Rockets honored by the New Haven Board of Education with the 2017 Rocket Pride Proclamation4/11/2017
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Scott Burnstien
www.statechampsnetwork.com Five For Fighting – The Top Sophomore Boys Hoopsters In The State 1. Romeo Weems (New Haven G/F) – Elite playmaker, versatile and explosive with the rock in his hands, primetime performer all the way, just a very, very special talent with a sparkly new state-championship ring to show off 2. Terry Armstrong (Davison G) – Didn’t play last season due to a brief stint out-of-state and a prep-school transfer, about to BLOW UP THE SPOT in 2018!!! Big guard with a BIG upside and already displaying NBA-level instincts out of the backcourt 3. Harlond Beverly (Southfield Christian G) – Does it all at the two-guard position, satiny soft touch from deep and mid-range, expert finisher at the tin, a straight killer in the transition game, long and active on defense 4. Taylor Currie (Clarkston C) – Could very well be the best true post player in the whole state next year 5. Mark “Rocket” Watts (Detroit Old Redford Academy G) – Prototypical point guard, quintessential coach on the floor at the controls of an offense, plays much bigger than his actual size Braeden Proctor
www.prephoops.com We have released classes A-D all state teams already. If you read all of them closely you may have noticed a few big omissions from those teams. No, we did not forget them big names. Instead, we are posting a dream team all state, with many of those players on this list. The 2017 Prep Hoops Dream Team All state team was selected by several contributors with knowledge of the entire state of Michigan, taking into account: how valuable they were to their team’s success, on court performance, statistics, record, postseason success and strength of schedule. Some players may not have quite as strong a credential in one or multiple variables above, but in other variables they may be so strong, that it was simply not feasible to leave them off the team still. Without further ado, here is our 2017 Dream Team All State team: Prep Hoops Michigan Player of the Year: Greg Elliott- 2017 6’4 Combo Guard East English Village (Marquette commit) Elliott probably was the most dominant and unguardable guard in Michigan this year, Elliott was on another level compared to everyone else. He picked up offers from the likes of MSU, Marquette, Providence and VCU since the beginning of the season and has been one of the funnest players to watch. He played with a chip on his shoulder all season long and did much more than just scoring. He highlighted his strong ability to play defense and has a motor that is unmatched by almost anyone. Elliott averaged 28 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1.5 blocks and shot 52-percent from the floor. He is 2nd all time in school history in points and won Mr. PSL this year as well. Prep Hoops Michigan All Class Dream Team: Foster Loyer- 2018 6’0 PG Clarkston (MSU commit) Loyer razzled and dazzled all season long. He put his game on full display in the semis against West Bloomfield and then again in the State title game against Grand Rapids Christian. He dropped 29 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists while shooting 8-16 from the floor. The MSU commit led Clarkston to their first ever state title. He averaged over 25 points. 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. He also shot a eye popping 95.7% from the free throw line, 53% from 2 and 47% from 3. The MSU commit has shown he is one of the top point guards in the country in 2018. Isaiah Livers: 2017 6’8 Wing/Forward Kalamazoo Central (Michigan commit) An easy choice for this team, as Livers was voted by coaches in Michigan as the 2017 Mr. Basketball. He was dominant all season long, showing off his unique ability to play the 1-5 spots in high school with equal ease. Livers is a dynamic shooter from deep, who can score off his own dribble or off catch and shoot situations. Livers also is a natural post, as he lost quite a bit of weight over the past two season, which in turn evolved his game from being a back to basket post, to a legitimate high major wing or stretch 4. His length and athleticism allowed him to be a superb shot blocker this year, and he created a lot of problems defensively for teams. Livers has signed to play at the next level with Michigan. Livers