Promising Ypsilanti Aiming for Historic Finish

By Chip Mundy
Special for Second Half

January 7, 2016

By Chip Mundy
Special for Second Half

YPSILANTI – It was 30 minutes after Ypsilanti Community finished its victory over Flint Hamady on Tuesday, and 7-year-old Jaylon Allen was running around the court like any other ordinary 7-year-old.

As Ypsilanti basketball coach Steve Brooks watched him on the court, he spoke glowingly of the promise the youngster had in basketball. 

“Mark this down, he can run my offense right now, and he’s 7,” Brooks said.

Eleven years ago, Brooks was in the same position, watching a young player with a ton of hope. That player was Corey Allen, older brother of Jaylon and star of Ypsilanti’s unbeaten team that has advanced to the Class A Quarterfinals two of the past three years.

“Corey has been around like that,” Brooks said, comparing the brothers. “At that time, his dad was our middle school coach, so he would go to the middle school practices.

“Corey has been our leading scorer since he hit campus. He started as a freshman, and we had guys like Jaylen Johnson and Janeau Joubert, and he led us in scoring. His first three games were 17, 27 and 25 as a 14-year-old.” 

Mutual respect and admiration

The bond between Brooks and Allen has been a special one. Although Brooks is fond of all of his players, he admits that it is not unlike the relationship shared by Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and his star player Mateen Cleaves during Cleaves’ successful career that included an NCAA championship nearly two decades ago. 

“He really is my Mateen Cleaves,” Brooks said, “but don’t get me wrong. We go at it. I’m a disciplinarian, and as they get older, they want to do the social things. We had a heart-to-heart last Sunday. He’s a Mr. Basketball candidate, and I needed him to step it up.

“He had kind of deferred to the other guys because he already has a scholarship, and he wants some of the other guys to get seen. I was like, ‘Corey, those other guys depend on you,’ and he’s back to the old Corey.” 

Allen showed it Tuesday night against Flint Hamady. After Ypsilanti trailed by one at halftime, Allen broke a tie game in the third quarter with a long 3-pointer, then stole the ball and drove coast-to-coast for a layup and a quick five-point lead. The Grizzlies (5-0) never trailed after that.

“He’s been getting big baskets since I’ve known him,” Brooks said. “He had 45- and 50-point games in middle school, and he has led us in steals, so he’s just not a shooter.” 

Allen, a 6-foot-3 guard, has committed to play at the University of Detroit Mercy, and although he admits that he is looking forward to playing in college, he is in no hurry for the high school portion of his career to end.

“Detroit Mercy was like a family when I went on my visit,” Allen said. “They took me in like I was a part of the team. The coach kept it real, and I really liked that, and I liked the players. I played against some of them in AAU circuit, so I know them well.

“But ever since I was in the eighth grade, I’ve wanted to win the state championship for Coach Brooks. All through high school, we’ve been making runs and coming up short. Now this is my senior year, and I’m pushing to make that happen.” 

Allen speaks of Brooks much like Brooks speaks of him.

“Coach is a tough guy,” he said. “He wants the best out of all of us, and he pushes us the hardest. That’s why we love him. I love him to death. He’s a father figure to me.” 

And vice versa.

“A lot of times he gets the brunt of a lot of stuff because he’s like a son to me,” Brooks said. “The expectations are really high, and the standards are really high for him. He’s a humble kid, and I’m really going to miss him after he leaves.” 

Task at hand

Ypsilanti has never won an MHSAA championship in basketball. The team did make it to the Class A Finals in both 1968 and 1969 but lost both times. There was another great run during the late 1970s when the Phoenix won three consecutive Class A Regional titles before losing in the Quarterfinals. 

After the 2012-13 school year, Ypsilanti and Willow Run merged to form Ypsilanti Community High School, and the Phoenix became the Grizzlies. That was Allen’s first year in high school and the start of the most recent run of success.

Allen is not only a leader on the court; he is a leader off the court as well. It was something he picked up on as a freshman.

“At first, I wasn’t the type to seek out to be a leader,” he said. “We had a lot of leaders when I was in ninth grade. I was very quiet and took the teaching from them and worked on everything all through my high school career.”

While Allen isn’t a one-man team, he is the one everyone looks up to.

