I want to say thank you to Central Michigan University program for contributing to my growth and development not only as a player but as a young man. Moving forward
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George Pohly, www.macombdaily.com
CLINTON TOWNSHIP (AP) — Romeo Weems didn't hide from expectations. He met them head-on. A touted ninth-grader when he enrolled at New Haven, whose stock rose when the Rockets won a state championship in his sophomore season, Weems improved his game every year and capped his prep career by winning the Mr. Basketball award for Michigan. He has since added a third consecutive state Player of the Year awards from The Associated Press, winning the Division 2 honor in a vote of sports writers from across Michigan. "Romeo expected more from himself than any other person could have," New Haven coach Tedaro France II said. "He continued to work hard, staying in the gym and weight room, studying film and working on his game both physically and mentally." The 6-foot-7 Weems, who has signed with DePaul, averaged 26.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.2 steals and 3.5 assists while helping New Haven to a 24-2 record and a berth in the state quarterfinals. His scoring average rose every season, and Weems had a career total of 2,151 points, more than any other player from Macomb County, according to a list compiled by the Michigan High School Athletic Association. "Almost every night," France said, "he would face double and triple teams, and every junk defense in the book to try to stop him, but his ability to be the ultimate teammate and make the right reads and plays over and over made teams realize they couldn't use those defenses because he would hurt them in so many ways. "He did not have to score to greatly impact the game. To put up the type of numbers he has despite being every teams' main focus every night shows how great he is and the trust he has in his teammates and in our system." New Haven routinely played before large crowds. Fans sometimes directed unflattering chants at Weems, and some sought him out for autographs. The attention, he often said, made him work harder. "I'm just enjoying it all," he said while signing for a young fan after a regional victory over Pontiac. New Haven did not lose a district or regional tournament game in Weems' four seasons. The Rockets made two state final-four appearances and won 99 games with Weems on the roster. "Romeo brought to every practice the same passion, energy and hunger to compete that he brought to every game," France said. "He loves to practice and he loves to compete, which led to one of the greatest high school career performances I have seen as a coach." Weems was joined on the All-State first team by 10 players, including senior Tyler VanKoevering of state champion Hudsonville Unity Christian and senior Nigel Colvin of state finalist River Rouge. Also named by the writers' votes were SirQuarius Ball of Bridgeport; Austin Braun of Grand Rapids Catholic Central; Zach Goodline of Coloma; Carlos Johnson of Benton Harbor, Sean Cobb of Williamston; Brady Swinehart of Ionia; Charlie Woodhams of Otsego, and Sudi McElroy of Ferndale. Johnson and Woodhams are juniors. The other first team players are seniors. Scott Soodsma of Unity Christian was named Coach of the Year. Division 2 All-State The 2019 Associated Press Division 2 boys basketball All-State team as selected by a panel of nine Michigan sportswriters. Player of the Year
Markele Garrett, Bridgeport; Jarrett Kelley, Chesaning; Jayce Bourcier, Freeland; Cam Sutherland, Alma; Brec Alward, Alma; Riley Bugg, North Branch; Gerrid Rutledge, North Branch; Spencer Eves, Hillsdale; Clay Sampson, Ida; Travis Hill, Onsted; Ethan Alderink, Holland Christian; Cory Ainsworth, Wayland; Jamaal Bailey, Godwin Heights; Brad Osborne, Hamilton; Luke Schrotenboer, Grand Rapids South Christian; Solomon White, Forest Hills Eastern; Noah Wiswary, Hudsonville Unity Christian; Logan Karnemaat, Fremont; Connor Swinehart, Newaygo; Mason Docks, Williamston; Mitchell Mowid, Haslett; Logan LePage, Corunna; Liam Thompson, Ovid-Elsie; Jeremy Luciani, Marshall; Parker Ellifritz, Three Rivers; Isaac Davis, Plainwell; Karsen Barnhart, Paw Paw; Blake Lund, Linden; LaTa'Vius Vaughter, Clio; Logan LePage, Corunna; J.D. Rawls, Mt. Morris; Owen Lobsinger, Flint Powers; Ronald Jeffery III, New Haven; Drew Davis, Richmond; Teonta McKeithen, Ferndale; Alex Finney, Cranbrook; Jacob Martinson, Big Rapids; Nathan Burk, Parma Western, Derrick Bryant Jr., Harper Woods Chandler Park; Devon Bryant, Detroit Henry Ford; Parker LePage, Dearborn Divine Child; Micah Parrish, River Rouge; Tyland Tate, Harper Woods Chandler Park, Tyson Davis, Goodrich.Coach of the Year Don Spencer, Carleton-Airport; JT Cleveland, Alma; James Scott, Harper Woods Chandler Park.   Coach Tedaro France II
