Breslin Bound: Quarterfinal Preview
March 19, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Breslin Center is only one more win away for 32 boys basketball teams taking the floor in Quarterfinals on Tuesday across Michigan.
So far we know we’ll have at least two new champions, in Class C and Class D, when this week ends. And only eight of the 16 teams that made the trip to East Lansing last season have a chance to book Semifinal repeat returns.
Our final “Breslin Bound” report – powered by MI Student Aid – takes a glance at all 16 Quarterfinals, which are all at 7 p.m. unless noted. All Quarterfinals will be broadcast and viewable with subscription on MHSAA.tv. Come back Wednesday night for a more in-depth look at our 16 finalists as they head into this weekend.
Class A
Warren DeLaSalle (18-7) vs. Detroit U-D Jesuit (22-3) at University of Detroit Mercy – 5 p.m.
These Detroit Catholic League Central rivals have played three times, with Jesuit winning all three meetings – although the second Feb. 10 by just two points. The Cubs won their fourth straight Regional title and were Class A champions in 2016, while this will be DeLaSalle’s first Quarterfinal since 2010. Junior guard Daniel Friday leads three Jesuit players averaging double-digit scoring at 13.9 ppg, while senior forward Luke Pfromm scores a team-high 15.6 ppg for the Pilots.
Flint Carman-Ainsworth (23-2) vs. Clarkston (23-1) at Grand Blanc
Reigning champion Clarkston is hoping to add to last season’s first-ever title and celebrated its second Mr. Basketball Award winner Monday in senior guard Foster Loyer (25.6 ppg, 6.0 apg). Center Taylor Currie (13.1 ppg) and guard CJ Robinson (13.8 ppg) are also senior standouts. Only four opponents have come within single digits of the Wolves, and Carman-Ainsworth was the first falling 72-67 on Dec. 7. The Cavaliers are seeking their first Semifinal berth since back-to-back trips in 2003 and 2004. Their only other defeat this winter came to Holland West Ottawa, alive on the other side of this bracket. Senior guards Omari Duncan (16 ppg) and Ja’Kavien Lewis (14.9 ppg, 3.0 apg) are among playmakers.
East Lansing (22-3) vs. Holland West Ottawa (23-2) at Lansing’s Don Johnson Fieldhouse
West Ottawa is 23-2 for the second straight season but with a first Regional title in program history this time. In addition to defeating Carman-Ainsworth, the Panthers have beaten powers Muskegon and Grand Rapids Catholic Central over the last three weeks. Senior forward Tyler Bosma leads with 17.2 ppg. East Lansing’s Brandon Johns (26.3 ppg, 10.4 rpg) finished second in the Mr. Basketball voting and can lead the Trojans to their first Semifinal since 2008. The Regional Final win over rival Okemos avenged East Lansing’s two most recent defeats.
Belleville (20-5) vs. Novi (16-8) at University of Detroit Mercy – 7 p.m.
A pair of teams with high preseason hopes followed by slow starts have made good by reaching the final week of this winter. The Tigers have won 15 of their last 16 – with the lone loss in overtime – and are led by standout seniors Gabe Brown and Davion Williams. Novi has won 10 of its last 11 and surged with the return of senior guard Trendon Hankerson (14.2 ppg) from injury to go with senior Taveon Maddox, Jr. (17.5 ppg), and junior Jiovanni Miles (15.3 ppg).
Class B
Benton Harbor (24-1) vs. Williamston (22-2) at Ionia
Benton Harbor is seeking its second straight and third Semifinal berth in five seasons. Since falling to eventual champion New Haven in a Semifinal to end last winter, the Tigers have lost only to Class A Hazel Park. Sophomore Carlos Johnson (18.3 ppg, 13.1 rpg) remains among the top players statewide in his class and is joined by senior Shawn Hopkins (15.7/11.4). Williamston is undefeated in calendar year 2018, having fallen to Class A quarterfinalist DeLaSalle and Howell in November. The Hornets will play in their third straight Quarterfinal and made the Semifinals in 2016.
Dearborn Divine Child (18-6) vs. River Rouge (22-1) at Chelsea
River Rouge also is celebrating its third straight Quarterfinal appearance and after falling in last year’s Semifinal by a point in overtime to eventual Class B runner-up Ludington. Senior guard Jayvien Torrance-Jackson is the only returning starter from that team, but the Panthers have fallen this winter only to Class D quarterfinalist Southfield Christian. Divine Child is coming off its first Regional title since 2011 and seeking to make the Semifinals for the first time since 1977. Senior forward Quinn Blair leads at 20.2 ppg.
