Solid league victory on the road over Utica Ford 97-44. Moving to 10-1 and 6-0 in league play. Short handed but boys played hard, smart & together. Big thanks to Zander Weaver for coming up from JV and helping us this game. We really appreciate it and good game! #FAMILY
*Weems 47pts 12reb 5ast 6stl 2pts away from becoming NH’s all-time leading scorer. *Jeffery 20pts 6reb 7ast 4stl *Wiles 12pts 2reb 2ast *Farrior 9pts 6ast *Dandridge 6pts 4reb 2stl *France 2pts 2ast *Weaver 1pt Jared Purcel, MLive
Championships are won in March, but the race for Michigan's most prestigious individual high school basketball award is just starting to heat up. The Hal Schramm Mr. Basketball Award is presented annually to the state's top senior hoops player, and the 2019 race has several frontrunners and a few dark horses to keep an eye on. The players below are presented in alphabetical order of last name. MLive's Mr. Basketball watch list neither officially associated with BCAM nor its Mr. Basketball voting process. Also, if there is a senior we are missing or you would like to pass along stat updates on anyone, please let us know in the comments section or email japurcell@mlive.com with your thoughts. Voted on annually by members of the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan, the award is presented in March during the week leading into the state championships. Romeo Weems, G/F, New Haven 6-7 College commitment: DePaul Finalist potential: High Trending: Up Weems helped New Haven run its winning streak to eight games last week by tallying 36 points, 12 rebounds, seven steals and six assists on Tuesday against Warren Mott, then adding 26 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, five steals and four blocks on Friday against Romeo. Those types of games have become the norm for the versatile wing and are why he's believed to be the front runner for Mr. Basketball. SirQuarius Ball, F, Bridgeport 6-5 College commitment: Uncommitted Finalist potential: Moderate Trending: Stable Ball's stellar senior season continued into 2019, as he led 8-0 Bridgeport to a 70-41 win over Frankenmuth with 25 points on 11 of 14 shooting. Ball is averaging 22.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game, and although his college plans are still undecided, he is expected to reveal his next-level plans later this month. Caleb Bates, F, St. Clair Shores Lake Shore 6-6 College commitment: Uncommitted Finalist potential: High Trending: Up Bates put together two more strong games for Lake Shore last week, tallying 24 points, 22 rebounds and two blocks in Tuesday's win over Warren Cousino, then adding 31 points, 17 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in Friday's win over Utica. The versatile post scorer is now averaging 26.6 points, 14.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game for the 8-2 Shorians. Caleb Hodgson, C, Dansville 6-10 College commitment: Central Michigan Finalist potential: High Trending: Stable The future CMU Chippewa continued his strong senior season with a 28-point, 17-rebound effort that included his 1,000th career board in Monday's win over Potterville, then followed it up with a 22-point performance in Friday's win over Fulton Middleton. Hodgson is now averaging 24.7 points and 16.6 rebounds per game for the 7-4 Aggies. Dylan Jergens, G, Marcellus Howardsville Christian 6-1 College commitment: Central Michigan Finalist potential: Low Trending: Up The big caveat regarding Jergens' eye-opening senior season is that he comes from a school of 45 students and the Eagles' competitors are similarly sized Division 4 squads, but you can only play who is in front of you, and Jergens has been lighting up the scoreboard against everyone. The CMU preferred walk-on commit scored 59 and 50 points in back to back games at the Wyoming Lee Holiday Tournament, and he's averaging just over 38 points per game, which is the best in the state. Jergens' 36-point night on Monday required him to play just three quarters of an 81-40 win over Wellspring Prep, and it moved him into 12th on the state's career scoring list at 2,210 points. If Jergens averages more than 36 points per game and his team reaches the Division 4 state finals, he'll have a good chance to break the state's career scoring record of 2,841 points, which was set by Mio's Jay Smith from 1976-79. Isaiah Lewis, G, Wayne Memorial 6-1 College commitment: Uncommitted Finalist potential: Moderate Trending: Up After setting a single-game school record and reaching the 1,000-point milestone with his 50-point performance against Dearborn on Dec. 18, Lewis continues to be the engine that powers Wayne Memorial, as he went for 27 points and five assists in Tuesday's win over Livonia Stevenson, then tallied 29 points, five assists and five steals in Friday's victory over Dearborn Fordson. He is currently averaging 25.8 points and 6.5 assists for the 6-2 Zebras. Drew Lowder, G, Ann Arbor Pioneer 6-0 College commitment: Holy Cross Finalist potential: Moderate Trending: Stable Lowder didn't light up the scoreboard the way he did late in 2018, but the Pioneer guard's 13 points were enough to pick up a 65-55 win over rival Ann Arbor Skyline on Friday. Pioneer is now 8-2 and will be a force in an ultra-competitive SEC Red race. Joe Moon IV, G, Westland John Glenn 6-0 College commitment: Uncommitted Finalist potential: High Trending: Up Moon achieved a pair of milestones in Friday's 81-78 double-overtime loss to Belleville, when he netted a school-record 44 points and eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career. That game was just the latest in what has been an impressive senior season, in which he's averaging 28.