2019-20 Detroit News All-Area boys basketball teams

ALL-EAST 

First team

JOSEF GJONAJ
6-4, Sr., G, Warren De La Salle
Gjonaj had a solid senior season, averaging 16.5 points, seven rebounds and three assists to lead De La Salle to a 13-8 record and district final appearance.
“Joe could create his shot anytime and was a great defender,” coach Greg Esler said. “He drew double teams all year.”

JAVAUGHN HANNAH
6-3, So., G, Mount Clemens
Hannah was a sophomore sensation, scoring 60 in a game and averaging 31.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.4 blocks for Mount Clemens, which finished 11-10, second to Harper Woods Chandler Park in the Charter School League.
“His work ethic is second to none, not only saying he wants to play in the NBA but is working hard to one day make his dream come true,” coach Pete Trammell said. “His drive to be great every play, every game is what makes him special, and I’m proud how he attacked the season. He has played AAU ball with Emoni Bates the last three years and that has pushed him to play at an elite level.”
Hannah already has offers from Texas A&M, Washington State and DePaul.

DAVION HOLLOWAY
6-1, Sr., G, Eastpointe
Holloway showed his ability to score in multiple ways, averaging 20.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and two steals to lead Eastpointe to an 18-4 record and a Macomb Area Conference Silver title while being named MAC Silver Player of the Year.
“Davion played as hard as he possibly could every single day. He is a true competitor that absolutely hates to lose,” coach Nate Minnoy said. “He broke several school records, including single-game scoring with 46 points and 3-pointers in a game with nine.”

RYAN ROLLINS
6-4, Sr., G, Macomb Dakota
Rollins had an outstanding senior season as a combo guard, averaging 25.5 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals to lead Dakota to an 18-3 record, a MAC Red title and a MAC Red/White tournament championship.
“Ryan is a very special player that plays the game the right way always,” coach Paul Tocco said. “He’s unselfish — a team player that makes everyone around him better.”
Rollins will play next year at Toledo.

JAVIER WHITAKER
5-9, Jr., G, Hamtramck
Whitaker showed his ability to score in multiple ways while playing tough defensively to help Hamtramck to a 17-3 record, averaging 17 points, two assists and two steals. He scored 28, making 8-of-16 3-pointers in a district semifinal win over Grosse Pointe South.
“Javier could always score the basketball, even coming in from middle school,” coach Dennis Foster said. “He has led us in scoring each year he’s been in our program. His freshman year I would always challenge him to be more than just a scorer and I would tell him that he has potential to be a really outstanding basketball player, but he would always give me a blank stare afterwards. I knew he really began to understand that he could be special after his sophomore year when he began to call me and would ask me to pick him up to go work him out, break down his game film and send tapes on college point guards. I no longer had to push him or motivate him. He wanted it for himself.”

Coach of the Year
DENNIS FOSTER, Hamtramck
Foster guided Hamtramck to a 17-3 record and a district final appearance against Detroit King, putting itself in position to go after its first district title since 1985 when the season came to an abrupt end.
“Our kids played with a ton of energy and enthusiasm all season,” Foster said. “They put in a ton of work in the offseason to get better as individuals, while also still buying into playing as a team. They prepared and played with a chip on their shoulder all year because they knew that they were one of the top teams in the state, but no one else did so they wanted to prove it. I also have to give a lot of credit to my coaching staff and administration who put in a lot of time and effort to help make this season happen.”

Second teamAmari Allen, 6-1, Fr., G, Hamtramck; Anthony Benard, 5-11, Fr., G, Grosse Pointe South; James DeLong, 5-11, Sr., G, Port Huron Northern; Josh Hines, 6-0, Jr., Macomb Dakota; Jayland Randall, 6-4, Jr., G, Harper Woods Chandler Park.

