by Warren De La Salle standout and CMU-bound Kevin McKay, including last Tuesday on 13-of-17 shooting in a 59-40 rout of West Bloomfield

david.goricki@detroitnews.com
twitter.com/DavidGoricki

Freshman Laya Hartman is averaging 19 points per game for Okemos. (Photo: Photo courtesy of Okemos High School)

New Haven Blows Past St Clair

1/12/2016

Eric Williams Jr

By Chuck Klonke
@MIPrepZoneMD
The last few practices have been tuneup time for the New Haven basketball machine.

“In our last two games we gave up the first eight points to Madison on layups and the first 10 points against Port Huron on layups so we had to get that fixed,” Rockets coach Tedaro France II said after New Haven’s 76-35 win against St. Clair Tuesday in a Macomb Area Conference Gold Division game.

“This whole week we didn’t do anything with the ball. We worked on our defense and tonight it showed. I told the kids not to worry about the offense. If we play good defense the offense will come. “

It was the perfect night to get back to the defensive basics. The Saints are young in the backcourt and they had trouble getting the ball up the court.

“We just can’t simulate their size and quickness in practice,” said St. Clair coach Shawn Sharrow. “We had too many turnovers on the front end of our offense, bringing the ball up. We were down 14 points at the half (33-19) and 10 or 12 of them had to be when we got picked for an easy layup.

“We’re young. Three of our guards are sophomores. We’ll learn from that and keep battling. Hopefully, as the season goes on, we’ll run our offense a little better.”

New Haven pulled away with a 22-4 run that bridged the first and second quarters and opened a 30-9 lead with 3:42 to play in the first half. Freshman Romeo Weems capped the spurt with a basket off one of his 10 steals.

Weems finished with a triple-double. He scored 22 points, had 12 rebounds and dished out six assists.

“He’s a very skilled kid, but the best thing about him is he wants to be coached,” France said. “The sky is the limit for him. He told me ‘coach me hard. Don’t tell me just what I’m doing right but tell me my flaws.’ He and Eric Williams are the first ones here and the last ones to leave. I have to turn the lights out on them to get them to leave.”

St. Clair ended New Haven’s run with a 10-0 surge of its own, featuring a pair of 3-point baskets by Cameron Parslow.

The victory was the sixth in seven games for the Rockets, who had to replace four of the five starters from last year’s 25-1 team that went to the state Class B quarterfinals.

“We’re getting back to what we do best — playing team defense,” France said. “We have a young group and the more experience they get the more tight-knit group they’ll be. I love to see the progress they’re making. I tell them that if they do make mistakes, make them at full speed, don’t dwell on them, learn a lesson and move on.”

Weems led four double-figure scorers for New Haven. Innocent Nwoko had 17 points, Williams scored 15 and Jerry Ben added 10. Nwoko and Ben each pulled down 11 rebounds and Williams grabbed nine.

Ben Davidson led St. Clair with 16 points.

Freshman Wing Romeo Weems named Class B Bankhoops Underclassman of the Week

1/11/2016

Steve Bell
www.bankhoops.com

Bank Hoops Players of the Week, 5

Detroit East English Village’s Greg Elliott is one of the state’s fastest rising junior prospects.Class A Player of the Week: Greg Elliott 6-3 Jr Detroit East English Village Always a plus player and mid-major prospect as an underclassman, Elliott has elevated his game and is looking like the next Edmond Sumner. He had 35 points and 16 rebounds in a 71-65 defeat of Kalamazoo Central. He scored 22 earlier in the week in a win over Detroit Pershing.
Class A Underclassman of the Week: Foster Loyer 5-11 So Clarkston In the most prolific scoring game in school history against a team not from Oakland or Livingston counties, Loyer put up 44 in the Wolves’ defeat of Romulus.

Class B Player of the Week: Demetri Martin 6-4 Jr Big Rapids: His team needed all of his 29 points in a two-point win against Tri-County. Martin also had 16 rebounds.
Class B Underclassman of the Week: Romeo Weems 6-5 Fr New Haven Production is catching up to hype for this prodigy, one of the top three freshmen in the state, as he had 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in New Haven’s win against Madison Heights Madison.
Class C Player of the Week: Shae Somers 6-0 Sr Elk RapidsPerhaps as a punishment for Kalkaska’s ridiculous financial demands of Parallel 45’s 8th-grade team to practice at their gym, Somers torched the Blazers for 35 points.
Class C Underclassman of the Week: Delano Williams 6-1 Fr Mt. Clemens A career-high for a young career, Williams scored 24 points as the Bathers beat Sterling Heights.
Class D Player of the Week: Matt Havey 6-0 Jr Lansing ChristianHis 24 points led the Pilgrims to a win at Class C Western Michigan Christian, then followed up with 18 in a defeat of Maple Valley.

Class D Underclassman of the Week: Marcus Harris 5-10 Fr Brimley He scored 19 points in a win against Rudyard, then had 14 before fouling out in a loss to St. Ignace.

Senior Guard Alante Stevens named Macomb Daily MIPREPZONE Player of the Week

1/11/2016

www.miprepzone.com

Basketball - Boys
New Haven
Stevens led all scorers with 22 points as the Rockets opened defense of the MAC Gold championship with a 79-53 victory over Madison.

