Constantine Looks to Build on Comeback
By
Wes Morgan
Special for MHSAA.com
December 7, 2015
On one of the last summer days in town before leaving for college, Joey Steiner and Cody Ley spotted some youngsters on the east side of Constantine playing basketball in the street on a portable hoop. They stopped and played 2-on-4 with the boys.
The group of eighth-graders talked about how they were going to keep a reignited Falcons basketball program burning hot. That legacy Steiner and Ley, two outgoing seniors who helped fuel the Falcons to an unimaginable turnaround in 2014-15, and their classmates left behind means more than being named Associated Press Class C all-state honorable mentions.
“They told us that they were going to keep it going and they were going to go further than we did,” said Ley, a post player who developed a dangerous inside-outside game over the last two seasons and earned a scholarship at Lake Michigan Community College. “We were like, ‘You guys better, and we’ll be there to work with and support you guys, too.’ That’s one of my biggest things I’m proud of.”
Constantine had just one win in 2013-14, but head coach Chuck Frisbie knew he had a group of dedicated players that was going to surprise folks in 2014-15.
The Falcons did just that, finishing with a 21-3 record after a loss to New Buffalo in the MHSAA Regional Semifinals.
Constantine looks this winter to replace Ley’s 16 points and 12 rebounds per game, as well as the 14 points and four assists per contest by Steiner, who now plays at Goshen College.
Frisbie, last year’s Associated Press Class C Coach of the Year, knows this year’s team will look quite a bit different as it transitions from the now-defunct Kalamazoo Valley Association to the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Different isn’t bad, however.
The Falcons return seniors Anthony Bontrager, Tyler Shank, Noah Beegle, Travis Brown, Brian Doering and Devin Knight. Juniors Evan Herschbach, Anthony Evilsizor, Charles Hamilton, Bryce Corte and Ryan Miller join the varsity fold, and 6-foot-4, springy freshman Seth Wright is expected to make an immediate impact.
Of those players, 10 are 6-foot-1 or taller — a pretty big lineup compared to recent Constantine squads.
“I think we can protect the basket,” Frisbie said. “I think we’re young. (Defense) is my biggest concern this year. Travis, Tyler and Brian can really play defense. I think we can put a crew out there that can play defense, although I don’t know if it is necessarily our best offensive group. We’re going to try to find that right mix.”
Frisbie isn’t putting too much pressure on rookie Wright, but the freshman has tremendous size for a guard and the skills to match.
“Seth is one of those kids that could be a special kid,” Frisbie said. “Honestly, if he’s open, we’re going to let him shoot. He’s the kind of kid that can go to the basket and dunk pretty easily, too. He has to learn how to play defense. More than anything, he has to be able to get wider, rebound and play good defense. If he can do those things, he’s going to be hard to get off the floor.”
Wes Morgan has reported for the Kalamazoo Gazette, ESPN and ESPNChicago.com, 247Sports and Blue & Gold Illustrated over the last 12 years and is the publisher of JoeInsider.com. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Anthony Bontrager (11) looks to get to the baseline during a game last season. (Middle) Constantine secures a rebound in a game against Kalamazoo Christian. (Photos courtesy of JoeInsider.com.)
Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Boys District Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 23, 2026
The march to Breslin Center ramps up significantly this week as more than 700 boys basketball teams across Michigan begin a journey they hope will end in East Lansing.
We always switch up our “Breslin Bound” format once the MHSAA Tournament starts, as last week’s most intriguing results below are followed this time by glances at three District brackets of note in each division. Host sites are bolded, and teams playing in those brackets are listed by seed as determined by Michigan Power Ratings (MPR).
Everything you could want to know this week about tickets, brackets and more can be found on the Boys Basketball page. To watch any of several games online, visit the NFHS Network.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Saginaw Heritage 73, Grand Blanc 60 The Hawks (18-4) avenged a 28-point loss to Grand Blanc (17-4) from December in this matchup of Saginaw Valley League division champions.
2. Detroit Catholic Central 64, Detroit Martin Luther King 54 The Shamrocks (15-6) won the annual Operation Friendship championship game matching the winners from the Catholic High School League and Detroit Public School League, and adding to a 54-46 overtime win over King (17-5) from December.
3. Gladwin 49, Beaverton 46 Gladwin (21-1) claimed the overall Jack Pine Conference championship with its second win this month over Beaverton (17-5).
