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Detroit Free Press staff
Boys
Michigan high school boys basketball tournament: Our top moments so far: Detroit Free Press2/27/2019 Joey Yashinsky, Detroit Free Press
Romeo Weems dominant again in first-round victory The New Haven Rockets, Mick McCabe’s pick to take home the Division 2 state title, opened tournament play with a definitive 71-33 victory over Macomb Lutheran North. DePaul commit Romeo Weems grabbed this rebound, dribbled behind his back and then through his legs and finished with the gorgeous assist to senior guard Ronald Jeffery III. New Haven (20-1) advances to play Algonac on Wednesday at 6:15 p.m. in a Division 2-District 64 semifinal showdown. Pre-tournament favorite Clarkston ousted in opening round Two-time defending state champion Clarkston was eliminated by Rochester Adams, 38-37, on Monday night. Clarkston had finished league play in the Oakland Activities Association Red division with a perfect 12-0 mark, but the upset-minded Highlanders held the Wolves to a season-low point total. Rochester Adams (18-3) plays next against Lake Orion on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in a Division 1 District 6 semifinal matchup. King upsets Detroit PSL rival Cass Tech Detroit King pulled off the 55-51 double overtime victory against its Detroit Public School League rival Detroit Cass Tech to open up district playoff play. King senior guard Jordan Whitford finished with 18 points, including the game-tying floater in regulation with 24 seconds left to play. King (16-4) squares off next with Melvindale on Wednesday at 5 p.m. in a Division 1-District 23 semifinal contest. Flint Carman-Ainsworth misses game-ending layup Flint Carman-Ainsworth, with 17 wins in the regular season, came into districts as one of the favorites to win the Division 1 state title. Yet, it is going home early after losing to Grand Blanc, 40-39, on Monday night in a Div. 1 District 4 first-round game. Carman-Ainsworth junior big man Dustin Fletcher missed an easy look at the rim as time expired, preserving the upset victory for Grand Blanc. The Bobcats (14-7) advance to play Davison on Wednesday at 7 p.m.  Jared Purcel www.mlive.com
Joe Moon: John Glen High School Chandler Turner: Detroit Renaissance High School B Artis White: Canton High School Romeo Weems: New Haven High School TOP GAMES: ROMEO WEEMS Weems: Rare quadruple-double makes bold exclamation pointA special talent when he came onto the high school scene as a freshman, Weems was tabbed as a Mr. Basketball favorite for 2019 back in 2017 when he led New Haven to a state championship as a sophomore. The 6-foot-7 DePaul signee has played all five positions on the floor and he has lived up to expectations this season. Despite many standout performances throughout the season, none might top the effort it put forth in New Haven's regular season finale against defending Class C state champion Detroit Edison. Registering a quadruple in the 74-58 win, Weems scored 34 points, 12 rebounds, 10 steals and 10 blocks. He also added 5 assists. He also surpassed the 2,000-point mark for his career in the victory. That's a heck of an exclamation point for Weem's last high school regular season game. Weems: Strong opener sets tone for the seasonWith as strong as he Weems ended the regular season, it should come as no surprise that he opened the season with a strong performance as well. New Haven opened the season against Division 1 powerhouse Detroit U-D Jesuit and, with Jesuit missing its 6-foot-10 big man Jalen Thomas with an injury, Weems flexed his might as no one else on the Cubs could slow him down. In a 70-58 win, Weems finished with 27 points with 14 rebounds and 5 blocks. Weems: Dominant conference tournament run Weems led New Haven to a Macomb Area Conference White Division regular season title. After winning the MAC Blue/Gold championship last year, Weems and New Haven took on the MAC Red/White tournament this year. Despite playing all teams from the higher Red Division in the tournament, New Haven claimed the title with Weems leading the way. In the MAC Red/White tournament opener against Chippewa Valley with 17 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals. He also had 13 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals and 5 blocks in a win over Sterling Heights Stevenson in the semifinals. In the 64-55 win over Roseville in the championship game, Weems had 19 