Niles Boys Hoops Able to Lay Low - for Now - but Climbing Toward Contention
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
February 27, 2024
NILES – Niles isn’t a school you will hear mentioned in conversations about the best boys basketball teams in Michigan.
But Niles head coach Myles Busby, his coaching staff and players prefer living in obscurity on the hardwood. Being an unknown could prove beneficial for Niles at this week's Division 2 District Tournament at Edwardsburg.
Niles is in arguably one of the state's toughest Districts with top-seeded and statewide No. 2-ranked Benton Harbor (20-1) sitting on the other side of the bracket. The Tigers and Vikings are on a collision course to meet in Friday's Final.
The Vikings are fresh off of winning their first Wolverine Conference title since joining the league with the 2021-22 school year. Busby was a sophomore in 2010 the last time Niles (13-1 Wolverine Conference, 17-5 overall) won a league title in the sport, as part of the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference.
Two of the Vikings' five losses this winter came to Lakeland Conference co-champs Benton Harbor (47-45) and Niles Brandywine (56-43). Niles' other three losses came to South Bend Clay, Ind. (64-57) and Lansing Everett (53-40). The Everett game was part of the Love and Basketball Showcase hosted by Kalamazoo Loy Norrix on Feb. 3.
Second-place Otsego (60-49) handed Niles its only conference defeat Feb. 2, avenging an earlier-season loss on the Vikings' home floor (62-52).
Busby said his team's 49-41 win over Chicago North Lawndale Charter (Ill.) – on Dec. 16 in the Tri-State Holiday Classic at Southwestern Michigan College in Dowagiac – helped serve as a momentum builder for the remainder of the season.
Following a nine-game winning streak, Niles suffered back-to-back losses to Otsego and Everett before winning four out of its last five contests.
"In between these walls (our school gym) and when we're on the floor, we know how good we can be. We have the best coaching staff in the area. We know our guys put in a lot of work,” Busby said. “For us, it's just challenging our team to work incredibly hard every single day because that's not common and we don't want to be common. You must do the things other teams aren't doing.
"We have several new pieces this year with a lot of young guys. Now we have to focus on hitting our stride at the right time. Those two straight losses helped us get refocused. We don't care about what everyone else thinks about us. No one talks about Niles in the preseason rankings, and that's fine. We try to use that as fuel and strive for more."
Niles is led by senior point guard and three-year varsity letter winner Mike Phillips Jr. Phillips averages 20 points, three assists and four rebounds per game.
"We just try and take things one step at a time. Our goals after winning conference are to win Districts and make a long run in the postseason," Phillips said. "Our seniors strive to lift everyone up. We just need to pick one another up every day when someone gets down on themself. This team is viewed as the underdog by a lot of people. We use that as our motivation. It's important to focus on the mental part of the game each day."
Phillips, who has received interest from college programs at various levels, is shooting 50 percent from the floor, including 43 percent from behind the 3-point arc.
"Every one of our seniors and other players on the team have really bought into fulfilling their individual roles. It helps when you have one of the best players in the area like Mike," Busby said.
Sophomore Brayden Favors, son of varsity assistant head coach Desmond Favors, handles the other guard spot.
"Brayden has a ton of potential. He's not even close to growing into the player he'll be two years from now as a senior,” Busby said. “He really worked hard on his shooting last summer. This summer we will work on building up his strength. He's a well-rounded player who likes to defend.”
Brayden Favors, who lettered on the varsity as a freshman, averages 12.5 points, three assists and four rebounds per game and is shooting 52 percent from the field.
Senior forward Ethan Chambliss is averaging a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, along with two blocked shots. He is shooting 64 percent from the floor for the Vikings.
"Ethan is a great kid who does well academically. On the court, he has a big heart and takes a beating every night. He's not the biggest guy on the floor, but does all the dirty stuff inside for us," Busby noted.
