High School 'Hoop Squad' Close to Heart as Hughes Continues Coaching Climb
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
July 11, 2024
Jareica Hughes had a Hall of Fame collegiate basketball career playing at University of Texas-El Paso and has played professionally overseas, but her most prized possession is something she earned playing high school basketball in Michigan.
A standout at now-closed Southfield-Lathrup High School during the early-to-mid 2000s, Hughes proudly displays a signature symbol of Lathrup’s Class A championship team in 2005.
“I have my state championship ring on me right now,” said Hughes, now an assistant head coach for the women’s basketball program at UTEP. “I wear this ring every single day. Not so much for the basketball aspect. Inside of the ring it says ‘Hoop Squad.’ It’s more the connection I’ve had with those particular young ladies. Friends that I’ve known since I was kid. Every once in a while when we talk, we go back in time.”
Believe it or not, Hughes and her high school teammates next year will have to go back 20 years to commemorate a run to the title that started when they were freshmen.
It was a gradual build-up to what was the first girls basketball state championship won by a public school in Oakland County. Lathrup, which has since merged with the former Southfield High School to form Southfield Arts & Technology, remained the only public school in Oakland County to win a state girls basketball title until West Bloomfield did so in 2022 and again this past March.
Lathrup lost in the District round to Bloomfield Hills Marian during Hughes’ freshman year, and then after defeating Marian in a District Final a year later, lost to West Bloomfield in a Regional Final.
When Hughes was a junior, the team got to the state’s final four, but a bad third quarter resulted in a heartbreaking one-point Semifinal loss to eventual champion Lansing Waverly.
A year later, when Hughes and other core players such as Brittane Russell, Timika Williams, Dhanmite’ Slappey and Briana Whitehead were seniors, they finished the job and won the Class A crown with a 48-36 win over Detroit Martin Luther King in the Final.
However, the signature moment of that title run actually came during the Semifinal round and was produced by Hughes, a playmaking wizard at point guard who made the team go.
Trailing by three points during the waning seconds of regulation against Grandville and Miss Basketball winner Allyssa DeHaan – a dominant 6-foot-8 center – Hughes drained a tying 3-pointer from the wing that was well beyond the 3-point line.
Lathrup went on to defeat Grandville in overtime and prevail against King.
Hughes said the year prior, she passed up on taking a potential winning or tying shot in the Semifinal loss against Waverly, and was reminded of that constantly by coaches and teammates. “I just remember in the huddle before that shot, that just kept ringing in my mind,” she said. “That was special. I cried for weeks not being able to get a shot off (the year before) and leaving the tournament like that.”
Growing up in Detroit, Hughes got into basketball mainly because she had five older brothers and an older sister who played the game. In particular, Hughes highlights older brother Gabriel for getting her into the game and taking her from playground to playground.
“I’m from Detroit,” she said. “We played ball all day long. Sunup to sundown. When the light comes on, you had to run your butt into the house.”
Hughes played for the Police Athletic League and also at the famed St. Cecilia gym in the summer, developing her game primarily against boys.
“My first team was on a boys team,” she said. “I was a captain on a boys team.”
The family moved into Lathrup’s district before she began high school.
Once she helped lead Lathrup to the 2005 championship, she went on to a fine career at UTEP, where she was the Conference USA Player of the Year twice and helped lead the Miners to their first NCAA Tournament appearance.
Hughes still holds school records for career assists (599), steals (277) and minutes played (3,777). On Monday, she was named to Conference USA’s 2024 Hall of Fame class.
After a brief professional career overseas was derailed by a shoulder injury, Hughes said getting into coaching was a natural fit.
“I had to make the hard decision, and I knew as a kid I wanted to be around basketball,” she said. “Once I made that decision (to quit), I knew I was going to coach.”
Hughes started coaching in the Detroit area, first serving as an assistant at Southfield A&T from 2016-20 and then at Birmingham Groves for a season. She then served as interim head coach at Colby Community College in Kansas before being named an assistant at UTEP in May 2023, a month after her former coach Keitha Adams returned to lead the program after six seasons at Wichita State.
While fully immersed in her job with UTEP, Hughes’ high school memories in Michigan certainly aren’t going away anytime soon – especially with the 20th anniversary of Lathrup’s championship coming up.
“We are still close friends because we all essentially grew up together,” she said. “They are still my friends to this day.”
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PHOTOS (Top) At left, Southfield-Lathrup’s Jareica Hughes drives to the basket against Detroit Martin Luther King during the 2005 Class A Final; at right, Hughes coaches this past season at UTEP. (Middle) Hughes, second from left, begins the championship celebration with her Lathrup teammates at Breslin Center. (UTEP photo courtesy of the UTEP sports information department.)
Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Girls Report Week 1
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 15, 2025
We’re one week into the 2025-26 girls basketball season, and several annual contenders wasted little time seeing how they match up against each other – at least to start this winter.
