Breslin Bound: Boys Report Week 6
January 15, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Undefeated teams quickly are becoming few as boys basketball season heads into mid-January.
But this week's list of teams making noise includes a handful that remain perfect – although a few more will face their toughest challenges soon.
Records and scores below are based on those submitted to the MHSAA.com Score Center.
1. New Haven (6-0) – Coming off 21 wins last season, the Rockets had high expectations – and made great on a good start with a 101-98 double-overtime win over Mount Clemens on Friday; Mount Clemens hadn’t lost.
2. Detroit Pershing (9-0) – The Doughboys just keep proving their status as Detroit's best, downing Detroit Martin Luther King 78-64 and then Detroit Douglass 73-67 in overtime last week.
3. Stevensville Lakeshore (7-0) – A Class B Semifinalist a year ago, Lakeshore is surging again with only one win by fewer than 11 points this season – and that was against South Bend St. Joseph of Indiana.
4. Holt (10-1) – The Rams further cemented themselves as the class of Greater Lansing this season by beating reigning Class B champion Lansing Sexton 50-46 on Friday.
5. Frankenmuth (8-0) – This week’s “Battle of the Fans” contestant will need all the support against rival and top Tri-Valley Conference East competitor Bridgeport on Friday, but the Eagles survived a 50-46 win over Essexville Garber a week ago.
6. Climax-Scotts (8-0) – The Panthers got their first test this season in a 51-42 win over Bellevue on Friday, but no other opponent has come within 14 points.
7. Muskegon Western Michigan Christian (7-3) – After opening 1-3, the Warriors have won six straight and handed Spring Lake its first loss, 49-47, on Saturday.
8. Ithaca (7-0) – The Yellowjackets know how to play football, but they’ve long had a strong hoops program as well and have an early lead in the TVC West.
9. Lake Linden-Hubbell (7-0) – The Lakes had to survive overtime against Hancock and then three more against Calumet in December, but have won four straight by at least 18 points.
10. DeWitt (6-2) – A relative newcomer to Class A, the Panthers shocked the local competition with a 56-54 win last week over Okemos, and also own a five-point victory over improved Grand Ledge.
PHOTO: Ithaca's Markes Gadlen (14) pushes the ball upcourt against Carson City-Crystal this season. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Flashback 100: Despite Launching Before 3-Point Line, Smith Still Tops Scoring List
January 10, 2025
The list of NBA players who starred for MHSAA member schools is impressive, featuring names like Magic Johnson (Lansing Everett 1977), Dan Majerle (Traverse City 1983), Glen Rice (Flint Northwestern 1985), Rudy Tomjanovich (Hamtramck 1967) and Jason Richardson (Saginaw Arthur Hill 1999).
However, one name stands above the rest in terms of scoring: Jay Smith of Mio.
Remarkably, Smith achieved his legendary point total a decade before the 3-point line was introduced.
During his four years at Mio (1975-76 to 1978-79), Smith scored an astounding 2,841 points. His senior-year total of 952 points ranks fourth all-time, while his junior-year total of 912 points sits in seventh place.
Smith also put up memorable performances, scoring 48 points in a 1978 District game and following up with a 47-point effort the next year — both of which remain in the top 20 for most points scored in a single MHSAA Tournament game. Simply put, no one scored as prolifically as Smith. His extraordinary career earned him the title of “Retro Mr. Basketball 1979,” awarded by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan (BCAM). (Note: The Mr. Basketball Award was first presented in 1981, with BCAM later recognizing past players with Retro honors).
After high school, Smith played one season at Bowling Green University and three at Saginaw Valley State College. Upon graduating, he transitioned to coaching college basketball, serving as an assistant at Kent State and Michigan before becoming the head coach at Grand Valley State. Smith later guided Central Michigan to the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament, before losing to Duke. Currently, Smith is in his 39th season in college basketball, serving as the director of player development at Eastern Michigan.
And the next time you are in Mio, you can drive on Jay Smith Drive, located on the north side of town, off West 8th Street.
The MHSAA added a 3-point line in 1987-88.
MHSAA Career Scoring Leaders
2,841 – Jay Smith, Mio (1976-79)
2,789 – Mark Brown, Hastings (1982-85)
2,782 – Dylan Jergens, Marcellus Howardsville Christian (2016-19)
2,522 – Christopher Haas, Pellston (2009-12)
2,518 – Tory Jackson, Saginaw Buena Vista (2003-06)
2,490 – Mark Macon, Saginaw Buena Vista (1984-87)
2,462 – Drew Neitzel, Wyoming Park (2001-04)
2,449 – Matt Stuck, Manton (1989-92)
2,448 – Marcus Taylor, Lansing Waverly (1997-00)
2,421 – Marcus Matelski, Boyne Falls (2013-16)
Previous "Flashback 100" Features
Jan. 3: Edison's Jackson Earns Place Among State's All-Time Elite - Read
Dec. 20: Future Olympian Piper Leads Grosse Pointe North to Historic Heights - Read
Dec. 13: The Other Mr. Forsythe in Michigan School Sports - Read
Dec. 6: Coleman's Legendary Heroics Carry Harrison Through Repeat - Read
Nov. 29: Harbaugh Brothers' Football Roots Planted in Part at Pioneer - Read
Nov. 22: 8-Player Football Finals Right at Home at Superior Dome - Read
Nov. 15: Leland Career Helps Set Stage for Glass' International Stardom - Read
Nov. 8: Future Baseball Pro Led Escanaba's Legendary Football Title Run - Read
Nov. 1: Michigan High School Baseball Trio Provide World Series Voices - Read
Oct. 25: Before Leading Free World, Ford Starred for Champion GR South - Read
Oct. 18: Mercy Links Legend Becomes World Golf Hall of Famer - Read
Oct. 11: Fisher Races to Finals Stardom on Way to U.S. Olympic First - Read
Oct. 4: Lalas Leaves High School Legacies on Ice & Pitch - Read
Sept. 27: Tamer's History-Making Run Starts in Dexter, Continues to Paris - Read
Sept. 20: Todd Martin’s Road to Greatness Starts at East Lansing - Read
Sept. 13: James Earl Jones, Dickson High Hoops to Hollywood Legend - Read
Sept. 6: Pioneers' Unstoppable Streak Stretches 9 Seasons - Read
Aug. 30: Detroit dePorres Rushes to 1995 Class CC Football Championship - Read
(MHSAA archive photos.)