Breslin Bound: Boys A-B Semis Preview
March 19, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Winning an MHSAA championship Saturday will be thrilling enough for whichever teams emerge from eight Class A and B semifinalists heading to the Breslin Center on Friday.
But the two that finish this weekend as champions will be able to celebrate some additional historical significance.
Four of those eight teams are seeking their first MHSAA title. The most recent championship among the four that have won before came way back in 1965.
Below is the schedule for all four Friday Semifinals and Saturday Finals, plus broadcast information and a look at all eight A and B semifinalists. (See Class C and D previews and schedule in a separate post.)
Semifinals - Friday
Class A
Mount Pleasant (22-4) vs. Muskegon (26-0), 1 p.m.
Detroit U-D Jesuit (22-2) vs. Bloomfield Hills (23-3), 2:50 p.m.
Class B
Benton Harbor (16-9) vs. Cadillac (19-6), 6 p.m.
Detroit Douglass (17-9) vs. Milan (23-3), 7:50 p.m.
Finals - Saturday
Class A - Noon
Class B - 6:30 pm
Class C - 4:30 pm
Class D - 10 am
Tickets cost $8 per pair of Semifinals and $10 per two-game Finals session. All Semifinals will be streamed live on MHSAA.TV on a pay-per-view basis. All four Finals will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Detroit-PLUS. Free radio broadcasts of all weekend games will be available on MHSAANetwork.com.
And now, a look at the Semifinalists in Class A and B.
Class A
BLOOMFIELD HILLS
Record/rank: 23-3, No. 8
League finish: Second in Oakland Activities Association Red
Coach: Duane Graves, first season (23-3)
Championship history: Has not played in an MHSAA Final (first season as a school).
Best wins: 74-62, 73-57 and 53-52 (Regional Final) over honorable mention Clarkston, 67-60 over Class B No. 7 Milan.
Players to watch: Armand Cartwright, 6-2 sr. G; Yante Maten, 6-8 sr. C. (Statistics not submitted.)
Outlook: Neither Bloomfield Hills Lahser nor Andover ever made it to a Quarterfinal, much less the final weekend of the season. But the school created when those two joined last summer has done so immediately under Graves, who coached Lahser before the merger. Cartwright scored his 1,000th career point this season. Maten is an absolute force in the post, and those two led Lahser to a District title last season as well.
DETROIT U-D JESUIT
Record/rank: 22-2, No. 3
League finish: Tied for first in Detroit Catholic League Central
Coach: Pat Donnelly, sixth season (90-43)
Championship history: Has not played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 54-53 (Quarterfinal) and 67-57 over No. 6 Romulus,52-51 over No. 10 Detroit Cass Tech in Regional Final, 47-45 over No. 7 Detroit Southeastern in Regional Semifinal, 59-32 over honorable mention Detroit Renaissance in District opener.
Players to watch: Cassius Winston, 6-1 soph. G (18.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 8.7 apg, 4.3 spg); Noah King, 6-4 sr. F (12.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg).
Outlook: Jesuit won its first Regional championship last week after losing during the regular season only to Catholic League rival Warren DeLaSalle and in overtime to Ohio’s Toledo St. John. The starting lineup includes four seniors along with leading scorer Winston, and sophomore guard Billy Thomas is the team’s second-leading scorer with 13.7 points per game off the bench.
MOUNT PLEASANT
Record/rank: 22-4, honorable mention
League finish: Tied for second in Saginaw Valley Association North
Coach: Dan Schell, second season (33-14)
Championship history: Class B Lower Peninsula champion 1932, three runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 69-60 over No. 5 Saginaw Arthur Hill, 64-61 over honorable mention Flint Carman-Ainsworth in Regional Final, 64-54 over Cadillac.
Players to watch: Jaleel Hogan, 6-6 sr. F (16.5 ppg, 11.4 rpg); Aaron Leasher, 6-3 sr. G (11.2 ppg, 3.8 apg. 2.9 spg).
Outlook: The Oilers fell just one win shy of tying for the SVA North championship, but did return to the Quarterfinals for the first time since 1982 – and are seeking their first championship game berth since finishing runner-up in 1981. Hogan, who will play next season at the University of Detroit Mercy, is one of eight seniors who have helped the team improve 11 wins from last season.
MUSKEGON
Record/rank: 26-0, No. 1
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Black
Coach: Keith Guy, second season (45-7)
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 1937), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 88-78 over No. 5 Saginaw Arthur Hill, 65-50 over honorable mention Westland John Glenn, 68-59 over Class C No. 1 Mount Clemens, 73-55 over Benton Harbor.
