Steve Finamore, the Brooklyn (NY) born former graduate assistant at MSU and head coach at Jackson Community College will be the new head man at East Lansing High School, just minutes from his home.
Finamore took over the newly-reinstated basketball program at JCC three years ago. He has previous head coaching experience at the high school level at Portland High (Michigan) in 2004. He was also an assistant at St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, NJ.
Coach Finamore is one of the best basketball minds in the state of Michigan, and anyone who knows him can attest to it. He’s a tremendous motivational speaker and a great X/O teacher. Finamore’s first order of business will be to convince the recently-exiled freshman phenom Steve Haney, Jr. to stay at East Lansing. If Haney stays, East Lansing could be on a course toward a state title in class A in 2012 with all its young talent — Bell, Haney, Efe, Edmonds, etc.
It was recently announced that Haney Jr. would transfer to Lansing Eastern for his sophomore season after a toxic culture of over-involved parents cost former head coach Doug Fleming his job.
His first order of business should be to meet with the guys who want to play at EL not try and convince some kid to not transfer or to transfer back.
Well, technically Haney is still enrolled at EL. At least to my knowledge.
Also, if Haney stays at EL it will be to the benefit of every player on that roster.
Steve Finamore will do an outstanding job at East Lansing H.S. He knows X and O’s but more importantly he knows people. Its important to have a great nucleus of players so long as those players buy into the team concept and want to get better and have success through coaching. Hopefully these players will “buy in” to Coach Finamore’s philosophy. Just as importantly the parents need to also step back and ” buy in” and treat their own children like exactly that …their children and leave the coaching to the coach.
May East Lansing HS back the coach in these potential situations down the road and help keep a world class program.
Technically the coach can’t try and convince a kid to do anything,the MSHAA is pretty clear on that, it is called undue influence.
Coaches can’t try to get students to come out for the basketball team? I’d love to see that rule in the handbook.
Technically the coach can’t try and convince a kid to do anything,the MHSAA would call that undue infuence.
without steve that team is nothin
the rule is; You can’t offer spots on your basketball team to players enrolled at other institutions. If Haney is infact still enrolled at EL, the head coach can talk to haney all he wants about whatever he wants.
Also, there are rules about transferring into other institutions based soley on athletics…so “technically” the mhsaa should not allow him to play basketball for lansing eastern…its a two way road.
I had wondered this too. I thought you had to sit out a year in a transfer situation, unless you physically moved into another district. Whatever happens, I wish Haney the best. He has a beautiful jumper.
It sounds like EL got a good coach. From what I’ve heard, there were a lot of very good candidates that applied.
I belive the rule in most cases is you have to sit out a semester a full one… and the mhsaa can’t really prove that he is transferring only for basketball. while it’s apparent that he is, he can just say that he”s transferring for academic reasons, friends or etc
Steven did not transfer solely for athletic reasons. He transfered because the environment that exists at East Lansing High School is not beneficial to him as a student or an athlete.
Can you elaborate more?
Sounds like the same reason Lebron left Cleveland!
EL will still have a good team, but I dont think anyone can blame the kid for not wanting to play with kids like Tyler Tucker and Matt Ripley whose Dad’s led the firing of Doug Fleming because they were jealous Haney was taking minutes and All Conference spots from their skill depleted sons. If anyone knows Haney, he is a very good kid…very humble, 4.0 student and extremely hard worker. With his AAU success this summer, it doesnt matter where he goes to HS, he will get his high major offer because he is 6’6″ and shoots the hell out of the ball. Bottom line, ask anyone in East Lansing if anyone since the 4th grade has been able to stomach playing with Tyler Tucker and Matt Ripley and there you have your answer. No he isnt leaving for academics, that is stupid, but neither he, nor Efe Scott Emakpur for that matter, deserve to share a locker room with such garbage as Finnamore is now forced to deal with….
Thats an interesting perspective. One question I have–the kids you mentioned will be seniors this year. They have one more year, and they are done. Why not stick it out one year, and then the team would belong to Haney for 2 yrs? He would be the unquestioned leader.
Also, I think if Finamore can establish some semblance of chemistry, he will do ok his first year. EL will have some size, and a good PG. Someone will need to score though. I did not see any other outside shooters on the team, other than Haney.
I saw Bell have at least one pretty good shooting game. He looks like he can create a shot but would be good if he had plays run for him. He’ll be a senior next year I think.
Al,
That is kind of harsh the way you are calling out KIDS
Taking virtually libelous shots at two 17 year-olds. Not once, but twice. That’s mature. Someone’s got some anger management issues.
If Haney enrolls at Eastern he will not be eligible for Athletics until Mid January,Martin Luther King holiday to be exact,unless he and his family move into the Lansing School District.
Devlin Bell is a very solid player,he can play the 2-3 and 4 spots.his best skills may be defending and rebounding.
I heard there was a toxic situation at EL, Al proves that is a fact! It seems to me that it is time to stop the Haney Mania!!.Steven is a good basketball player with a ton of upside,I have heard the new coaches first order of business should be to get Haney to stay at EL,and EL is nothing without Haney.The hype surrounding Haney is crazy,I read a lot of post about how EL ALMOST beat Eastern,but nothing about how EL lost to Everett (1-20 team).
I hope that Steven Haney has a great basketball career wherever he plays,but I hope the hype slows down,let the kid develop,Magic Johnson did not win a state title until his Sr. Season and it took O.T. To make it happen!
Question… Who was the leading scores for Lansing Sexton ? Please post answers
Valentine?
Not Valentine (although he was probably at lease 10 ppg.) I need to look at the roster. It was another player who was a junior or senior – one of the inside players (but not Suttles.)
(It bothers me that I can’t think of his name right now.)
I knew it wasn’t Suttles, although he was the leading rebounder I believe.
Wade?
I think Wade is the right answer!!
(I don’t know if you can look in the Lansing State Journal’s archives. Before the semi-finals, the State Journal had that kind of information for all four finalists in each class.)
It is Tyrin Wade, I knew what the answer was I will tell why I asked later.