Sophomore wing Brenden Olsen is another key player. He averages nine points and five boards and is shooting 54 percent from the floor. Busby noted that sophomore Acie Kirtdoll is the future point guard and leader, and senior forward Darris Johnson, III, along with 6-foot-7 freshman post player Donovyn Williams also play vital roles. The final senior on Niles' roster is wing Logan Olsen, who Busby noted for his hustle plays.
"The best kind of teams are led by their players and not the coaches. This is a player-led team, but you have to demand excellence,” Busby said. “This group has done a great job of rallying around one another when someone isn't playing very well and has instilled confidence in each other."
Busby and Desmond Favors both come from families with strong basketball traditions.
Myles' father Mike Busby, also one of the Vikings' current assistant coaches, and his uncle Gerald Busby played on Buchanan's Class C championship team in 1976. Gerald Busby would lead the Bucks to another title two years later as a senior in 1978. James Busby, another uncle, played on Buchanan's 1985 District title squad.
After Niles won its District in Myles Busby's senior season, 2011-12, the Vikings experienced an 11-year drought before capturing the 2023 District crown. That run included an upset of Benton Harbor in the District Semifinal, 65-61.
Grand Rapids South Christian, the eventual Division 2 runner-up, then defeated Niles 72-33 in a Regional Semifinal at Vicksburg.
"When I was in school, we always had to beat Kalamazoo Central to get out of Districts. They always beat us and were usually ranked No. 1 in the state coming into the tournament. It took us four years to finally win a District beating Kalamazoo Central, Mattawan and Kalamazoo Loy Norrix," Myles Busby recalled.
After graduating from Niles, Myles played two years at Mott Community College under Hall of Fame coach Steve Schmidt before transferring to Urbana University, a Division II school in Ohio. He finished his college career at Chadron State College in Nebraska.
Busby returned to his roots serving as a varsity assistant for Niles during the 2019-20 season. He became interim head coach late in the 2020-21 campaign before being awarded the position permanently before the following winter.
"Taking over the program was a tough decision. I had never intended on coming back to Niles, but I wanted to help revive the program and keep the improvement trend going upward," Busby said. "There's no secret recipe after you put your coaching staff together. Once you get kids in your program who are good leaders with great character, you just have to keep working hard each day. It's those traits that we feel are a big key so far to our success. It's not always about how much talent you have."
Busby believes things started heading in a positive direction after his 2022-23 ballclub began the season 2-4. The Vikings were then 6-9 into the beginning of February but finished 15-11.
"At that point, I think we won nine out of our last 10 games and managed to find our rhythm in time to win our District," Myles Busby said.
Niles has enjoyed past success, including reaching the 2000 Class B Semifinals before losing to Orchard Lake St. Mary's. Current Niles athletic director Matt Brawley was a standout senior post player on that Vikings' squad.
Desmond Favors came to Niles from Detroit his sophomore year of high school and began playing for the Vikings his junior year, 2000-01.
"We won Districts my junior year and lost to Grand Rapids South Christian in the state Quarterfinals my senior season," said Favors, who also played collegiately for Lake Michigan College, Northwood University and Indiana University-South Bend – at IUSB for current Notre Dame head coach Micah Schrewsberry.
Favors was an assistant for the Vikings during Busby’s senior season. "I've known Myles for over 20 years, and we're just very familiar with one another. We're always bouncing ideas around and talking basketball," Favors said.
He enjoys being a part of the coaching staff especially with his son Brayden moving through the program now.
"Initially Brayden was a baseball player. He started working on his game the summer between his eighth and ninth grade year. As a freshman he got put up on varsity and did pretty well,” Desmond Favors said. “He spent a lot of time this past offseason working on ballhandling and making plays. For me, it’s fun watching him.”
