By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP – Nearly 200 of the top high school basketball players in Michigan took part in the Reaching Higher experience during the last two weeks at Milford High School. 

A total of 96 boys attended Reaching Higher on July 13, and 90 girls attended the July 25 session. The program, in its eighth year, again included instruction on the court and off.

Skill training and scrimmages followed presentations by speakers Carlton Valentine and Justin Jennings (former Michigan State and Purdue standouts, respectively) at the boys program and Nicole Elmblad (University of Michigan record holder) and Dave Ginsburg (longtime high school and college coach) at the girls session. An educational effort by the Michigan High School Athletic Association and the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan, the Reaching Higher experience also included classroom sessions for parents and instruction from NCAA compliance officers.

Players invited to Reaching Higher were selected by a committee of BCAM members and received the opportunity to show their skills in front of college coaches representing all three NCAA levels and the NAIA. Coaches representing 27 colleges attended the boys session, and 19 colleges attended the girls showcase.

Click for photos from the Boys Reaching Higher and Girls Reaching Higher.

PHOTOS: (Left) Warren Cousino's A.J. Crawford looks for an opening while defended by DeWitt's Tanner Reha (106). (Right) Bullock Creek's Haley Heldt (98) searches for a teammate while Dearborn Heights Crestwood's Demi Rodriguez anticipates her next move.