'Retro' Award Rewards 1st Hoops Legends
January 4, 2017
By Ron Pesch
Special for Second Half
Before the start of the MHSAA’s 2009 Boys Basketball finals, Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan director Tom Hursey stopped by my seat at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center to say hello.
Our chat would alter a decade of my Michigan winters.
Somewhere between hello and goodbye, our chat included conversation on one of my favorite BCAM ventures. In 1981, the Michigan High School Basketball Coaches Association, as BCAM was once known, named its first “Mr. Basketball.” I was two years out of high school when Lansing Eastern’s Sam Vincent edged Eric Turner of Flint Central for that first award. Designed to honor the state’s top senior, the award was named in honor of Detroit Free Press writer Hal Schram. “The Swami,” as he was nicknamed, Schram began covering high school sports for the newspaper in 1945.
The 2009 selection was 6-foot-9 Derrick Nix of Detroit Pershing. I mentioned my affinity for the Mr. Basketball program to Tom, but stated that I always thought it a crime that the award didn’t start years earlier, at least when Michigan hoop fans became infatuated with a kid nicknamed “Magic.”
Earvin Johnson prepped at Lansing Everett and was the talk of the state in basketball circles before becoming a household name during his time at Michigan State and with the Los Angeles Lakers. Earlier this year, ESPN named Johnson the greatest point guard to ever play the game. Tom noted that “Magic” was really the inspiration for the “Mr. Basketball” award.
Then I posed a question to Tom.
What about creating a “new” award, designed to honor those greats from the past?
As my hobby of researching the history of high school sports in Michigan and beyond had grown over the years, I’d found the Great Lakes state had always produced shining stars on the basketball court. The crime was that the “Mr. Basketball” award hadn’t been launched many years before.
Harry Kipke, was perhaps the state’s first true basketball star. He won 12 varsity letters at Lansing Central and guided the basketball team to the semifinal round of the state tournament in 1920 as a senior, before heading to the University of Michigan where he earned letters in football, basketball and baseball. After stops at the University of Missouri and Michigan State, Kipke would serve as Michigan’s football coach, guiding the Wolverines to two national gridiron championships.
As a junior, the basketball antics of Grand Rapids Union’s Royal “Red” Cherry captured the state’s attention when he led Union to the state basketball championship. Considered the best all-around player of the tournament, Cherry led the team to a second consecutive title as a senior. He, too, attended Michigan, earning laurels on the basketball court and the baseball diamond.
Many other legends of the hardcourt populated Michigan’s past: Saginaw’s Ernie Thompson; the Burton brothers, M.C. and Ed, of Muskegon Heights; Detroit Pershing’s Ralph Simpson and Spencer Haywood; Dave DeBusschere of Detroit Austin Catholic; Willie Betts and Blanche Martin of River Rouge; Ron Kramer of East Detroit; Benton Harbor’s Chet Walker and L.C. Bowen.
After a few weeks of research, discussion and thought, Tom agreed, and over the next several months the framework for the “Retro Mr. Basketball” project was developed
The idea was to try and mimic the current model. Only seniors, and their high school basketball careers, should be considered. While any “senior” player would be eligible, a ballot of the state’s elite would comprise the candidates for the award. Like their modern-day equivalents, where the events of life that would follow high school graduation had yet to occur, post-high school life would be disregarded as much as possible for “Retro” candidates.
Finally, the program would follow a 10-year arc, kicking off in the spring of 2010. This December marks my eighth year of research tied to the mission. Two more will follow.
Since the Schram “Mr. Basketball” award began in 1981, the “Retro” award would honor basketball players from the years 1920 through 1980. That first year, a ballot comprised of players from the years that ended in zero - 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970 and 1980 – was created. A senior for each year would be named the winner of the “Retro” award. That meant with the selection of “Mr. Basketball” and the six “Retro” winners for the years 1929, 1939, 1949, 1959, 1969 and 1979, scheduled for the spring of 2019, BCAM would be able to point to a combined list of Mr. Basketballs totaling 100 of the state’s finest.
To identify each year’s award winner, a committee of veteran BCAM members was formed to study a ballot of candidates and select a winner.
