Man-Man: Buctown freshman Monte Morris
In what I consider the most intriguing district final in Mid-Michigan, a pair of known commodities in class C will battle once again for bragging rights in Flint.
Flint Beecher (14-7), coming off another down-turned-up season, will take on Flint Hamady (17-5) at 7 p.m. at Burton Bendle High School. The game will feature two of the Flint area’s top coaches — Hamady’s Archy Robinson and Buctown’s Mike Williams.
Buctown has gotten the best of Hamady four games in a row dating back to 2007, and by an average hovering around three points per game.
This season, like the last, Hamady has the talent advantage. On paper, Hamady’s starting five should be competitive with any in the state in class C. Junior forward Dominez Burnett is a smooth scorer with size and range. He’s the best player at Hamady since Marcus Coleman. Senior guards Darryl Dixon and Roy Jackson are tough to cover, with Jackson’s length and crafty dribbling coupled with Dixon’s athleticism and shooting ability. And you can’t sleep on sophomore forward Quin Langston, who can scored 20+ on any given night.
Buctown counters with a top five freshman in Michigan, 5’9” guard Monte’ Morris. He hasn’t gotten as much attention as other Flint-area freshmen, but he’s probably the best of the group. He has put up huge numbers for the Bucs this season, and is more efficient than the average senior. Sophomore Antuan Burks, coming off a 19-point performance against Beecher, is becoming more aggressive and tends to feed off the energy of Morris.
The task of stopping Burnett and Langston will be charged to 6-2 senior forward D’Marius Houston and 6-2 sophomore Cortez Robinson. The pair isn’t as skilled as Hamady’s big two, but they won’t be scared.
Prediction: This is Buctown’s 5th consecutive district championship game. I respect Buctown’s toughness and I’m confident that Coach Williams will have them ready. Hamady has lost to every good team they’ve played this year. They are capable of beating Buctown, but I’ll believe it when I see it. Buctown by three.
Imagine these six guys on the same team:
Monte’ Morris
Antuan Burks
Cortez Robinson
D’Marius Houston
Taron Boose
JaVontae Hawkins
Class C state title. If only…
If we are going to play this game!
Joe Boisture
Matt Kamieniecki
Matt Brunor
Andrew Patrick
Mitchel Vallie
Nathan Lansgaard
Carter Goetz
Goodrich… Class B State Title
I won’t argue that. It’s fun to dream, isn’t it?
the best team out of all of them would have been GRAND BLANC
K’Len Morris
Ty Ward
Tyler Moreland
Leviante Davis
Adrian Hunter
Shane Moreland
Ty Ward and Leviante did not live in Grand Blanc so their inclusion defeats the purpose of this. Adrian Hunter was a transfer from Central as well…come on now.
I think the most dangerous team if all the transfers would’ve stayed was Powers 2005 team:
-Tom Herzog
-Alex Hamo
-Laval Lucas-Perry
-Adrian Allen
-Michael Herman
-Matt Wittbrodt
-Quinton Patilla
(7 college athletes)
Flintstones… there you go again having Powers one up a Goodrich squad. Can you let us at least win in Fantasy land?
I mean really? A powers team talking about “transfers” staying? What if all the kids from Flint/Beecher never went to Powers and went to their home schools…No Demarco, Ao Adrian Allen, etc.
How about:
William Sams
Mitch Vallie
Tony Jones
Gabe Martin
Marcus Tucker
Pat Haggin
Jordan Fields
Patrick, Fields can’t count can he? He was supposed to go to SWA, but went to Powers, then transferred to GB.
You’re right, cross him off.
I still wonder what that GB team would’ve done had those four guys all come back. They were pretty good regardless.
Powers doesn’t count…..they’re talent is rarely homegrown. Homegrown for Powers would be classified as Catholic elementary and middle school students.
Hmmm…I like the what if game though…what if Demarco Sanders went to his home school of Northern and Joemar Black had never left? I hear Burnett from Hamady also has ties to the Northern district. Imagine that for a moment with Shaq Smith, Richie Lewis, Darrell Williams, Donald Fisher, Shaun Coffer, and we won’t talk about the displaced Central kids…
Like Jared said, fun to dream…
Then throw in Northern’s coaching staff, and not much would be different.
It is my experience that many in the crowd believe they are great coaches, but couldn’t coach an elementary girls team. So, that opinion is all relative.
Because unless they are in practice everyday with the team, there opinion is meaningless, period.
Northern should have the best team every year. Last year they should have had Cymiahn Williams, and D’Chawn Glover in addition to those guys mentioned and the guys they graduated. Doesn’t Jaylen Larry live by Northern too?
The year before last they should have had Darius Brady and Alan Sharp [and didn't Anthony Crater live a stones throw from Northern]. The year before that Marcus Green should have been at Northern. Then both Adam and Adrian Allen. Imagine Kevin Tiggs and Greg Hamlin a few years before that! And Takais Brown before he transferred to Central! Before that Brandon Dunbar!
What ever happened to Shaun Coffer. I remember he was on varsity for nothern last year…
Ineligible.
I have one that will blow all of those away.
1998-1999 Pontiac Northern Team
G – Maurice Searight (went to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s – UofM)
G – Ricky Morgan (Iowa St/UNLV)
F – Paul Haynes (Grambling St)
F – Nucleus Smith (TCU)
F- Jermaine Gonzalez (went to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s – UofM football)
F – Lester Abrams (UofM)
G – Jontae Jones (went to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s – EMU)
G – Grant Mason (went to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s – Standford/UofM football)
F – Brad Mitchell (went to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s – CMU football)
F- Charles Davis (went to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s – Purdue football)
F – Derrick Ponder (Iowa Central/Schoolcraft)
Between OLMS and Pontiac Northern from 1999 – 2003 you had three (3) basketball state championship and two (2) for football.
Now if you want to dream, I can dream big!
7 players on the list made ALL STATE respectively.
I remember most of those guys. DP was NICE. Did they have a guard on that team with the last name of Gay?
Bates Gay but he was from the Class of 05. There were some others like Antonio Bonds, John Cantrell, but that core above were the ones that brought home the trophies. But from 1997 until about 2006, Northern had a good run to semifinals and state finals.
Great win for Beecher tonight! Big game for frosh Man Man with 15.
When will Hamady get other coach I was at the game and Hamady’s coaching staff got out coached badly. They had the bigger team and never put any pressure on beecher.
I AGREE WIT YOU…COACH ROBINSON IS OVERRATED IN BIG GAMES THE TEAM NEVER SHOWS UP…98% OF HIS 400 WINS GOT TO BE IN THE WACK ASS GAC… I HAV SEEN 2 GAMES AND IM SORRY BUT DOMINEZ BURNETT HAV NOT SHOWED ME NOTHING……GREAT GAC PLAYER OVERRATED..