Third teamTamario Adley, 6-2, So., G, Harper Woods Chandler Park; Anthony Cukaj, 6-3, Sr., G, Roseville; Tyler Jamison, 6-4, Fr., Port Huron Northern; Nolan Julio, 5-7, Sr., G, Marine City Cardinal Mooney; Cedric Poole, 6-2, Sr., G, Eastpointe.
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Honorable mentionEthan Balon, Port Huron; Nick Bastian, Marine City Cardinal Mooney; Deion Black, Warren Collegiate; Jon Bolden, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley; Gabe Bourdeau, Almont; Ryan Brown, Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse; Terrence Brown, Harper Woods Chandler Park; Donavan Brownlee, Warren Woods Tower; Noah Burns, Hamtramck; Michael Clark, Grosse Pointe Woods Liggett; Matthew Coffey, Mount Clemens; Anthony Danno, Sterling Heights; Larry DeDalis, Marine City Cardinal Mooney; Amaree Dixon, St. Clair Shores Lakeview; Sean Donaldson, St. Clair; T.J. Ferguson, St. Clair Shores Lake Shore; Tyree France, New Haven; Xavier Glenn, Macomb Dakota; Anthony Green, Grosse Pointe Woods Liggett; Caleb Hardies, Macomb Lutheran North; Daveyon Henderson, Richmond; Linden Holder, Warren De La Salle; Austin Hosmer, Sterling Heights Parkway; Jason Hunter, Roseville; Jalen Jackson, St. Clair Shores Lake Shore; Jordan Johnson, Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse; Micai Johnson, Macomb L’Anse Creuse North; Nick Johnson, Warren Collegiate; Will Johnson, Grosse Pointe South; Marsse Joseph, Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse; Jack Kammer, Marine City; Jemari Mack, Macomb L’Anse Creuse North; Tyler Mack, Warren Cousino; Jacob Mann, Utica Eisenhower; Jacob Marshell, Marine City Cardinal Mooney; Mik’Qwon McClain, Warren Collegiate; Tommy McNelis, Fraser; Johnny Mistretta, Marine City; Colin Moldenhauer, Macomb Lutheran North; Rory Montreuil, Utica; David Mueller, Macomb Lutheran North; Nick Olmeda, St. Clair Shores Lake Shore; Angelo Patsalis, Marine City; Cam Perrino, Grosse Pointe North; Hasson Posey, Warren Woods Tower; De’Ovion Price, Port Huron; Ahmaryon Rice, Center Line; Jacob Robinet, Sterling Heights Parkway; Justin Schweiger, Richmond; Alex Shaheen, Grosse Pointe South; Jordan Shepherd, Grosse Pointe North; Matt Skiba, Utica Ford; Will Smythe, Warren De La Salle; John Stricker, Sterling Heights Parkway; Cameron Strong, Grosse Pointe Woods Liggett; Jahiem Swaizey, Roseville; Greg Tarr, Romeo; Stephan Teasley, Warren Lincoln; Taveon Thompson, Utica Eisenhower; Troy Tiseo, Macomb Lutheran North; Mark Tumpkin, Fraser; Andre Turner, Sterling Heights Stevenson; Jaeden Valadez, St. Clair Shores Lakeview; Darrell Walker, Clinton Township Clintondale; Davion Watkins, Eastpointe; Artez Weathington, St. Clair Shores South Lake; Brent Wiles, New Haven; Caron Williams, Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse; Bryce Williamson, Warren Cousino; Evan Woodard, Marysville; Ryan Zimmer, St. Clair.

www.247sports.com

Matt Prehm

With the Oregon basketball season now over and the Ducks having moved towards gearing up for the 2020-21 basketball season, we are taking a look at the new pieces coming into the program and how they'll impact the Ducks on the court.

For today we are looking at junior forward Eric Williams Jr.

A big reason why I am so high on Oregon being the Pac-12's best team next season in men's basketball is because of who they had sitting on the bench redshirting. I'm aware the Payton Pritchard is gone, and the Pac-12 Player of the Year will be missed. I am aware that seniors Anthony Mathis and Shakur Juiston are also gone, and they'll be missed just as much. Duquesne transfer Eric Williams is a big reason for my belief in Oregon repeating as Pac-12 Champions. The 6-foot-6 junior was one of the very best transfer prospects available this time last spring and the Ducks were able to land his commitment.