led Kalamazoo Central to the Class A quarterfinals and got them a regional championship. He averaged 18 points, 14 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.4 blocks and 1.7 steals per game and shot 54% from the field, 45% from three and 81% at the free throw line. Xavier Tillman- 2017 6’8 PF Grand Rapids Christian (Michigan State) Tillman was the most dominant player in the paint this year. He put that on full display in the biggest games. He was utterly dominant in the regional semis vs. Muskegon, the quarterfinals vs. Kalamazoo Central, and even in the state championship game against Clarkston. The MSU bound post showed exactly why he was recruited by such a great school- there are no better rebounders in the state than Tillman. His stats are not gaudy by any means, but Grand Rapids Christian was so dominant and balanced, they are all unselfishly spread the love for the benefit of the team. Tillman stepped up whenever he needed to. He averaged 13 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks per game this year and led the Eagles to the Class A state title game. Romeo Weems- 2019 6’6 SF New Haven Weems led New Haven to their first ever state championship this weekend. Despite being only a sophomore, he already has offers from the likes of Michigan State and Ohio State to name a few. Weems is a top 100 player in the country in the 2019 class, and already has a high school resume that surpasses nearly every high school player in Michigan. He has won a state championship, was recently named AP Class B player of the year and has multiple division one offers to show for it. What sets Weems apart from many is his motor and work ethic. He constantly is around the ball and is all over the glass on both sides of the ball. He physically dominates most players because of his height and athleticism and when he cannot do that, he uses his motor and inside out skillset to create matchup problems. Weems played great in the state title game, leading New Haven to a 45-36 win, while posting 19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 steals in the biggest of games. He averaged 18.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 4.2 steals and 3.5 blocks per game. He had 3 triple doubles this season and led New Haven in rebounds, assists and steals per game. Malik Ellison- 2017 5’7 PG Flint Beecher (Eastern Michigan commit) Ellison is the definition of a winner. He led Beecher to its third consecutive state championship in Class C, and was the star of the team all three years. Ellison played great on the big stage as well, scoring 28 in the semifinal win over DEPSA, then pouring in 32 more in the title game. These big time performances were not anomalies either, as he averaged 26.2 points, 5.3 assists, 4.2 steals and 3.5 rebounds this year, and dropped 64 points in a double overtime loss to New Haven to end the regular season. He earned his first division one offer during the regionals from Eastern Michigan and committed shortly after. He recently made the commitment to EMU public. A fitting ending for one of the best players in recent history. David Goricki
www.detroitnews.com Detroit News’ David Goricki picks the top high school basketball players in the Metro Detroit area. ALL-EAST Romeo Weems, 6-6, So., G-F, New Haven Weems averaged 18.1 points, 12.6 rebounds, four steals, 3.6 assists and 3.2 blocks to lead New Haven to the Class B state championship. “Romeo plays all five spots where I can move him around and he’s effective at any of the positions,” coach Tedaro France said. “He does so much for us. He can pass, he can defend. The one thing about him is he can score, but he takes pride in playing defense. He blocks shots and he guards guys 1-through-5.” Weems already has offers from Michigan State and Ohio State. Eric Williams, 6-5, Sr., G, New Haven Williams showed he can put big numbers on the board, scoring 50 in a win over Fraser. He averaged 20.