4. Flushing 52, Goodrich 51 Flushing (18-4) held on for a second close win over Goodrich, this time in the Flint Metro League championship game, after winning their Jan. 27 meeting by four.
5. Wayne Memorial 61, Hartland 48 The Zebras (19-3) capped off their regular season by defeating the Eagles (18-4) in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association title game.
Districts at a Glance
These could be among our most competitive brackets. Host sites are in bold, and teams are listed by seed:
DIVISION 1
Detroit Cass Tech
1. Detroit Martin Luther King (17-5), 2. Detroit Cass Tech (16-6), 3. Detroit Western (19-2), 4. Grosse Pointe South (11-11), 5. Grosse Pointe North (10-12).
King and Cass Tech have met twice this season – King won the Jan. 21 matchup 60-53 that helped decide the PSL Blue title, and then 68-63 in the PSL Tournament city championship game Feb. 15. King also defeated Western, 56-36, in a league tournament semifinal, while Cass Tech and Western didn’t face each other during this regular season. Grosse Pointe North has won seven of its last nine games and defeated Cass Tech by a point in their District matchup last season, and South owns a big early win over North.
Flushing
1. Saginaw Heritage (18-4), 2. Flushing (18-4), 3. Saginaw United (13-8), 4. Flint Carman-Ainsworth (8-14), 5. Swartz Creek (11-11).
As noted by the results above, Heritage and Flushing emerged at the end of last week as the top teams from the Saginaw Valley League and Flint Metro League, respectively. Saginaw United finished second in the SVL South and split with SVL North runner-up Mount Pleasant this season, and despite losing to Heritage early should also be considered a contender. Flushing has only one loss this calendar year, to Pontiac Notre Dame Prep in overtime, and Heritage has lost only twice since Jan. 1 and defeated Mount Pleasant twice by 20 or more points to win the SVL North.
Muskegon
1. Rockford (18-3), 2. Muskegon (19-2), 3. Greenville (20-2), 4. Muskegon Mona Shores (10-10), 5. Muskegon Reeths-Puffer (6-16), 6. Cedar Springs (7-15).
Rockford and Muskegon are the anticipated matchup to decide this bracket, and they met in last season’s District Final with the Rams winning 64-62. Rockford has victories over Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice and East Kentwood but finished second to the latter in the O-K Red. Muskegon has downed Wayne Memorial and Lansing Waverly and won the O-K Green. And definitely don’t count out River Cities Alliance champion Greenville, which has two losses by a combined six points and introduced itself loudly with a December win over Grand Rapids Northview.
DIVISION 2
Comstock Park
1. Grand Rapids Catholic Central (16-6), 2. Grand Rapids Christian (16-5), 3. Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian (17-5), 4. Wyoming Kelloggsville (14-7), 5. Comstock Park (5-17), 6. Ada Forest Hills Eastern (2-20).
Grand Rapids Christian claimed the O-K White title outright last week in part thanks to a 51-43 win over Grand Rapids Catholic Central, and they split their regular-season series as the Cougars won their Jan. 20 meeting by five. NorthPointe was second in the O-K Silver and Kelloggsville fourth, and on opposite sides of this bracket certainly could provide obstacles as the Cougars and Eagles pursue a third round.
Ludington
1. Ludington (20-2), 2. Hart (19-3), 3. Reed City (10-12), 4. Manistee (12-10), 5. Big Rapids (9-13).
Ludington finished undefeated in the West Michigan Conference Lakes and has reached Regional Finals the last two seasons. Hart was second in the WMC Rivers and is seeking a first District title since 2019. They have key mutual opponents; both lost to North Muskegon this winter, and Hart also took a loss from Fremont while Ludington swept the Packers. Manistee and Ludington played Thursday – Ludington winning 68-55 – and they could meet again in a District Semifinal if Manistee gets past Big Rapids tonight.
Yale
1. Yale (20-2), 2. Croswell-Lexington (17-5), 3. Imlay City (16-6), 4. Almont (10-10), 5. North Branch (7-15).
All five of these teams are from the Blue Water Area Conference and finished among the top six, with Yale and Croswell-Lexington sharing the championship and splitting their matchups – the Pioneers won Jan. 20 in overtime, 64-57, while Yale won the rematch Friday 60-41. Imlay City finished third in the BWAC and despite losing both games against both champs took Croswell-Lexington to overtime the second time they played.