New Haven (25-0) vs. Bridgeport (24-1) at Corunna
Reigning champion New Haven has won 51 straight games going back to Dec. 2016, with junior star Romeo Weems (23.5 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 5.7 apg, 5.1 spg) leading four players averaging double-digit scoring. Seniors Tavares Oliver (16.8) and Ashton Sherrell (15.7) follow on that list. Bridgeport’s lone slip-up came by three points in its opener at Lansing Everett. The Bearcats have rattled off 24 straight wins thanks in part to the scoring of senior Charles Garrett (20.1 ppg) and junior Sirquarius Bell (17 ppg).
Grand Rapids Catholic Central (22-2) vs. Boyne City (19-6) at Big Rapids
GRCC’s 6-foot-11 senior Marcus Bingham, Jr., (16.8 ppg, 10 rpg) is another Mr. Basketball finalist who has brought his team to the final week, with plenty of help in the post from 6-8 senior Jake Polakovich (14.2 ppg, 10.5 rpg). The Cougars’ only loss of calendar year 2018 was to Class A quarterfinalist West Ottawa. Boyne City has been a Class C power over the last four seasons but moved into B for 2017-18. They eliminated reigning runner-up Ludington last week after winning a fourth straight District title. Senior forward Mason Gardner leads a balanced scoring attack at 11.4 ppg.
Class C
Detroit Edison (14-10) vs. Unionville-Sebewaing (25-0) at West Bloomfield
Edison reached the Quarterfinals and Semifinals for the first time last season and will play this time after also winning the Detroit Public School League tournament last month. Senior guards Gary Solomon (16.2 ppg) and Pierre Mitchell, Jr. (15.3 ppg), set the scoring pace. Unionville-Sebewaing eliminated three-time reigning Class C champion Flint Beecher in the Regional Final to reach championship week for the first time since 2005. That and the Regional Semifinal win over Saginaw Nouvel were the first single-digit victories for the Patriots since their third game this season against Detroit Douglass.
Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (21-4) vs. Sanford Meridian (21-3) at Stanton Central Montcalm
After a more than a 20-year absence, Covenant Christian returned to the season’s final week a year ago and ended up as Class C runner-up. Its losses during this repeat run were all to bigger schools, including by just four to GRCC. Senior forward Carson Meulenberg has returned as the team’s leading scorer at 15.4 ppg. Sanford Meridian celebrated its first Regional title since 2001 and is playing for its first Semifinal berth. The Mustangs are making this run without injured top scorer Lucas Lueder (14 ppg), as senior point guard Garrett Stockford (9.2 ppg) leads a balanced bunch.
Kalamazoo Christian (23-2) vs. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (24-0) at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix
Kalamazoo Christian won its second straight Regional title, this time by handing Cassopolis its only loss of the season 61-48 on Wednesday. Senior forward Jordan Katje (16.8 ppg, 11.6 rpg) has been a force. Monroe St. Mary also made the Quarterfinals last season – and this will be its fifth trip this decade. Senior C.J. Haut (18.4 ppg, 11.3 rpg) has a similar post presence as Katje, and they could provide a memorable matchup. Katje is 6-5 and Haut 6-8.
Maple City Glen Lake (22-2) vs. Iron Mountain (23-1) at Petoskey – 6 p.m.
Like its girls team last week, Glen Lake’s boys are Regional champs and playing for more. The Lakers’ lone losses were to reigning Class D runner-up Buckley, which also remains alive. Junior guard Xander Okerlund checks in at a team-leading 16.1 ppg. Iron Mountain is enjoying its longest tournament run since 1994, with its only loss to league foe Ishpeming. Sophomore Marcus Johnson (23.5) and freshman Foster Wonders (19.1) offer one of the most potent 1-2 scoring punches left in the tournament – and with a few more seasons to build on this success.
