New Reality has Roseville Dreaming Big
By
Tom Markowski
Special for Second Half
January 30, 2019
ROSEVILLE – Something happened last February that produced a dramatic effect on the Roseville boys basketball team.
It’s difficult for Roseville coach Hassan Nizam to put into words – but he’s certain that his team’s trip to Ann Arbor to play Pioneer and, more importantly, their visit to the Crisler Center to watch a University of Michigan practice had a positive impact on last year’s team and the program as a whole.
“(The U-M staff) gave us a tour,” Nizam said. “It was eye-opening. There was something about it. I can’t even explain it. We’ve lost twice since. Maybe it turned them into dreamers.”
Roseville won seven straight after losing that game to Pioneer before a 44-39 defeat to Macomb Dakota in a Class A Regional Semifinal ended the Panthers’ season.
They’ve stormed back this winter and sit 13-1 entering the final month of the regular season, with their only loss coming at Dakota, 55-52, in the fifth game. Roseville avenged that loss with a 63-56 victory at home Jan. 15 and is ranked No. 3 in Division 1 in the latest Associated Press poll.
The Panthers are 8-1 in the Macomb Area Conference Red and have clinched a share of the title. They can win it outright with a victory at Sterling Heights Stevenson on Monday.
After that and over the next two months, Roseville is shaping up as a possibility to not only make school history, but carry its entire area into an elite scenario for the first time.
Teams from Macomb County have rarely been relevant come tournament time. Not only has a Macomb County team never won a Class A (now Division 1) title, the county has never been represented in a Class A Final in boys basketball. Warren DeLaSalle made the Class B Final in 1982 and has come close to breaking that county barrier, reaching Class A Semifinals in 1986, 2007 and last season. Dakota also lost in the Class A Semifinals in 2016.
Enter Roseville. The program has had limited success in the MHSAA Tournament – last season the Panthers finished 16-7 and won just the fourth District title in program history. They’ve never won a Regional.
Talent has come through in the past, but didn’t always guarantee a postseason run. Sir’Dominic Pointer (known as Dominick Pointer while attending Roseville) played two seasons at Roseville before transferring to a prep school in North Carolina, then played collegiately at St. John’s and was selected as the 53rd pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by Cleveland. He is currently playing professionally in Israel. Still, Roseville was not able to get past the District round in either of his seasons.
But on the positive side, this team is coming off that District title and has plenty of experience to go with ability. Four starters are back including seniors Darien Banks, Lazell Judge and John Ukomadu. The other returning start is junior point guard Martell Turner who, if he isn’t the team’s best, is likely the team’s most important player. The fifth starter is senior Deshaun Wright.
At 24, Nizam is one of the state’s youngest head coaches and his upbeat coaching style has had a rippling effect. This attitude impressed those who were responsible for hiring him, notably school principal Pat Adams.
“Our search for a new coach was centered on someone who loved kids and was passionate about the game,” Adams said. “In Coach Niz, we struck gold on both accounts. A big part of changing the culture in a building is to have the kids believe in themselves, feel pride in who they represent, and respect the leaders who spend time with them. We believe Coach Niz has demonstrated that he's a very important part of that formula and will continue to be as the program evolves.”
A 2012 graduate of Dearborn Fordson, Nizam spent three seasons as the junior varsity and varsity assistant at Fordson before becoming an assistant at U-M Dearborn for the 2016-17 season. Nizam said one of his first objectives when he was hired at Roseville in May of 2017 was to build consistency.
“I was just an assistant coach looking for an opportunity,” he said. “As far as the program here, I knew they had had some success. The transition was pretty smooth, and the kids bought in. (Sir’)Dominic stops by every now and then, and the kids appreciate that. The guys have to understand that individual success comes from team success.”
Last season was one of the most successful in school history. As a member of the MAC White, Roseville competed in the MAC Red/White division playoffs and defeated Clinton Township Chippewa Valley for the title. Two weeks later, Roseville won the District title by defeating St. Clair Shores Lake Shore 80-77.
Roseville opted to move up to the MAC Red this season, and one result is a more competitive schedule. In addition to the increase in competition the Red affords, the Panthers defeated DeLaSalle to open the winter, then defeated Division 2 contender New Haven at New Haven and slipped past Cincinnati Withrow (Ohio), 42-39, at the Motor City Roundball Classic.
“We kind of have the approach that we want to get better each game,” Nizam said. “We’ve got a chance to win the MAC Red, the MAC title, a District title and a Regional. It’s that day-to-day thing we like to emphasize.”
