Kam Goodwill,
www.detnews.com

​New Haven took home its ninth consecutive Rocket Holiday Classic on Saturday, defeating Mount Clemens, 54-52.
Tyree France led the way for New Haven, scoring 15 points while having five assists, five steals and four blocks.  Brent Wiles had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

New Haven coach Tedaro France credited France and Wiles for the teams current winning streak.
"They're our two team captains, they know how the system works, and they're great leaders for the young guys," France said.

After starting the season 0-2, losing both games by double digits,  the Rockets have won their last three, and France says the younger players are improving as the season goes on.

"You can watch film, and practice sets in drills, but it's the in-game experience that matters. The more games they play, the more experience they get.  With more experience, those failures are turning into victories," France said.
JaVaughn Hannah scored 23 points, and Mathew Coffey had 15 points for Mount Clemens.
​
France's defense helped seal the victory, as he drew a charge on Mount Clemens' Hannah with 6 seconds left.
New Haven goes into the break with a 3-2 record, while Mount Clemens falls to 1-3.

The Macomb Daily 

​Tyree France had 16 points and Brent Wiles 13 points and 10 rebounds to pace New Haven to a 54-52 victory over Mount Clemens in the championship game of the Rockets' holiday basketball tournament. George Spiteri took these photos Saturday, Dec. 28.

Chuck Klonke, www.macombdaily.com
​
A pair of veterans played key roles Friday in giving New Haven’s young basketball team a chance to claim its 10th straight Rocket Christmas Classic championship.

Brent Wiles scored 22 points and collected 10 rebounds, while Tyree France finished with 12 points and 7 assists to spark the Rockets to a 53-44 victory against Lamphere in a semifinal game.

In the other semifinal, JaVaughn Hannah had a game-high 32 points, including two free throws with 8.6 seconds remaining, to lift Mount Clemens to a 72-71 victory over South Lake and a berth in the championship game against New Haven at 6 p.m. Saturday.

A year ago, Wiles and France had limited roles as the Rockets went undefeated in the Macomb Area Conference White Division and advanced to the state quarterfinals. Now they are the leaders of a young squad that features a pair of freshman starters.

“They’re our captains — great players, great teammates,” said coach Tedaro France II. “They’ve been keeping our ship afloat, being patient with the young guys. They know the plays and the sets and sometimes they have to go slow to teach them.

“The game has slowed down for them. For the others, the game is going 100 miles-per-hour. They’ve been in our program for three or four years, so they can see things before they happen. Their roles have changed. Last year, they played a small role, now they’re thrust into the 1-2 role. Now the team is riding their backs. That can be tough for kids, but they’re taking it in stride. They’re continuing to grow and they’re getting better every day.”

Tyree France scored eight points in the third quarter, including two 3-point baskets, to help New Haven turn a four-point halftime lead into a 10-point advantage with 2 1/2 minutes left in the period. After Lamphere cut the Rockets’ lead to 47-42 on a putback by Joseph McNab with three minutes remaining in the game, Wiles made three straight baskets to extend the New Haven lead to 53-42.

“We’re going to get better the more we play,” Tedaro France said. “They need game repetition. We can run drills in practice, we can watch film, but this group needs experience. It’s gaining the confidence they can play at this level. Here the bar is set so high that kids stress too much. You don’t have to do it all right now. You can get there step by step, brick by brick. Once we get that confidence we’ll be OK.”

Lamphere coach Sam Hines III was pleased with his team’s performance, especially on defense. The Rams are also young with five juniors starting.

“(New Haven) is a team that executes really well,” he said. “Keeping them under 60 (points) is something we talked about. We can look at this as something we accomplished. It’s one day at a time, but I did see some great things defensively.

“The energy was there. They’re trying. They’re competing. That’s all I can ask for.”
McNab and Brady Robinson led Lamphere with 12 points apiece.  JaQuan Kincaid had a team-high 12 rebounds for New Haven.

Mount Clemens coach Pete Trammell was happy to see the Bathers get over the hump after losing close games in their first two outings.

“We’re still a young team,” he said. “We’re trying to learn how to close out games. Both games we lost we were ahead 95 percent of the time. When we can close games out, we can beat anybody.”