Championships
 Jared Purcell, www.mlive.com
The Michigan Associated Press has released its Division 2 all-state teams, and MLive has the first and second teams, along with honorable mention players below. New Haven senior Romeo Weems added Associated Press Division 2 Player of the Year honors to his Mr. Basketball award. Weems, a 6-foot-7 forward averaged 27.5 points, 11.7 rebounds, 4.1 steals, 3.7 assists and 2.2 blocked shots a game during his senior season. The 6-foot-7 forward has signed to play for DePaul and led New Haven to the Division 2 quarterfinals, falling to Harper Woods Chandler Park to finish with a 24-2 record. Weems, who owns the New Haven scoring record, led the team to a state title in 2017 and to the semifinals in 2018. In his four seasons, New Haven was 99-7. FIRST TEAM
COACH OF THE YEAR
SECOND TEAM
SECOND TEAM
HONORABLE MENTION
Jared Purcell, www.mlive.com
Romeo Weems didn’t hide from expectations. He met them head-on. A touted ninth-grader when he enrolled at New Haven, whose stock rose when the Rockets won a state championship in his sophomore season, Weems improved his game every year and capped his prep career by winning the Mr. Basketball award for Michigan. He has since added a second consecutive state Player of the Year awards from The Associated Press, winning the Division 2 honor in a vote of sports writers from across Michigan. “Romeo expected more from himself than any other person could have,” New Haven coach Tedaro France II said. “He continued to work hard, staying in the gym and weight room, studying film and working on his game both physically and mentally.” The 6-foot-7 Weems, who has signed with DePaul, averaged 26.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.2 steals and 3.5 assists while helping New Haven to a 24-2 record and a berth in the state quarterfinals. His scoring average rose every season, and Weems had a career total of 2,151 points, more than any other player from Macomb County, according to a list compiled by the Michigan High School Athletic Association. “Almost every night,” France said, "he would face double- and triple-teams, and every junk defense in the book to try to stop him, but his ability to be the ultimate teammate and make the right reads and plays over and over made teams realize they couldn’t use those defenses because he would hurt them in so many ways. “He did not have to score to greatly impact the game. To put up the type of numbers he has despite being every teams’ main focus every night shows how great he is and the trust he has in his teammates and in our system.” New Haven routinely played before large crowds. Fans sometimes directed unflattering chants at Weems, and some sought him out for autographs. The attention, he often said, made him work harder. "I'm just enjoying it all," he said while signing for a young fan after a regional victory over Pontiac. New Haven did not lose a district or regional tournament game in Weems’ four seasons. The Rockets made two state final-four appearances and won 99 games with Weems on the roster. "Romeo brought to every practice the same passion, energy and hunger to compete that he brought to every game," France said. "He loves to practice and he loves to compete, which led to one of the greatest high school career performances I have seen as a coach." Weems was joined on the All-State first team by 10 players, including senior Tyler VanKoevering of state champion Hudsonville Unity Christian and senior Nigel Colvin of state finalist River Rouge. Also named by the writers' votes were SirQuarius Ball of Bridgeport; Austin Braun of Grand Rapids Catholic Central; Zach Goodline of Coloma; Carlos Johnson of Benton Harbor, Sean Cobb of Williamston; Brady Swinehart of Ionia; Charlie Woodhams of Otsego, and Sudi McElroy of Ferndale. Johnson and Woodhams are juniors. The other first team players are seniors. Scott Soodsma of Unity Christian was named Coach of the Year.  Special night honoring our team & 4 year varsity players
99-7 Record Championships:
Steve Bell www.bankhoops.com
Bank Hoops Division 2 All-State This is the second of five Bank Hoops All-State teams, for all four divisions and the overall all-state team. Players are chosen solely for their high school season performance, not for college prospect rank.