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals. Weems: New Haven's all-time best Weems is the first Mr. Basketball finalist in program history and also the school's all-time career leader in scoring. Weems scored 30 points in a 76-47 win over Grosse Pointe South on Jan. 17 to become the new career scoring leader at New Haven, giving him 1,869 career points at the time. He also snatched up 10 rebounds in the win. Weems: Triple-doubles always in reach Weems is almost always on the cusp of a triple-double in every game he plays. Collecting double-doubles like candy, Weems obviously hit the triple-double mark a few times. Aside from his quadruple-double effort, Weems also had 34 points, 19 rebounds, 10 blocks, 4 assists and 4 steals in a win over St. Clair Shores Lake Shore on Dec. 3, just the third game of the season. He also had another triple-double with 30 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals, 5 assists and 4 blocks in a win against Grosse Pointe North as well just a couple of weeks later. Weems: Surpassing the 40-point barrier When averaging 28 points per game, games over 30 points happen regularly. Yet, Weems challenged and surpassed the 40-point barrier a couple of times this season. Weems' largest point output was on Jan. 15 in a dominant 97-44 win over Utica Ford where he had 47 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals. Weems also had 36 points, 12 rebounds, 7 steals and 6 assists on Jan. 8 in a win over Warren Mott. Weems also added 34 points, 19 rebounds, 10 blocks, 4 assists and 4 steals in a win over St. Clair Shores Lake Shore. TJ Kelly, State Champs
The season’s final team rankings are in and Brimley is the new No. 1 in Division 4 while Divisions 1-3 remain stable with a few shake ups for teams ranked in each of the divisions' 5-10 slots. DIVISION 1
DIVISION 2
DIVISION 3
DIVISION 4
Jeffery 23pts 3reb 2ast 2stl
Weems 22pts 13reb 3stl Payne 7pts 5reb 2stl Wiles 6pts 7reb Lewis 4pts 3reb 2ast 3stl Farrior 2pts 4reb 4ast France 2pts 2reb McQueen 2pts Dandridge 2reb 2ast Brooks 3ast Predicting winners for Michigan boys basketball state tournament
Mick McCabe, The Detroit Free Press The calendar still says February, but the Madness cannot be stopped by a mere calendar. The boys basketball tournament begins Monday even if we won’t reach March until the district finals. Because of the availability of the Breslin Center, the boys will begin state tournament play a week before the girls and finish at The Breslin in East Lansing on March 16. If that isn’t confusing enough, for the first time since the tournament began in 1926 there will not be a Class A state champ ... or a Class B,C or D champ for that matter. To align with the way most sports classify schools, we will have champions in four equal divisions. If none of this makes sense to you, we’re here to help. Here is a division-by-division breakdown of the tournament and, at no increase in price, we’ve even included the eventual four state champions. Division 1 Defending champ: Clarkston. The Wolves, under the direction of someone not named Dan Fife for the first time in 36 years, lost virtually everyone who scored a meaningful point last season, but are on a 17-game winning streak. Tim Wasilk, who played and coached under the legendary Fife, has done a remarkable job considering the backcourt of Keegan Wasilk and Fletcher Loyer are freshmen and 7-foot junior Matt Nicholson barely played last season. Toughest district: At Belleville. This district is absolutely ridiculous. With Ypsilanti, Belleville, Saline, Ann Arbor Huron, Ypsilanti Lincoln and Ann Arbor Pioneer there isn’t a bad team here. And with 6-9 Lincoln freshman Emoni Bates this will also be the best-attended and most entertaining district in any division. Emoni Bates, who is a freshman this season, is already gaining national attention. Joey Delgado, Special to Detroit Free Press Final four: Saginaw, Detroit Cass Tech, U-D Jesuit, Muskegon. Darkhorse: Ann Arbor Pioneer. The Pioneers will have to survive the district at Belleville and could then get on a roll. They have a good inside/out game with 6-7 Kasean Pryor and point guard Drew Louder. To get to the final four it would have to get by a quality team like Cass Tech, but that isn’t out of the question. State champ: U-D Jesuit. After a two-year absence, the Cubs take home another title. Daniel Friday and Julian Dozier have carried much of the load this season, and with 6-10 Jalen Thomas back in the lineup, the Cubs show