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Niles senior forward Ethan Chambliss (23) scores inside against Three Rivers. (2) Niles players and coaches hold up the 2024 Wolverine Conference championship banner after defeating Plainwell last week. (3) From left: Niles assistant boys basketball coach Desmond Favors, Brayden Favors, Mike Phillips Jr., and head coach Myles Busby. (4) Phillips Jr. attempts a 3-pointer this season. (Top photo coach/player photo by Scott Hassinger; banner photo courtesy of the Niles athletic department. Phillips action shot by Jeff Douglas/Leader Publications.)
Breslin Bound: 2024-25 Boys District Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 24, 2025
March is finally on the horizon, our state finally seems to be thawing out from a long, snowy winter – and all signs point to East Lansing as Districts tip off the MHSAA Boys Basketball Tournament tonight for more than 700 teams.
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 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. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 76, Detroit Renaissance 73 Catholic High School League champion St. Mary’s (15-6) claimed its second-straight Operation Friendship victory, in a close one this time over the Detroit Public School League-winning Phoenix (14-8).
2. Novi 66, Wayne Memorial 64 After edging Northville by two points four days earlier to clinch the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West title outright, Novi (18-4) moved past East winner Wayne (19-3) for the overall league championship.
3. Flint Kearsley 75, Goodrich 73 Kearsley (16-6) jumped from third in the Flint Metro League Stripes last season to a three-way tie for first this winter, then edged Lake Fenton by three and Goodrich (17-5) by a bucket to claim the overall league title.
4. Kingsford 72, Marquette 60 The Flivvers (17-3) avenged a 58-53 loss to Marquette (19-3) from Jan. 3 to pull even with the Sentinels and share the Great Northern Conference championship.
5. Hartford 61, Centreville 50 The Huskies (19-2) avenged their lone league defeat, 59-50 on Jan. 27, to pull even with Centreville (18-3) and share the Southwest 10 Conference title.
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
Auburn Hills Avondale
1. Waterford Mott (19-3), 2. Auburn Hills Avondale (15-7), 3. Clarkston (15-7), 4. Lake Orion (15-7), 5. Waterford Kettering (1-21).
Clarkston would be the favorite most seasons but enters after finishing fourth in the Oakland Activities Association Blue and having been swept by its Wednesday opponent, league runner-up and District host Avondale (15-7). On the other side, Mott was the co-champion from the Lakes Valley Conference and fell just a pair of overtime losses from a perfect league run. Lake Orion was runner-up in the OAA White and fell to Clarkston 49-38 on Dec. 4 – a few months ago but sure to be mentioned if they meet again Friday.
Grosse Pointe South
1. Detroit Martin Luther King (17-4), 2. Detroit Cass Tech (19-3), 3. Grosse Pointe North (18-4), 4. Grosse Pointe South (7-14), 5. Detroit East English (9-10), 6. Detroit Western (2-15).
King/Cass Round 3 is likely the expected Friday title matchup. They’ve met in District play the last three seasons and split their meetings this season with Cass winning 54-42 on Dec. 17 and King taking the rematch in the Detroit Public School League Tournament 58-52. Grosse Pointe North will do its best to crash the party coming off a Macomb Area Conference Blue championship and riding an 11-game winning streak that’s included a 58-43 win over Adrian (18-4).
Muskegon Reeths-Puffer
1. Rockford (20-2), 2. Muskegon (19-2), 3. Greenville (21-1), 4. Muskegon Mona Shores (10-12), 5. Cedar Springs (9-13), 6. Muskegon Reeths-Puffer (6-16).
A potential championship matchup of Ottawa-Kent Conference Red champion Rockford and O-K Green title winner Muskegon is what most will anticipate, and that makes sense – all four of their combined losses came to teams ranked among the top seven in statewide Division 1 or MPR, and traditionally they are two of the strongest West Michigan programs in any division. But River Cities Alliance champion Greenville definitely gives this bracket an intriguing wild card – its only loss came to Allendale (16-6), and 17 of the Yellow Jackets’ wins were by double digits.