I expect Williams to slide into the starting lineup next year for Oregon and become one of the better players on the roster after sitting out this past season.
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Williams is an athletic wing player at 6-foot-6 that is going to remind Duck fans a lot of former transfer wings like Elgin Cook or Dwayne Benjamin, or former Pac-12 Player of the Year Dillon Brooks. He's got the length to guard multiple positions and the athletic ability for bigger forwards to struggle to guard him.

As a sophomore during the 2018-19 season at Duquesne, Williams averaged 14.2 points and shot 42.4 percent from the floor. He also averaged 7.6 rebounds per game. Only three players in the Pac-12 last season did that: Washington's Isaiah Stewart, Arizona's Zeke Nnaji, and USC's Onyeka Okongwu. All three are projected to be first-round draft picks in the upcoming NBA Draft. Just two Ducks ever did that statistical feat, and it was Luke Jackson as a senior and Bol Bol two seasons ago. Williams did this in the Atlantic 10, which is considered a mid-major conference, so you have to take that into account, but it doesn't and shouldn't make his impact on the court any more or any less impressive. He's going to be a player that will be in contention for some kind of All-Conference team in the Pac-12 next year.

Where I see Williams playing within the Oregon system is on the wing similar to how Chris Duarte played this year, or how Louis King, Brooks, Cook, and Benjamin played before that. He'll bounce inside in the post and be asked to defend post players and be a top rebounder. He'll also be asked to guard point guards at times. He's going to be a highly versatile player within Oregon's defense.

On the offensive side of the ball, Williams will instantly become one of Oregon's go-to players to score. And he can do it at all three levels. He's attempted over 250 free throws in his first two seasons of basketball and shoots 74.4 percent from the line. He's a career 36.7 percent three-point shooter, and as a sophomore, he made 61 percent of the shots he attempted inside the paint. He's an improving three-point shooter and someone who is at his best in transition. He's very skilled in attacking the rim and finishing with either dunks or getting fouled, which will translate to more free throw attempts. 

I expect the Ducks to lean on Williams to be one of their best players during the 2020-21 season, and I expect he delivers with a strong junior year.

Rochester Mens Basketball

April 1st 2020

​ROCHESTER, MI -- The Rochester University men's basketball program has signed another member of the class of 2020. Tre Payne is a 6'3 guard from New Haven High School in New Haven, Michigan. Tre started his high school career at Sterling Heights High School where he was a two-year varsity player. He then went to New Haven where he was part of the 2019 regional championship team that was also undefeated in Macomb Area Conference play. 

 Tre also had a successful career playing on the AAU circuit with the Michigan Goonies, a Macomb-based AAU team. This past summer, he averaged 24.0 points per game between their Adidas Gauntlet and Prep Hoops circuits against some of the nation's best AAU teams.
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 Coach Pleasant had this to say about Tre, "Tre is going to be a huge asset for us as we look ahead to our future. He's a guard with a knack for scoring the ball everywhere on the floor. He's another signee who comes from a very successful high school program and he has the added benefit of growing up right down the road from our university. I can't wait to see what the future holds for Tre within our program."


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1 Lansing Sexton 2012 (Class B) — NBA guards Denzel Valentine (Michigan State) and Bryn Forbes (Michigan State-Cleveland State) made up one of the greatest backcourts in MHSAA history.

2 Detroit Renaissance 2004 (Class B) — Talk about firepower: Joe Crawford (Kentucky), Malik Hairston (Oregon), Marcus Stout (Fordham), Tajuan Porter (Oregon) … any questions?

3 U-D Jesuit 2016 (Class A) — Cassius Winston (Michigan State) solidified his legacy as maybe the greatest prepster the Catholic League ever produced.

4 Saginaw 2008 (Class A) — Draymond Green (Michigan State/NBA All-Star) with the repeat, the legend of Day-Day is cemented.

5 Lansing Sexton 2011 (Class B) — Denzel and Bryn Pt. 1.

6 Romulus 2013 (Class A)  — Future Alabama head coach Nate Oats finally reached the mountain top. Could be the grittiest team of the SC Era.

7 Birmingham Detroit Country Day 2010 (Class B) — Ray McCallum Jr. (U-D Mercy/NBA) and Amir Williams (Ohio State), a pair of McDonald’s All-Americans, made up one of the most formidable inside-outside tandems in MHSAA history.