Players to watch: Deshaun Thrower, 6-0 sr. G (18.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 7.0 apg, 3.0 spg); Deyonta Davis, 6-9 jr. F/C (14.2 ppg, 13.6 rpg, 7.0 bpg); Joeviair Kennedy, 6-3 jr. F (12.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg).
Outlook: Muskegon is back in the Semifinals for the first time since 1947 and has made this undefeated run with only four seniors. But one is Mr. Basketball and standout football quarterback Thrower, and Davis is likely the Mr. Basketball favorite for 2014-15. Guy formerly led Muskegon Heights to a number of successful seasons during the 2000s.
Class B
BENTON HARBOR
Record/rank: 16-9, unranked
League finish: Tied for third in Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West
Coach: Corey Sterling, second season (34-16)
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 1965), six runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 68-61 over No. 1 Wyoming Godwin Heights in Semifinal, 78-73 over T-No. 5 Otsego in Regional Final, 72-63 over Class A No. 9 Battle Creek Central.
Players to watch: Cortez Moore, 6-6 sr. F (21 ppg, 12 rpg, 4.0 apg, 4.0 spg, 3.0 bpg); Jaton Gunn, 6-2 soph. F/G (18 ppg, 3.0 apg, 3.0 spg).
Outlook: Given Benton Harbor’s strong hoops reputation, it’s hard to believe this is the team’s first Semifinal run since 1993. And it came with consecutive upsets of top-five teams, including handing Godwin Heights its only loss this winter. Sterling was a member of that 1993 Class A runner-up team playing for longtime coach Paul Wilhite. Sophomore point guard Curtis Dawson runs the show adding 11 points, seven assists and six steals per game.
CADILLAC
Record/rank: 19-6, unranked
League finish: Tied for second in Big North Conference
Coach: Jeff McDonald, 20th season (322-131)
Championship history: Has not played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 55-49 OT over Big Rapids in Quarterfinal, 46-42 over Mason County Central in Regional Final, 55-52 over Escanaba in Regional Semifinal, 50-42 over Petoskey.
Players to watch: Jalen Brooks, 6-4 sr. F (17.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg); Justin Liptak, 6-5 sr. C (9.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg).
Outlook: Cadillac has won its last four games by six or fewer points to return to the Semifinals for the second straight season. A win Friday would give the Vikings at least 20 in four straight seasons, along with four straight District and Regionals titles. Junior guard Andrew Emington adds another 9.2 points per game from the backcourt.
DETROIT DOUGLASS
Record/rank: 17-9, honorable mention
League finish: Third in Detroit Public School League East Division 1
Coach: Nkwane Young, 10th season (154-72)
Championship history: Has not played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 41-39 over No. 10 Ferndale University in District Final, 69-56 over No. 9 Detroit Country Day in Regional Final, 48-45 over Class A No. 7 Detroit Southeastern, 49-46 and 62-26 over Class A honorable mention Detroit Renaissance.
Player to watch: Darrell Davis, 6-5 sr. G (24.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 4.2 apg, 2.0 spg).
Outlook: Douglass has taken the next step after winning its fifth straight District title and second Regional championship during that string. Davis, who will play at University of Dayton next season, was a Mr. Basketball finalist and plays both guard spots. He’s also one of seven seniors, with forward DeShawn Sanders and point guard Terrell Hales also starters.
MILAN
Record/rank: 23-3, No. 7
League finish: First in Huron League
Coach: Josh Tropea, fifth season (90-27)
Championship history: Class C champion 1948.
Best wins: 62-53 over honorable mention Wayland in Quarterfinal, 55-40 over honorable mention Detroit Community in Regional Final, 42-40 (District Semifinal), 57-37 and 59-50 over honorable mention Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, 57-54 over Class A No. 9 Battle Creek Central.
Players to watch: Latin Davis, 5-9 jr. G (15.9 ppg, 3.8 apg); Nick Perkins, 6-7 jr. F (15 ppg, 9.1 rpg).
Outlook: Milan upped its winning streak to 18 by winning its first Quarterfinal appearance since 1948. The Big Reds lost to a couple of strong Class A schools in Saginaw and Bloomfield Hills during the regular season, which no doubt helped prepare for a competitive string of Class B opponents the last three weeks. The team has only three seniors, with 6-3 guard Donovan Verges adding 9.4 ppg.
PHOTO: Detroit Douglass' Darrell Davis looks for an open teammate during Tuesday's Quarterfinal win over Goodrich. (Photo courtesy of Detroit Public School League.)
