Follow us on Twitter                                                                                                                                                                                                                             @Rocketcountry
NEW HAVEN BASKETBALL
  • Home
  • Coaches
  • Rosters
    • Varsity (2021-2022)
    • Varsity (2020-2021)
    • Varsity (2019-2020)
    • Varsity (2018-2019)
    • Varsity (2017-2018)
    • Varsity (2016-2017)
    • Junior Varsity (2016-2017)
  • Schedule/Results
  • Rocket News
  • Championships
  • Player Honors
    • Mr Basketball
    • All-State Players
    • All-County Players
    • All-League Players
    • Program Awards
    • Team Awards
    • Coach Awards
  • Photos
    • 2022-2023 Season
    • 2021-2022 Season
    • 2020-2021 Season
    • 2019-2020 Season
    • 2018-2019 Season
    • 2017-2018 Season
    • 2016-2017 Season
    • 2015-2016 Season
    • 2014-2015 Season
    • 2008-2014 Seasons
  • Video
  • Next Level Alumni
  • Youth Camps/Leagues/Training
  • Community Service
  • Sponsors
  • Philosophy
  • Contact Form

New Haven relishes triple overtime win at Flint Beecher

2/28/2017

0 Comments

 
PictureRonald Jeffery
By George Pohly
@GPohly on Twitter

And on the day after, they rested.
New Haven canceled boys basketball practice Wednesday as the team and the town soaked in the Rockets’ 108-103, triple-overtime victory at Flint Beecher from the night before.

Talk at businesses in and around the village was about the non-league game that started late because the preceding JV game went into overtime, one the visiting Rockets won despite 63 points by the Buccaneers’ Malik Ellison.

“It was a night of unbelievable basketball,” Casco Township resident Dick Leidecker said.
Leidecker, a former baseball coach at Lincoln who serves on the basketball scoring crew for Abes games, makes a habit of attending marquee games when Lincoln is idle or on the road.

He wasn’t disappointed by the show put on by Beecher, which has won four of the last five state Class C championships, and New Haven, which will try later this month to win a third straight Class B regional crown.

“I can’t remember too many games like this one,” Leidecker said. “What an atmosphere. The place was packed.”

Eric Williams Jr., whose scoring carried the Rockets to the championship of the MAC Blue-Gold tournament last week, led New Haven with 38 points. The senior who has signed with Davis & Elkins College in West Virginia also had 15 rebounds and nine assists as New Haven ran its winning streak to 18 games.

Romeo Weems, a 6-foot-6 sophomore who has had scholarship offers from Michigan State and Ohio State, had 22 points, 24 rebounds, seven blocked shots, five assists and five steals before fouling out in the first overtime.

Ronald Jeffery Jr. added 27 points and made five steals as he continued to emerge as a key member of the Rocket roster.

Weems was one of three New Haven starters who fouled out. Guard A.J. Crawford was called for his fifth foul in regulation time and Ashton Sherrell fouled out in the first OT.
“It was a great game with a great basketball environment,” Tedaro France II, the New Haven coach and a former Rockets player, said in an e-mail.

“It was amazing, one of the better games I have ever seen or been part of in terms of all the dynamics involved with lead changes, big shots, adversity with foul-outs, rotations and kids stepping up and not only playing but making big plays.”
France himself was a storyline.

The man who achieved his 150th career coaching victory when New Haven beat Lake Shore in the Blue-Gold title game at Anchor Bay on Saturday was released from a hospital hours before the game.

France had been hospitalized for two days with a heart condition.
“I am doing … a lot better,” he wrote in the email.

Beecher (15-5) was ranked in a tie for fourth this week in The Associated Press state Class C poll. New Haven (19-1) was third in Class B.

Ellison made 17 of 30 shots from the field. Of his 17 baskets, 11 were 2-pointers, and he was six-of-11 from 3-point range. The 5-8 senior guard, who hopes to play both basketball and football in college, made 23 of 26 free throws.

France called Ellison’s game a “special performance.”

The game did not start until after 8 p.m., due in part to the length of the JV contest that New Haven also won.

“We are not practicing today,” France wrote. “It was a late night for us, and the kids are exhausted.”