Class D
Cedarville (21-3) vs. Dollar Bay (25-0) at Escanaba
Dollar Bay has been one of the statewide stories of this season, and the Blue Bolts have advanced to the final week for the first time since 1979. They won their Regional games last week over Rapid River and Carney-Nadeau by a combined four points and should get another challenge from Cedarville. The Trojans have won 11 in a row and beat 20-win league foe Brimley to claim a fourth Regional title this decade. Senior guard Dakota Fairchild (14.1 ppg) leads a balanced attack.
Southfield Christian (20-4) vs. Flint International Academy (23-2) at Goodrich
Southfield Christian earned its fifth Regional title this decade and is sure to be motivated this week after missing last season’s championship game by a point in a double overtime loss to eventual champ Powers North Central. Senior Bryce Washington (21.6 ppg) and junior Harlond Beverly (16 ppg, 5.4) are among players to watch. Flint International will play its first Quarterfinal riding an 18-game winning streak. The Phoenix has given up more than 60 points this season only four times, and no more than 65 in a game.
Marcellus Howardsville Christian (20-5) vs. Hillsdale Academy (23-2) at Portage Northern
Howardsville Christian is another team playing a Quarterfinal for the first time. The Eagles have won 10 straight led by dynamic junior guard Dylan Jergens at 31.5 points and also 6.3 assists per game. Hillsdale Academy, coming off its first Regional title as well, also features a dynamic player – 6-7 senior center Peter Kalthoff, who averages 21.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for the Colts. They avenged their second loss of the season with a Regional Final win over Adrian Lenawee Christian.
Buckley (19-5) vs. Hillman (24-0) at Gaylord
This has been a long-awaited matchup in the northern Lower Peninsula, as reigning Class D runner-up Buckley has faced many of the best in Class C and D on its side of I-75. Seniors Denver Cade (16.5 ppg), Austin Harris (17) and Joey Weber (14.4) are all 1,000-point career scorers. Hillman has only two single-digit wins this season, although the latest was a four-pointer over league foe Mio in the Regional Final. This will be the Tigers’ second straight and third Quarterfinal in four seasons. Senior guard Jared Juergens (14.8 ppg) leads four players scoring at least 10 per game.
PHOTO: Flint Carman-Ainsworth's Ja'kavien Lewis looks to finish a drive against Midland this season. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)
Rice Comes Home to Whiteford Bench
January 22, 2016
By Doug Donnelly
Special for Second Half
John Rice thought he found the perfect match for his two passions in life – fishing and basketball. By day, he could spend hours fishing off the Florida coast. When the afternoon rolled around, he would hit the gymnasium to coach basketball.
“I would have been perfectly satisfied doing that this winter,” Rice said.
That is, until Rice’s seventh-grade granddaughter Emma called.
“It was last March and we were in Florida and she was back home in Ottawa Lake,” Rice recalls. “She calls me up and says, ‘Grandpa, my team has a tournament that we are playing in and I want you to come watch me. And, I want you to coach my team next year.’”
Rice hung up the phone and told his wife, Sandy, they were headed home.
“We packed our stuff and went home,” Rice said. “It was a couple of weeks earlier than we had planned, but we got home in time for her tournament.”
A couple weeks later, after he agreed to become the seventh-grade girls basketball coach at Whiteford for the 2015-16 season, Bobcat varsity boys coach Jim Ross resigned. Athletic Director Nate Gust – who played for Rice when he was coaching at Whiteford in the early 2000s, asked Rice if he was interested in the varsity job. He decided to take it and is back at the helm of the Bobcats this season – 13 after ending his 30-year coaching career at Whiteford.
“Coaching basketball is something I love to do and, health-wise, I think it keeps me young,” said Rice, who celebrated his 70th birthday last summer. “I still love the game. When Emma asked me to coach her team, I couldn’t say no.”
Rice also couldn’t say no to coaching the varsity boys and helping to return the team to prominence. Whiteford went an uncharacteristic 4-17 in 2014-15 but is off to a 6-4 start under Rice.
“It’s a challenge, but I love challenges,” Rice said. “I enjoyed my time at Whiteford before, and I’m enjoying it now.”
This is his second stint as the head coach of Whiteford, having coached the Bobcats from 1974 to 2003, when he amassed 400 wins and collected eight District and eight league championships.
“The big thing was just getting acclimated to the kids here,” said Rice during a break in practice recently. “Being away so long, I was not able to follow these kids as they progressed through junior high or junior varsity basketball. I had to get to know them, and they have to get to know me. They’ve responded well, but we are still getting to know one another.”
