The Mr. Basketball finalists have been announced, and for the first time in
its 35 year history only 3 players will be on the ballot. But to be honest, I
think it would be a stretch to try to put another senior on a similar level
with these guys.
The overwhelming favorite is Deyonta Davis, not only for his play on the
court but because of his state and national exposure. Davis is West Michigan's
first McDonald's All-American since 1988, and locked down the paint for the
2013-2014 nationally ranked, undefeated Muskegon Big Reds. He is a known name
among BCAM members and will likely be the runaway winner giving Muskegon
back-to-back Mr. Basketball winners like Detroit Pershing in 2009-2010. Deyonta
is a lanky 6'10" center that controls games more on the defensive end of
the floor, and does most of his damage on offense from put-backs. His stat line
is: 19 points, 17 rebounds, and 7 blocks. Davis will be heading to Michigan
State next year.
Next on the voting ballots will likely be Eric Davis from Saginaw Arthur
Hill. As a side note, this is the player that Michigan could have really used
next year. As John Beilein and the Wolverine coaching staff were going after
more high profile national players Davis was able to develop a better
relationship with the Texas coaching staff and escape the state of Michigan.
Luckily for coach Beilein, Davis will not be haunting him for 2+ years in the
B1G. Eric Davis is an elite scorer. At only 6'3" he will likely need
to develop more into a point guard, but being able to get your own shot and put
the ball in the basket cannot be overlooked. Davis' averages 26 points, 7 rebounds,
6 assists, and 3 steals for the Lumberjacks. And in case you were hesitant of
him being a high volume scorer like James Young, Davis shoots 59% from the
floor. It will be sad to see two of the better players around the Big 12 next
year from Michigan.
Trevor Manuel brings up the last vote-getter on the ballot simply because he
is not as well known. Manuel started his high school career at Lansing Sexton,
but then transferred to basketball factory Oak Hill. Then he decided to
transfer back to Lansing Everett for his senior season where he averages 24
points, 11 rebounds, and 6 blocks. Manuel is a 6'9" wing that has to play
out of position for Everett. A few seasons in a college strength program at
Oregon could vault Manuel into a fringe NBA level player simply because a
6'9" skilled small forward does not come around all that often.
The landscape of high school basketball around Michigan has changed
drastically this year. Class C & D will be crowning new champions as
Detroit Consortium and Southfield Christian moved up in class. Also, the best
players for each transferred (2016 top recruit Josh Jackson is now in
California and the problematic 2015 point guard Bakari Evelyn spurred a chance
at the elusive 4-peat for a chance to play for Kurt Keener in Arizona). While
Class A & B will be looking for repeat champions from favorites Muskegon
and Milan. As we move on from the disappointing fact that Michigan continues to
lose some of its top talent to national basketball powerhouses, this year's
state tournament is shaping up to be the most exciting in years.
As I scanned the brackets I realized that this is the first year in my
memory that the top two challengers in each class fall on opposite sides of the
tournament. This means that potentially (though unlikely) every game of the
state finals on March 28th could match up the best two teams in each class. Are
you excited now?
I know I can't wait to see how these 3 weeks play out.
Class A preview
Class B preview
Class C preview
Class D Preview
We want more posts! #michfootball
ReplyDelete