8 Saginaw 2007 (Class A)— The legend of Day-Day is born!

9 Clarkston 2018 (Class A)  — Foster Loyer (Michigan State) penciled his name into the MHSAA point guard Mt. Rushmore.

10 Detroit Pershing 2009 (Class A) — Not one, but two Mr. Basketballs on this squad — Keith Appling (Michigan State) and Derrick Nix (Michigan State) — made the Doughboys quite dangerous.

11 Muskegon 2014 (Class A)— Not one, but two Mr. Basketballs on this squad — Deshuan Thrower (Stoney Brook-Ferris State) and Deyonta Davis (Michigan State/NBA) — made this Big Reds club SUPERBAD.

12 Clarkston 2017 (Class A)— Legendary coach Dan Fife finally did it and got hoops-crazy C-Town that elusive crown.

13 Ypsilanti Lincoln 2019 (Class A) — Two words: Emoni. Bates.

14 Grand Rapids Christian 2003 (Class A)  — Kirk Walters (Arizona) delivered one of the all-time great efforts in state finals history, posting 30 points and 20 rebounds (10 of 11 from the field).

15 Detroit dePorres 2003 (Class C) — The last hurrah for the illustrious dePorres program, as  Brandon Cotton (Michigan State-U-D Mercy) was just a beast out of the backcourt

16 Flint Beecher 2013 (Class C) — Two words: Monte. Morris. (Iowa State/NBA)

17 Detroit Consortium 2014 (Class C) — The swan song for future NBA Lottery pick Josh Jackson (Kansas), before leaving for prep school.

18 New Haven 2017 (Class B) — Romeo Weems (DePaul) and Eric Williams (Oregon-Duquesne) were a downright dynamic duo in so many ways.

19 Lansing Everett 2004 (Class A) — Derrick Nelson (Oakland) and Goran Suton (Michigan State) were pure Lansing lightning.

20 Birmingham Detroit Country Day 2013 (Class B) — The ’13 state tourney was the coming out party for Edmond Sumner (Xavier/NBA)

21 Kalamazoo Central 2010 (Class A) — The first of back-to-back championships for Team Thomas and the K-Zoo cage crazies

22 Southfield Christian 2018 (Class D) — Possibly the No. 1 small-school club the state has ever seen: Harlond Beverly (Miami FL), Bryce Washington (Penn), Caleb Hunter (Mississippi Valley State, Bubba Humphrey (Holy Cross)

23 Grand Rapids Christian 2005 (Class A) -- Mr. Basketball David Kool (Western Michigan) capped one of the greatest individual tourney runs in MHSAA history and scooped a second ring

24 Benton Harbor 2018 (Class B) — One word: SCOOBY!!

25 (tie) Detroit Western 2015 (Class A) — Quietly penciled itself into the pantheon of priceless PSL hoop crews.
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25 (tie) 2005 Detroit Rogers (Class D) — This small school powerhouse “three peated” with a club stocked to the brim with ballers. The Rangers might have been the N0. 1 overall team in the whole state that year regardless of school size. Four players off the ‘05 squad played at the DI level in college: Perryman (Ball St.), Darryl Clements (Bowling Green), Brandon Bryant (Weber St.) and Eric Evans (Duquesne). Evans nailed the game-winning 3-pointer in the state finals.

• Tyree France, New Haven
• Vitals: Senior, 5-foot-11, 150 pounds. 
• Key Stats: Averaged 11.4 points, 5.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 steals. Had three games with 10 or more assists.
• Accolades: All-MAC-White first team and team captain.
• Comment from coach Tedaro France: "What makes Tyree France a special player is his high intelligence of the game of basketball combined with his unique ability to control the game from the point guard position. He is a great teammate, an excellent leader, tireless worker and a selfless individual. He is one of best point guards I have been blessed to coach in my 12 years at New Haven. Tyree is one of our best scorers but with our team being young at the guard position this year with four freshmen up on varsity, he really displayed great leadership, patience and a great understanding that we needed the ball in his hands running the offense."

