Norris Transforms Grass Lake into Contender for Long-Awaited League Title
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
February 12, 2025
Grass Lake has gone more than 50 years without a conference boys basketball championship. The wait could be over Saturday.
The Warriors, guided by second-year head coach Marshawn Norris, are 18-0 for the first time in school history and have locked in a spot in Saturday’s Cascades Conference championship game.
Norris is the fifth coach for the Warriors in seven years, but he’s off to a fast start in putting his stamp on the program.
“I think that is what is most appealing to me,” he said. “I’m a basketball guy. I think I have a chance to change the village of Grass Lake into a basketball town.”
Grass Lake athletic director Brian Zalud said the community is building excitement over what’s happening with basketball. The team already has the school record for wins in a season.
“In the two years that Marshawn has been at Grass Lake he has been able to get our kids to buy into what he is trying to get them to do,” Zalud said. “They play with intensity every time they are on the court. Every kid is willing to do all the little things for him and each other, and that passion and desire comes as a direct reflection of what Coach Marshawn brings to every practice and game.”
Norris is a Jackson native who played his high school basketball at Napoleon, one of Grass Lake’s opponents in the Cascades Conference.
“They were hard-nosed and competitive,” Norris recalled about Grass Lake. “I know they’ve been looking for a basketball coach, not just someone in the job, and I hope I can be that guy for a long time.”
The 18-0 start is surprising for a program that has struggled to maintain consistency over the years. The only Cascades Conference boys basketball championships in the trophy case are from 1955 and 1971.
“Coming into the season, we knew we had a special group,” Norris said. “I told them the faster we get ready and harder we work, we’ll be able to jump on some teams and surprise them. I think we did just that. Now we are in the conference championship game on Saturday and have a chance to accomplish our first goal.”
Norris graduated from Napoleon in 2008 and played collegiately at Mott Community College and Culver-Stockton College in Missouri. He was offered an assistant coaching job at Culver-Stockton in the locker room after his final college game. He served as head coach for two seasons at Jackson College before landing at Grass Lake.
“This is my first high school job,” he said. “I’ve never built a program. I’ve never coached anywhere longer than two seasons. Hopefully this will be my first stop where I’m able to stay more than two seasons and I’m able to build something and people know what they are getting from Coach Norris.”
Norris was hired in June 2023 and quickly pieced together a summer schedule of scrimmages against Jackson-area schools. The Warriors went 11-13 in his first season.
This year, things have turned around paced by a starting lineup of all seniors.
“Four of my guys are 18 years old,” Norris said.
The starters are Brayden Lape, Sal Vitale, Jacob Collins, Bryant Cook and Carmyne Beltran.
Lape leads the team in scoring at 19.8 points a game. Cook, who missed most of last season with an injury suffered during football season, averages 8.1 points and 10.4 rebounds a game, and Collins averages 8.6 points a game and leads the team in steals. Vitale, the leader in assists, is like a coach on the floor.
Norris said the improvement began during the summer.
“We just had June, but we had a good June,” he said. “We fine-tuned some things. Everybody on my team are three-sport athletes.”
The senior class has had expectations for years. In fifth grade they were undefeated, and in eighth grade they also went undefeated, although the season was cut short by COVID-19. Norris said other teams might have more basketball ability, but no team works harder.
“We understand who we are,” he said. “We are a special team who works really, really hard.”
Lape said Norris has helped make basketball fun in Grass Lake.
"I remember even as a kid coming to games, there wouldn't be very many people in the stands," he said. "There's excitement now. Our game against Michigan Center was a pretty cool environment.
“Coach has a winning attitude. We know we are not the most talented team, but we work really hard."
Norris stresses discipline in the program.
“I think the discipline and structure I’m bringing is something they needed,” he said. “The guys know from me if you are missing practice or school or anything that is inexcusable, it is going to be punishable by less playing time. I’m holding guys accountable.
“I tell them all of the time, ‘Men, just do your job.’”
Norris said he got into coaching because of the coaches he had while growing up. He not only coaches Grass Lake but runs a skill development program and coaches youth basketball in Jackson.
“I think I wanted to be a coach because I’ve always had good coaches,” he said. “I never had a bad coach. Coaches were always like father figures to me. Hopefully someday someone will say that about me.”
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.
PHOTOS (Top) Grass Lake’s Brayden Lape (23) gets to the basket against Michigan Center. (Middle) Grass Lake boys basketball coach Marshawn Norris talks with his team. (Photos courtesy of JTV.)
Breslin Bound: 2021-22 Boys Report Week 10
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 14, 2022
The boys basketball tournament picture is getting a little clearer as we draw closer to the end of the regular season, allowing coaches to forecast a bit more (and scout) who their teams might face when Districts begin in three weeks.
It's also the right time for us to begin envisioning how some of our headlining regular-season games might become rematches next month – and we'll be digging into some of those possibilities over the next few weeks, including a couple we note below.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com. Send corrections or missing scores to [email protected].
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Detroit U-D Jesuit 65, Detroit Catholic Central 43 The Detroit Catholic League Central has been the setting for one of the most contested league races in recent memory, and the Cubs (10-4) clinched the title after having defeated the Shamrocks (8-7) by only two points in their first meeting.
2. Port Huron Northern 49, St. Clair Shores Lake Shore 47 The Huskies (12-4) faced former co-leader Lake Shore (13-3) twice over seven days and won both to clinch the Macomb Area Conference Blue title outright.