Of course, there’s a long way to go before all is said and done. But there were plenty of solid statements, with more opportunities to shake things up as we settle into holiday break this weekend.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Howell 41, Detroit Edison 26 The Highlanders (3-0) closed an impressive first week by downing Edison (2-1) at the Best of Michigan Holiday Classic at Belleville.
2. Frankenmuth 48, Portland 46 These two have played a series of stunners over the last two seasons, as Portland (1-1) won last year’s regular-season meeting by one and Frankenmuth (2-0) avenged in a Division 2 Regional Final.
3. Bath 71, Fowler 41 The Bees (3-0) avenged last season losses by nine and 34 to the Eagles (0-2), the reigning Division 4 champions.
4. Wayne Memorial 55, Detroit Renaissance 33 Wayne (2-0) won this rematch of a Division 1 Regional Final from last season, also won by the Zebras, at the Best of Michigan Tournament at Detroit Mercy.
5. Jackson Lumen Christi 50, Michigan Center 28 The Titans (2-0) opened in a big way in a matchup of teams that both won 19 games last winter.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Plymouth (3-0) After back-to-back six-win finishes earlier this decade, Plymouth improved to 14 victories two seasons ago and 15-8 last winter. The Wildcats could be ready to take another step after opening this season with a 30-point win over Flat Rock, a 17-pointer over Dearborn Heights Crestwood and a 19-point victory over Brownstown Woodhaven. They’ll have a chance to avenge last season’s first defeat, to Berkley, when they meet Friday.
Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (3-0) Last year’s solid 16-8 run started with a loss to Walled Lake Northern, but Stoney Creek got off to a better start this time with a 35-32 victory over Northern last week. The Cougars followed with 41-32 victories over both White Lake Lakeland and Rochester Adams, and they could get another good gauge on their early-season progress when they host Goodrich on Wednesday.
DIVISION 2
Ionia (2-0) The opening week gave the Bulldogs a spark, and they’ll have an even bigger opportunity this week. Ionia started with a 51-44 win over St. Johns – avenging a loss from a year ago – before defeating Lake Odessa Lakewood. But these next few days could be telling, as Ionia hosts Eaton Rapids on Tuesday after tying the Greyhounds for second in the Capital Area Activities Conference White last winter. On Friday, Ionia travels to face reigning champion Portland, which also ended the Bulldogs season in March.
Kalkaska (2-0) Last week was one of the most successful for the Blazers in some time as they opened with a 33-32 overtime victory over Mancelona, then edged Benzie Central 26-23. Kalkaska finished 3-19 last season – and had won a combined five games over the last four. The Blazers will play in this weekend’s Elk Rapids Invitational to finish up a memorable December.
DIVISION 3
Lawton (2-0) A 50-45 win over South Haven and 53-30 victory over Constantine got the Blue Devils moving in the right direction again as they look to build on last winter’s 15-6 finish and third place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley. Next up is Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep – which finished second in the Valley last season, defeating Lawton twice – before the Blue Devils close 2025 with Watervliet at the Bangor Holiday Shootout.
Tawas (3-0) Tawas has jumped from four, to eight, to 13 wins over the last three seasons, and could be in for an exciting run given its success during the first week. A 44-32 win over Houghton Lake avenged a 30-point loss from last season, a 36-32 victory over Au Gres-Sims avenged a 20-point defeat from February, and a 27-16 win over Alpena came after 20 and 25-point losses to the Wildcats last winter.
DIVISION 4
Auburn Hills Oakland Christian (3-0) The Lancers have won 14 or 15 games three times this decade, including in going 15-9 a year ago, and they are well on their way to approaching those totals again. Oakland Christian hung on for a 32-26 win over Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart, but defeated Pontiac and Brighton Charyl Stockwell Academy by much more comfortable margins.
Reading (3-0) The Rangers finished fifth in the Big 8 Conference last season, but then won a pair of close matchups to claim a District title and advanced all the way to the Regional Finals. They earned double-digit wins over Camden-Frontier, Colon and Litchfield to kick off this campaign last week, and Tuesday’s matchup with reigning Big 8 co-champion Bronson could tell a lot.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Friday – Rockford (2-0) vs. Howell (3-0) at Cornerstone University – These two are in a high-powered Cornerstone Invitational bracket with DeWitt and Coldwater.
Friday – Concord (0-1) at Bronson (0-1) – This pair shared the Big 8 Conference title last season after splitting their regular-season series.
Saturday – Tecumseh (3-0) at Detroit Edison (2-1) – The 2023 Division 2 champion Pioneers – semifinalists last year – host the reigning title winner at their Pioneer Classic.
Dec. 29 – Pewamo-Westphalia (2-0) at Flint Powers Catholic (1-0) – P-W won last year’s matchup 53-50 on the way to finishing 25-1, while Powers went enjoyed an 18-6 run.
Jan. 3 – Tecumseh (3-0) at Grand Rapids West Catholic (2-1) – Tecumseh definitely isn’t taking it easy over break, with this a rematch of last winter’s Division 2 Final.
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PHOTO Negaunee's Gretel Johnson drives to the net while being defended by Lexi Curran during the Miners' 43-26 win over Marquette on Dec. 9. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)