Closing out the Cavaliers was no easy task. Mount Clemens led 66-55 with about four minutes left in the game, but South Lake went on a 16-4 run to take a 71-70 lead on a putback and a free throw by Kawon Robinson with 19.2 seconds to go.

The Cavaliers missed a chance to extend their lead when they missed the front end of a bonus opportunity at the free-throw line. Mount Clemens got the rebound and Hannah was fouled on the drive to the basket. He sank both free throws to put the Bathers back in front. The Mount Clemens defense tightened and South Lake never got another shot off.

“To come out on top in this fashion is going to go a long way for the rest of our season,” Trammell said. “We still have to get better against the pressure, but this was a good win for us, especially against these guys. I have so much respect for Coach (Kurt) Wilson and Coach (Willie) Betts, both former Mount Clemens head coaches. They’re like family.”

Wilson liked the way South Lake battled from behind.

“This was by far our best game of the year,” he said. “We scored 71 points and we played some defense to stay in the game. We fought. We just did a poor job at the end protecting the court.

“I thought when we had to sub our bigs, (Mount Clemens) did a good job beating us on the boards. When we came back with our rebounders, we did better. At the end of the day we have to take care of the ball. We had one crucial turnover late in the fourth quarter that really mattered.”

Rob Robinson added 14 points for Mount Clemens. Kawon Robinson led the Cavaliers with 24 points and Artez Weathington had 14.

South Lake (1-4): Artez Weathington 14, Jayon Robinson 6, Max Pozios 3, Jeremiah Jolliffi 6, Jason Bourne 7, Tre’Bion Wolf 2, Kawon Robinson 24, Dorian Stevens 6. Totals: 26 (7) 12-20—71

Mount Clemens (1-2): Don Williams 5, JaVaughn Hannah 32, Matthew Coffey 5, Armani Cannon 5, Rob Robinson 14, Tyler Banach 4, Kyree Haye 6, Antonio Doxey 1. Totals: 27 (6) 12-22—72.
—————————--
Lamphere (1-3): Lenard Nash Jr. 4, Brady Robinson 12, Kayden Whitman 3, Dylan Chargo 5, Joseph McNab 12, Sema-j Ramsey 2, Andre Miller 1, Tristian Gist 5. Totals: 18 (3) 5-11–44 
​
New Haven (2-2): Tyree France 12, Brent Wiles 22, Trevon Jeffery 2, Dezmond Gilleylen 2, Brandon Lisco 9, Ja’me McQueen 4, JaQuan Kincaid 2. Totals: 22 (4) 5-20–53.

Chuck Klonke

www.themacombdaily.com

Roseville’s basketball team has a 1-2 punch that it’s counting on to deliver knockout blows to many opponents this season.

The Panthers got 28 points from Anthony Cukaj and 21 from Martell Turner to lead Roseville to a 74-44 victory against New Haven Wednesday in a battle of defending Macomb Area Conference division champions.

“Those are the two guys we were most excited about coming into the season,” said Panthers coach Hassan Nizam. “What makes us even more excited is that 1-2 combo is strong but the supporting cast is strong. We have other guys who can make shots and make plays. It’s a blessing to have as a coach.

“That 1-2 punch is unselfish, too. Anthony and Martell pick and choose their spots very well, knowing when to attack and when not to attack.”

Cukaj got Roseville off to a good start with 13 points in the first quarter when the Panthers opened up a 22-16 lead.
“Things just fell into place,” Cukaj said. “On the first bucket of the game we beat the press, Troye Williams hit me for a layup and everything else just fell into place on offense. We didn’t force anything and that’s how the whole game went.”

New Haven bounced back with a strong second quarter and took a 29-26 lead to the locker room after Brent Wiles hit a buzzer beater from just inside mid court.

 The second half was all Roseville. The Panthers scored the first eight points of the third quarter and outscored the Rockets 28-6 in the period. Turner scored 13 points in the third quarter, many of them coming in transition after forcing turnovers.

 “We knew we had to pick it up and play some defense,” Turner said. “We knew we had to pick up the energy and keep it going. We were playing sluggish. If we wanted to win this game we had to play some defense. Defense wins games.”