3. Vandercook Lake 65, Napoleon 59 The Jayhawks (13-1) moved into a half-game lead over Michigan Center and one full game ahead of Napoleon (12-2) in the Cascades Conference.
4. Goodrich 43, Flushing 42 The Martians (14-1) won a second one-point game in a row, this one over the Raiders (12-2) in a matchup of teams leading their respective Flint Metro League divisions.
5. Benton Harbor 79, Battle Creek Pennfield 74 The Tigers (13-2) bounced back from their second loss with their best win in terms of MPR against the Panthers (11-3).
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
Division 1
Detroit Martin Luther King (15-1) The Crusaders haven’t lost since the season opener against Detroit U-D Jesuit (see below) and are up to No. 2 in Division 1 MPR after going undefeated in a Detroit Public School League Blue that included Cass Tech (14-2), Renaissance and Southeastern (both 11-4). King also has wins over Beecher (13-1), Ann Arbor Huron (11-3), Saginaw (10-6), Kalamazoo Central (10-6) and Grand Blanc (11-4) among others – and if the Crusaders meet Jesuit again, it will be in the Division 1 Final.
Detroit U-D Jesuit (10-4) As noted above, Jesuit clinched the Catholic League Central, a major accomplishment. Additionally, only two of the Cubs’ opponents this season have fewer than 10 wins entering this week, providing another boost behind Jesuit’s No. 1 MPR ranking. The Cubs opened with a 51-42 win over King and can also count nonleague victories over Waterford Mott (11-3) and Macomb Dakota (10-5) along with the impressive run through the conference.
Division 2
Croswell-Lexington (14-0) This is familiar territory for the Pioneers, who are up to a combined 53-3 over the last three seasons. They have a two-game lead over Richmond in the Blue Water Area Conference, having handed the Blue Devils (12-2) a 57-38 defeat Jan. 25 and with the rematch coming up. Wins over Brown City (9-5) and Reese (12-2) have provided further MPR boost as the team sits No. 4 in Division 2 coming off last year’s run to the Quarterfinals.
Escanaba (10-4) After reaching the Quarterfinals last season, the Eskymos loaded their schedule again with many of the Upper Peninsula’s best, and it’s paid off with the No. 1 MPR ranking in Division 2. Escanaba is second in the Great Northern Conference with two losses to Menominee (14-1) and will play the Maroons again Tuesday, but those defeats have provided a boost along with two wins over Kingsford (10-4) and others against Ishpeming Westwood (12-3) and Negaunee (11-5). The two other losses came to teams from Wisconsin.
Division 3
Detroit Loyola (11-4) The Bulldogs have won eight straight to clinch the Detroit Catholic League AA championship and move up to Nov. 5 in Division 3 MPR. Wins over Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and Warren Lincoln (both 12-4) also have provided a boost, and all four losses were to larger schools with at least 11 wins – Hamtramck (11-3), Bloomfield Hills (11-3), Oak Park (11-3) and North Farmington (12-3). Loyola gets another good test in Detroit Country Day (10-3) this week as it looks to build on last season’s Quarterfinal run.
Elk Rapids (9-4) With only one game left against leader Traverse City St. Francis, on Tuesday, and two league losses, Elk Rapids may have to settle for second in the Lake Michigan Conference for the second-straight season. But another big opportunity awaits the Elks, No. 9 in Division 3 MPR. Their District includes St. Francis and the top two teams in the Northwest Conference and second-place team in the Ski Valley Conference – and at the time of this writing, Elk Rapids would be seeded second thanks to wins like the sweep of Boyne City (10-4).
Division 4
Genesee Christian (11-4) The Soldiers have taken a few steps up from last year’s 9-8 finish despite a strong schedule. The Genesee Area Conference Red has four teams 8-4 or better and three with at least 10 wins, and Genesee Christian is up to No. 8 in Division 4 MPR with six victories over teams with eight wins or more. The Soldiers get some benefit from losses to Beecher (13-1) and Flint Hamady (8-4) and have defeated among others Hamady, Lake Fenton (9-5), Clarkston Everest Collegiate (11-3), Webberville (11-4) and Burton Bendle (10-4). They see Bendle again next week.
Lake Leelanau St. Mary (12-3) The No. 7 Eagles have piled up 14 wins two seasons in a row and made the Regional Finals a year ago, and they’re surging toward March again with a 10-game winning streak. St. Mary handed Ellsworth (14-1) its only defeat and also earned solid boosts from victories over Traverse City Christian (12-2) and Flat Rock (13-3) – with the losses to Maple City Glen Lake (13-3), Rudyard (14-0) and Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (8-6).
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Tuesday – Ferndale (12-3) at Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (11-4) – Ferndale is No. 7 in Division 2 MPR and Brother Rice is No. 3 in Division 1
Tuesday – Grand Haven (14-1) at Rockford (15-1) – The Rams won the first meeting and have a one-game lead on the Bucs in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red.
Tuesday – Battle Creek Pennfield (11-3) at Marshall (14-1) – Marshall has a one-game lead in the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference despite falling to co-second place Pennfield 48-44 on Jan. 11.
Friday – Frankenmuth (11-2) at Freeland (14-0) – The Falcons can clinch a share of the Tri-Valley Conference 8 title, or the Eagles can pull within a half game of the lead if they hand Freeland a first league defeat.
Saturday – Grand Blanc (11-4) at Muskegon (13-1) – The reigning Division 1 champion could bring a 10-game winning streak on the road to face another contender for this season’s title.
Second Half’s weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTO Westwood’s Zach Carlson threads a pass while being defended last week by Ishpeming’s Parker Gauthier. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)