River Rouge Star Wilburn Remembered
By
John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director emeritus
October 19, 2016
One of the captains from the legendary boys basketball teams of the early 1960s at River Rouge passed away earlier this month.
Ken Wilburn, 72, a forward on the 1961 and 1962 teams that were part of a since-unequaled streak in Michigan high school basketball – five consecutive MHSAA championships – accomplished what was thought to be the first triple-double in Finals history in the 1962 Class B championship game against East Grand Rapids.
Wilburn scored 26 points – 13 in the third period – to go with 15 rebounds and 11 steals in a 69-39 win, a game Coach Lofton Greene said “was his best ever.”
Wilburn would go on to lead Central State University (Ohio) to a 30-0 record and the NAIA national championship in 1965, when he was named the title game’s Most Valuable Player. He earned All-America honors and finished his career as the school’s scoring leader.
During a 13-year journeyman professional career, Wilburn played in the NBA, the ABA and in the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League/Eastern Basketball Association. He played on three championship teams in the EPBL/EBA and was a league MVP on two occasions.
PHOTOS: (Top) Ken Wilburn (25) poses with his teammates after the 1962 Class B championship game victory. (Middle) Wilburn works to gather a loose ball from an East Grand Rapids player.
Boys Basketball Postponement Update (3:50 PM)
March 12, 2014
The following MHSAA Boys Basketball Regional Finals scheduled for March 12 have been postponed. This list will be updated throughout Wednesday:
Class A
Regional 1 at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix - Ann Arbor Skyline vs. Kalamazoo Central - moved to 7 p.m. March 13.
Regional 4 at Detroit Cass Tech - Detroit U-D Jesuit vs. Cass Tech - moved to 6 p.m. March 13.
Regional 6 at Southfield-Lathrup - Clarkston vs. Bloomfield Hills - moved to 5:30 p.m. March 13.
Regional 7 at Linden - Howell vs. Grand Blanc - moved to 7 p.m. March 13.
Regional 8 at Mount Pleasant - Mount Pleasant vs. Flint Carman-Ainsworth - moved to 7 p.m. March 13.
Class B
Regional 12 at Spring Arbor (Napoleon) - Wayland vs. Jackson Lumen Christi, moved to 7 p.m. March 13.
Regional 14 at North Branch - Millington vs. Goodrich - moved to 7 p.m. March 13
Class C
Regional 18 at Jonesville - Vermontville Maple Valley vs. Hillsdale - moved to 7 p.m. March 13
Regional 20 at Madison Heights Bishop Foley - Mount Clemens vs. Bishop Foley - moved to 7 p.m. March 13.
Regional 21 at Flint Beecher - Beecher vs. Montrose - moved to 6:30 p.m. March 13.
Class D
Regional 25 at Portage Northern - Battle Creek St. Philip vs. Covert - moved to 6:30 p.m., still March 12, but at Portage Central.
Regional 26 at Morenci - Morrice vs. Adrian Lenawee Christian - moved to 7 p.m. March 13.
Regional 27 at West Bloomfield - Southfield Christian vs. Allen Park Inter-City Baptist - moved to 6 p.m. March 13.
Regional 28 at Peck - Peck vs. Burton St. Thomas More - moved to 7 p.m. March 13.
Postponements will be added as received.