Defense and rebounding were the keys to Roseville’s co-championship in the MAC Red last season and Nazim was happy to see this team return to those basic fundamentals after a loss in the season opener.

“The plan tonight was to play 32 minutes of fiery defense,” he said. “We wanted to get back to playing Roseville basketball. We established who we were the last two years but every team is independent of itself. This year’s team had to establish its identity and what better way to do it than tonight? 

“When anybody asked me what our expectations were, I said if we can defend and rebound like we did last year we’re going to be better. If these guys let me remove that ‘if’ special things are going to happen. We did that in the second half. We held a very, very well-coached team that runs an offense that is very difficult to prepare for to 15 points in the second half. That’s 100 percent credit to our guys.”

New Haven coach Tedaro France II was encouraged by the way the Rockets came back in the second quarter, but admitted there’s still a lot of work to be done before New Haven can defend its MAC White championship.

“We played a great first half,” France said .”In the second half we made some mistakes but we’re still young. We’re trying to get better day-by-day. Our second quarter shows we have a good base to build from. Now we have to continue to work hard, watch film, learn from our mistakes and come back the next day and just get better.

“Our guards are young and (Roseville) pressures the ball real well. Once they get more confidence we’ll handle the press a lot better.”

Wiles led New Haven with 17 points, including 13 in the first half. Delano Sanders added 11 points off the bench for Roseville.

New Haven (0-1):  Tyree France 7, Brent Wiles 17, Ja’me McQueen 2, Brandon Lisco 7, Michael Williams Jr. 3, Trevon Jeffery 2, Dezmond Gilleylen 2, Zander Weaver 1, JaQuan Kincaid 3. Totals: 16 (4) 8-12—44.
Roseville (1-1): Martell Turner 21, Jaheim Swaizey 4, Anthony Cukaj 28, Jason Hunter 3, Tyree Anderson 3, Delano Sanders 11, Anthony Rosati 4. Totals: 31 (6) 6-11—74.

Brandon Folsom
www.thetimesherald.com

ROSEVILLE — One of Martell Turner's three dunks saw the Roseville guard sky past the defense for a rim-shaking, one-handed throw down that ignited a 16-6 run in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night. 

The Panthers' pressure defense suffocated the Rockets all game long, leading to transition bucket after transition bucket and plenty of other highlights separate from Turner's dunks. 

And New Haven coach Tedaro France loved every second of it. 

Roseville is almost four times the size of Class C New Haven in enrollment and features a senior class with loads of talented guards and big men. 

The Panthers aren't on New Haven's schedule by accident either. The Rockets didn't just add Roseville to its schedule in desperation, to ensure a 20-game schedule. 

They wanted to see a premier full-court pressure defense that can trap you from any angle on the floor, and they got just that during their 74-44 season-opening loss. 

"We can practice against pressure all day long, but it's a game experience like this that'll be best for these guys," France said.

This is the next era of New Haven boys basketball. 

Gone to DePaul is Romeo Weems, the talented forward who has traded in his 99-7 record and 2,151 career points with the Rockets for Big East Freshman of the Week honors. 

This isn't the 2017 Class B state championship Rockets. This year's squad features four freshmen, a bunch of juniors stepping into more important roles and a handful of seniors ready to leave their mark on the program. 

So it's going to take early season losses to Division 1 schools such as Roseville to prepare New Haven for a deep run in the Macomb Area Conference-White as well as the postseason. 

"We've got a young group, so we've just got to continue to build on the great stuff and learn from the mistakes," France said. "As the season goes along, they're going to continue to get better."

New Haven's Brent Wiles drove to the hoop for a basket just mere seconds after the opening tip against the Panthers, but then things fell apart for the Rockets as Roseville went on an 11-0 run, grabbed a commanding lead and got a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer by Anthony Cukaj, who scored a game-high 26 points.  

The Rockets rallied in the next quarter, though. They opened on a 7-0 run of their own, with Wiles knocking down a turnaround jumper in the paint to give his squad a 23-22 lead with 4:22 left before halftime. 

Guard Tyree France did his best to navigate past Roseville's pressure defense, and New Haven continued to collect buckets that sucked the excitement out of the gym for the Panthers' fans. 