• De'Ovion Price, Port Huron
• Vitals: Junior, 6-foot, 175 pounds.
• Key Stats: Totaled 410 points and averaged 19.5 points, 3.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds.
• Accolades: All-MAC-Silver first team and All-MAC Academic team. Being recruited by several Division I and II colleges. 
• Comment from coach Marion Stewart: "De’Ovion is a true floor general as a point guard. He can score from anywhere on the court because he’s so hard to guard. He can pass the ball with the best of them but was asked to be a scorer. He leads by example and is a great kid off the court, too!"

 

• James DeLong, Port Huron Northern
• Vitals: Senior, 5-foot-11, 155 pounds. 
• Key Stats: Totaled 359 points, averaged 16.3 points and 3.7 assists and shot 83% from the foul line. 
• Accolades: MAC-Gold MVP, All-MAC-Gold first team and All-MAC Academic team. 
• Comment from coach Brian Jamison: "James had a remarkable season and career at PHN. He had a unique ability to create shots for himself and others, which was on display all season long. Our opponents game planned to keep him out of the paint, and he was still able to get by the quickest players in our league. He was also an outstanding perimeter defender. He did everything a coach could ask out of a senior point guard."

 

• Evan Woodard, Marysville
• Vitals: Junior, 5-foot-11, 175 pounds. 
• Key Stats: Averaged 10.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists. Also shot 80.5% from the foul line. 
• Accolades: All-MAC-Silver first team.
• Comment from coach Erik Schunk: "Evan was a lock-down defender and handled the press every night. He became a huge scoring threat late in the year."

 

• Austin Schweiger, St. Clair
• Vitals: Senior, 6-foot, 175 pounds. 
• Key Stats: Totaled 167 points, 82 rebounds, 52 assists and 45 steals. Averaged 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 2.6 assists.
• Accolades: All-MAC-Gold honorable mention. Will play baseball at Saginaw Valley State. 
• Comment from coach Mike Boullard: "Austin is a great competitor. He is a three-sport athlete and was a varsity captain on all of those teams. He was responsible for getting us in the right positions offensively and defensively."

 

• Aubrey Comment, Marine City
• Vitals: Senior, 5-foot-11, 145 pounds. 
• Key Stats: Averaged 11.4 points, 6.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds.
• Accolades: All-MAC-Bronze honorable mention and All-MAC Academic team. 
• Comment from coach Scott Hand: "Aubrey is a coach on the floor who can control the game by the feel of the flow, which is a very rare attribute for a high school guard.

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• Nolan Julio, Cardinal Mooney
• Vitals: Senior, 5-foot-7, 145 pounds. 
• Key Stats: Averaged 17.3 points and 4.1 assists.
• Accolades: All-Catholic League first team, team captain and four-year varsity player. 
• Comment from coach Mike McAndrews: "Nolan has had one of the best senior seasons I can remember a Cardinal Mooney player having. His ability to make plays for himself and his teammates is what separates him. He has a high-efficiency level and always makes the right play. He has a bright future at the collegiate level." 

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• Jake Townsend, Croswell-Lexington
• Vitals: Sophomore, 5-foot-10, 160 pounds.
• Key Stats: Totaled 92 points, 64 rebounds, 54 assists and 38 steals. Averaged 4.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.8 steals. 
• Accolades: All-BWAC honorable mention as a first-year varsity player.  
• Comment from coach Lance Campbell: "Jake was the starting point guard for the BWAC champs and helped lead the team to a 20-1 overall record this season. He is a great ball-handler and a very gifted passer. He continued to improve on defense as the season went on. Jake has a good basketball IQ and has a bright future with Cros-Lex basketball."

 

• Matt McClelland, Yale
• Vitals: Junior, 6-foot-1, 180 pounds.
• Key Stats: Totaled 159 points, 98 rebounds, 80 assists and 24 steals. Averaged 8.0 points and 4.9 rebounds. 
• Accolades: All-BWAC second team and All-Defensive team. Expects to run track and cross-country in college.
• Comment from coach Pat Bondy: "Matt led our team in minutes played this season. He was the one player we simply could not take out of the game. There were a few games where he played the entire game without coming out at all. Most of the time, he was given the assignment of guarding the other team's best player, regardless of what position they played."