why they were our No. 1-ranked team in the preseason. Division 2 Defending champ: Benton Harbor. After beating River Rouge recently, the Tigers look ready to repeat, but this will be every bit as difficult to win as last season’s title. A year ago, Carlos Johnson, only a sophomore, led the Tigers with 24 points and 10 rebounds. More importantly, he hit a 3-point shot with 10 seconds left in overtime to secure the win. Toughest district: Mt. Morris. The opening game between Chesaning and Ovid-Elsie features two good teams and the semifinal between Corunna and Mt. Morris is even better. Flint Powers is the only team in this district that has struggled, but the Chargers played a much tougher schedule than any of the others. Final four: Bridgeport, Benton Harbor, River Rouge, New Haven. Darkhorse: Williamston. The Hornets played River Rouge in the regional finals in 2016 and ’17 and split the two games. With Sean Cobb, Jay Wallace, Mason Docks and Joseph Hahnenberg averaging in double figures, it is impossible to key the defense to stopping one player. State champ: New Haven. Like Benton Harbor’s Johnson, New Haven’s Romeo Weems won a state title as a sophomore. A poor shooting game in the semis cost the Rockets a chance to repeat. Weems is better this season and so are his teammates. Division 3 Defending champ: Detroit Edison. At 10-10 last season, Edison became only the fourth team in tournament history to enter the tournament at .500 or below and win the title. Of course, last season’s team also won the Detroit Public School League title so the championship was not a shocker. This season’s team did not compete in the PSL, but still played a rugged schedule. Toughest district: Iron River West Iron County. Right off the bat you’ve got a whopper of a battle of unbeaten Iron Mountain playing 19-1 Ironwood. The winner of the Norway-L’Anse game will have to play a good Calumet team, and the final could be Iron Mountain and Calumet, which would be an excellent matchup. Final four: Maple City Glen Lake, Flint Beecher, Hanover-Horton, Pewamo-Westphalia. Darkhorse: Hanover-Horton. For a lot of fans, the Comets are an afterthought here. But you need to realize their only loss came to Toledo St. Francis. Even better, last week it fell behind Division 1 Ypsilanti Lincoln 15-0 and came back to win. Don’t take the Comets lightly. State champ: Flint Beecher. The Bucs are looking to win their sixth title in eight seasons, and don’t bet against them. They are led by a pair of exceptional juniors — Jalen Terry and Earnest Sanders. Terry may be the best player in his clas,s and Sanders may be the best athlete — holding Division I offers in football and basketball. And the duo has plenty of help. Division 4 Defending champ: Southfield Christian. The Eagles won their fourth state title in seven years last season. The star of the show was junior Harlond Beverly, who scored his team’s first 11 points on the way to a 23-point, eight-steals, seven-rebound, six-block performance. Toughest district: Frankfort. Buckley should get past Forest area in the opener, but Bear Lake will be a tough test in the semifinal. Frankfort and Onekema will battle in the first round and the winner will face a solid Brethren team. Final four: Brimley, Southfield Christian, Big Rapids Crossroads, Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian. Darkhorse: Marcellus Howardsville Christian. Having the No. 3 scorer in state history — 6-4 Dylan Jergens — on your side helps. He had 47 points the other night, which is more than all of the students in the school, to top the 2,500-point mark for his career. He can carry this team a long way. State champ: Southfield Christian: With Beverly returning, this was a forgone conclusion. But Beverly didn’t return, and neither did Caleb Hunter. Beverly took off for Montverde Academy in Florida, and Hunter transferred to U-D Jesuit. But the rugged nonconference schedule remained the same, preparing the Eagles for another long tournament run. Mick McCabe is a former longtime columnist for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at mick.mccabe11@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1. State Super 20
Detroit
Michigan high school basketball: Mick McCabe's state rankings
Mick McCabe, Special to Detroit Free Press Boys basketball Super 10 Rank, school, record, division:
Division 1 Ranking, school, record, previous ranking:
Division 2
Division 3
Division 4
Vito Chirco, Special to Detroit Free Press