Roseville made just two field goals in the period, which ended with Wiles burying a half-court shot at the buzzer to ensure New Haven a 29-26 halftime lead.  

"It shows that we've got a good base to build from," Coach France said. "Now we've just got to continue to work hard, watch film and go back and learn. We need to come back the next day and get better."

Momentum turned in the third when Roseville elevated its energy on defense again and smothered New Haven's ballhandlers in the backcourt. 

Turner, who scored 21 points, slammed home a dunk on a breakaway to give Roseville a 13-point lead that quickly turned into a 21-point advantage before the fourth started. 

"We came out in the second half, and we let their pressure get to us," Coach France said. "I expect that with young guys coming in here. That's why this is a great first test for us to come in here and play against their great guards." 

The pieces are in place for New Haven to have a great season. 

Wiles dominated at forward at times, scoring 13 of his team-best 17 points in the first half. But foul trouble limited the play of forwards Brandon Lisco and JaQuan Kincaid, who both should add a presence in the paint. 

The Rockets just need to shore up their guard play. Tyree France, Ja'me McQueen and Michael Williams Jr. stood out, but Coach France wants to see more out of that position group. 
​
"Our guards are young, and they (Roseville) pressure the ball really, really good," he said. "We only have one guard right now, so we're trying to get some more guys that can build up their confidence to handle the ball. Once they build that confidence, I think they'll do a lot better with more ballhandlers." 

No matter what Coach France throws at his players in practice the rest of the season, the Rockets should rest easy knowing that nothing will be as challenging as what they faced in the season opener at Roseville.
Now's their chance to build off an ugly loss and grow as a team.

Jim Evans
www.themacombdaily.com 

There is BC which means Before Jesus was born.

Then there is AD, which means After Jesus was born.

At New Haven High School, there is a new way to align the calendar.
It is AR.

Translated, After Romeo.

Romeo Weems, a perpetual presence on the high school all-state lists and the reigning Mr. Basketball, is no longer at New Haven High School. A college freshman, he is now in the starting lineup at DePaul. The Blue Demons play in the Big East and are undefeated after beating Texas Tech in overtime Wednesday night.

“Romeo was a great player. He was a generational player and you can’t replace a player like him. He left his mark here. He was a great kid and he set the bar high,” said Tedaro France, the coach at New Haven.

“It is not about making the home run plays here,” continued France, talking about the transition to this year’s team. “It is about making the small plays consistently. I want to have kids who are consistent on making the small plays, the kind of plays that win games.”

Playing sound, fundamental defense. Sticking to the blueprint on offense. Setting picks and making sharp cuts to the basket. Passing to the open man. Taking good shots.

All of the stuff that might never make the highlight compilation on ESPN, but does just fine on the high school basketball court.

There are six returning players from the 2018-2019 team. That group is led by 6-4 junior forward Brent Wiles, who started for the Rockets last year. 

“Brent is a great kid,” said France. “He will play inside but he can also hit the three. He got stronger and he’s going to have a big year for us.”

Point guard Tyree France started six games last year. He’s a 5-11 point guard and is the coach’s son.
“He’s a smart player, very skilled and a good shooter. He’s my son and of course he has to know the game,” said his dad, laughing.

Four more seniors round out the returning players. Mike Williams Jr. is a 5-10 guard; JaQuan Kincaid is a 6-6 forward; Ja’me McQueen is a 5-11 guard; and Brandon Lisco is a 6-5 forward.

Necomers from the junior varsity team are Mitchell Goolsby, Devin Gilleylen and 6-5 Zander Weaver. 

One of the keys for New Haven is how fast the four freshmen on the roster adjust both mentally and physically to the varsity level. They are Dezmond Gilleylen, Keyondre Gamez, Trevon Jeffery and Devin Sanford.

The whole AR (After Romeo) calendar might be overstating things. France’s program has known plenty of success before Weems and the coach expects that to  continue.

In 11 seasons, France has gone 209-60, which means he is averaging 19 wins a season.

“The year before Romeo came here we went to the quarterfinals and we were 25-1,” said the coach. “Two years before that, we also made the quarterfinals. Romeo took us to the next level, but we had success before he came.”

The 2017 New Haven squad beat Ludington 45-36 to capture the Class B state championship. The Rockets fell to Grand Rapids in the semifinals in 2018.

