Horky's Scoring Helps Manchester Take Flight

By Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com

January 31, 2019

MANCHESTER – The night before the highest scoring game of Tyler Horky’s life, one of his closest friends was involved in a car wreck.

“It was bad,” Horky said. “He was hit right on the driver’s side door. It was a pretty bad accident. It was life-threatening.”

When Manchester went on the road the next night to play at Vandercook Lake, the 6-foot-1 junior wrote “RH” on his wrist tape in honor of his friend, Michigan Center standout Roger Hayward, the teenager in the crash. Hayward reportedly required multiple surgeries in the days after the wreck.

“We played AAU basketball together,” Horky said. “I was really motivated that night. I thought about the accident a lot that night.”

Once he hit the basketball floor, though, there was little stopping Horky. Manchester fell behind, but Horky led a valiant comeback to push the game into overtime. Although Manchester lost, Horky finished with 47 points and showed he was going to be a force in the Cascades Conference this season.

“Believe it or not, it was a quiet 47,” said Manchester head coach Mike Ahrens. “He also contributed three assists, had six steals and only turned the ball over once. It was a unique, fast-paced game.”

Horky has showed the 47-point outburst wasn’t a mirage. Through 13 games, he’s averaging 26 points a game, and has had nights of 36, 31, 31, 27, 25, 25 and 24 points. Even coach Ahrens was a little surprised at how well Horky is scoring this season.

“I envisioned this kind of game could happen next season,” he said.

Horky has always had the talent. As a freshman, however, he broke his arm and missed the entire season. As a sophomore, coming off the injury, he lacked confidence but still averaged 12 points a game.

“I put in a lot of work in the offseason,” Horky said. “I worked a lot with the team, my travel team and my dad. It’s been a climb. This year it has really opened up for me.”

Horky’s scoring spree began with the season opener when he scored 25 against Clinton.

“Since then, I’ve been facing double and triple teams almost every game,” he said. “Some teams start denying me the ball as soon as I cross halfcourt. My teammates have taken a lot of the pressure off me, both by scoring inside and with ball-handling.

“Our coach does a great job of just letting us play, run the pick-and-roll with our bigs and coming off screens.”

Ahrens said while Horky is a great scorer, that’s not his only strength.

“He gives 110 percent effort in all of our drills,” Ahrens said. “He takes pride on defense and leads by example. He listens really well, which is an underrated skill.”

Ahrens, in his first year coaching at his alma mater, picks a defensive player of the game for all of the Dutchmen contests. Horky has earned that honor four times.

“I sincerely believe he is getting better and better at every practice and every game,” Ahrens said.

This past summer Horky, who plays travel basketball with the Ann Arbor Basketball Academy, attended camps at Grand Valley State University and Central Michigan University.

Horky said his AAU experience – particularly the speed of the game and frequent fast breaks and man-to-man defense – helped prepare him for the Cascades Conference this season.

The league is rugged with state-ranked Hanover-Horton (12-1), Michigan Center (11-2) and Vandercook Lake (10-4). Horky’s Dutchmen check in fourth at 7-6 overall with games against Michigan Center (Feb. 5) and Hanover-Horton (Feb. 8) coming up.

Horky is a three-sport athlete at Manchester and carries a 3.9 grade-point average as a member of the National Honor Society. He is the quarterback on the Dutchmen football team.

“Basketball is probably my favorite but when it’s football season, then it’s only football on my mind,” he said. “Football is special.”

Horky is the son of Corey and Abbie Horky. His father is in the Blissfield High School Athletic Hall of Fame and his mother was a high jumper at the University of Michigan following a multiple-sport career at Onsted High School. He has two younger brothers, ages 9 and 12.

He wants to play college basketball. “My ultimate goal is to try to play basketball at the highest level I can,” he said, noting U-M is his dream hoops destination.

Horky still has to finish out this season and has his senior season ahead of him to continue his scoring and filling out as an all-around basketball player. Ahrens, who has coached at various levels for nearly 40 years, said Horky has what it takes to get to the next level.

“He not only pushes himself, but will push teammates as well,” he said. “He truly understands there is more to the game than just scoring.”

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.

PHOTO: Manchester junior Tyler Horky brings the ball upcourt. (Photo by Doug Donnelly.)

Flashback 100: Detroit Central Star Voted into Pro Football Hall of Fame

February 14, 2025

The recently-announced 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class includes Detroit Central’s Antonio Gates, an extraordinary athlete who never played college football.

At Central, Gates excelled in both football and basketball. He led the Trailblazers to the 1998 Class A basketball championship, delivering a standout performance with 17 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in a 63-47 victory over Belleville in the Final. (Watch it on YouTube.)

Gates (44) gets in position to receive a pass in the post.On the football field, Gates was a three-year starter at tight end and linebacker. As a senior in 1997, he helped lead Detroit Central to a 7-3 record before falling to Birmingham Groves in the Regional Semifinals.

Opting to play college basketball, Gates finished his career at Kent State, where he played a pivotal role in the Golden Flashes’ first two Mid-American Conference regular-season titles. In 2002, he led Kent State to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. His impact was so profound that the school retired his No. 44 jersey — the same number he wore at Detroit Central.

Despite never playing football at the collegiate level, Gates took a chance after college, working out for NFL scouts. The San Diego Chargers saw his potential, signing him as an undrafted free agent. Sixteen years later, Gates is regarded as one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history. He holds the career record for the most touchdown receptions by a tight end (116) and remains the Chargers’ all-time leader in receptions (955) and receiving yards (11,841). His accolades included eight Pro Bowl selections, three first-team All-Pro honors, a spot on the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, and recognition on the San Diego Chargers’ 50th Anniversary Team.

Joining Gates in the 2025 Hall of Fame class are Eric Allen, Jared Allen, and Sterling Sharpe.

Previous "Flashback 100" Features

Feb. 6: Multi-Sport Star Look Becomes Super Bowl Officiating Legend - Read
Jan. 31: Johnson Family Put Magical Stamp on Michigan High School Hoops - Read
Jan. 24: Future Hall of Famers Face Off First in MHSAA Class A Final - Read
Jan. 17: First-Ever WNBA Draft Pick Rocked at Salem, Won Titles at Tennessee - Read
Jan. 10: Despite Launching Before 3-Point Line, Smith Still Tops Scoring List - Read
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 

PHOTOS (Top) The 1998 Detroit Central boys basketball team, including Antonio Gates (front row, fourth from left). (Middle) Gates (44) gets in position to receive a pass in the post. (MHSAA file photos.)