Romeo Weems' quadruple-double highlights top performances from week Here are the top high school basketball performances in Michigan from Feb. 20-22: Boys
Honorable Mentions
 George Pohly, The Macomb Daily
Malen Lewis has made up his mind about New Haven teammate Romeo Weems. “He’s Mr. Basketball,” the senior forward said. “That’s what I believe.” Whether Weems becomes on March 11 the first Macomb County player to win the award remains to be seen, but there’s no doubting the resume quality of the 6-foot-7 wing who Friday was named one of four finalists for the award. The most intensely recruited county player in the last 50 years, Weems has 2,021 career points, which makes him No. 1 in county history and places him between Magic Johnson (2,012) and Dugan Fife (2,032) on the all-time state scoring list compiled by the Michigan High School Athletic Association. A member of two gold medal-winning age-group teams with USA Basketball, Weems has displayed a well-rounded game while helping the Rockets win four consecutive MAC division championships and three regional titles with the 2019 state tournament still ahead. He had a quadruple-double with 34 points, 12 rebounds, 10 blocked shots and 10 steals in the Rockets’ 74-58 victory over Detroit Edison Academy on Wednesday. “Romeo Weems does a great job of doing everything,” DEA coach Brandon Neely said. “He does everything right.” “I just do what I can to affect the game,” Weems said. “You don’t have to score 1,000 points a game. “I’m double-teamed, triple-teamed a lot, so I dive on the floor, try to make the right play, do whatever I can to affect the game.” No matter when it occurs, no matter the outcome, Weems’ final game in a New Haven uniform will mark the end of an era in county basketball history. The DePaul signee, who picked the Blue Demons from a short list that included Michigan and Michigan State, has been the centerpiece of a program that has won a county-record four consecutive regional championships. The Rockets won the 2017 state Class B championship, only the second won by a county boys team. They won their final 26 games that season, starting a streak that stretched to a county-record 52 in 2017-18. New Haven went 42-0 in MAC (Gold, Blue and White) division games with Weems on the roster. In his four seasons, the Rockets lost only two home regular-season games -- to Ford when Weems was a ninth-grader and Roseville in the second game of this season. New Haven is 19-1 with an 18-game winning streak in play as the Rockets enter the state tournament at a district they host beginning Monday. Their cumulative record in Weems’ four seasons -- he missed a handful of games -- is 94-6. “He’s a great leader, and his teammates love to play for him,” New Haven coach Tedaro France II said of the player who passed Eli Sims, the first two-time county Player of the Year, to become New Haven's career scoring leader. “He’s a great, great player. I’m blessed to be able to coach him.” New Haven won its state championship with a lineup that included Eric Williams Jr., a shooting guard who’s averaging 13.2 points per game in his second season at Duquesne. Last season, the Rockets went unbeaten until they lost to Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Michigan State recruit Marcus Bingham Jr. in a state semifinal. Since the loss to Roseville, which the Rockets avenged in the MAC Red/White tournament championship game on Feb. 16, New Haven has retooled its lineup. Transfer Trenell Payne became eligible in January, and players like guard Darrius Brooks and Lewis have taken on more prominent roles. “This is the deepest team I’ve had in years,” France said. And Weems , the county 2018 Player of the Year, isn’t New Haven’s only star. Guard Ronald Jeffery III, who scored 26 points in the tournament victory over Roseville, scored the 1,000th of his career against Detroit Edison Academy. “I feel like we’ve got a chance to win (the state championship),” Weems said. “We need to keep getting better every day. “We’ve got a lot of depth. If we keep rotating on defense and working hard, we can do it.” The MHSAA went from the class format to divisions in boys and girls basketball this season. County teams are involved in 16 district tournaments. Games are Monday, Wednesday and Friday. New Haven is in Division 2, and the Rockets play host to Lutheran North at 6:15 p.m. Monday. The winner of that game plays Algonac on Wednesday night. “Everyone’s goal is to win state,” Lewis said. Mr Basketball Finalist Romeo Weems