“A lot of people in the summertime told my players that since Romeo Weems is gone that New Haven is not going to be any good or this and that or what not, so these kids already have a chip on their shoulders,” said the New Haven coach.

"As a coach one of the things I love the most about this game is the process. Getting a group of individuals to come together as one team through hard work, sacrifice, commitment and selflessness. Expectations for our basketball program is always high," said France.
​
The Rockets open the season Wednesday at Roseville. On Sunday, Dec. 15, they take on Detroit Loyola at 12:30 p.m. The game is part of the MAC-Catholic League Challenge that will take place at Calihan Hall on the campus of the University of Detroit Mercy

Joseph Hayes, Blue Water Healthy Living

On Monday, practice for another season of boys basketball ensued.
After a week of practice, here’s a quick look around the area as teams prepare to start play in the regular season.

Marine City Cardinal Mooney

“It feels good to be back in the gym with a great group of returning players,” Cardinal Mooney coach Mike McAndrews said. “We have had high energy and intensity the first couple of days. We are excited about where our program is at with a bunch of talented kids. We will field all three levels this year with Freshman, JV, and varsity teams. That’s an indicator that our program is in a great spot for a Division 4 school.

New Haven
​“The first couple days of practice have been fun,” New Haven coach Tedaro France III said. “As a coach, one of the things I love the most about this game is the process. Getting a group of individuals to come together as one team through hard work, sacrifice, commitment and selflessness. Expectations for our basketball program is always high.

We are going to play hard, we are going compete and we are going to defend at a high level.

“I expect our kids to be better then they were yesterday and I expect them to hold themselves and their teammates accountable. We return six players, lead by senior Tyree France and junior Brent Wiles. Tyree is a 5-foot-11 point guard, who had a solid season as a back-up last year, starting four games. Stepping into that quarterback spot this year will be a easy transition for him.

“He had a great summer‎ and he is one of the top shooters and skilled guards in the area. Brent is a 6-foot-4 forward and returning starter. Brent was an All-League and All-County performer last season. Brent can do a little bit of everything on the basketball court with the ability to play inside and out. We also return 6-foot-6 forward JaQuan Kincaid, 6-foot-5 forward Brandon Lisco, 5-foot-10 guard Ja’me McQeen, and 5-foot-10 guard Mike Williams Jr.

“Newcomers are from JV, our Mitchell Goolsby, Devin Gilleylen and 6-foot-5 Zander Weaver will provide depth at point guard and forward. At 6-foot-3, dynamic sophomore wing Emmanual Hunter will play a key role. One of the keys is how fast our four freshman adjust both mentally and physically to the varsity level —-Dezmond Gilleylen, Keyondre Gamez, Trevon Jeffery and Devin Sanford.

Port Huron High

“With the start of a new year you’re always excited and nervous at the same time,” Port Huron coach Marion Stewart said. “Everyone is 0-0 and ready for a fresh start. We’re coming off a tough year of dealing with injuries and relying on youth. We’re returning seven players, five of which were sophomores last year.
“We battled hard every game and I feel like the kids are going to be better for it. At times, we started four sophomores in a tough league. Eight of our players were key contributors to the football success this year and I think it’ll translate over to the hardwood.
“We will be small but really athletic, quick, and defensive pressure will be a key for us. If we can make consistent stops I think it’ll be a good year for us.”

Port Huron Northern

“It’s always an exciting time of year to get basketball started,” Northern coach Brian Jamison said. “We have had a couple good practices so far and are looking forward to what we hope will be a rewarding season. While our league lost quite a few seniors, there are a lot of good players returning and we will have to play well if we expect to compete for a league title.
“As always, our ability to defend and rebound will be essential. We have a pretty good core returning from last year and we will need several guys to step up and fill roles.

Richmond

“It has been a very interesting and exciting start to the season,” Richmond coach Josh Presnell said. “We concluded tryouts tonight, we had 70 kids trying out for all three levels.
“We are hoping to compete for a Blue Water Area Conference championship but our league is tough from top to bottom. We are going to have our work cut out for us after losing Drew Davis and Jackson Allen. I am very excited we have a solid team coming back that is committed to playing hard every night.”