Inside Reaching Higher - Interactive

August 7, 2013

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

You've hopefully heard of the Reaching Higher basketball showcases put on each summer by the MHSAA and Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan.

Now you've got a chance to see, literally, what all the buzz is about.  

Check out this interactive set of photos, videos and further explanations to see what goes into an event that showcases more than 200 of the state's top college prospects while also teaching them a few things they will need to succeed at the next level. 

Scroll over the photo below of South Lyon High School's gymnasium, and then over the many tags highlighting features of the event, which last month celebrated its fifth anniversary. 

This is Reaching Higher (interactive)

July 10, 2014

The annual Reaching Higher showcases of Michigan’s top high school basketball players will return for the sixth year beginning Wednesday, July 16, with the boys event and followed by the state’s top girls prospects taking the floor July 23. 

The event this year also has a new home, Milford High School in Highland Township.

More than 200 athletes with aspirations to play at the college level will train and scrimmage under the tutelage of high school coaches from across the state and in front of college coaches expected to represent all three NCAA divisions, the NAIA and junior college levels. Coaches from 40 college basketball programs, including 13 from Division I schools, attended the 2013 Reaching Higher events.

An educational effort by the Michigan High School Athletic Association and the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan, the Reaching Higher experience includes classroom sessions for student-athletes and their parents as well as on-court drills and scrimmaging. The events aim to give athletes a vision of what it takes to become a college basketball player and also succeed in college life.

Participants in the program were selected by a committee of BCAM members. The process began in December when local high school coaches submitted nominations to the selection committee. Participants were chosen in February.

A complete list of expected attendees can be found on the “Reaching Higher” page of the MHSAA Website. The boys event begins at 3:30 p.m. on July 16, with scrimmages running from 5:45 to 8:40 p.m. The girls event begins at noon on July 23, with scrimmages from 2 to 5 p.m. 

Scroll over the icons below to learn about the many activities that take place during the Reaching Higher events.