Rice grew up in Bladensburg, Ohio, where he was an honorable mention all-state guard in Ohio’s smallest division in 1961. He was a factory worker, then college student who got his first varsity coaching job in 1969 at Dansville (Ohio) High School. He spent two years there, moved on to Mount Vernon Bible College – known now as Mount Vernon Nazarene – before moving north into Michigan.
He made Whiteford his home – especially the gymnasium just off exit 3 of US-23. His Bobcats won their first District title in his third year and their first Tri-County Conference title in his seventh. By the early 1980s, Rice had a Class D powerhouse. His 1981-82 team went 21-2, and he was named the Class D Coach of the Year by The Associated Press. His Bobcats won five league titles and four District crowns alone during the 1980s. He’s also had a good run of coaching all-state players – no fewer than six Bobcats that he coached earned first or second-team all-state honors.
Rice coached the Bobcats through the 2002-03 season, which happened to be the best in school history. Whiteford won its first 23 games, finished 23-1 and ended the season ranked among the top Class C teams in the state. Soon after the season ended, Rice resigned with 410 wins at Whiteford.
“I just felt the time was right for me to step aside and let someone else coach,” Rice said. “It was time. I felt good about what I had accomplished, and I was leaving the program in good shape. It was a good time.”
Just because Rice wasn’t at Whiteford, however, didn’t mean the coaching bug left him. In the dozen seasons since, he’s coached 11 of them. That includes varsity stints at Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, Flat Rock and Toledo Bowsher. He’s been the junior varsity head coach at Toledo Woodward, the JV coach at Sylvania Southview and a varsity assistant at Lake Worth Christian in Boynton Beach, Fla., about 45 minutes north of Fort Lauderdale on Florida’s east coast. The only time Rice didn’t coach was one season during which he had back surgery.
“I started the season as an assistant, but decided to focus on my health,” he said. “I went to a specialist and found I needed surgery. Every other year, I’ve coached in some capacity. I’ve coached with a lot of different guys and observed lots of different styles.”
His return to Whiteford has kept him busy. He is officially head coach of both Bobcats middle school girls teams and the varsity boys. Some days, he has practices from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. He also stops by the girls varsity practice when he can, which itself is nothing new. In addition to all of his years with the Bobcats boys program, he coached the Whiteford JV girls for 32 seasons and the varsity girls for three.
“I’ll practice four straight hours some days,” he said. “It’s a tough transition going from seventh-grade girls to varsity boys. You have to adjust your voice.”
In the first half of the season, the Bobcats have beaten arch-rival Summerfield in overtime, beaten Blissfield and have already passed last season’s team win total despite starting the season with just three seniors and a host of underclassmen – including five sophomores – on the roster.
“One of my philosophies has always been to bring up the underclassmen and build the team that way,” Rice said. “It has worked out very well for my teams at Whiteford and at other schools. When the younger kids get experience, it usually pays off in the end.”
He also has continued his typical high-tempo offense with pressing and trapping on defense.
“That’s the type of basketball that I like to play,” he said. “I haven’t changed my philosophy much. You have to adapt from year-to-year, depending on the kids you have, but the philosophy stays the same.”
The middle school girls start games later this month.
“It’s keeping my young again,” he said.
Rice’s return has been welcomed by the community, especially several of his former players who have stopped by the old gym to catch five minutes of the practices they remember so well or to just say hi before a game. A lot of former players have left comments on Facebook, too. Among the players on his roster now are Cody and Jesse Kiefer. During his first stint at Whiteford, Rice coached both the Kiefers’ parents.
“I’m having fun,” Rice said. “I’m comfortable here. I feel back at home. This has energized me.”
Rice by the numbers
|
VARSITY HEAD COACH |
YRS |
W |
L |
|
|
Danville (Ohio) |
2 |
27 |
12 |
|
|
Ottawa Lake Whiteford |
30 |
410 |
247 |
|
|
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard |
2 |
13 |
28 |
|
|
Flat Rock |
1 |
4 |
17 |
|
|
Toledo Bowsher (Ohio) |
2 |
9 |
29 |
|
|
Ottawa Lake Whiteford |
1 |
6 |
4 |
* |
|
TOTALS |
38 |
469 |
337 |
|
|
*Through Jan. 21, 2016 |