New Haven’s next game will be at home Monday against Marine City in a district tournament quarterfinal.

The winner of that contest advances to the district semifinals that will be at Marysville, the tournament host.

New Haven, with only a loss to MAC Red champion Dakota to blemish its record this season, went 10-0 in MAC Blue games prior to the Blue-Gold tournament.
​
Williams scored 118 points in the Rockets’ three Blue-Gold games. Jeffery had 16 in the tournament final.

0 Comments

MAC Blue/Gold Tournament Champions. The Rockets also won the MAC Blue Division Championship winning 34 straight league games

2/25/2017

0 Comments

 
0 Comments

New Haven overwhelms Lake Shore in MAC tournament game to win first Blue-Gold boys basketball tournament,

2/25/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Williams scores 28 as Rockets win 17th straight

By George Pohly
@GPohly on Twitter

Defense carried New Haven to a first-of-a-kind championship.

Eric Williams Jr. scored 28 points and Ronald Jeffery III and Romeo Weems had 16 apiece to lead New Haven to an 84-56 victory over Lake Shore in the championship game of the inaugural MAC Blue-Gold boys basketball tournament at Anchor Bay on Saturday.

Ashton Sherrell had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and A.J. Crawford scored 10 points and took seven rebounds as New Haven won its 17th straight game and improved to 18-1 with coach Tedaro France’s 150th career triumph. The Rockets close the regular season at Flint Beecher on Tuesday night.

“They played harder than us early in the game,” Weems said. “We called a timeout and talked about playing harder. It was a playoff game. We got our defense going.”

Williams had five points as MAC Blue Division champion New Haven took control of the game with an 11-0 run in the third quarter that left the Rockets with a 53-39 lead over the MAC Gold champion Shorians.

“We picked it up and got our defense going,” Williams, who scored 118 points in three tournament games, said.

New Haven continued to build its lead and took a 65-45 advantage into the fourth quarter. A 3-pointer by Crawford gave the Rockets an 82-49 lead with 3:41 left in the game.
Jeffery scored 12 points in the first half to help the Rockets build a nine-point lead.

“He stepped up big-time,” Williams said of Jeffery. “He’s gotten a lot of experience playing for our team.”

Cortez Jackson scored 17 points and Ricky Dixon 16 for Lake Shore (16-3), which had a 14-game winning streak snapped.

The Shorians got beat too often on the boards by the taller Rockets and committed too many turnovers, Lake Shore assistant coach Mike Jackson said.

“We had trouble taking the ball out of bounds and we turned it over too many times,” Jackson said. “They turned our turnovers into points.

“This was a good experience for us. It gets you ready for the state tournament. It shows you some things you need to work on.”

Jackson filled in for head coach Derrick Walton.

Walton attended the Purdue-Michigan basketball game where his son, Derrick Jr., a point guard for the Wolverines, was honored on Senior Night at the Crisler Center.

“Basketball is a family affair for them,” Jackson, who coached the younger Walton when he was in eighth grade, said.

“I enjoyed myself today,” Jackson said. “The kids will appreciate it, too, after the sting of the loss wears off.”

New Haven’s Williams had seven rebounds and five assists, and Weems had eight assists, seven blocked shots and seven steals.

Weems, who guarded Dixon for most of the game, had a dunk and then blocked a shot that started a fast-break that led to a Williams three-point play that gave New Haven a 49-39 lead with 6:10left in the third quarter.

Weems’ pass to Jeffery set up a basket that gave the Rockets a 36-31 lead during a 12-0 run in the second quarter.

Lake Shore went more than three minutes without scoring in the second half, eventually ending its drought when Dixon split a pair of free throws with 3:36 left in the third quarter.

Williams and Jeffery scored 12 points apiece in the first half as the Rockets built a nine-point lead. Crawford added seven points in the half.

Lake Shore’s Jackson had 15 points and Dixon 11 in the first half.

Williams had seven points during a 12-0 run that gave the Rockets a 39-31 lead late in the first half, and New Haven had a 42-33 lead at the intermission.

Williams scored 50 points in the Rockets’ tournament opener against Fraser and 40 in a semifinal game against Warren Woods-Tower.