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, four assists and four steals to help New Haven become the first Macomb Country team to win a state championship since 1994. “Eric’s a shooting guard and has taken his game to the next level,” said coach Tedaro France of Williams, who scored 22 in the first half of a state semifinal win at the Breslin Center. “He’s 6-foot-5 and can shoot the ball well, handle the ball well and creates a lot of matchup problems.” Jack Ballantyne, 6-9, Sr., F-C, Macomb Dakota Ballantyne showed his versatility at 6-9 and 240 pounds, being able to score inside or make the perimeter jumper. He averaged 15 points and 13 rebounds. “Jack’s very unselfish and is a good character kid,” coach Paul Tocco said. Ballantyne is being recruited by several Mid-American Conference schools. Jermaine Jackson, 5-10, Sr., G, Macomb Dakota Jackson averaged 26 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals to lead Dakota to the MAC Red division championship and a Class A district title. “Jermaine is without question the best point guard in the state of Michigan in my mind,” Coach Paul Tocco said. “He does everything for us and people double team him, and when people try to take him away he’ll dish out 10, 12 assists and still get his 20 points.” Jackson has offers from Auburn, DePaul, Eastern Michigan and Detroit. Thomas Kithier, 6-8, Jr., C, Macomb Dakota Kithier showed the ability to dominate on both ends of the court. He averaged 21 points, 12 rebounds and five assists to help Dakota repeat as MAC Red division champions. “Thomas is a very skilled player who can do so many things well and he’s a great defender,” coach Paul Tocco said. Kithier is a Michigan State commit. Coach of the Year, Tedaro France, New Haven France guided New Haven to a 27-1 record and the school’s first Class B state championship in his ninth year as head coach. “We take pride in playing great team defense and we start our runs from defensive stops, whether it’s blocks shots or steals from our pressure,” France said. “We kept our composure (in state title game win over Ludington) and found a way to win, made plays late. ... The support that we get too from our town and our fans, they were like our sixth man there (at Breslin Center). We got down 15-7 and things weren’t going our way, but we stayed composed and kept fighting, and it shows we have great kids from all the hard work they put in from back in November.” Second team Brennen Buszka, 6-5, Sr., F, Grosse Pointe South; A.J. Crawford, 5-11, Sr., G, New Haven; Jahi Hinson, 6-3, Sr., G, Sterling Heights Stevenson; Shawn Kama, 5-10, Sr., G, Sterling Heights; Donnie Schuster, 6-3, Sr., G, Utica Ford. Third team Ben Davidson, 6-3, Jr., G, St, Clair; Ross Hinkley, 5-10, Sr., G, Marysville; Luke Pfromm, 6-5, Jr., F, Warren De LaSalle; Ashton Sherrell, 6-7, Jr., F, New Haven; Jauron Hicks, 6-4, Sr., G, Warren Woods Tower. Honorable mention Drew Arft, Macomb Lutheran North; Lance Barton, Center Line; Jordan Davis, Warren Michigan Collegiate; Ricky Dixon, St. Clair Shores Lake Shore; Zane Draper, Grosse Pointe South; Daniel Everhart, Marine City Cardinal Mooney; Justin Fischer, Warren De LaSalle; Tyler Gillery, Warren Mott; Amir Gilmore, St. Clair Shores South Lake; Kyle Hensley, Sterling Heights Parkway Christian; Alek Ivanovic, Utica Ford; Danny Longo, L’Anse Creuse North; Joe Milanov, Macomb Lutheran North; Carl Pettway, Warren Fitzgerald; Griffin Schirmer, Imlay City; Antonio Sinishtaj, Sterling Heights; Jeremy Scott, L’Anse Creuse North; D’lano Woods, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley. Jared Purcell
www.mlive.com First Team: Romeo Weems, New Haven Position: Wing Year: Sophomore Height: 6-6 Weems burst onto the scene as a freshman phenom last year and, this year, he further legitimized his name among the state's best. Named the Class B Player of the Year by the Associated Press, Weems averaged 18.1 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.9 steals, 3.6 assists and 2.8 blocked shots this year while leading New Haven to its first Class B state title. In the semifinals, he had 14 points and 13 rebounds. He followed that up with 19 points and 10 rebounds on 5-for-6 shooting while going 8-for-11 from the free-throw line. In the region semifinals, he had 18 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. He already has offers from the University of Detroit, Oakland and Creighton. He also has gotten offers from Michigan State and Ohio State and letters of interest from Michigan, Kansas and Florida State, among others. "He's a great, great talent and a special kid," New Haven coach Tedaro France said. "The sky is the limit for him. With him, he continues to get better day by day. If he continues to work and he continues to get better, he's going to do great things." |
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