Technology, combined with scanning old-fashioned reels of microfilm, has helped with research of potential candidates. In those very early years, personal statistics were rarely kept. Rather, an assessment of a player’s skills, tied to the position he played, often served as a means to identify an area’s top athletes. Tournament play was often the only time an athlete’s abilities were on display to a larger audience. Scouring newspaper articles for all-tournament teams and yearbooks for additional details and years of study helped uncover the state’s top senior players. Understanding the game and its evolution was important. The center jump after each basket emphasized the importance of a tall, skilled center in those games played before the winter of 1938-39.
Beginning in 1935, all-state teams began to appear in state newspapers. Eventually, the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit Times, the Detroit News, The Associated Press and even United Press International became involved in identifying the state’s top basketball players and naming all-state squads. Much work is involved in parsing the 15,811 names (not including honorable mentions) found in those lists. When duplicates are removed, the names of 8,430 prep players remain spread over the 61 years that mark the “Retro” field of possible candidates.
Research to identify seniors, players named by multiple media outlets, and mini biographies are compiled for the top players. The field of candidates is then narrowed to 10 or fewer. Over state championship weekend, the ballots are brought to the BCAM committee for discussion, and finalists are named for each year. Finally, one player is named for each eligible season.
Like the modern day award, the selection may create some controversy. Some amazing ballplayers have landed on the finalist list, but were denied the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball award: Traverse City’s Dan Majerle, Roy Marble of Flint Beecher, Detroit Southwestern’s Jalen Rose, Detroit Northern’s Derrick Coleman and Draymond Green of Saginaw are among a few.
The same applies to the “Retro” list. Fennville’s Richie Jordan, Robert “Bubbles” Hawkins from Detroit Pershing, Dennis Bankey of Detroit St. Thomas, Bill Chmielewski of Detroit Redeemer, Highland Park’s Terry Duerod and Detroit Kettering’s Lindsay Hairston all have been honored on the finalist lists, but fell short of the top prize.
In many cases, Michigan was loaded with prep talent – it’s tough to name Roy Marble Mr. Basketball when Flint Northwestern’s Glen Rice was on the same ballot, or Rose the state’s best when Country Day’s Chris Webber was another candidate. While the “Fennville Flash” amazed the state with his eye-popping statistics in 1965, Bowen led Benton Harbor to back-to-back Class A titles. Named an all-state basketball player as a junior, Hairston grew an inch and improved his game as a senior, but Pontiac Central’s “Campy” Russell dominated headlines that season, and was the “Retro” Mr. Basketball selection for 1971.
In some cases, it’s a challenge to look at the final balloting results without judging selections based on future basketball success. That certainly is the case with 2008. That season, Michigan’s Mr. Basketball award went to 6-foot guard Brad Redford, who posted incredible back-to-back high school seasons at Frankenmuth. Runner-up to the award that year was Saginaw’s Green. Considering Green’s success in the NBA, that’s hard for many to believe.
While the debates may never be settled, the beauty of Schram and “Retro” Mr. Basketball balloting can be found in the argument. With those disputes, people recall, research and learn about Michigan’s incredible prep basketball past.
The remaining three years of the “Retro” project will include many more legends of Michigan High School basketball, including, among others, DeBusschere, Walker, Haywood and Simpson.
This season, that “Magic” kid will be one of the names among the mix. Forty years after high school graduation, will he earn the honor that eluded him in high school, only because the honor didn’t yet exist?
Ron Pesch has taken an active role in researching the history of MHSAA events since 1985 and began writing for MHSAA Finals programs in 1986, adding additional features and "flashbacks" in 1992. He inherited the title of MHSAA historian from the late Dick Kishpaugh following the 1993-94 school year, and resides in Muskegon. Contact him at [email protected] with ideas for historical articles.
PHOTOS: (Top) Lansing Everett’s Earvin Johnson drives around a defender during his celebrated high school career. (Middle) Grand Rapids Union’s Royal “Red” Cherry. (Below) Detroit Austin Catholic’s Dave DeBusschere drives to the hoop as an opponent gets in position to rebound. (Photos from MHSAA and Ron Pesch historical files.)