“The kids love him,” Brooks said. “We go as he goes, and I try to explain that to him. Whether he wants it or not, the other guys all look up to him all the way down to the seventh grade. All the kids know who he is, and they respect him.”

Junior guard De’Money Gentry said Allen’s leadership skills are felt both on and off the court.

“He pushes us and makes us do our best all the time,” Gentry said. “If we’re messing up, he just tells us to keep our heads up and keep doing what we need to do.”

Allen is surrounded by a talented team that made it to the Class A Quarterfinals a year ago, losing to eventual champion Detroit Western International. The Grizzlies lost just two players off that team and have even more on the way as injuries have been a problem at the start of the season.

Marquis Smith, star quarterback who is being recruited by such schools as Iowa State, Syracuse and Cincinnati for football, did not play all last season because of a dislocated shoulder but is expected back soon.

“He really is like the spirit of the team,” Brooks said of Smith. “He brings a positive attitude and confidence, and when I’m down, he’s the kind of guy to come into the office and cheer me up.”

Smith attended Willow Run prior to the merger and is excited to be part of such a successful program.

“I like to be part of a positive program,” he said. “I can’t explain how it feels to be winning. It’s the way we click together like a brotherhood. We’re on the same page with each other, and we know what’s happening and what we are capable of doing on the court.”

Junior guard Jamezell Davis has given the team a scoring spark early in the season and should take some of the heat off Allen, and there is plenty of depth waiting to get healthy and eligible.

Starting forward Jalen Maxwell is trying to come back after a concussion, and center Josh Perkins is battling a back injury. Guard Marlin Talley, son of former Mr. Basketball Award winner and University of Michigan player Michael Talley, missed the game Tuesday with an illness.

And then there is guard RayJon Williams-Jackson, a starter from last year who is on crutches after suffering a knee ligament injury in football.

“He does all the tough stuff, so we miss him,” Brooks said. “He does all the dirty work.”

Brooks also anticipates a big addition in a few weeks when 6-foot-5 forward Michael Bruce becomes eligible. Bruce originally attended Willow Run but chose to move on to Belleville after the closure instead of coming to Ypsilanti Community. He will be eligible in two weeks.

“He’s going to make us a different team,” Brooks said. “We will be a real good team. We’ll be a more confident team because he’s real skilled.”

Best kind of wins

Brooks wants to win as much as anybody, but he sees the big picture. The players understand that, too.

“He teaches us how to be better young men off the court,” Allen said.

Brooks calls it “educational athletics.”

“They are great kids; we don’t have any issues,” he said. “They are always well-mannered, they don’t get technical fouls, they don’t talk back to officials or things like that, and I’m really proud of them in that regard.

“It is educational athletics on this level, and that is what some people kind of lose sight of. Of course you want to win, but you want to teach them lessons along the way.”

Brooks, who took over at Ypsilanti in 2003, is relishing the run the Grizzlies are having, and he says the future looks bright – even before the arrival of the 7-year-old prodigy whom Brooks says can run his offense right now.

But he’s not looking that far in advance.

“By then,” Brooks said, “I’ll probably be eating popcorn and be at the point where I can just come out and watch the games.”

Chip Mundy served as sports editor at the Brooklyn Exponent and Albion Recorder from 1980-86, and then as a reporter and later copy editor at the Jackson Citizen-Patriot from 1986-2011. He also co-authored Michigan Sports Trivia. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.

PHOTOS: (Top) Ypsilanti Community’s Corey Allen (5) goes to the basket during Tuesday’s win over Flint Hamady. (Middle) Grizzlies coach Steve Brooks huddles with his team during a break. (Below) Jamezell Davis (3) pushes the ball upcourt during a fastbreak Tuesday. (Photos by Betsy Howell.)

Record-Setting Scorer Kerby Eager to Take Frankfort on Another Tournament Run

By Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com

February 7, 2025

Three months ago, Carter Kerby’s football season ended by injury – and it left him and his coaches wondering about his basketball future. 

Northern Lower PeninsulaBut now everyone clearly knows the outcome – and it’s everything they could have desired.

Kerby immediately underwent surgery following the practice injury that prevented him from fulfilling his role as the starting quarterback for Frankfort in the MHSAA Football Playoffs. The injury was a clean break of his left collarbone. Seven pins and a plate were implanted into his shoulder. 

