Hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable New Year. Hope everyone is rested and while college and pro football is winding down, the hoop scene is just getting started. Settle in for some intense and enjoyable hardwood action for the next 3 months.
I returned safely from my trip back to upstate NY and although had tickets offered to me to attend the game by my brother, unfortunately I was not able to make it to the Carrier Dome. Had the next best seat though at a good friends house (Thanks Roy) with a 52 inch screen. The Cuse looked especially good in the second half of that game and once again took over on the boards and showed they were a much deeper and more athletic team than Notre Dame. James Southerland is the new piece to this puzzle for the Orangemen's success. He has had 2 outstanding games off the bench and shows that the 6'8" forward can stroke it from long distance or get active down below. What Fab Melo was suppose to bring and isn't Southerland and Keita are providing. This team is once again 9 players deep. Not sure where this leaves playing time for Mookie Jones, could see him elsewhere next year if he doesn't see the floor that much. Speaking of being somewhere next year - even though he still shows up on their roster, I believe DeShonte Riley (Detroit Country Day) has left Syracuse. He was not on the bench in Saturday's game against Notre Dame and I saw him just two days before in the Country Day gym. Now I know he is suppose to be injured (believe it is ankle) but he was walking just fine that day. Might be a good fit at U of D. Getting back to Syracuse, I see them and Pittsburgh as the two strongest teams in the Big East.
The surprise team in the Big East (no not Lousville or Cincinnati) is St. John's. Lavin (Gordon Gecko) has the Red Storm off to a 10-3 record and a 3-0 start in the Big East following their major upset of Georgetown (#13) tonight 61-58. Dwight Hardy can ball for St. John's. He is averaging 18 points a game. While this team will not stay in the top position of the Big East for long this year - they are and will improve dramatically and as I mentioned in an earlier blog - Lavin has signed 8 players and 6 in the top 100. I've got to believe those scholarships come with an upper east side condo, luxury black sedan limo service, unlimited show tickets to Broadway and all you can eat at any restaurant in New York with St. John alum ownership. The glory days of the then Redmen with Lou Carnasecca may be right around the corner for this team.
Michigan State labored again tonight to pull out a win over Northwestern 65-62 down to the end. For some reason they always seem to struggle with Northwestern in hoops. They dominated the glass in this one but the officials did not see fit to get them to the free throw line. I think they had only 6 free throws in the second half. Draymond Green was the difference in this one for the still struggling Spartans.
Games of interest this week involving top 25:
1/4 Connecticut (#4) vs. Notre Dame (#15)
1/8 Connecticut (#4) vs. Texas (#15) - TEXAS wins this one. UCONN is overrated at the #4 spot.
Here is my top 5
1) DUKE
2) Ohio State - This team is for real and a Final Four caliber team
3) Kansas
4) Syracuse
5) Pittsburgh - Pitt may be stronger than Syracuse but Cuse is undefeated now so they get the nod
My Michigan Top 15
1) Detroit Country Day - still think they are the best in state
2) Kalamazoo Central - Defending state champs - extremely well coached - TJ Buchanan is their leader and has been to Breslin two years in a row and is looking to make it three
3) Romulus - Five guys that play together and all can hurt you on the court -
4) Ann Arbor Huron - have yet to see them this year but 4 starters back and I am sold on them
5) Detroit Southeastern - Gibson has to be able to stay in games for them to keep this ranking. Edward Brown makes this team go.
6) Lansing Eastern - With Haney coming eligible in January they can move into top 5
7) Flint Powers - Can't underestimate the senior leadership of Patrick Lucas-Perry
8) Southfield - Still think Barnes and Brundidge are the best backcourt in state - at least the best Double B backcourt
9) Lansing Sexton - Valentine is legit
10) Saginaw - getting stronger as a team each game - bench filled with athletes (as always)
11) Warren DeLasalle
12) UD Jesuit - beat Chicago Orr and have two good looking Juniors on this team
13) Detroit King
14) Okemos
15) Muskegon - buried Muskegon Heights surprisingly last week
15) Rockford
Good upcoming games:
1/5 Saginaw vs. Saginaw Arthur Hill - these use to be glory games but some of the luster is off
1/7 Bay City Western vs. Saginaw Arthur Hill - who wants to make the trip with me on Friday?