What makes this team better than last season’s is Roseville’s play on the defensive end. The players are communicating better, switching assignments when teams run a motion offense and playing help defense.
In Roseville’s 65-60 victory over New Haven, the Panthers held Romeo Weems – New Haven’s best player and a likely candidate for the Mr. Basketball Award – to 20 points. As a team, Roseville has allowed 45 points per game. And just one team, New Haven, has scored in the 60s.
“That New Haven game was big for us,” Nizam said. “They hadn’t lost a game at home in like six years. We weren’t going to let Weems beat us. Our kids believed in each other that game. After that, their confidence went way up. It showed we can be a problem for any team.”
Offensively, Roseville likes to score in transition, but its half-court sets have improved since last season as well. Banks is an accurate 3-point shooter and leads the team in scoring at 21 points per game. Turner is the table-setter who averages seven assists. Ukomadu is a 6-foot-7 post player who jumps well, and Judge is a 6-1 lefty who plays the wing.
Wright is a 6-3 power forward who possesses a good mid-range jump shot. And he’s one example of why the program has shown promise and is on the rise. Wright never played high school basketball before this season. He played basketball in middle school before concentrating on football his first three years of high school.
Wright saw the success the team had last season and, in the end, it was Nizam’s coaching style that won him over.
“I caught a few games at the end of last year,” Wright said. “I liked (Nizam’s) enthusiasm. He wants to win as much as we do. He wants it just as bad as we do. My mom (Ruth Wright) told me, to be a two-sport athlete coming out of high school would help me in college. I would love to play either one in college.”
Wright has yet to decide on which school he will attend next fall, and he is expected to take a visit to Urbana University in Ohio before making his decision.
In the meantime, Wright’s focus is on his teammates and continuing what they together have started.
“Once we step on the floor, we’re connected,” he said. “Our goal is to get better every game.
“Sharpen the ax. And we are getting better every day. I know by the way we compete against each other in practice.”
Tom Markowski is a correspondent for the State Champs! Sports Network and previously directed its web coverage. He also covered primarily high school sports for the The Detroit News from 1984-2014, focusing on the Detroit area and contributing to statewide coverage of football and basketball. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Roseville’s John Ukomadu throws down a dunk during a scrimmage. (Middle) Panthers players huddle with coach Hassan Nizam. (Photos by Brian Sevald Photo.)
TC Christian's Broderick Sets Standard for Boys Hoops 3-Point Shooting
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
April 2, 2026
Traverse City Christian’s Reece Broderick tied an MHSAA record on Jan. 24, 2025, when he drilled 15 3-pointers during an 85-36 win over Grand Traverse Academy. He finished with 45 points total, with a high of six 3-pointers during the first quarter.
Those 15 contributed to his season total of 108 – which ranks fourth all-time – and he closed his four-year, 89-game varsity run that winter as the MHSAA career record holder with 368 3-pointers.
Total, he has five listings in the MHSAA boys basketball record book, with his 104 3-pointers as a junior continuing to rank fifth for a single season and just behind his senior-year performance.
See below for several recently-added listings to the boys basketball record book, and click the heading to see the record book in full. Several more applications have been received and are in the process of being confirmed.
Boys Basketball
Austin Cole played his roles well on both ends of the court in Burr Oak’s Jan. 10, 2023, win over Athens, and magnificently on the defense end. The sophomore had 15 steals in the 55-33 victory, setting a new single-game record, to go with his 11 points.
Eight days after Cole’s 15-steal game, senior Cody Boling tied the record with 15 steals in Center Line’s 79-54 win over Hazel Park – during which Boling also scored 31 points.
Five days after Boling’s 15-steal game, Crystal Falls Forest Park’s Felix Quevedo also totaled 15 steals, on Jan. 23, 2023, against Gwinn. Quevedo finished that season with 134 steals – fifth-most all-time – over 24 games.
Ben Miller finished his three-season varsity career at Dundee in 2018 with 316 rebounds over 24 games that winter to make the single-season list and 700 rebounds to make the career list in that category.
Saginaw Nouvel’s MJ Yeager added two more record book entries during a brilliant junior season in 2022-23. His 118 3-pointers over 26 games rank second on that list, and his 90-percent free-throw shooting success rate tied for 13th-highest for one season. He’s now playing at Oakland.
Mesick’s 2022-23 success included a District championship and a series of record book entries, especially for 3-point shooting. The Bulldogs were added three times for single-game 3-pointers, with a high of 18, and their 231 over 25 games rank sixth all-time. Carter Simmer was added for 88 3-pointers for the season and 195 over his four-season career. Teammate Ashtyn Simerson was added for 107 steals over 25 games.