DIVISION 3
Kent City
1. Blanchard Montabella (15-7), 2. Kent City (14-8), 3. Morley Stanwood (13-9), 4. Ravenna (13-9), 5. Lakeview (7-15), 6. White Cloud (3-19).
The top four seeds all finished second or third in their respective leagues and will look to add a trophy winning what could be one of the most tightly-contested brackets in any division. Montabella tied for second in the Mid-State Activities Conference West and has won six of its last seven games since falling to Ravenna 43-39 on Jan. 28. Ravenna, which tied for third in the WMC Rivers, has bounced back from a late rough stretch and opened this season with a win over Morley Stanwood – which finished second in the Central State Activities Association White while splitting with third-place Kent City, which won their Friday matchup by 20.
Mancelona
1. Mancelona (20-2), 2. East Jordan (20-2), 3. Indian River Inland Lakes (14-8), 4. Harbor Springs (11-11), 5. Boyne City (9-12), 6. Charlevoix (6-15).
By the numbers, Mancelona and East Jordan has been so close at the top of this District that East Jordan actually passed Mancelona in MPR during the week after seeding. East Jordan also won the Ski Valley Conference by game over Mancelona, claiming their matchups 48-38 and 45-36. Inland Lakes finished third in the Ski Valley, losing to both league title contenders twice, and Harbor Springs is coming over after finishing third in the Northern Shores Conference and losing to East Jordan by only six points, 45-39, on Thursday.
Unionville-Sebewaing
1. Harbor Beach (19-3), 2. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (18-3), 3. Cass City (16-6), 4. Unionville-Sebewaing (11-11), 5. Bad Axe (6-15).
There is a great deal of familiarity in this bracket as well, as Harbor Beach won the Big Thumb Conference Black and Laker and Cass City were first and second, respectively, in the BTC White. Harbor Beach saw both during the first half of the regular season, defeating Cass City by seven and Laker by three. Laker defeated Cass City by seven and nine to win their league. USA tied for fifth in the BTC White – with an eight-point win over Cass City and a four-point loss to Laker in February rematches.
DIVISION 4
Lake Linden-Hubbell
1. Dollar Bay (19-2), 2. L’Anse (15-6), 3. Baraga (15-6), 4. Lake-Linden-Hubbell (7-15), 5. Chassell (5-16).
Dollar Bay won the Copper Mountain Conference championship and L’Anse and Baraga both finished among the upper half among a strong group – in fact, Baraga defeated Dollar Bay by 11 just 10 days ago. Dollar Bay did defeat Baraga in last season’s District Final, and the Blue Bolts’ only other loss this season was to Division 1 Marquette. L’Anse is enjoying its first winning season since 2018-19 and swept Baraga during the regular season.
Rogers City
1. Hillman (19-2), 2. Posen (15-5), 3. Gaylord St. Mary (13-9), 4. Rogers City (12-9), 5. Onaway (5-17), 6. Atlanta (4-13).
Hillman and Posen shared the North Star League Little Dipper championship, splitting the regular-season series with Posen and winning their most recent matchup 57-50 on Jan. 27. They may meet again, but Hillman also took a loss from potential Wednesday opponent Rogers City before winning their rematch by 20. Rogers City also defeated Posen twice. Gaylord St. Mary is intriguing after finishing fourth in the Ski Valley Conference but, as noted above, defeating that league’s champion East Jordan earlier this month.
Three Oaks River Valley
1. St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran (17-4), 2. St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake Catholic (13-7), 3. New Buffalo (14-8), 4. Eau Claire (11-11), 5. Three Oaks River Valley (3-17).
Michigan Lutheran finished first, Our Lady and New Buffalo tied for second, and Eau Claire finished fourth in the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph League. New Buffalo handed Michigan Lutheran its only conference defeat in their second of two games – winning by a point – and New Buffalo and Our Lady split their two games, decided by five and two points. Michigan Lutheran also defeated New Buffalo to clinch a District championship a year ago.
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PHOTOS (Top) Muskegon’s James Martin throws down a dunk against Muskegon Mona Shores during a Jan. 30 win. (Middle) Flushing’s Raymond Neither (10) works for post position against Goodrich’s Jensen LePla during the Raiders’ 52-51 Metro League title clincher. (Muskegon/Mona Shores photo by Tim Reilly. Flushing/Goodrich photo by Terry Lyons.)