4 year captain Career Totals: as of 2-22-19 Record 94-6 Points: 2021 Rebounds: 1098 Assist: 443 Steals: 412 Blocks: 225 Championships 4 League 3 District 3 Regional Final Four State Championship  Jared Purcell, www.mlive.com The search for finding the next Hal Schram Mr. Basketball winner took a crucial step this morning as four finalists have been announced by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan and the Detroit Free Press. This year, the finalists are all from the Metro Detroit area: Joe Moon of Westland John Glenn, Chandler Turner or Detroit Renaissance, Romeo Weems of New Haven and B. Artis White of Canton. The four finalists were each listed with high chances to be named finalists on MLive's Mr. Basketball watch list heading into the announcement. It guarantees that this year's Mr. Basketball winner will be from Detroit for the third time in four seasons as Clarkston's Foster Loyer won the award in 2018 year while Detroit U-D Jesuit's Cassius Winston won it in 2016. Kalamazoo Central's Isaiah Livers won the award in 2017. Mr. Basketball is an annual award given to the individual voted by members of BCAM as the top senior player in Michigan. It has been presented annually since 1981 and this year's winner will be announced in a ceremony on March 11 in Detroit. Also, BCAM has announced Retro Mr. Basketball award winners since 2010 for players from 1920-1980. Here is a brief look into each of the 2019 Mr. Basketball candidates, listed in alphabetical order of last name. Joe Moon IV, 6-0 G, Westland John Glenn College commitment: Uncommitted Moon has been a prolific talent all season and he recently became John Glenn's all-time career leading scorer when he scored 23 points in the Rockets' 68-34 defeat of Livonia Churchill on Feb. 1. On that night, he pushed his career point total to 1,214 and he has since surpassed the 1,300-point mark. So far this season, Moon is averaging 27.5 points, 5.1 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game as John Glenn heads into the state tournament with a 12-8 record. Chandler Turner, 6-6 G/F, Detroit Renaissance College commitment: Signed with Bowling Green Already the recipient of the Mr. PSL award -- and award given to the top player in the Detroit Public School League -- Turner has led Renaissance to a strong season despite battling adversity. Renaissance's former coach was fired in the fall while top teammate Carrington McCaskill transferred to SPIRE Academy in Ohio just as the season was starting. Still, Turner led Renaissance to the PSL tournament championship game before losing to Detroit Cass Tech. So far this winter, Turner is averaging 23 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists per game and has led Renaissance to a 15-4 record heading into tonight's regular season finale against Detroit Catholic Central. Romeo Weems, 6-7 G/F, New Haven College commitment: Signed with DePaul Weems has been heralded as one of the state's top talents since he started his high school career. Having played every position on the floor for New Haven, Weems has developed into one of the top wing players in Michigan. He had a phenomenal regular season this winter, averaging 28.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.5 steals, 4.2 assists and 2.8 blocks per game. In his final game of the regular season on Wednesday this week, Weems registered a quadruple-double effort with 34 points, 12 rebounds, 10 steals and 10 blocks in a win over defending Class C state champion Detroit Edison Public School Academy. He also eclipsed 2,000 career points in that game, leading New Haven into the Division 2 state tournament with a 19-1 record. B. Artis White, 5-11 G, Canton College commitment: Signed with Western Michigan The key figurehead on a Canton team that has gone 38-3 since the start of last season, White became the second player in Canton history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark for a career with a 24-point effort in a win over Northville on Jan. 29. One half of possibly the strongest backcourt pairing in Michigan, White possessing great speed and slashing ability, putting forth many game-changing efforts for the Chiefs. So far this winter, White is averaging 21.5 points, 5 assists, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game as Canton heads into the Division 1 state tournament with a 19-1 record.  |
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