Great Lakes Hoops

Bob Root’s tenure at Flint Carman-Ainsworth is officially over. The longtime coach and athletic director told Mlive Flint that the time had come to give up his position to someone younger.

From Mlive Flint:

Replacing Root is Carman-Ainsworth junior varsity coach Jay Witham, who was a former player for the Cavaliers prior to being employed by the school as a coaching assistant and later as a teacher.

“We didn’t have anything pre-planned, but I kind of knew at the beginning of the year that this might be my last year and I’d want to turn it over to somebody younger who was ready to take on that challenge,” Root said. “Jay was a member of our program, he started work here as a trainer, then as an assistant, then as the JV coach and also as a teacher. We opened the job up briefly and looked at some internal candidates but decided he was the right guy. He’s done very well at every job we’ve given him.”

In reality, the time to stand down was probably years prior to this announcement. Here’s my issue: I’m a C-A graduate and have been a fan of the program for many years — from Chuck Thrash to Glenn Cosey. That being said, since the departure of former head coach Rory Mattar, C-A’s basketball program has dramatically underachieved. So much so that I’m frankly shocked that Root, who remains as the athletic director, wouldn’t be compelled to at least look at external candidates for the position.

Championship programs aren’t afraid to broaden the base, to see what’s out there and then hire the best coach available. If the best coach available is already in your building, then so be it. That’s a pretty rare occurrence, however, and it certainly wasn’t the case the last time they went “looking” for a head coach.

This isn’t an indictment of the new coach; I hope he’s the right guy and has great success there. This is an indictment of a way of doing business that has, in my view, turned a top-tier program into one that is comfortable with underachievement.

Flint Beecher players celebrate as the final buzzers sounds after their 40-39 victory over Laingsburg in the Class C State Championship game in East Lansing.

By Gavin Raath | Great Lakes Hoops

Flint Beecher head coach Mike Williams.

EAST LANSING, Michigan – If someone would have told me that the final of the Class C championship game between Beecher and Laingsburg would be 40-39, I would’ve said congratulations to Laingsburg on an improbable victory.  If that same someone told me that Monte Morris would be sick with flu-like symptoms and would miss a portion of the game, then I would wonder why it was so close.

But Saturday evening, Beecher showed why they’re the district of champions, overcoming odds and, according to coach Mike Williams, beating their toughest opponent of the season, 40-39.

“Their coach does a great job teaching his team fundamentals,” said Williams of Laingsburg head coach Greg Mitchell. “Those kids really understand what they’re doing. I warned our guys that they couldn’t just go out and run through. Those kids have nothing to be ashamed of. That’s the best team we played all year, including Pershing.

“These are the games I live for.”

Coach Williams has always thought outside of the box.  At clinics and in press conferences, I’ve heard him often say things like, “we use our defense to create offense.”  Nuance like that is probably what makes him a repeat state champ and perhaps the best coach in the state, but his nuance met its match with Coach Mitchell.

Mitchell’s guys didn’t struggle for one second with the much-applauded Beecher press.  That led to an early deficit and confusion on offense.  But as the game wore on Beecher found its groove, involving more guys on offense, and taking more risks on defense even if it led to fouls.

Such a performance was necessary with a sick Mr. Basketball.

Ultimately, Mitchell navigated his team to what every basketball coach dreams of: possession of the ball and just one basket away from a state championship. It wasn’t in the cards for the Wolfpack, but they gave their coach and their town something to remember forever.

For Beecher, back-t0-back state championships will put them in the conversation with some of the best high school basketball programs in the state’s history. It’s not simply about the two straight state titles, however, it’s about the staying power of a great coach who has led his program to the Breslin Center four consecutive seasons. There’s only one team in Michigan that knows its way around the Breslin better than Beecher, and they were playing at the Palace today.

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Ray Ray Lewis, junior guard, Flint Northern.

As many of you have heard, the Flint Community Schools Board of Education voted to close several schools including Flint Northern High School at the end of the school year. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, as FCS has sustained too many buildings operating at far less than capacity.

All that being said, as the District starts the process of re-drawing high school boundaries, will they gerrymander around the homes of Ra’mon Lewis, Amariontez Thomas and Kaylin Johnson? Those three are really talented and if they were added to an already loaded roster at Southwestern Academy, we’d have a team in Flint that could compete with the likes of class A powers Saginaw High and Detroit Pershing.

Southwestern has already been pegged as a team to watch over the next few seasons, as the Knights’ top players are all returning (Neshua Wise, Miles Bridges, Jaire Grayer and Malik Young). Is this a team that could bring a state title to the city limits for the first time since Flint Northern in 1995? With the right coach, certainly. Is Keith Gray the right coach? We’ll find out.

In more than three decades, only two Flint-area players had earned the prestigious Michigan Mr. Basketball Award, given annually to the state’s top senior.

All that changed on Monday, as Flint Beecher’s Monte Morris joined Kelvin Torbert and former NBA all-star Glen Rice in the fraternity.

From Freep:

After seeing some of the former Mr. Basketball winners, Morris, a senior at Flint Beecher, has come to this conclusion: “They don’t hand them out to just anybody.”