0 Comments

The Alley O0p! AJ Crawford throws it up for Romeo Weems

2/23/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
0 Comments

New Haven vs Warren Woods February 21, 2017 Game Highlights

2/22/2017

0 Comments

 
0 Comments

Eric Williams scored 40 and Romeo Weems had several big plays for New Haven in Tuesday's win

2/21/2017

0 Comments

 
Joseph Hayes
www.thetimesherald.com
​
 NEW HAVEN -- It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's Romeo Weems flying in to save the day.

The New Haven High School sophomore phenom partnered with senior Eric Williams to put on an impressive performance in New Haven's 84-51 victory over Warren Woods Tower on Tuesday.

The Rockets advance to the finals of the Macomb Area Conference Playoffs, which will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday at Anchor Bay High School.

"I think this was a big game," Williams said after scoring 40 points a week after putting up 50 points in a win. "They are like our rivals. They were 15-2 and we were 16-1. They used to be in the (MAC) Gold. We wanted to win this one tonight."
While Williams lit up the scoreboard with an array of shots, Weems stole the show with highlight-reel play after play.

"If I don't have it going, he has it going," said Weems, who scored 19 points. "But when we both have it going, it's a scary sight. I think we played better, with more energy in the second half. We played better together and got on a roll."

Weems stole the show in the second quarter with an electric sequence that featured a dunk and a block, where he trailed the offensive defender by a large margin, only to make up the difference and block the shot at the rim.

The crowd rose to its feet and then continued to stand as they watched Williams light it up with an array of shots -- pull ups, mid-range jumpers, 3s, and of course, a thunderous dunk.

"We take pride in our defense," New Haven coach Tedaro France II said. "It's nice to see them get out and run and their hard work pay off. On that block, Romeo could have gave up on the play but he stayed with it."


New Haven led 25-13 at the end of the first quarter, 40-21 at halftime and 63-32 after three quarters. Their defensive was consistent throughout and Weems and Williams seemed to rise to the occasion time and time again.

In the fourth quarter, Williams and Weems traded dunks, with the latter nearly bringing down the house on a right-handed slam through the lane that left onlookers chatting.

"That should be on SportsCenter, let me go home and watch SportsCenter," one animated fan said. "Can you believe he caught that?" another wondered out loud.

Yes, Weems can fly, Williams can do it all and New Haven is here to stay. The next stop on the Rockets' path is Saturday when they will travel to Anchor Bay to face St. Clair Shores South Lake, which defeated St. Clair, 47-35.

Contact Joseph Hayes at (810) 989-6268 or at jahayes@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Joseph_Hayes11. 

0 Comments

New Haven moves into Blue-Gold final with win over Warren Woods-Tower

2/21/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture

Rockets to play Lake Shore at Anchor Bay

By George Pohly
@GPohly on Twitter











​Get ready for an all-champions MAC Blue-Gold final.


Eric Williams Jr. scored 40 points Tuesday night to lead New Haven to an 84-51 victory over Warren Woods-Tower in a MAC Blue-Gold boys basketball tournament semifinal game on the Rockets’ floor.

Romeo Weems added 19 points as Blue Division champion New Haven stretched its winning streak to 16 games and set up a tournament title game against Gold champ Lake Shore.

“He’s on fire,” Weems said of Williams, who had 50 points in the Rockets’ previous game. “He made shots. It was a big game.”

Williams said workouts on game-day mornings have helped his game.

“That gets me fueled up for the game,” Williams said. “Everything’s been falling for me.
“I’m playing more aggressively. I went through a little slump earlier in the season, but I’ve been more aggressive lately.”

The Rockets and Shorians will clash at 5 p.m. Saturday at Anchor Bay as the inaugural tournament concludes.

New Haven, which led 63-32 after three quarters, is 17-1. Its lone defeat came in December against eventual MAC Red Division champion Dakota.

Charles Anderson scored 18 points and Jauron Vicks had 10 to lead Warren Woods-Tower, which had won nine of its previous 10 games prior to taking on the Rockets.

“We were too passive offensively,” WWT coach Nick Evola said. “We were on our heels, and we threw the ball away. On defense we did a poor job of keeping guys in front of us.