He was told he could start shooting a basketball four weeks after surgery. Fast-forward to today, and the right-handed Kerby is shooting with surgical precision – and with high hopes of leading Frankfort to Breslin Center for the Divisions 4 Final.

Frankfort, which plays at Gaylord on Saturday, sports a strong supporting cast for Kerby, and younger players have gained invaluable experience.

“We have a pretty well-stacked team, and we have some young sophomores and juniors,” Frankfort coach Dan Loney said. “They’re getting a ton of experience, and I think that’s going to pay off down the stretch for us.”

Kerby, a 6-foot-3 guard, is ready to finish off the regular season and begin his fourth postseason run with the Panthers. Last year Frankfort fell 44-42 in the District Final to Maple City Glen Lake, which went on to reach the Quarterfinals. In Kerby’s sophomore year, the Panthers reached the Semifinals, and his freshman season ended in the Regional.

“The goal is to go back to the Bres,” said Kerby, who tied the single-game school record of 46 points last month. “I try not to look too far ahead. We have finish off the regular season before anything, and it’s all going to come down to defense, rebounding and just grit.”

Frankfort is 9-7 and out of the Northwest Conference race this season. But the Panthers are well-known for their ability to make a playoff run.

They’re coming off a 49-37 win over Brethren on Thursday during which Kerby had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Tristin Griffin, who averages 12 points per game, added eight and collected 10 rebounds as well.

“It’s the same thing that happens most years, if I am being honest,” acknowledged Kerby, who is averaging 21 points per game.  “We’re not always a regular-season team.”

Kerby (24) launches a jump from the top of the key against Lake City.Loney, in his seventh season as the Panthers head coach, agrees with his senior star.  Win-loss records don’t accurately show the strength of his team, he notes.

“Our conference is tough,” Loney said. “I think we have the pieces to string together some postseason wins.”

Frankfort’s tournament run will begin and possibly end in Suttons Bay. The Panthers’ District features Buckley and Leelanau St. Mary – teams with similarly-strong histories of recent postseason runs. Add in Traverse City Christian, which is eyeing a potential first District championship, and the ever-improving host Norsemen.

The Panthers are anxiously awaiting the Feb. 16 release of District pairings.

“It’s a tough District,” Looney noted. “We’re definitely going to have to come to play. That’s why we’re trying to work the kinks out, get on a roll and figure out what we have to do to win these tight games.”

Four of Frankfort’s losses were by six points or fewer, including two four-point setbacks to Benzie. The Panthers won one and lost one to Glen Lake. St. Mary topped Frankfort by 10. The other loss was a lopsided one courtesy of Division 2 Grand Rapids South Christian December after the Panthers had started 5-0.

“Our record doesn’t quite show what we really are,” Loney said. “We need to find a way to win those close games down the stretch.”

Kerby, who would trade his individual school record for another deep postseason run, hasn’t ruled out topping his 46-point effort. He’s had 43 in a game this year as well.

“I would love to go for more, and it feels great putting in the time and effort and seeing things come out of it,” said Kerby, who also reached 1,000 points for his career in late January. “But I just want us to get rolling and get in a good groove – I’d give anything up for that.”

Kerby scored 28 points in a 62-52 season-opening win over Suttons Bay after being cleared the night before. He hadn’t even seen the practice floor.

The injury happened as the Panthers were practicing a potential trick play prior to their football playoff opener. Kerby was hurt attempting to catch a pass. He had surgery two days later, on his birthday.

“The ball was just a little overthrown, and the ball hit me in the hands and hit the ground,” Kerby recalled. “I stepped on the ball and flipped, landing shoulder first.”

The Panthers faced Beal City, a familiar football postseason opponent, but without their starting QB. Beal City won that matchup 47-0 and went on win the Division 8 championship four weeks later.  

Loney recalls getting the message his star shooter had been injured in football practice, and that his ability to play basketball this winter had become uncertain.

“It’s definitely not the text message I wanted to see the last week of football,” Loney said. “After surgery, we started sizing up when he would be back, and we were at peace with it.”

Tom SpencerTom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.

PHOTOS (Top) Frankfort’s Carter Kerby throws down a dunk against Leland. (Middle) Kerby (24) launches a jump from the top of the key against Lake City. (Photos by Nick Cooper.)