Union City, Mendon Bring Small-Town Matchup to Little Caesars' Big-Time Stage
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
January 3, 2024
DETROIT – The annual nonconference boys basketball rivalry game between Union City and Mendon took on a different twist in early December.
Rather than their usual meeting at the school gym, this year's clash took place on a much bigger stage inside Little Caesars Arena, home of the NBA's Detroit Pistons.
It was Union City posting a 62-45 win over Mendon when the final buzzer sounded on Saturday, Dec. 2. The game capped off a busy first week to the 2023-24 season for the two squads.
Originally, Union City, located in Branch County, and Mendon were supposed to play Tuesday, Dec 5.
However, after replying to a general email over the summer from Brandon Goebel – a senior group sales account executive for the Pistons – Union City athletic director Hayley Denney accepted an invitation to play a game at Little Caesars.
Denney was given the opportunity to choose who Union City wanted to play, and she reached out to Glen Samson, Mendon's AD, to see if the Hornets were interested. Samson readily agreed, and the game was ultimately bumped up a few days.
"We received an email from him (Goebel) with 10 different dates and once we decided, that day just worked out well for both schools, especially with it being on a weekend," Denney said.
"This is a pretty cool event because our teams and kids get to play their game on the NBA court, and the tickets to our game also allowed you to attend the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers game later that same night."
The Union City and Mendon junior high boys teams got to take the court against one another during halftime of the varsity contest.
In addition to receiving a complimentary Pistons item, Union City and Mendon fans also were allowed down on the floor after the Pistons/Cavaliers game to shoot a free throw.
Each school was required to sell at least 125 tickets to the game, and the response in each community was an overwhelming success.
"It was just a unique experience for our kids to play at such a big venue. Our boys spent the night before the game in Ypsilanti, and it was a great team bonding moment. There was great community support for both schools," Samson said.
Union City, a member of the Big 8 Conference, is currently 4-3 overall, including a 2-1 league mark. The Chargers, who are coached by Ben Chard, return a group of seasoned starters with league and District title aspirations after finishing 12-13 a year ago. A league championship would be the program's first since 2008.
Chard believes the thrill and experience of an early-season game played under the big lights at Little Caesars will help immensely with building momentum for the remainder of this season.
"The Little Caesars facility is outstanding. When you step onto the floor, it's very humbling. Our boys certainly embraced the opportunity. They did a great job being grown men and taking the game seriously," Chard said.
Union City overcame an early 15-4 deficit to gain a sizable halftime lead over Mendon. The Chargers dominated the boards and were able to shut the Hornets down defensively during the second half in pulling out the win.
Union City returns a pair of seniors and three juniors who all started for Chard at one time or another last season. The starting lineup includes junior Rick Austin (6-foot-2) running the Chargers' offense and junior Eli Payne (6-1) at shooting guard, along with senior forwards Jeremy Zehr (6-0) and Nathaniel Maurer (6-3) and junior center Aidan Decker (6-1).
"This is the first time in many years where I've had the luxury of having multiple options to put on the floor," Chard said. "Our seniors work extremely hard, and our junior class is extremely talented. We are very team-oriented with a lot of depth."
Four Union City players scored 10 or more points against Mendon.
Zehr relishes his role on the wing, creating space and shooting from the perimeter.
“Playing at Little Ceasars was insane. You have to play well off the get-go. You can't have slow starts. The way we played against Mendon in the final three quarters is how we play Union City basketball," said Zehr, who aspires to become a business entrepreneur.
"We have huge goals this season. Achieving those will require us to be mentally focused every day in practice, and that requires the seniors to be strong leaders."
Austin has played point guard the majority of his basketball career.
"I like being able to get my teammates open and making good passes,” said Austin, who hopes to continue playing basketball in college and eventually become a game warden.
“We tried to focus on rebounding during the week preparing for Mendon. We want to win the Big 8, Districts and move on to Regionals and see what happens from there."
Emmett Fraley, a former standout at Union City and 2013 graduate, has been a big asset to the program as one of Chard's varsity assistants. Fraley went on to play baseball and basketball at Mount Vernon Nazarene University, an NAIA school in Ohio.