“We got into a hole. We’d make a couple plays, but we couldn’t string together enough to make a big dent in their lead. We also had guys in foul trouble, so we couldn’t be as aggressive as we wanted defensively. We allowed them to play the way they wanted to play.”

Warren Woods-Tower slipped to 15-3. The Titans lost twice to Gold champion Lake Shore during the regular season. Lake Shore defeated St. Clair 47-35 in the other Blue-Gold semifinal game.

Williams also had seven rebounds. Weems had 10 rebounds and four steals. Ashton Sherrell had six rebounds; A.J. Crawford four assists and Will Moore four rebounds for the Rockets.
Williams, who scored 50 points in a tournament semifinal victory over Fraser on Friday, had 23 in the first half against the Titans. His triple with one second left in the first half gave the Rockets the 40-21 lead they carried into the intermission.

Williams continued his barrage in the third quarter, scoring seven of the Rockets’ first 10 points, the last two on an up-and-under layup, as the New Haven lead grew to 50-21. Williams finished the third quarter with 13 points, giving him 36 for the game to that point.

Williams’ final bucket, a putback with 4:28 left in the fourth quarter, gave New Haven a 75-37 lead, and he and Weems left the game soon thereafter.

New Haven stretched a 12-point first-quarter lead to 40-21 by the end of the first half. The Titans were 8-of-16 from the free throw line in the first half and were 13-of-24 for the game.

Williams scored 13 in the first quarter to help New Haven build a 25-13 lead.
It was the only meeting this season between the Rockets and Titans.
​

New Haven went 4-0 against WWT the past two seasons combined on the way to back-to-back MAC Gold championships. The Rockets moved to the Blue this season.

0 Comments

The road ahead: Big week of high school basketball games approach 

2/20/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture

Joseph Hayes
www.thetimesherald.com


It's crunch time.

The postseason still lies a week away for girls basketball teams and two weeks away for boys teams. But you wouldn't be able to tell by the way teams are beginning to ramp up for the stretch run of the season.

This week, most of the girls Macomb Area Conference teams will be off after completing the conference tournament last week. But on the boys side, New Haven and St. Clair have advanced to the semifinals of the MAC Tournament.

New Haven (16-1) will host Warren Woods Tower Tuesday, while St. Clair (13-4) travels to face St. Clair Shores Lakeview for the third time this season.

"We are seeing high level teams, which is good," St. Clair coach Shawn Sharrow said. "Lake Shore has beat us twice. It's going to be a good challenge for us to make adjustments and play better. We haven't had this tournament before. It's interesting. It has a tournament atmosphere where you win and advance.

"I think our guys hopefully will embrace the challenge. They have played some good stretches against Warren Woods Tower and Lake Shore. We know we have to be more than a two quarter team against them. We have to play a complete game."

While St. Clair will look for the upset, New Haven hopes to continue its momentum. The Rockets have been playing their best basketball of the season and are hoping this is just the beginning of a long postseason run.

"I think it's great to have this tournament," New Haven coach Tedaro France II said. "I think our league and this tournament will prepare us for the playoffs. We are playing against some really good teams. It's a great test for us (Tuesday) at home.

"It's a great way to get the kids in that mindset of the playoffs. The kids know it's not the state tournament but it's still the playoffs and we are preparing like that."


0 Comments

Eric Williams Jr make bankhoops.com, Steve Bell Bank Hoops Honor Roll: Week 11 Class B Player of the Week

2/20/2017

0 Comments

 
Steve Bell
www.bankhoops.com


Class A Player of the Week

Michael Flowers  6-0  Sr  Southfield A&T: Many had Clarkston pegged for an undefeated regular season. But Southfield had other plans. Flowers, who signed with WMU, scored 30 points with 5 assists as they upended the Wolves 59-50.

Class A Underclassman of the Week

Isaiah Lewis  5-11  So  Wayne Memorial: His performance at last summer’s Bank Hoops Underclassman Camp was no fluke, as he’s been strong all season for one of the top teams in the state. Lewis scored 21 in Wayne’s win over Salem.
Class B Players of the Week

Nick Dekkenga  5-11  Sr  Coopersville, Demetri Martin  6-4  Sr  Big Rapids, Eric Williams  6-4  Sr  New Haven: No King Solomon here, couldn’t decide between these three and their monster games. Dekkenga scored 51 against Mona Shores — playing just three quarters. Martin scored 50 against Central Montcalm — and added 15 rebounds. Williams scored 50 against Fraser — on 20-of-26 field goals.