No, they don’t, and this year, the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan, in conjunction with the Free Press, is handing out the 33rd Mr. Basketball award to Morris.

Morris, who signed with Iowa State, captured the most prestigious award a high school athlete in Michigan can receive in one of the closest three-man races in the history of the award, named for the former Free Press sports writer who covered high school athletics for more than 40 years.

He accumulated 2,130 points while Harper Woods Chandler Park’s Derrick Walton Jr. was second, with 2,086. James Young of Rochester was third (2,030). Detroit Pershing’s Kahlil Felder was fourth (1,252) and Dowagiac’s Dontel Highsmith was fifth (1,161).

Seeing Morris win this award is great for basketball in this state. He’s not the most naturally talented player in that group, nor is he the most prolific scorer. He is the best all-around basketball player in that group and he plays the game the right way.

He sees and understands the game like a grown man, and is among the most popular players I’ve ever seen with fans from opposing teams, opposing coaches and officials. He’s a hard guy not to like, and clearly it was hard for many voters to pass him over.

The Mott Community College Bears (29-3) have earned the top seed in the NJCAA national tournament in Danville, Illinois March 19-23.

TOURNAMENT SEEDS

TOURNAMENT PODS

West’s Cullen Turczyn scored a game-high 27 points against Grand Blanc.

DAVISON, Michigan — The only ‘L’ on the right side of the column for Grand Blanc (22-1) this season came courtesy of Lapeer.

The Lapeer West boys’ varsity basketball team will continue its improbable run in the MHSAA state playoffs after the Panthers blew out undefeated and third-ranked Grand Blanc on Monday, 65-43.

The Panthers started off a little slow, but it didn’t take long for senior guard Cullen Turczyn, the Flint Metro League’s all-time career scoring leader, to get heated up. Turcyzn scored 10 of the team’s first 12 points. West led by one after the first quarter before it was senior forward Zeshawn Jones-Parker’s turn to get involved in the scoring. Jones-Parker was a beast from that point on, scoring 19 points in three quarters despite foul trouble near the end of third quarter.

West (19-5) led by 13 after two quarters, by 21 after three and cruised to victory.

The Panthers await the winner of the Midland High and Saginaw game. Saginaw is currently ranked seventh in the state in class.

Turczyn finished with a game-high 27 point. Junior Mark Cox played great defense, as always, and chipped in nine points.

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Lapeer West senior Cullen Turczyn became the Flint Metro League’s all-time leading scorer on Monday night, as the Panthers beat Holly 62-44.

LAPEER, Michigan — Monday night’s victory for Lapeer West (12-5) over Holly (11-6) wasn’t simply a payback for a loss earlier in the season, but a coronation of sorts. West senior point guard Cullen Turczyn needed only 11 points to become the Flint Metro League’s all-time leading scorer. He scored 14.

Turczyn, at maybe 5-foot-8, is truly one of the most unassuming standouts I’ve ever watched. He plays the  game the right way — hard on both ends of the floor. Holly threw everything they had at him, and Turczyn responded with assists to open shooters rather than ill-advised shots. The record was earned for him in the fourth quarter, when he made both ends of a one-and-one.

The record had belonged to former Lapeer East standout Brandon Fisher for more than two decades.

Last night, Goodrich and its first-year head coach Tim Tenneriello beat a quality Montrose team despite missing two starters (Alec Myers and Doug Moors). That they won the game, however, wasn’t a shock. How they won it? You be the judge. (ESPN Sportscenter showed this video this morning on its Top Plays).

S/O to @PrepHoopsTV for these highlights from Mr. Basketball candidate Monte Morris against Detroit Pershing over the weekend.

Mott freshman Coreante DeBerry scored 21 points in 16 minutes in Mott’s win over Wayne County Saturday.

Sophomore Chavis Mattison scored 15 points with five rebounds and four assists.

FLINT, Michigan — Saturday afternoon’s game versus Wayne County may well end up being the most exciting home game of the season for no. 3-ranked Mott. Down five at the half, the Bears lit up the scoreboard for 51 points in the second half en route to a 79-67 win.

For the first time this season, Mott’s leading scorer, Fred Mattison, failed to score in double-figures. Mott’s starting point guard, Devin Foster, played only 11 minutes minutes after being saddled with early foul trouble. It was the first time all season he played less than 15 minutes.

None of that mattered Saturday, however, as Mott’s superior depth proved too much for Wayne County, the surprise team in the MCCAA this season with nine wins including one over nationally-ranked Cincinnati State.

The star of the game was 6-foot-9 center Coreante DeBerry, who was dominant in limited minutes for Mott. He fought for position in the post and delivered 21 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in only 16 minutes. This was DeBerry’s coming out party at Mott, competing against some grown men (half Wayne’s roster at least appeared to be nearing 30 years old). He threw down a couple dunks and even went up for an alley-oop in traffic before getting sent to the line.

With Foster on the bench for most of the game, 6-foot-4 sophomore guard Chavis Mattison showed why he has quickly turned into one of Mott’s brightest stars. Mattison scored 15 points with five rebounds and four assists. This young man has a serious future ahead of him, and I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t see it coming.

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