"I played for Coach Chard my senior year. He put a lot of time into helping me, and I wanted to find a way to give back to Union City's program," Fraley said. “This team is capable of success, but you have to be mentally checked in every day. Once you can do that, then the sky is the limit.”
Mendon, 11-14 last winter, is looking to turn things around after joining a new conference.
After competing in the Southwest 10 Conference for several years, the Hornets joined the Southern Central Athletic Association's West division at the start of the current school year.
Mendon head coach Danny Schragg, a former prep basketball standout and previously the head coach at Burr Oak, knows what it takes to compete with the top teams in the SCAA.
The trip to Detroit from St. Joseph County has helped Schragg's Hornets grow closer.
"It was very exciting to be out there, have some fun and take it all in. It was a good overall experience. Union City had size on us and worked us over on the boards. We had some trouble scoring the ball, but we've learned a lot about our team since that game," Schragg said.
"As a team, we want to continue building that bond. We have 10 guys on our roster. It will take everyone playing together to win games. We have some talent, and I think we can win a lot of games in this league. We are young and play a lot of sophomores. I'm hoping down the road we can come together well as a team. We preach effort all the time, and are using our athleticism to our advantage."
Mendon has a pair of returning seniors in shooting guard Jack McCaw and post player Dylan Cupp. Schragg expects heavy contributions out of those two both on the court and in leadership roles.
"Jack is our top defensive player, but he can also fill the basket up offensively. Dylan has moved into a starting role and needs to score more. We need them to average double figures, along with one of our sophomores Ryder Gorham," Schragg said.
"The new conference is good for Mendon. We've gotten smaller over the last two or three years. It will be a great league with us facing schools more our own size. We will be competitive and match up better with these teams. This team is quick, and I think we can compete for a division title."
McCaw, a three-year letterwinner, plans to attend Western Michigan University to further his education in physical therapy and play lacrosse for the Broncos program in the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association.
A standout tailback and leading rusher for Mendon's football team, McCaw helped lead the Hornets to the 2022 8-Player Division 2 Final at the Superior Dome in Marquette.
While McCaw has played in several big football games, he stated the experience of playing basketball in a big venue like Little Caesars Arena was equally rewarding.
"I've watched a lot of NBA games, but I never thought I'd actually get a chance to play in a game on a professional court," McCaw said.
"I'm just here to have some fun and help our team go as far as we can in my final season. There seems to be some good basketball teams and individual players in our conference."
But lacrosse always has been one of McCaw's favorite sports. He has played midfielder on The Bandits, a youth travel team out of the Portage/Kalamazoo area.
Through his participation in lacrosse, McCaw has struck up a strong friendship with Justin Shipp, the head men's lacrosse coach at WMU. Shipp officially has extended an invitation to McCaw to join the Broncos' varsity roster.
"I've played lacrosse for about seven years, and it's one of the sports I'm best at. I play midfielder, so I play offense and defense and I'm always running," McCaw said.
McCaw sees parallels in lacrosse that help him on the football field and basketball court as well.
"Lacrosse really helps me with my defense in both football and basketball. In lacrosse, you must have your stick down, be able to shuffle and keep your guy in front of you because if you don't they will score on you. It also helped me see the holes better to run through for a touchdown or a layup in basketball," McCaw said.
Cupp, who begins his third season on varsity, is one of the most versatile players on Mendon's roster.
"I can play any of the five positions on the floor. It just depends on who is in the game at that particular time for our team," Cupp said. "We're kind of a young team, so I'm working as hard as I can to help those guys to make them better and build the future of this program."
Cupp plans to attend Central Michigan University to study accounting.
"I learned a lot about basketball from alumni in open gyms. Playing at Little Caesars Arena was a big deal to us,” Cupp said. “Before the game, your legs are shaking when you walk down to the arena, but once you start its just like any other game."
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) Union City junior guard Rick Austin (10) shoots over Mendon junior guard Mason Wilczynski (12) in the lane at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, Dec. 2. (Middle) Union City varsity boys basketball coach Ben Chard coaches during the Chargers' game against Mendon. (Below) Mendon's Owen Gorham (20) applies defensive pressure on Union City's Eli Payne (3) during the first half. (Photos by Scott Hassinger.)