Rockets blow past Big Reds

1/5/2016

Joseph Hayes, Times Herald

They were simply too big, too quick and too fast.
There wasn't much the Port Huron High School boys basketball team could do to try to slow New Haven down on Tuesday at Port Huron High School. But that didn't stop the Big Reds from trying everything.
On defense, the Big Reds trapped and pressed the Rockets and also worked in zone. On offense Port Huron tried to push the ball and also attempted to slow the game down with ball control. But despite the different strategies, nothing seemed to work and New Haven blew past Port Huron, 65-50.
"Turnovers killed us," Port Huron senior Jon Miller said after scoring nine points. "Once they put some pressure on us it opened up the lead and we turned the ball over more and it wasn't good for us."
Tyler Lee had 11 points to lead Port Huron and Damion Farrior each scored nine. Eric Williams led New Haven with a game-high 22 points and Innocent Nwoko added 11 points for the Rockets (3-1).
Port Huron got off to a fast start in the Macomb Area Conference crossover and led 10-6 midway through the first quarter. But that would be the high point of the game for the Big Reds. After losing the lead shortly thereafter, they would trail the Rockets the rest of the way.
New Haven went on a 7-0 run to take a 19-12 lead into the second quarter.
"Early on, we didn't feel like we were playing well defensively," New Haven coach Tedaro France II said. "They scored their first 10 points on layups. I had to call timeout and let them know that we have to play defense. Sometimes the kids want to score, score and score but they forget they can score off of our defensive pressure."
Port Huron responded early in the quarter and went on a 5-0 run to pull within 21-18.
But the narrow lead just seemed to wake New Haven up. They picked right back up where they left off and pressured Port Huron into turnovers. That allowed the Rockets to lead 28-20 at halftime.
Williams opened the second half with a 3-pointer for the Rockets, to give New Haven a 31-20 lead. The Rockets continued to pressure the Big Reds and Port Huron began to become undone. The New Haven pressure led to several Port Huron turnovers and that only helped the Rockets get out in transition for more easy baskets.
"We picked up the pressure after we got chewed out at the half," Williams said. "We need to not try to steal the ball as much. We just had to play defense and not give them the baseline."
By the time the third quarter concluded, the damage had already been done and New Haven led Port Huron 50-28. The Big Reds never pulled within striking distance in the fourth quarter, despite New Haven pulling its starters. But the Big Reds were able to pull closer to end the game on a high note.
"Our gameplan was we can't allow them to get in the open floor and use their athleticism and that's what turnovers do," Port Huron coach Tony Giancarlo said. "The kids in spurts tonight did things well. It's a learning process and we are trying to build. We go through spurts that we do things right. We have to play through adversity and fight. At the end I thought we finished well."
Contact Joseph Hayes at (810) 989-6268 or at jahayes@gannett.com. Follow him on twitter @Joseph_Hayes. Listen to him every weekday from 4-8 p.m. on 88.3 FM.

6-4 Junior Guard Eric Williams Jr Named Class B Bank Hoops Player of the Week.

1/3/2016

Steve Bell
Bankhoops.com

Bank Hoops Players of the Week, 4 Class A Player of the Week

Southfield junior Michael Flowers is one of the state’s top scorers.Michael Flowers 6-0 Jr Southfield: He hasn’t hit 50 yet again, like he did earlier in the season against Detroit Allen, but did have 66 combined points over two games at the Motor City Roundball. Flowers scored 35 against Gary Bowman (including 22 following the end of the third quarter in the Jays’ OT win) and 31 against West Bloomfield.
Class A Underclassman of the Week
Jason Dietz 6-2 So Troy: We loved his poise and shot-making at our last two camps, and that’s clearly carried over to the high school season as Deitz put in a main-stage performance in the aux gym of the Motor City Roundball Classic, scoring 30 in a defeat of Detroit Denby.
Class B Player of the Week
Eric Williams 6-3 Jr New Haven: An athletic, creative finisher and sleeper in the 2017 class after transferring from St. Clair, Williams scored a career-high 39 points in New Haven’s win against St. Clair Shores South Lake.
Class B Underclassman of the Week
Lamar Norman 6-2 So Wyoming Godwin Heights: He had 21 points in the gold division championship game of the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament, in which Godwin Heights beat Forest Hills Central. Norman scored 15 in the semifinals against Rockford.
Class C Player of the Week
Colin Ancheutz 6-2 Sr Adrian Madison: He had 10 and 10 as Madison knocked off one of the state’s to Class C programs, Laingsburg, in the semifinals of Siena Heights’ tournament, then came back with 15 and 10 as Madison came up short to Class A Brighton in the final.
Class C Underclassman of the Week
Keith Johnson 6-2 So Detroit Loyola: He stepped up against some tough Class A competition scoring 13 points in the Bulldogs’ close loss to North Farmington.
Class D Player of the Week
Andrew Klein 6-4 Sr Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes: He delivered a big NO to Detroit University YES Academy with 28 points, nine rebounds and five assits.
Class D Underclassman of the Week
Daniel Everhart 5-10 So Marine City Cardinal Mooney: He had 25 points and 10 assists as Cardinal Mooney beat Algonac, which followed another 25-point effort the previous game in a loss to Ecorse.