Class B Underclassman of the Week

Mark Watts  6-2  So  Detroit Old Redford Academy: He scored 28 in a one-point win over Michigan Collegiate and 31 in a loss to University Prep in the final of the Charter School league.

Class C Player of the Week

Malik Ellison  5-8  Sr  Flint Beecher: Always good, he’s taken his game to the next level with a barrage of 30-points games, including 31 in the defending state champion’s win over Goodrich.

Class C Underclassman of the Week

Garrett VerBerkmoes  6-5  So  McBain: The heir apparent to McBain’s all-state center Craig Sterk, he scored a career-high 14 points against Evart as the Ramblers stayed undefeated.

Class D Player of the Week

Brett Dyer  5-8  Jr  Northport: He hit the game-winning layup with less than a second to play to give Northport a win over Traverse City Christian and the Cherryland Conference title.

Class D Underclassman of the Week

Ridge Beeman  6-0  So  Buckley: Buckley remained undefeated beating the two other top contenders in the Northwest Conference, Glen Lake and Frankfort. Beeman scored 11 against Glen Lake then was the primary defender on Frankfort’s all-state candidate point guard Jaylon Rogers as he was held to single digits.
0 Comments

Path less traveled: Central Michigan freshman Innocent Nwoko tells remarkable story of move from Nigeria, learning new sport

2/18/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Nate Schneider,
​The Morning Sun

The new life Innocent Nwoko embarked on in 2013 was not supposed to include basketball.


Nwoko, now a freshman on the Central Michigan men’s basketball team, was fully concentrated on advancing his education and playing the sport of soccer that he was so passionate about when he moved halfway across the world from Nigeria to Michigan four years ago.

A future playing college basketball had not even entered Nwoko’s mind.

“The person who brought me here told me he wanted me to get an education,” Nwoko said. “I never thought I’d be playing college basketball when I came over here. Even when I thought about playing school sports, I thought about playing soccer.”
 Advertisement Nwoko did not even play basketball when he began attending Austin Catholic Academy in Chesterfield as a sophomore.

To take it a step further, he did not even know the rules of the sport let alone having ever played in an actual basketball game until that fateful year.

Odds were stacked against Nwoko ever becoming a Division I college basketball talent.

To make matters more difficult, he was also struggling to adapt to life in a brand-new country and being away from his direct family in the Nigerian state of Lagos.

“It was a little bit hard,” Nwoko said in a clear understatement. “I didn’t know anybody here. English was my second language. Trying to catch up in school was hard.”

Nwoko continued communication with his mother, father, three sisters and two brothers back home every week using Skype and Facebook as primary methods.

“I lived in Nigeria for 16 years and it was fun growing up with your friends and your family,” Nwoko said. “I’ve been here for four years and I see a lot of differences in how people behave and how you communicate with your friends.”

It is no coincidence that Nwoko did not have a grasp of basketball upon changing countries as Nigeria is a soccer-crazy country with other sports taking a backseat.

With his parents, basketball is rarely brought up.

“My parents don’t really know anything about basketball,” Nwoko stated. “They don’t really like anything about basketball. They will ask me how I’m doing in school and if I’m getting good grades. My siblings and friends who know about sports, I can talk basketball with them.”

So how did Nwoko get from the point of not understanding the game of basketball in 2013 to someone who four years later is a very promising freshman center at a Mid-American Conference university?

It was an often frustrating but ultimately rewarding process for Nwoko.

“I didn’t play basketball when I arrived in this country and my best sport was soccer,” Nwoko said. “But people said I was too tall for soccer, so I tried to put my mind into basketball and get better at it every day.”

A co-op agreement between Austin Catholic Academy and New Haven High School allowed Nwoko and another talented Nigerian transfer, Jerry Ben, to play soccer for the Rockets.

Basketball? Not on the radar, yet.

But due to the height of both the now 6-foot-11 Nwoko and the 6-10 Ben, they caught the attention of New Haven men’s basketball coach Tedaro France.

