Flashback 100: Johnson Family Put Magical Stamp on Michigan High School Hoops
January 31, 2025
There’s no telling how many times Earvin and Evelyn Johnson faced off on the basketball court — no doubt, countless games of 1-on-1, H-O-R-S-E, and dribbling competitions. As standout players at Lansing Everett High School during the 1970s, their statistical accomplishments showed they matched up pretty well:
|
Stat |
Earvin "Magic" Johnson |
Evelyn Johnson |
|
Points Scored in a Season |
805 |
804 |
|
Career Points |
2,012 |
1,762 |
|
Career Scoring Average |
25.8 ppg |
29.9 ppg |
|
Best Team Finish |
1977 Class A Champ |
1978 Class A Semifinalist |
As you can see, basketball runs in the Johnson family.
Magic’s story is legendary. He led Everett to the Class A title in 1977, earning first-team all-state honors all three of his varsity seasons. At Michigan State, he guided the Spartans to the 1979 NCAA championship in a historic showdown against Larry Bird and Indiana State — the most-watched NCAA title game of all time. The Los Angeles Lakers selected him first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft, and in L.A. he became a five-time NBA champion, three-time league MVP and a defining figure in basketball history.
He was also a key member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic "Dream Team" that won gold in Barcelona. Beyond basketball, Magic has built a successful business empire and is now a part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Commanders.
Watch the 1977 Class A championship here.
Evelyn, two years younger than Magic, carved out her own remarkable legacy at Everett. Her 804 points in 1978 still rank as the seventh-highest single-season total in Michigan girls basketball history. She led the Vikings to a 21-2 record and trip to the Class A Semifinals, where she scored 42 points in a loss to Detroit Mumford — a performance that remains the third-highest point total in an MHSAA Semifinal or Final.
She held Michigan’s career scoring average record (29.9 ppg) for more than two decades until Stephanie Hass of Harbor Springs Harbor Light Christian surpassed Johnson in 2001.
Evelyn continued at University of South Carolina, where she tallied 1,620 career points — still among the top 15 totals in program history. Magic scored 1,059 points in two seasons at MSU.
Previous "Flashback 100" Features
Jan. 24: Future Hall of Famers Face Off First in MHSAA Class A Final - Read
Jan. 17: First-Ever WNBA Draft Pick Rocked at Salem, Won Titles at Tennessee - Read
Jan. 10: Despite Launching Before 3-Point Line, Smith Still Tops Scoring List - Read
Jan. 3: Edison's Jackson Earns Place Among State's All-Time Elite - Read
Dec. 20: Future Olympian Piper Leads Grosse Pointe North to Historic Heights - Read
Dec. 13: The Other Mr. Forsythe in Michigan School Sports - Read
Dec. 6: Coleman's Legendary Heroics Carry Harrison Through Repeat - Read
Nov. 29: Harbaugh Brothers' Football Roots Planted in Part at Pioneer - Read
Nov. 22: 8-Player Football Finals Right at Home at Superior Dome - Read
Nov. 15: Leland Career Helps Set Stage for Glass' International Stardom - Read
Nov. 8: Future Baseball Pro Led Escanaba's Legendary Football Title Run - Read
Nov. 1: Michigan High School Baseball Trio Provide World Series Voices - Read
Oct. 25: Before Leading Free World, Ford Starred for Champion GR South - Read
Oct. 18: Mercy Links Legend Becomes World Golf Hall of Famer - Read
Oct. 11: Fisher Races to Finals Stardom on Way to U.S. Olympic First - Read
Oct. 4: Lalas Leaves High School Legacies on Ice & Pitch - Read
Sept. 27: Tamer's History-Making Run Starts in Dexter, Continues to Paris - Read
Sept. 20: Todd Martin’s Road to Greatness Starts at East Lansing - Read
Sept. 13: James Earl Jones, Dickson High Hoops to Hollywood Legend - Read
Sept. 6: Pioneers' Unstoppable Streak Stretches 9 Seasons - Read
Aug. 30: Detroit dePorres Rushes to 1995 Class CC Football Championship - Read
PHOTOS (Top) At left, Lansing Everett's Evelyn Johnson, and at right Earvin Johnson, both put up shots over defenders' outstretched arms while playing at Don Johnson Fieldhouse. (Middle) Earvin Johnson (32) takes a photo with teammates and coaches during the 1976-77 season. (Below) Evelyn Johnson, while at South Carolina. (MHSAA file photos.)
Missing McKenney Provides St. Mary's Another Opportunity to Grow
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
February 27, 2025
Such a situation certainly wouldn’t be ideal for Todd Covert and his Orchard Lake St. Mary’s boys basketball team.
But from now on during the MHSAA Tournament, if star guard Trey McKenney gets into foul trouble or has to miss extended game time for another reason, it might not be as nightmarish of a scenario as once thought.
On Jan. 9, during a game against IMG Academy (Fla.), McKenney suffered a broken bone in the top of his shooting hand.
He didn’t return until Feb. 8. But that month without McKenney ended up producing a revelation for Covert and his team.
Essentially, the sky didn’t fall and the reigning Division 1 champion showed it could still be one of the top teams in the state.
“Of course, when he’s with us I think we’re a lot better,” said St. Mary’s senior Jayden Savoury, who has signed with Michigan State for football but also is an important member of the basketball team. “But when he was down, a lot of guys had to step up. I think that built us up and made us better.”
During that stretch, St. Mary’s went 4-2, with the losses by one point to No. 1 East Lansing and two to No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice. One of the wins was over Grand Rapids Northview, which received votes in the final rankings of the regular season.
“Kids had to take on new roles and hit some big shots,” Covert said. “Obviously with Trey we missed his scoring. It took us a couple of games to rebound. He rebounds. He goes and gets it. We were blocking out the same, but we weren’t going to get it. That’s how East Lansing hurt us early, and they ended up beating us. It took us a minute (to adjust).”
McKenny, a Michigan signee, averaged 22.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists as a junior and is a finalist for the Mr. Basketball Award this season. The Eaglets this winter also returned two more starters and a top sub from last season’s championship-winning team, but losing McKenney provided them another opportunity to grow.
Covert said Savoury was one of the players who stepped up and filled an expanded role, as did senior and Western Michigan signee Sharod Barnes, and senior Isaiah Hines.
“In a weird way, it really made Trey appreciate what he had,” Covert said.
While watching from the bench during that stretch, McKenney constantly nodded his head in approval of what his teammates were doing.
“We have such a deep team, I think the next man is always going to be ready whenever somebody is hurt or whenever somebody is in foul trouble,” McKenney said. “Everybody was ready and everybody took the challenge on. I was happy to see the game from a different aspect.”
McKenney returned Feb. 8 in a Catholic High School League Bishop quarterfinal, then helped lead the Eaglets past Brother Rice in a semifinal game and then to another Catholic League title with a 58-57 win over Detroit U-D Jesuit in the Feb. 14 final.
With him back in the fold, St. Mary’s seems fully stocked to repeat as Division 1 champion entering a District Final game Friday against West Bloomfield.
Even more reassuring for St. Mary’s than having McKenney back is that if he got into foul trouble or had to miss extended time again, all hope wouldn’t be lost thanks to how St. Mary’s developed during the month he was out.
“Definitely,” Savoury said. “When he’s in foul trouble, we’ll be all right.”
Keith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Trey McKenney holds up a banner celebrating his becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer during a win over Toledo Whitmer on Dec. 28. (Middle) Quincy Wright (5) dunks against East Lansing on Jan. 11. (Photos courtesy of the State Champs! Sports Network.)