Second team
State Champs: BURNEY'S BYTES: Burney unveils his MIchigan boys basketball all-state squad for 20193/25/2019 BY: SCOTT BURNSTEIN MAR 25, 5:00PM
The Dream Team — Burney’s 2019 All-State Boys Basketball Team
 Joseph Hayes, The Times Herald
You could just hear it in his voice. Port Huron native Eric Williams Jr. really wishes he was on the court playing, instead of watching the NCAA Tournament on television this week. "It's tough, man," Williams said in between a deep breath when reached over the phone from Pittsburgh. "That's my main thing right now. I want to do everything I have to do to get into the tournament." Instead of playing a first-round tournament game, Williams, a 6-foot-6, 205-pound guard, is working out behind the scenes preparing for his junior season. The Port Huron native and New Haven High School graduate just concluded what amounts to a breakout sophomore campaign at Division I Duquesne University. By all accounts, Williams has been an instant sensation. "At the end of the year, he was playing really well," Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot said. "He got on a roll and played like he's capable of playing. He's probably the best offensive rebounder I've ever coached. "And I've coached four NBA players, including Lebron James. He just likes to get after it. Now he has to take that same passion and apply it to the things he really doesn't like." Williams led the Dukes (19-13) in scoring (14 points per game) and rebounding (7.6), while finishing second on the team in 3-point percentage (.371) and playing 30 minutes each game as a shooting guard and wing. "I'm just trying to do my best to know my role," Williams said. "It was to score and rebound and defend. I played at the three and the four at times. I had never played (power forward) before. But for us, it was like a bigger guard. I was able to use it to my advantage, having a bigger guy on me trying to guard me. "I still have a lot to work on. I'm becoming more composed. I'm becoming a better me every year. I've been working a lot on shooting and defending and jumping. I'm trying to get better every year and I'm still not there yet." Throughout the season, Williams continued to show flashes of his vast potential. Late in the season, he set a new career high of 40 points in a game against St. Louis. In the game, he shot 15 of 20, including 7 of 9 from 3-point range. "Every wing player I get, I always compare to Lebron James," said Dambrot, who coached James to state championships as a high school freshman and sophomore. "I compare Eric to him. Eric is still very young. He came into college as a 17-year-old. He still has a lot of room to develop. He has NBA athletic ability. Now what he has to do is he has to get better at all of the little things. "He's capable of being an excellent defender. He has excellent feet. He has to continue getting better at making players better. Some times kids think they have to be better scorers when really they have to make their team win." Going along for the ride with Williams has been his mom, Clarice. She hit the road for several games this season to take in the act and watch her son's progression. "I've known since Eric was 4 or 5 years old that he was going to do something special," Clarice said. "Even back when I put him in Biddy Ball at the YMCA. You just know. He didn't want to put the ball down. "I think he's going to do very well for himself. He's going to be one of the people where they say, 'Wow, he made it.' I've been believing in him a long time. I love the game as much as he does." Now with his sophomore season behind him, Williams is intent to go right back to work strengthening his game. Even if that means early morning workouts in the gym. "I'm working on all of it," said Williams, who is majoring in integrated marketing communications. "The biggest difference right now is we still work out and go to classes but we don't have practices. "My focus right now is on the postseason. It's a priority. I know there is a fine line between becoming a pro going to the NBA and going overseas. The pressure's on, even if it's really not. I'm going into the home stretch and it's make it or break it." Contact Joseph Hayes at (810) 989-6268 or at jahayes@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Joseph_Hayes11. MAC White League Honors League Champions 10-0 Red/White Tournament Champs MVP:
1st Team:
Coach of Year:
Honorable Mention:
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