“The first time I was in the gym I was kicking the basketball like it was a soccer ball,” Nwoko remarked. “Coach France had to say, ‘No, no. That’s a basketball. You dribble it. You don’t kick it.’”

France convinced the duo to give basketball a shot, thinking he might have a star pairing on his hands.

What he instead found out was that neither had any semblance of a skill set.

In a 2015 feature story on Nwoko and Ben in the Detroit Free Press, France is quoted as saying of their first basketball workout: “They kicked the basketball that day more than they dribbled it, and both could barely dribble or even dunk a basketball. They both were very uncoordinated and unorthodox handling a basketball.”

Nonetheless, neither gave up. Both would eventually overcome all obstacles in their new sport to become high school standouts. Nwoko earned a scholarship to Central Michigan, while Ben was rewarded with a basketball scholarship to Cornell.

Nwoko recalls those early days of honing his basketball skills under the tutelage of France, a former standout Central Michigan football player.

“It was hard and frustrating at first learning a sport you don’t know anything about,” Nwoko said. “Coach France helped me a lot teaching me the basic stuff. He showed me how to pass the basketball, how to dribble. But it was hard.”

Living with France during his time at New Haven afforded Nwoko a comfortable bed and food at the ready.

Despite being unable to compete at the prep level as a sophomore, Nwoko played on the AAU circuit where he managed to hone his skills. The following season as a junior for New Haven, he showed how much his basketball acumen was advancing by averaging 5.1 points along with 7.8 rebounds and 4.1 blocked shots per game. Nwoko was a major factor in the Rockets enjoying a remarkable 25-1 campaign.

Meanwhile, he continued his soccer prowess as a 30-goal scorer while maintaining his academics with a 3.6 grade-point average.

Central Michigan began to show serious interest, offering Nwoko a scholarship his sophomore year which he verbally accepted before officially signing on the dotted line in November of 2015.

“My sophomore year I didn’t even know how to pass the ball and I was offered a scholarship,” Nwoko beamed. “I didn’t even know how to play the game and they believed in me enough to give me a scholarship.”

Nwoko was unsure at first, but France eventually convinced his blossoming player that becoming a Chippewa would be a smart decision.

He did not rest on his laurels despite knowing his college future, becoming a Class B All-State honorable mention selection as a senior and helping New Haven to a 22-4 record.

Chippewas head coach Keno Davis finds it unbelievable how far Nwoko has come along in basketball after being oblivious to even the game’s regulations in 2013.

“It’s beyond where I thought he would be at this point,” Davis said. “Just because when it’s a new game and going from high school to college, that’s an experience even for guys who have played their whole life. He makes the scout team really tough to go against. He’s going to be a guy who next year I think will be able to see the court immediately and then have an impact on the game.”

Nwoko was a late arrival to Central Michigan, waiting on paperwork to get finalized and missing the summer. The delay likely forced him into a redshirt, although the argument could be made he would have sat for a year regardless of arrival time to extend his development time.

“I wasn’t really expecting to redshirt but I couldn’t come here at the time,” Nwoko explained. “Other players came during the summer, but I came late. So it was like I was behind. I didn’t know the plays and there was too much to learn. They told me I would redshirt. I was sad a little bit, but I was like, ‘OK, maybe this is my time to get better.’”

Working extensively with CMU’s junior interior players Luke Meyer and DaRohn Scott as well as the coaching staff, Nwoko is using his year of sitting to his advantage.

“They tell me to go get a rebound or go block a shot,” Nwoko said. “I learn from them. I will watch what Luke and DaRohn are doing, what coaches are telling them to do. I always listen.”

Nwoko also has the very competitive side of him and as a rim protector, he puts it into use each practice.

“I go head-to-head with them and we try to block each other,” Nwoko joked. “They try to dunk on me and I try to block all their shots. If I’m getting better, the team is getting better.”

The untapped potential and raw ability of Nwoko shows a player still coming into his own, someone whom the ‘sky is the limit’ cliché clearly applies.

“He has the physical tools, the size, the strength,” Davis said. “He has the ability, being a soccer player, of being able to run the court. And now the development he’s had is really exciting to see. The center position is one that is always tough to recruit, but we feel we have a good one for years to come in Innocent.”