DIVISION 2
Adrian
1. Onsted (20-1), 2. Adrian (18-4), 3. Adrian Madison (18-3), 4. Tecumseh (16-6), 5. Milan (5-17).
The top two teams from the Lenawee County Athletic Association and Southeastern Conference White top this bracket, as Onsted and Madison shared the LCAA title and Adrian High was first and Tecumseh second in the SEC White. Onsted and Madison split, with Madison winning the second meeting Jan. 30, and that may become notable if they meet one more time as that was Onsted’s only loss. Adrian defeated Tecumseh by 11 and 19 and also Madison by 16 on Dec. 16 – but the Maples are coming off a 73-60 loss to Brooklyn Columbia Central (18-4).
Grand Rapids Catholic Central
1. Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (19-3), 2. Hudsonville Unity Christian (20-2), 3. Grand Rapids Catholic Central (15-7), 4. Allendale (16-6), 5. Grand Rapids West Catholic (9-12), 6. Wyoming Lee (8-14).
Covenant Christian moved into Division 2 this season after reaching the Division 3 Quarterfinals a year ago, and the Chargers loaded their schedule with several Division 1 and 2 teams and contenders from Divisions 3 and 4 – notably handing North Muskegon its only loss but also falling to Unity 46-39 on Dec. 3. That was some time ago but will provide some familiarity if Covenant and the O-K Black champion Crusaders meet again. Don’t count that as a sure thing, however. Unity saw potential Wednesday opponent GRCC at Calvin University on Dec. 14, winning but in overtime 53-49. And Covenant saw its potential Wednesday opponent Allendale on Dec. 20, winning 58-52 in another close matchup.
Otsego
1. South Haven (17-3), 2. Paw Paw (19-3), 3. Parchment (19-3), 4. Plainwell (14-6), 5. Allegan (9-11), 6. Otsego (5-15).
The top four-seeded teams in this bracket either won or finished runners-up in their respective leagues – Parchment winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley, Paw Paw winning the Wolverine Conference, Plainwell placing second in the Wolverine and South Haven second in the SAC Lakeshore but still earning the top seed this week. South Haven did defeat Parchment 57-45 at Kalamazoo College on Nov. 30, and also has notable wins over Galesburg-Augusta (18-4) and Berrien Springs (17-4). Parchment has won 17 of its last 18 games, falling only to Battle Creek Pennfield (18-4) by three during that time.
DIVISION 3
Bark River Harris or Higher Seed (non-traditional)
1. Iron Mountain (19-3), 2. Munising (19-2), 3. Menominee (11-11), 4. Gwinn (9-13), 5. Bark River-Harris (7-15), 6. Manistique (4-18).
Western Peninsula Athletic Conference East champion Iron Mountain has pairs of wins over Gwinn and Manistique and a 16-point victory Feb. 3 over Menominee, which knocked the Mountaineers out of the District a year ago. Munising won the large schools division of the Skyline Central Conference and also has a pair of wins over Manistique and one over Gwinn – and may have to defeat Menominee in the District Semifinal to reach Friday’s championship game. Bark River-Harris is the named host for this non-traditional bracket and will host all games it plays; otherwise the highest seed in each game will host that contest.
Hanover-Horton
1. Jackson Lumen Christi (19-3), 2. Grass Lake (21-1), 3. Hanover-Horton (14-8), 4. East Jackson (11-11), 5. Napoleon (9-13), 6. Vandercook Lake (4-18).
Lumen Christi has emerged as a basketball contender the last two seasons, reaching the Quarterfinals a year ago and finishing CHSL AA runner-up this season to another Division 3 contender in Riverview Gabriel Richard. Grass Lake has made a jump too after finishing 11-13 a year ago, winning the Cascades Conference East and overall championships with its only loss last week to Clinton, 42-40. Grass Lake has a Dec. 3 53-48 win over Hanover-Horton, a possible Wednesday opponent and the runner-up from the Cascades Conference West. East Jackson finished fourth in the Cascades East, also enjoying a nice bump after going 8-15 a season ago.