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists for the 4-2 Rockets. Donavan Moore, G, West Bloomfield 6-3 College commitment: Toledo Finalist potential: Moderate Trending: Stable West Bloomfield sits at 5-5 through its first 10 games, which isn't a recipe for a Mr. Basketball recipient, but Moore has put the team on his back against some of the state's toughest competition, including a 31-point performance against Warren De La Salle, 29 points in a buzzer-beating loss to Macomb Dakota and 27 in a win over Troy and a loss to Clarkston. Kasean Pryor, F, Ann Arbor Pioneer 6-9 College commitment: Uncommitted Finalist potential: Moderate Trending: Up The smooth-shooting forward scorched rival Ann Arbor Skyline for 22 points in Friday's win, showing versatility uncommon for high school players his size. He shares the court with one of the state's best point guards in Drew Lowder, so getting open looks shouldn't be an issue, and playing a schedule littered with quality teams should only help his profile going forward. Chandler Turner, G/F, Detroit Renaissance 6-6 College commitment: Bowling Green Finalist potential: Moderate Trending: Up The transfer of Carrington McCaskill to Ohio-based Spire Academy has opened the door for Turner to put Renaissance on his shoulders, and he's carried more than his share of the load, averaging 20.5 points, and nine rebounds per game, including a 25-point, eight-rebound, four-assist effort in a win over defending Class C champion Detroit Edison and a 14-point, 20-rebound performance against Detroit Henry Ford. Ryan Wade, G, Ann Arbor Skyline 6-1 College commitment: Holy Cross Finalist potential: Moderate Trending: Stable Skyline came up short against rival Ann Arbor Pioneer last week, but it wasn't for lack of effort from Wade, who finished with 23 points, six rebounds and five assists in the 65-55 contest. The well-rounded point guard has stuffed the stat sheet in a similar manner all season, including a 20-point, six-rebound effort against Wayne Memorial and a 26-point, four-assist, four-rebound outing against Detroit Country Day. Wade is currently averaging 20.6 points per game for the 4-4 Eagles. George Pohly, The Macomb Daily
New Haven and Romeo will have short benches for their MAC White basketball games Tuesday after members of both teams were disciplined for their roles in an altercation that took place between the squads Friday night. The Rockets, 9-1 and ranked No. 4 in the state in Division 2, will have six varsity players plus one called up from the JV when they play at Ford, New Haven coach Tedaro France said Monday. Romeo (2-8) will have seven varsity members in uniform when it plays at Grosse Pointe South, Romeo coach Marvin Cushingberry added. An eighth Romeo player was not disciplined after the fight, but won’t play against Grosse Pointe South because he has a concussion after being punched by a fan who went on the floor during the third-quarter melee, Cushingberry said. “It was a competitive game with hard fouls,” Cushingberry said of the contest won by New Haven, 78-47. “Things got out of hand.” New Haven led by 12 points when the incident occurred. A video showed New Haven guard Eddie Dandridge dribbling into the lane, where he was fouled by Romeo senior Brock Horne, a Bowling Green football recruit. “Brock was protecting his ‘house’ (the area near the basket); it was a hard foul,” Cushingberry said. As Dandridge hit the floor, New Haven's Romeo Weems, a 6-foot-7 DePaul recruit who had been above the top of the key when the foul occurred, shoved Horne with both hands. “He came to defend his teammate with a shove,” France said. “He wanted to show that this is our house, too.” In ensuing moments, several individuals converged on the area where the foul occurred. None of the 10 players in the game at the time were ejected by referees. All of the players ejected were kicked out because they left their respective bench areas, France and Cushingberry said. The Michigan High School Athletic Association mandates that a player ejected from a game must sit out his team’s next contest. France and Cushingberry got some of their players, including captains, together at New Haven on Monday. They shook hands and posed for pictures. “We have nothing against New Haven; New Haven has nothing against us,” Cushingberry said. “There’s no animosity.” France called the episode “a great teaching and learning experience.” Here are new high school boys basketball rankings as of Jan. 13, 2019, by David Goricki of The Detroit News. Goricki ranks the top teams in the state, and in the four Metro Detroit regions.