Nwoko is pursuing a major in international business as he continues his vision of what brought him to a new country in the first place - an education.

There is absolutely no doubt Nwoko has no regrets about his move to the United States.

“I plan on visiting Nigeria but coming back here to live after I’m done with college,” Nwoko added.
Picture
0 Comments

2017 guard Eric Williams Jr @ericwilliams708 Poured in 50 points 8 steals 7 rebounds 2 assist 94-41 victory over Fraser in the 1st round of the MAC Playoffs

2/16/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
0 Comments

Eric Williams Jr put up 50 points tonight in a New Haven victory

2/16/2017

0 Comments

 
Joseph Hayes
www.thetimesherald.com 

Eric Williams had a night he will always remember.

The New Haven High School senior had 50 points, eight steals, seven rebounds and two assists in the Rockets 94-41 victory over Fraser.

Williams' performance helped New Haven open the Macomb Area Conference playoffs by putting on a show. Romeo Weems added 12 points, nine rebounds, six steals and five assists for the Rockets.

"In the first half, I didn't really miss any shots," Williams said. "I came out in a good groove. Coach kept me in during the fourth quarter and that also helped. I had 40 points at the end of the third and I was hoping I could stay in and get 50.

"I was just shocked when they told me how much I had. I was just playing."
Williams said the banner accomplishment will be one of his best memories of his high school athletic career. But he has even bigger goals on his agenda.

"I hope winning a state title will be the best memory I have," Williams said. "But this will be one of the best."
Picture
0 Comments

New Haven's Tedaro France, voted top basketball coaches in Metro Detroit 

2/14/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Jareb Purcell
www.mlive.com 

The fans have spoken and, after an intense voting battle, New Haven's Tedaro France has been voted the top active boys basketball coach in the Metro Detroit area, winning the battle over Clarkston coach Dan Fife.

However, Fife is MLive's pick for the top coach in the Metro Detroit area. That means both Fife and France will each move on to the statewide voting process.

France won the fan poll by collecting 12,636 votes, beating out the 11,675 votes for Fife. France 147-57 in his nine seasons with New Haven and has taken the Rockets' program to new heights while becoming an annual Class C power.

Fife gets MLive's pick as the top Metro Detroit coach for his 35 seasons and 665-168 career record with Clarkston. The Wolves have had 19 seasons of 20 or more wins during Fife's career.
​

Fife and France will now be going up against coaches from from across the state. On Thursday, MLive will unveil a statewide poll featuring each region's winners from across the state, with fans able to vote on who is the top active coach across all of Michigan.
0 Comments

Boys Basketball Poll: New Haven hot entering stretch run

2/13/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Joseph Hayes
The Times Herald

Tedaro France II took a glance around the packed New Haven gym after yet another victory.

For a moment, the Rockets veteran coach seemed to sense just how far his program had come. New Haven (15-1) is having what could be its best season in school history and recently disposed of Detroit Renaissance in stunning fashion. In the moments after Friday's victory, France II smiled as he reflected on another win based off of defense and team work - two of the essential points he teaches each and every day.

"We always talk about winning the day and getting better every time we step on to the court," France II said "We have to keep working and improving each and every day. It's good to see us winning, but also how we are winning. We are playing defense and sharing the ball."

New Haven enters the week riding a high after a dominating 78-48 victory over Detroit Renaissance. The Rockets remain the No. 1 ranked team in the Times Herald Boys Basketball Poll, just as they have all season.
While it's easy to notice the Rockets for their athleticism, it's also impossible to ignore the source of their success - their defensive ball pressure.

"We key on defense and at practice every day we start with a drill where you defend the whole court," Rockets forward Romeo Weems said. "Ball pressure is a key for us. Not just wild defense and fouling. We have to continue playing disciplined defense."

If the Rockets continue playing the way they have been in recent weeks, they will be awfully difficult to beat as the MAC playoffs begin later this week.

Richmond (13-2) enters the week No. 2 in the Times Herald poll after a pair of Blue Water Area Conference victories last week. Richmond defeated Yale early in the week and Croswell-Lexington to close out the week.

"I like how we are playing," Richmond coach Josh Presnell said after Tuesday's win over Yale. "Every game in the BWAC is difficult. We can't take any nights off."