Three 6'9" guys all playing at the next level - (Costello - BCW (Jr) - MSU; Brandon Havercamp - BCW (Sr) - Saginaw Valley State; Jordan Hare - SAH (Jr) - Stanford, USC, Alabama have offered and all the rest have interest in him) - we should see a lot of play above the rim.
1/7 Detroit Pershing vs. Detroit Southeastern -
1/8 Detroit Country Day vs. Cleveland MLK at Muskegon Heights 3 PM
1/8 Romulus vs. Chicago Vocational at Muskegon Heights 5 PM
1/8 Muskegon Heights vs. Chicago Whitney Young (nationally ranked) 7 PM
1/8 UD Jesuit at St. Edwards of Cleveland (featuring one of top freshman in state - Tyler Herron - 6'7" and #3 rated sophomore guard in state - Elijah Brown)
1/15 Detroit County Day vs. Detroit Southeastern at Warren Fitzgerald HS
1/15 Lansing Sexton vs. Saginaw Arthur Hill at Lansing Eastern HS 2 PM
1/15 Ann Arbor Huron vs. Kalamazoo Central at Lansing Eastern HS 4 PM
1/15 Detroit Pershing vs. Romulus at Lansing Eastern HS 6 PM
1/15 Lansing Eastern vs. Saginaw at Lansing Eastern HS 8 PM
Another game to mark on your calendars is a National High School game between Winter Park Florida and St. Patrick's of NJ. This features the #1 rated player in the country, Austin Rivers (Doc Rivers kid) and he is a special player going to Duke. It also features Michael Gilchrist, the #3 rated High school player in the country, who will be going to Kentucky. St. Pat's has a lot of D-1 talent. Should be a fun one to watch so set your VCR's on the 14th to ESPN or ESPN2.
Speaking of Austin Rivers, they had a chance to play that Milton (Alpharetta, Georgia) team again in the Hoops in Overdrive Shootout in Roswell Georgia just before the New Years weekend. They had lost to Milton by a point in the City of Palms Classic in Florida about 3 weeks back. Milton lost to St. Patrick's of NJ on a 3 pointer at the buzzer. Milton is very talented and beat the Winter Park team again but Rivers scored 34 in the loss.
There was also a Michigan connection to this tournament in Georgia. Anthony Fields (formerly of Lake Orion and Detroit Southeastern) played in this tournament for his new school (Quality Education Academy) out of Winston Salem, NC. Apparently he has stepped up his game and the speedy guard is being looked at by Wake Forest, Wright State, Wichita State (all these coaches were at this tournament) Missouri, Boston College and Seton Hall. He also has another Detroit local as his NC teammate, Sir Dominic Pointer. Now I have not seen Pointer play (other than youtube videos) but "Ziggy" has committed to St. John's and is rated the #21 small forward in the country and #81 overall. Michigan was after him but missed out. He is only 6"5" and is a slasher type but according to my readings, has developed a nice outside shot. He scored 19 in their tournament game in Georgia.
Finally, I have to talk a little NBA Hoops. I am not a fan of the Miami Heat since Lebron pulled off his TV freak show announcement when he was leaving the Cavs. I was also loving it when they were losing at the beginning of the year but I have to say now this team is tough, tough, tough. They have won 5 straight, 11 in a row on the road and 14 of their last 15 for a 26-9 record. Wade has been lights out the last three games scoring over 40 twice and 31 in his last game. It seems when he doesn't hit high 30's or 40 then LeBron does, it neither does, then Bosch chimes in to drop 30. They are playing like a team out to prove EVERYTHING right now and they are doing it. Enough said. Got to get to bed.
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