State Super 20
Detroit
Solid league victory over Romeo 78-47. Proud of our boys and the selflessness and care they display for each other daily. Tough adverse situations makes us stronger and grow as a team and as individuals. FAMILY, Forget About Me I Love You! #WintheDay #FAMILY
*Weems 26pt 14rb 5ast 5stl 4bk *Wiles 19pts 5reb 2blk *Jeffery 17pts 11reb 6ast 5stl *Dandridge 10pts 2reb 2stl *Farrior 4pts 7ast *Lewis 2pts 2reb By Jared Purcell | japurcell@mlive.com
WARREN, Mich. -- The fans behind Romeo Weems were chirping. Weems could hear them chant “overrated” over and over after his 3-point shot attempt early in the first quarter during Tuesday night’s boys basketball game failed to hit any part of the rim and net. It was an air ball. Instead of using the more obvious “air ball” chant, the Warren Mott student section decided to take a different jab at Weems, hoping to take him down a peg or two. After all, Weems is considered the top recruit in the state of Michigan’s 2019 class and he is heading to DePaul next year to continue his basketball career. A four-star recruit ranked 51st in the nation by the 247Sports composite rankings, a lot is expected of Weems when he walks into a gym. But as the fans blustered behind him, the 6-foot-7 New Haven forward paid no attention to the mocking. Instead, he continued to play, eventually steamrolling Mott with a monstrous performance. After the air ball, he went on to score 34 more points, finishing the game with 36 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and 6 steals. Weems reminded the Mott student section -- and everyone else, for that matter -- that he is not overrated. In fact, he showed why he is considered a favorite to be named the next Hal Schram Mr. Basketball, an annual award given to the state’s top senior as voted on by members of the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan. “He loves playing in front of crowds like that,” New Have coach Tedaro France II said, letting out a chuckle before speaking. “He loves the chants. That kind of gets him going. He’s just a kid that can make great plays and can turn a close game into a game that’s so quickly." When Weems chucked up the air ball, Mott was up 7-2. After that, New Haven went on a 20-0 run that was aided by 9 points from Weems. He had 27 points by halftime as New Haven went on to beat Mott, 84-50. Lesson learned, Mott fans. Still, Tuesday night’s effort is just one dominant instance of many throughout Weems' high school career. He was a huge reason why New Haven won the program’s first Class B title during his sophomore season two years ago, averaging 18.1 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.9 steals, 3.6 assists and 2.8 blocks during that campaign. Last year, Weems averaged 23.5, points 10.8 rebounds, 5.3 assist, 4.8 steals and 2 blocks per game as a junior to help New Have make it to the state semifinals. So far this season, Weems has had an excellent senior campaign worthy of Mr. Basketball consideration. In a win over St. Clair Shores Lake Shore, Weems had 34 points, 19 rebounds, 10 blocks, four assists and four steals. He also had another triple-double in a win over Grosse Pointe North, tallying 30 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals, five assists and four blocks. His résumé is staggering. With a chance at eclipsing the 2,000-career-point mark this winter, Weems has a real shot at being named Mr. Basketball. Perhaps, he has the best shot -- and Weems knows it. “That’s a goal I want to get,” Weems said of the Mr. Basketball award. “I’m going to bust my butt every game. I play every game the same: I play my hardest and leave it all out there.” Yet, Weems nearly opted to dash his dream of being Michigan’s Mr. Basketball. Over the summer, Weems came close to leaving the state of Michigan altogether and finish his career elsewhere. With top basketball talent from within Michigan opting to leave to finish their careers elsewhere more and more, Weems nearly became another significant statistic of that group. “I was probably going to go out of state, (to a) prep school,” Weems said. “Oak Hill, La Lu -- probably a big prep school somewhere. SPIRE wanted me too.” Oak Hill Academy is a prep school in Virginia that draws in all kinds of talent. Lansing native Trevor Manuel, a top talent in the class of 2015, opted to play basketball there after spending his first two years of high school at Lansing Sexton. La Lumiere -- or “La Lu” as Weems put it -- is an Indiana’s version of Oak Hill and has drawn in the likes of five-star Saginaw native Brian Bowen (class of 2017). SPIRE Academy is the new kid on the block when it comes to basketball academy schools but the Geneva, Ohio program has sucked in five Detroit area recruits already, including former Old Redford players Mark “Rocket” Watts. Heading into the this season, Watts was expected to be the main player to challenge Weems for Mr. Basketball but he decided to leave for SPIRE in October. Former University of Detroit Mercy and Mt. Clemens High School basketball coach Jermaine Jackson is