'Hooping for a Cure' a Slam Dunk
March 29, 2012
Brent Crossman was 12 years old in 1982 when his mother, now Sonja Reithan, was diagnosed with breast cancer.
It was impossible for him to understand at that point all that she went through with chemotherapy and a mastectomy. Thankfully, she survived.
He was much older when his sister Kenna Crossman died in 1998 after battling a brain tumor.
Charlotte High School's “Hooping for a Cure” players vs. teachers basketball games began as a way to honor his mom and raise money for the American Cancer Society. But this month’s game, the fifth in what is now an annual event, hit home again for the Orioles community.
On Jan. 2, Tina Droscha – whose son Adam is the senior class president – died after a 14-year battle against breast cancer. Then, on Feb. 4, former standout athlete Blake Rankin (class of 2011) died after fighting mouth cancer.
“I tell people, I wish I was one of these guys who just picked this cause and decided to be passionate about it. But it picked me,” said Crossman, who was the girls varsity coach from 1998-2007 and also has coached baseball and golf at the school. “When I lost my sister in 1998, it changed my life. I watched her go from a wonderful, healthy person with no issues to bed-ridden and I’m-carrying-her-to-the-bathroom kind of stuff.
“It got me all fired up. I was passionate and gung-ho about it. And when I started coaching basketball and became a teacher here, I was active and involved anyway and I knew I had avenues others didn’t have.”
This season's Hooping for a Cure game was played March 10 and raised $6,500.
It is set up with the usual four quarters – but with freshmen playing the first, sophomores the second, juniors the third and seniors the fourth. Each grade has 15 players made up of both boys and girls. They take on a team of teachers and staff that also rotates in and out of the line-up.
The first game raised roughly $2,000. That donation doubled the next year.
This year, Crossman’s crew sold more than 900 “Hunt for a Cure” shirts in honor of Rankin, a passionate outdoorsman (and the teams also wore them for the game). Balls autographed by Michigan State coaches Tom Izzo, Suzy Merchant and Mark Dantonio were raffled, and spectators also were treated to performances by local and school dancers and the Orioles’ drum line. Droscha and his band Smash the Hall played after the game.
PHOTOS courtesy of Charlotte High School.
Flashback 100: Edison's Jackson Earns Place Among State's All-Time Elite
January 3, 2025
Michigan has produced many exceptional girls high school basketball players. But few have approached the legacy of Rickea Jackson, a 2019 graduate of Detroit Edison Public School Academy.
Jackson led the Pioneers to three consecutive MHSAA Finals titles, and more recently was selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks.
During her time at Edison, Jackson was a dominant force. In the 2017 Class C Final, she scored a team-high 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Pioneers over Pewamo-Westphalia. The following year, she totaled 16 points and 10 rebounds in a title-clinching win over Ypsilanti Arbor Prep. In 2019, she scored 28 points in a Division 2 Final win over Freeland. Over those three seasons, Edison posted an impressive 75-7 record.
Jackson’s high school success earned her the prestigious title of Michigan's Miss Basketball in 2019, and she was also selected to participate in the McDonald's All-American Game. She continued to excel at the collegiate level, playing three years at Mississippi State, where she averaged double figures in scoring each season. Jackson then transferred to Tennessee, where she scored nearly 20 points per game. She earned three all-Southeastern Conference selections.
In the 2024 WNBA Draft, Jackson was chosen fourth overall by the Los Angeles Sparks. She made an immediate impact during her rookie season, scoring 25 points in just her 11th game and earning a spot on the 2024 WNBA All-Rookie Team.
Recently, Jackson was selected to compete in the inaugural season of Unrivaled, a new 3-on-3 women's basketball league. Her skills on the global stage are also notable, as she won a gold medal at the 2019 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup.
Previous "Flashback 100" Features
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
PHOTOS At top, Jackson is part of a 2019 team championship photo with Detroit Edison. Below, from left, Jackson looks for an opening against Pewamo-Westphalia in 2017, defends during the 2018 Final and runs upcourt during her team's 2019 championship win.