This is suppose to be a time of excitement and anticipation for the teams entering the State playoffs starting tomorrow however with the tragic news of the passing of Wes Leonard it has changed the theme from March Magic to March Tragic.
There are no words strong enough to capture what his family and community in Fennville are dealing with at this time. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone whose life was touched by this outstanding young man. I have never met Wes Leonard and to be perfectly honest with you, had not heard of him before Friday. Now I wish I had. After reading and hearing all the comments about him, I feel at least like I knew the person he was. He was not just an athlete but rather a leader, a friend, someone who cared for others and about life. His parents, although grief stricken, should feel extremely proud that he lived his life with meaning and brought meaning to others. In my eyes, that is what made Wes Leonard a real winner.
This has to be the most exhausting, emotional time for the family and team. Visiting hours today, the decision to play the basketball game tomorrow and the funeral on Tuesday will take its toll on this team. For me, I have no understanding of why this tragedy happened and I personally feel that it is not my place to question something that is far greater than me but I do know that their is a plan and reason for these happenings. I don't know what that is but I just know there is. If it was my plan, I would see to it that Wes was up in heaven coaching from a high and directing his players and teammates to the State Promised Land of the Breslin Center, still undefeated and winning the Class C Championship game on Saturday, March 26. Now that, for me, would be the ultimate definition of March Magic.
God Bless and do your best Fennville, there are a lot of people pulling for you.
The State playoffs get in full swing tomorrow and before they do I wanted to post my final rankings. On every other blog I have combined my rankings for the Class A & B schools but with the playoffs starting I will give my final ranking by Class. SNOB RANKINGS.
CLASS A
1. Romulus
2. Ann Arbor Huron
3. Saginaw
4. Kalamazoo Central
5. Warren DeLaSalle
6. Detroit Southeastern
7. Detroit Cody
8. East Lansing
9. Okemos
10 Ypsilanti / Petoskey
CLASS B
1. Detroit Country Day
2. lansing Sexton
3. Flint Powers Catholic
4. Gull Lake
5. Grand Rapids Christian
6. Harper Woods Chandler Park
7. Detroit Douglass
8. Saginaw Swan Valley
9. Lansing Catholic Central
10 Williamston / Muskegon Heights
CLASS C
1. Melvindale ABT
2. Detroit Consortium
3. Flint Beecher
4. Schoolcraft
5. Montague
6. Fennville
7. Saginaw Buena Vista
8. Suttons Bay
9. Sanford-Meridian
10 McBain / Madison Heights Bishop Foley
CLASS D
1. Wyoming Tri-Unity
2. Fulton
3. Superior Central
4. Bay City All Saints
5. Cedarville
6. Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary
7. Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart
8. Oakland Christian
9. Posen
10 Port Sanilac
I hope to have my Final Four Predictions for each class out by tomorrow but heading to the West Coast so they may be delayed a bit.
COLLEGE NEWS
Michigan has earned their way in to the big dance with the victory and season sweep over the Spartans. These two teams are going in completely the opposite directions. Michigan has won 8 of its last 11 games and is getting better each game. They play as a team and have some outstanding young talent in Morris, Hardaway & Morgan to name a few. Michigan State on the otherhand has lost their identity and will not find it come Big Ten tournament or the NCAA's. They are deserving of no better than a 8 to 10seed and that is being generous. Although they won't get a higher seed, Michigan should be seeded higher than MSU. I figure Michigan to get between a 12-14 seed. The team I am curious to see where they get seeded is Oakland. I am assuming they will win their tournament. If they do, it would not suprise me to see them at a 12 or 13 seed. If they lose their tournament I believe they still have an outside chance of getting in. In my mind they are definately deserving of a spot in the top 64.
I had a feeling St. John's was going to lose to Seton Hall. That loss takes away the double bye for them and awards it to Syracuse. May be a blessing in disguise as it is just as tough to sit out two rounds and come in and play as it is to play in all of them. I like the following Big East teams to make it to the Big East semifinals:
Louisville, St. John's, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh. St. John's is the darkhorse, Louisville if they get real hot. Notre Dame is playing the most consistent of the bunch and Pitt has the strength and bench to carry them to the Championship. Should be a great warmup for the Big Dance
North Carolina is playing extremely well right now and their freshman Barnes and Marshall came up big last night in the win over Duke 81-67. North Carolina is to be watched now. This Marshall kid is a fantastic young guard. Another in a long line of outstanding true point guards that have come out of North Carolina.
Kentucky finally won a meaningful road game with a win over Tennessee today, 64-58.
Ohio State had already clinched the Big Ten title thanks to Purdue's letdown loss to Iowa on Saturday but didn't let it stop them from having a statement game against #10 Wisconsin. They buried them 93-65 as John Diebler led the Scarlet & Gray with 27 points including 7 for 8 beyond the arc. By virtue of this smackdown this team, regardless of what happens in the Big Ten tournament, will be a #1 seed in the NCAA.
My picks, as of now, subject to change based on what happens in the tournaments this coming weekend, for the #1 seeds are:
Ohio State / Kansas / Pittsburgh / BYU
BYU could get replaced by Duke or Notre Dame or Texas
Enough for now. Got to get some sleep. Your Basketball SNOB.
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