• Gabe Bourdeau, Almont
• Vitals: Senior, 6-foot-2, 200 pounds.
• Key Stats: In 20 games, he totaled 243 points, 65 assists, 123 rebounds and 69 steals. He averaged 12.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 25. steals and 3.3 assists. 
• Accolades: All-BWAC first team, two-year starter and two-year captain. Signed with Alma College. 
• Comment from coach John Hall: "He was the most improved player in the BWAC this season. Gabe was a tremendous competitor. He was the heart and soul of the team." ​
  
• Gaden Muxlow, Brown City
• Vitals: Freshman, 6-foot-2.
• Key Stats: Averaged 12.5 points, 3.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds. Shot 40% from the 3-point line and 73% from the foul line. 
• Accolades: All-GTC-East first team. 
• Comment from coach Anthony Troshak: "Gaden is one of our primary ballhandlers. He has a high basketball IQ for a freshman. He is our second-leading rebounder and our leading scorer. He drew a lot of attention from other teams and most ended up denying him or face-guarding him by the end of the season. Whether Gaden has a great week or struggled, he was in the gym every weekend, helping with youth basketball and working on his game."
• Riley Bertram, Imlay City
• Vitals: Senior, 5-foot-11, 155 pounds.
• Key Stats: Averaged 4.6 points, 3.9 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 steals. 
• Accolades: None. 
• Comment from coach Don Gauthier: None. 

By George Pohly the Macomb Daily 

Style points mean nothing in March.

Just ask Lutheran North.

Colin Moldenhauer scored 20 points and Cole McClelland 16 Monday to lead Lutheran North to a 54-46 victory that broke New Haven's 15-game district basketball tournament winning streak.

The Mustangs, playing at home in the first round of a Division 2 tournament being hosted by St. Clair, didn't play to the pace they wanted, but the Catholic League team hit enough shots and made enough stops to hold off the Rockets, whose streak of district championships ended at five.

"It's the tournament. These guys have high expectations, and I think they had a lot of butterflies, especially in the first half," Lutheran North coach Jeff DeMasse said of his players. "We came out a little flat in the second half.
"Sometimes you win ugly — and this was one of those.

"We were looking for a lot more up-tempo. They did a good job against us. They did a good job of getting back, but we weren't pushing the ball. We started to push it a little in the second half. When we did, sometimes we made some bad decisions."

Lutheran North improved to 16-3. The Mustangs play Marine City in a semifinal game at St. Clair on Wednesday.
Brent Wiles scored 19 points to lead New Haven (12-9), which lost a district game for the first time since 2014, when the Rockets fell to Oakland Christian.

Tedaro France II, the Rockets' coach, said the game was similar to New Haven's season.

"We played hard, but sometimes not smart, and at times we struggled to score," France said. "We missed a lot of layups, left a lot of points on the court. For the most part, I'm proud of our team. Kids learned. Kids grew. I hope the young guys can see what it takes to be successful.

"We lost to a great team. It was a big test playing them at their place. They have a team of seniors."
New Haven had a recent run of success against the Mustangs, including a victory in the 2019 tournament.
"I knew they wanted us bad," France said.

The loss was New Haven's first in a district opener since 2009.

Lutheran North sewed up the victory with a sequence of developments with less than three minutes to play.
New Haven made consecutive baskets and then the Mustangs, leading 46-39, missed a dunk. New Haven got the ball, but turned it over on a traveling violation, and in turn Lutheran North's David Mueller got free for a layup and a 48-39 lead with 2:11 to play.

McClelland made a free throw and Moldenhauer added two as the Mustangs extended their lead to 51-40.

"It was a rough game," Moldenhauer said. "We didn't play how we wanted to. We wanted to play quicker. We came out slow, but we'll get after it on Wednesday. Our game is speed. And getting layups is our game.
"We have a lot of confidence. We have tough competition in the Catholic League."
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Lutheran North led 12-5 after one quarter and 24-18 at halftime.
Marine City had a bye into Wednesday's game. Also Wednesday, St. Clair plays either Richmond or Algonac