Richmond will return home Tuesday against rival Armada.

Highlights

1. The Cardinal Mooney boys basketball team has come a long way this season. That was highlighted in last week's performances. Cardinal Mooney defeated previously undefeated Riverview Gabriel Richard on Tuesday behind 21 points and 10 rebounds from Daniel Everhart.

2. The St. Clair High School boys basketball team dropped its third consecutive game last week and desperately needs a quick turnaround to save what has been a good overall season. The Saints will get their chance later this week as the MAC Playoffs ensue.

3. Port Huron Northern senior Matthew Baravik continues to light it up for Northern. On Friday, he scored 23 points in a loss against Utica.

Top 10 Boys Poll

1. New Haven
2. Richmond
3. St. Clair
4. Marysville
5. Armada
6. Yale
7. Port Huron Northern
8. Port Huron High
9. Cardinal Mooney
10. Marlette


Contact Joseph Hayes at (810) 989-6268 or at jahayes@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Joseph_Hayes11. 

0 Comments

Cream of the Crop: New Haven's Weems, Williams, Crawford and Sherrell  Makes Top 25 basketball list

2/12/2017

0 Comments

 
14. AJ Crawford
17 Ashton Sherrell
2. Eric Williams Jr
1. Romeo Weems
Joseph Hayes
The Times Herald
​
It's the golden age.
The Blue Water Area is full of talented boys basketball players. While there has always been a steady influx of talent, this season might showcase some of the most talented players the area has ever seen.

Several teams are led by dynamic talents that have allowed them to be extremely competitive in conference races. As the final stretch of the season begins, let's take a look at the Top 25 boys basketball players in the area this season.

This list has no bearing on our end of the season Player of the Year award.

1. Romeo Weems, New Haven

Weems is a phenom. Standing 6-foot-6, Weems is so ahead of the curve, he has already been offered a scholarship to play for Tom Izzo at Michigan State University. Weems has gotten so much attention because he is young (only 15 years old) and can dominate on both ends of the floor while filling the stat sheet. Weems is averaging 19.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.4 steals per game while leading the Macomb Area Conference Blue Division champions.

2. Eric Williams, New Haven
​
​If Weems is Batman, Williams is Robin in the Rockets' starring cast. Williams has taken yet another step forward this season, averaging 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.6 steals. Williams can do it all on the court and will partner with Weems to help New Haven make a run at a state championship. After the season, Williams will take his talent to Division 2 Davis and Elkins College.

14. AJ Crawford, New Haven


The Rockets have plenty of talent. But one player that often goes overlooked is the Rockets point guard. He has the difficult job of getting his teammates good shots while also finding his own offense. Crawford seems to have excelled at this balancing act as New Haven has already clinched a MAC Blue title.

17. Ashton Sherrell, New Haven


Sherrell is an ascending player in the area. He has plenty of size (6-foot-7) and can be an imposing force in the lane. He is averaging 10.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and three blocks per game for New Haven.

Top 25 Basketball Players 
​
1. Romeo Weems, New Haven
2. Eric Williams, New Haven 
3. Ben Davidson, St. Clair 
4. Daniel Everhart, Cardinal Mooney
5. D'Sean Hamilton, Richmond 
6. Ross Hinkley, Marysville
7. Anthony Tavano, Richmond
8. Tyler Lee, Port Huron 
9. Dylan Kiger, Marysville
10. Matthew Baravik, Northern
11. Devin Dombrow, St. Clair
12. Chase Churchill, Richmond 
13. Adam Job, Armada
14. AJ Crawford, New Haven 
15. Matt Donnellon, Yale
16. Nolan Julio, Cardinal Mooney
17. Ashton Sherrell, New Haven 
18. Maurice Powell, Port Huron
19. Calvin Cook, Brown City 
20. Billy Fealko, Northern
21. Dylan Dankenbring, Peck
22. Mario Mattson, St. Clair
23. Jake Carter, Marysville
24. Austin Smith, Croswell-Lexington 
25. William Patsalis, Marine City 


0 Comments
<<Previous

    New Haven Basketball

    Rocket Country

    Archives

    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    December 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    January 2011
    December 2008

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.