Brandon Johns enjoyed a decorated four-season career at East Lansing from 2015-18 that saw him score 1,753 points and make the MHSAA record book with 378 free throws, 891 rebounds and 270 blocked shots – all over 89 games. He went on to play at University of Michigan and Virginia Commonwealth.
David Shillinger provided a record book-worthy defensive boost to Ludington during the 2022-23 season with 87 steals over 23 games as the Orioles finished 20-3.
Cooper Whipkey capped his Mackinaw City career in 2022-23 on three record book lists – for 93 3-pointers as a senior, 214 over his four-season varsity career, and also for 81 steals as a senior. Teammate Lucas Bergstrom made the single-season rebounds list with 331, and 2021 graduate Kal O’Brien was added for 708 rebounds over his four seasons. Lars Huffman made the single-season steals list in 2022-23 with 81 as well and the career list with 245 over four seasons. He's continuing his track career at St. Norbert (Wis.).
On Feb. 14, 2006, Benzie Central’s Tyler Moss totaled 14 steals in a game when he did so during a 71-63 win over Elk Rapids. Moss was a senior that season. Jaxon Childers made his presence known on both ends of the court throughout his four-year Benzie Central career, and defensively he made state history. Childers finished 2023-24 with 305 steals over 91 career games, good for 11th on that all-time list. He also made the single-season list with 98 as a sophomore and 93 as a junior. He played football at Northern Michigan.
Trent Hopkins made the list for most 3-pointers in one season in 2022-23, draining 81 in 223 attempts over 23 games for Auburn Hills Oakland Christian.
Cameron Peterson’s junior season at Rudyard in 2022-23 included a historic highlight, and he’s been added for his 20 points during the second quarter of a Jan. 21 game against Brimley. Peterson made six 3-pointers and another field goal over those eight minutes.
Carson Knoll undoubtedly found the zone Jan. 6, 2023, when he scored 21 points during the second quarter of Frankenmuth’s 68-28 win over Saginaw Swan Valley. Frankenmuth as a team also was added for making 16 3-pointers in a 75-45 win over New Lothrop that Jan. 18 and 15 against Standish-Sterling during the 2018-19 season.
Parker Hovey’s 217 assists over 24 games as a senior in 2022-23 are ranked 10th on that single-season list. The Hart graduate is continuing at Hope College.
Adrian Lenawee Christian’s 88-38 win over Britton Deerfield on Feb. 2, 2024, got off to a fast start – fast enough to make the record book. Lenawee Christian was added for points scored in one quarter after taking a 41-9 lead by the end of the first. Lenawee Christian also was added for making 216 3-pointers in 2024-25 and 196 in 2023-24.
Posen senior Logan Timm contributed plenty all over the floor in 2023-24, but most memorably on defense with 176 steals over 24 games. He also made the single-game steals list four times, with a high of 14 twice.
Senior Zander Smith drilled 12 3-pointers in a Feb. 2, 2024, New Haven win over Detroit Universal Academy, tying for fifth on the single-game list in that category. New Haven also made the team list with 19 total.
Among Cory Coe’s accomplishments as a senior in 2001-02, the Williamston senior made 90 percent of his free-throw attempts to make that record book list. He went on to play at Hillsdale College.
The 22 made free throws by Steve Balza on Feb. 14, 1989, ranked sixth-most in one game in MHSAA history at the time and remain tied for 10th-most 35 years later. He was a senior that season at St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran and attempted 30 total that game against Covert.
Bronson then-junior Kamron Brackett reached the record book for the first time in 2023-24 with 103 steals over 23 games, and he just missed the single-game steals list with 10 in two contests.
A little more than a decade later, LeRoy Pine River’s Tyler Lewis has reached the record book for his outstanding perimeter shooting as a senior in 2012-13. He was added to the season 3-pointers list with 84 after making nearly half his shots from beyond the arc. He went on to play at Lansing Community College.
After already earning a single-season steals listing as a junior, Grand Rapids Wellspring’s Zeekeal Jackson finished his career in 2023-24 with 267 steals over four seasons and 74 games. Grand Rapids Wellspring also was added to the records for making 206 3-pointers that winter, and 15 in a game.
Layk Woodruff and Reese Longstreth helped Beaverton coach Roy Johnston finish his career in 2023-24 as the all-time winningest in Michigan boys basketball history. Woodruff made the single-season 3-pointers list with 91 over 24 games, while Longstreth made the rebounds list with 310.
Austin Vang was like a wall on Suttons Bay’s side of the floor during a Feb. 18, 2025, win over Boyne Falls. The Norsemen then-senior set an MHSAA record with 16 steals.