Quincy
1. Schoolcraft (16-6), 2. Centreville (18-3), 3. Union City (14-8), 4. Bronson (11-11), 5. Quincy (11-10), 6. Homer (5-17).
This could be one of the most evenly-matched brackets in any division. Schoolcraft was the SAC Valley runner-up but defeated Centreville 62-54 on Feb. 5. Centreville shared the Southwest 10 Conference title. Union City was one of three runners-up in the Big 8 Conference (where Bronson finished fifth and Quincy sixth), sweeping Bronson but winning the second meeting only 63-61 and splitting with Quincy losing the second meeting 58-48 just last week – although those two are on Schoolcraft’s side of the bracket and Union City must instead defeat Homer and Centreville to get to Friday. Schoolcraft reached the Regional Final a year ago before falling to eventual Division 3 champion Niles Brandywine.
DIVISION 4
Crystal Falls Forest Park or Higher Seed (non-traditional)
11. Crystal Falls Forest Park (20-2), 2. Norway (17-5), 3. Powers North Central (10-11), 4. Stephenson (15-7), 5. Hannahville Nah Tah Wahsh (15-7), 6. Carney-Nadeau (6-16).
Skyline Central Conference small-schools division champion Forest Park swept third-place Powers North Central and also has a pair of wins over Norway and one over Stephenson as the Trojans seek to match and surpass last season’s run to the Quarterfinals. Their only losses were to Great Northern Conference co-champions Marquette and Kingsford. Norway finished second to Munising in the SCC large-schools division, with four of its five losses to teams with at least 19 wins. North Central has won only three of its last 11 games, but two straight including last week over Hannahville Nah Tah Wahsh 68-63. Stephenson also has a win over Nah Tah Wahsh and split with North Central – avenging a 34-point loss with a 12-point win a month later.
Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary
11. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (18-3), 2. Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central (13-8), 3. Coleman (13-9), 4. Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (13-9), 5. Merrill (5-17), 6. Midland Calvary Baptist (5-16).
Mid-State Activities Conference champion Sacred Heart is seeking to return to the Division 4 championship game after finishing second last season, and went 2-2 in nonleague play this winter stacking the schedule with Beal City, Marine City Cardinal Mooney, Maple City Glen Lake and Jackson Lumen Christi. Nouvel finished second in the Tri-Valley Conference Blue but played Ithaca (17-4) last week for a share of the title and loaded its nonleague schedule as well. Among potential stoppers, Coleman is enjoying its first winning season since 2019-20, and MLS its first since 2020-21 and with a split with Nouvel – although the Panthers avenged losing the first game by seven points by winning the second by 15.
Vestaburg
1. Fowler (19-3), 2. Fulton (17-5), 3. Portland St. Patrick (14-7), 4. Vestaburg (12-8), 5. Breckenridge (10-11), 6. Ashley (1-21).
While Fowler may be the favorite – the Eagles finished second in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference to Division 3 Pewamo-Westphalia (19-3) and have double-digit wins over Fulton and St. Patrick – there are opportunities to shake things up. Fowler did win its one matchup with Fulton 62-32, but the Pirates went on to finish second in the MSAC and downed Sacred Heart 70-62 last week. St. Patrick finished third in the CMAC and cut its deficit against Fowler from 22 to 13 between their first and second meetings. Vestaburg was fourth in the MSAC, losing the second meeting to Fulton by 11 but winning the first by six, and Breckenridge took Fulton to overtime in their second game.
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PHOTOS (Top) Haslett's Wardrell Wicker (5) gets in defensive position as Okemos' Branden Pruitt (21) considers his options during a 58-48 win Feb. 3. (Middle) Flint Carman-Ainsworth's Jaden Green (5) drives to the basket during his team's 90-88 triple-overtime win over Flint Powers Catholic on Tuesday. (Haslett/Okemos photo by John Johnson. Carman-Ainsworth photo by Terry Lyons.)