the head coach at SPIRE and Weems said Jackson pulled hard to get him to make the move south. “I talked to Jermaine and I just told him I couldn’t do it,” Weems said. "I was thinking about it though. I talked to my family. We talked about it and I just decided to stay with coach France. If it was not for Weems' relationship with France, Michigan would have likely lost another top basketball talent. “I was going to leave but I just got so much love for coach France,” Weems said. “He’s a great coach. All of my coaches ... we just probably together more than me and my pops sometimes, you know, we’re in the gym.” The decision to stay was a huge one for a New Haven community that thrives off of its basketball program. Yet, Weems' decision to stay did not surprise France, despite top schools looking to lure him away. “He’s just a loyal kid,” France said. “His heart is here since Day One. Just a great kid. People don’t know about him as a kid. They just know about him being a great ball player. Just a humble kid. He works hard like he’s not a ranked kid. He’s a five-star kid but he works like he’s not even ranked. He great in the classroom and he’s great in the town with the kids.” So far, Weems believes he made the right decision. “No regrets, nah,” Weems said. “I just keep playing hard, getting better every day.” Weems has helped get New Haven pegged as a favorite to win the Division 2 state title in March as the Rockets are off to an 8-1 start to the season. With Weems at the wheel, France believes anything is possible. “To see him come out here and not even score points but just lead, play defense," France said. “He does all of the things that you ask of him to do. He’s just a great leader, a great player and just a great kid to coach.” Weems has carried high expectations throughout his high school career and the Mr. Basketball conversion swirling around him only adds to the notion. Weems is not out to live up to any expectations -- or even disprove the criticisms of opposing fans. Weems says he has nothing to prove to anyone except himself. “Just prove to myself that this is hard work paying off,” Weems said. “Five o’clock workouts, 6 a.m. workouts on Saturdays -- I’m in the gym at nighttime, all day. It’s just proving to myself and prove it often. I’m going to get what I deserve.” Big victory over a tough, scrappy and well coached Warren Mott team 84-50 to move to 1st place in our division. Proud of the boys and the effort they bring to practice everyday to get better. Playing hard, smart and together #BrickbyBrick #WintheDay #FAMILY
Chuck Pleiness, www.themacombdaily.com
New Haven’s boys basketball team let everyone know Tuesday night at Macomb Community College who’s the team to beat in the MAC White Division. It is the Rockets. Behind 36 points from Romeo Weems, New Haven easily got by Warren-Mott, 84-50, to move alone into first place in the MAC White. “It’s not a statement game for us, we just want to come out and play hard,” Rockets coach Tedaro France II said. “Each game we play we want to play like it’s our last game. The kids knew this was for first place and they came out and played hard. “They showed they’ve been working hard,” France II continued. “Practices have been so tough they get into the games and it’s their time to have fun.” It took all of five seconds for Weems to show the kind of game was going to have, stuffing home an alley-oop to open the scoring. “When Romeo comes out and plays like that there’s only so much you can do,” Warren-Mott coach Jeff Olind said. “He’s a heck of a ball player. You game plan for him, he hits some shots and you just have to tip your hat to him.” Weems also grabbed 12 boards to go with five assists, six steals and two blocks. “He just leads on the court,” said France II, whose squad lost in the Class B state semifinals last season. “He does all the things you ask him to do. He just a great leader and a great player. He’s a great kid to coach.” The Marauders (3-1 MAC White, 7-2 overall) responded quite well after falling behind 2-0 as they went on a 7-0 run to go up 7-2. But that was about the only highlight offensively Warren-Mott had on the evening as the Rockets (4-0, 8-1) went on a 20-0 run from that point to go up 22-7. Weems finished with three dunks in the opening eight minutes that saw Olind call three of his timeouts. “When you’re playing New Haven it can go from you’re in the game to you’re out of the game real quick,” said Olind, whose team trailed 30-17 after one quarter. “I didn’t want that to happen in the first quarter.” Things slowly got worse for Warren-Mott as it trailed 55-29 at the half and then 75-35 to start the fourth. The 40-point deficit meant a running clock to begin the final quarter. Also for New Haven, which won the Class B state championship in 2017, Ronald Jeffery III totaled 17 points to go with 10 rebounds and seven assists, while Jamir Farrior tossed in 11 points and added five assists. Brent Wiles grabbed seven boards and chipped in eight points. De’Jon Gantz led Warren-Mott with 15 points and Dennis Mayfield added eight. Jared Purcel, Mlive