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central’s Jonas VanderWoude finished his high school career in 2024 making the record book for the first time with a .901 free-throw percentage over 26 games. He’s playing now at Davenport.
On Feb. 4, 2025, Hannahville Nah Tah Wahsh made a state-record 32 3-pointers in a 96-50 win over Wetmore Munising Baptist; all of the team’s points were scored from beyond the arc. Senior Jayden Sagataw tied for the fifth-most on the single-game individual list with 13.
Jalen Kampen capped his Parchment career in 2024-25 as one of the top free throw shooters in state history, connecting on 87 percent of his attempts as a senior to tie for 17th on the career list with a .807 percentage. He also made the single-season free throws made list with 162. As a team, Parchment made the single-game 3-pointers list with 15 and combined with opponent Delton Kellogg to make the list for two teams in one game as they had 24 together Jan. 7, 2025 – which tied for ninth-most on that list. Kampen is continuing at Central Michigan.
Carson Ososki earned an entry in the MHSAA record book in 2024-25 as a junior with his defensive work. He totaled 94 steals in 21 games played for Au Gres-Sims.
Shane Rykse finished his four-year Schoolcraft career in 2024 with 261 3-pointers, ranking 13th all-time, and with a career free-throw percentage of .852 that ranks fifth on that list. Additionally, Schoolcraft as a team was added multiple times including for 215 3-pointers (tied for 12th) during the 2023-24 season. Rykse plays at Spring Arbor. Tucker Walther capped his four-season Schoolcraft career in 2024-25 tied for fourth all-time having played in 104 varsity games. He helped his team to an 83-21 record and is continuing at Hope College.
Ewen-Trout Creek’s Jaden Borseth finished his four-year varsity career in 2022 with 2,073 points, one of only 47 players to reach 2,000. He continued at Gogebic Community College.
Austin Long finished his four-season varsity career at Vassar in 2024-25 on the all-time free throw list with 315 made in 420 attempts over four seasons and 91 games. He’s now playing football at Elmhurst (Ill.).
Cooper Wagner earned Saginaw Swan Valley’s first record book listing in this sport as a junior in 2024-25, with 112 steals in 24 games played.
Buckley’s Landon Kulawiak capped his four-season varsity career in 2024-25 on three career lists reflecting his scoring talents. He made the career points list with 2,034 over 91 games, the career 3-pointers list with 261 and career free throws list with 333. His 3-pointers total is tied for 13th.
Oskar Kangas finished his four-season varsity career at Iron Mountain in 2024-25 on the career rebounds list with 978 over 94 games. He also fell only 26 points shy of scoring 2,000. He’s playing at Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Gregory Grays’ 60-point game for Southfield-Lathrup against Toledo Scott (Ohio) in 1997 already was in the record book, but a few more listings have been added. Grays scored 25 points during the fourth quarter of that game, and he also made 20 of 21 free throws – including 20 straight. He went on to play at Penn State and Detroit Mercy.
Landen Reister earned his school’s first boys basketball record book entry in 2024-25, when he made the steals list with 83 over 25 games. He was a senior and is playing now at Grand Rapids Community College.
Trey Lynn became the second player in Brimley history to reach the record book in this sport, doing so for single-season steals three times including with 111 as a senior in 2024-25, and for his 299 steals over 87 games and four seasons. Lynn is playing baseball at Bay College.
Brad Coleman finished his Millington career in 2025 as one of an elite group who have scored at least 2,000 varsity points – but also is listed in multiple other categories. Coleman finished with 2,058 points over 96 games and four seasons, and he also ranks in career steals and four times in free-throw categories, including eighth all-time with 523 made in 670 attempts. He’s continuing his career at Grace Christian.
More than 40 years after graduating from Melvindale, Paul Bargardi was added for his 367 rebounds as a senior in 1982-83. He went on to play at Saginaw Valley State.
Luke Tropea earned multiple 3-pointers listings during his career at Chelsea as a freshman and Jackson Lumen Christi over his final three seasons before graduating in 2025. He made the single-season list as a senior with 90, and the career list with 233.
Onsted’s Ayden Davis finished his impressive four-year run in 2024 on single-season and career lists for rebounds and blocks. He ranks fifth all-time with 1,222 career rebounds over 90 games, and second on the blocks career list with 479 – with a fourth-best single-season listing of 161 blocks as a sophomore. He’s playing at Wright State.
PHOTO Traverse City Christian’s Reece Broderick shoots a 3-pointer against Gaylord St. Mary during his senior season. (Photo courtesy of Traverse City Record-Eagle.)