Norris Transforms Grass Lake into Contender for Long-Awaited League Title
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
February 12, 2025
Grass Lake has gone more than 50 years without a conference boys basketball championship. The wait could be over Saturday.
The Warriors, guided by second-year head coach Marshawn Norris, are 18-0 for the first time in school history and have locked in a spot in Saturday’s Cascades Conference championship game.
Norris is the fifth coach for the Warriors in seven years, but he’s off to a fast start in putting his stamp on the program.
“I think that is what is most appealing to me,” he said. “I’m a basketball guy. I think I have a chance to change the village of Grass Lake into a basketball town.”
Grass Lake athletic director Brian Zalud said the community is building excitement over what’s happening with basketball. The team already has the school record for wins in a season.
“In the two years that Marshawn has been at Grass Lake he has been able to get our kids to buy into what he is trying to get them to do,” Zalud said. “They play with intensity every time they are on the court. Every kid is willing to do all the little things for him and each other, and that passion and desire comes as a direct reflection of what Coach Marshawn brings to every practice and game.”
Norris is a Jackson native who played his high school basketball at Napoleon, one of Grass Lake’s opponents in the Cascades Conference.
“They were hard-nosed and competitive,” Norris recalled about Grass Lake. “I know they’ve been looking for a basketball coach, not just someone in the job, and I hope I can be that guy for a long time.”
The 18-0 start is surprising for a program that has struggled to maintain consistency over the years. The only Cascades Conference boys basketball championships in the trophy case are from 1955 and 1971.
“Coming into the season, we knew we had a special group,” Norris said. “I told them the faster we get ready and harder we work, we’ll be able to jump on some teams and surprise them. I think we did just that. Now we are in the conference championship game on Saturday and have a chance to accomplish our first goal.”
Norris graduated from Napoleon in 2008 and played collegiately at Mott Community College and Culver-Stockton College in Missouri. He was offered an assistant coaching job at Culver-Stockton in the locker room after his final college game. He served as head coach for two seasons at Jackson College before landing at Grass Lake.
“This is my first high school job,” he said. “I’ve never built a program. I’ve never coached anywhere longer than two seasons. Hopefully this will be my first stop where I’m able to stay more than two seasons and I’m able to build something and people know what they are getting from Coach Norris.”
Norris was hired in June 2023 and quickly pieced together a summer schedule of scrimmages against Jackson-area schools. The Warriors went 11-13 in his first season.
This year, things have turned around paced by a starting lineup of all seniors.
“Four of my guys are 18 years old,” Norris said.
The starters are Brayden Lape, Sal Vitale, Jacob Collins, Bryant Cook and Carmyne Beltran.
Lape leads the team in scoring at 19.8 points a game. Cook, who missed most of last season with an injury suffered during football season, averages 8.1 points and 10.4 rebounds a game, and Collins averages 8.6 points a game and leads the team in steals. Vitale, the leader in assists, is like a coach on the floor.
Norris said the improvement began during the summer.
“We just had June, but we had a good June,” he said. “We fine-tuned some things. Everybody on my team are three-sport athletes.”
The senior class has had expectations for years. In fifth grade they were undefeated, and in eighth grade they also went undefeated, although the season was cut short by COVID-19. Norris said other teams might have more basketball ability, but no team works harder.
“We understand who we are,” he said. “We are a special team who works really, really hard.”
Lape said Norris has helped make basketball fun in Grass Lake.
"I remember even as a kid coming to games, there wouldn't be very many people in the stands," he said. "There's excitement now. Our game against Michigan Center was a pretty cool environment.
“Coach has a winning attitude. We know we are not the most talented team, but we work really hard."
Norris stresses discipline in the program.
“I think the discipline and structure I’m bringing is something they needed,” he said. “The guys know from me if you are missing practice or school or anything that is inexcusable, it is going to be punishable by less playing time. I’m holding guys accountable.
“I tell them all of the time, ‘Men, just do your job.’”
Norris said he got into coaching because of the coaches he had while growing up. He not only coaches Grass Lake but runs a skill development program and coaches youth basketball in Jackson.
“I think I wanted to be a coach because I’ve always had good coaches,” he said. “I never had a bad coach. Coaches were always like father figures to me. Hopefully someday someone will say that about me.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Grass Lake’s Brayden Lape (23) gets to the basket against Michigan Center. (Middle) Grass Lake boys basketball coach Marshawn Norris talks with his team. (Photos courtesy of JTV.)