WARREN, Mich. -- Time and again, Romeo Weems shows that he is worth the price of admission. On Tuesday night at Macomb Community College's Sports and Expo Center, it took Weems all of five seconds to get the crowd to its feet. The 6-foot-7 New Haven senior won the tip off and went streaking toward the net to slam home an alley-oop dunk. The dunk was one of five that Weems had in his dominant 36-point performance, leading the Rockets (8-1) to an 84-50 win over Warren Mott (7-2) in a battle of first-place teams in the Macomb Area Conference White Division. "I just go out, play hard and have fun," Weems said. "I just try to get my teammates involved and I try to win -- do whatever I have to do to win." After falling behind to Mott, 7-2, after Weems' opening dunk, New Haven used an incredible 20-0 run in under three and a half minutes to take full control of the game and never looking back. In the span of its scoring run, the Rockets shot 9-for-11 from the floor to take a 22-7 lead and an eventual 30-17 lead into the second quarter. To go along with Weems' 36 points, the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball favorite also had 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and 6 steals. "He does all of the things that you ask of him to do," New Haven coach Tedaro France said about Weems. "He's just a great leader, a great player. He's just a great kid to coach." Rockets' high tempo buries Mott After falling behind 7-2, New Haven's tempo only seemed to increase as the back and forth nature of the opening quarter led to too many mistakes for Mott and easy baskets for the Rockets. Senior guard Ronald Jeffery III sparked the massive run with a 3-point shot. After a quick Mott turnover, Weems hit a layup while drawing a foul, completing the three-point play right after. From there, Mott had three more turnovers, a blocked shot and four missed shots while New Haven scored quickly and seemingly at will for three minutes. "Over winter break, we stayed in the gym and we kept running and stuff so we didn't come back slow," Jeffery. "We just tried to bring that intensity every game." Jeffery finished with a strong night as well, tallying 17 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. "We just want to play hard," France said. "Each game we play, we want to play it like it's our last game. We want to play hard. The kids came out today and they knew it was for first place and they just wanted to show that they've been working hard. Practice is so tough that when they get into games, this is the time to have fun." Weems had 27 points by halftime. He left the floor for the final 28 seconds of the first half. New Haven achieved enacted a running clock (40-point lead) in the third quarter when it went up 75-35. The clock ran for the entire fourth quarter as Mott could not close the deficit to within 30. Weems and the rest of the starters went to the bench with around five minutes left in the game and did not return. New Haven
END 1: New Haven 30, Warren Mott 17It took all of five seconds for Romeo Weems to make his presence felt as he won the tipoff and then slammed home an alley-oop dunk just five seconds into the game. After Warren Mott took a 7-2 lead, Weems air-balled a 3-point shot, prompting "overratted" chants from but New Haven responded with a 20-0 run over the next 3:19 of the clock, taking a 22-10 lead with 2:32 left in the quarter. However, right after the New Haven run ended, Weems responded with his third dunk of the quarter, this one in emphatic, two-handed fashion over a Mott defender. Mott managed a 7-0 run to cut its deficit to 30-17 by the end of the quarter. Weems ended the quarter with 13 points. END 2: New Haven 55, Warren Mott 29 Weems picked up where he left off in the first quarter and opened the scoring in the second with a 3-point shot. Weems nearly matched the entire Mott roster in scoring with 27 points in the first half. There was some concern with 28 seconds left in the quarter when Weems went straight to the bench, wincing while holding his quad. END 3: New Haven 77, Warren Mott 37 Despite showing a minor limp going into halftime, Weems was on the floor the entire third quarter. He added a windmill dunk to his already monstrous night to give New Haven a 65-33 lead with 4:52 left in the quarter. Jeffery added nine points in the quarter for the Rockets, including seven points during a 16-0 in the middle of the quarter. By attaining a 40-point lead with a 75-35 advantage, New Haven enacted the running clock rule with about 1:24 left in the quarter. END 4: New Haven 84, Warren Mott 50 With about five minutes left, New Haven sat all of its starters and brought in the bench, up 81-43 at that point. Weems sat and finish with 36 points with 5 minutes still to play. The running clock rule stayed in effect the entire fourth quarter. Although Mott cut the deficit to under 40 points, the running clock rule stays active until the point differential is within 30 points, which never happened. |
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