Boys Basketball | State Champs! at the State Finals | 3-24-23 | STATE CHAMPS! Michigan

foreigner What's going on? Michigan, welcome to the season finale episode of Hang Time, but this more formally is the

state

championships in the

state

finals

. This is the summary of the men's

basketball

state championship presented by Lawrence Technological University. The Hang Time team is here with you. I'm Lauren. plants Scott Bernstein and TJ Kelly and hey, if you're feeling nostalgic you can find a full season of Hang Time showing all 12 episodes available on the State Champs Network YouTube page and if you like podcasts check out spreaker. com, listen, you can check out All season long, the interviews we had with men's

basketball

coaches from around the state were brought to you by the Michigan Basketball Coaches Association and speaking of Chamber B, we thank you again for your partnership and I can't wait to share with you what we've done.

It's planned for next year, it takes a lot of logistics to make it work, but the next level in the state champions will be more invested in

boys

and girls basketball, just like we should, so we're here to show and talk about the state

finals

. that took place recently at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, some quick comments and stay tuned until the end of the show for headlines from our state finals and this is what we remember most from what happened in the state finals this year. We're going to start in division four, the first state championship for Munising wasn't that kind of thing, we were crowning a lot of new champions.

We were and it was not an ordinary state. state finals with all these Blue Bloods that had all these signs of yeah, you know, that's what I thought was really cool. I agree this one also went the distance and I give Trinity Christian credit for fighting to the end, though ultimately 4 of 19 from three points. Land is the key number that stood out to me in the loss, but I think you can attribute great team defense to why munir our state champions, hey, yeah, great, hats off to the music, He did a fantastic job, you know, that Coach Keeler talked about, you know? try Unity Christian talked about uh you know the game afterwards and tipped his hat to municing, they did a great job, uh, you know, there were times when try Unity didn't run, I guess, as well as you might have thought it would they would have done. or at least what he would have liked, but yeah, Munising came down, they set up, they took care of business, they got some young guys on that team, uh, sophomores, you know the point guard and then the coach's son, so I hope they will be with me again, hopefully, next year.

You know, I always think and I have no idea how the statistics bear it out, but I always feel like a team that comes from as far away as Munising, whether it's coming to Ford Field for the state football finals or going to East Lansing for the finals. state basketball I always feel like they're almost at an inherent disadvantage because of the length of the trip, you know, those guys from uh try Unity come from the west side of the I mean, it's not much of a drive, but those guys from Munising are like a trip from 10 hours, so I always think you know you're going to have to be very focused, yeah, and adapt very quickly, so I think that's advice.

I tipped my hat to the music coaching staff because they didn't seem to know that the term jet lag is an incorrect term, but there didn't seem to be, you know, there was no loss of a first step with these guys. The guys had pep in their step from the first time they set foot on the Breslin court in the semifinals and they played almost error-free basketball and they played with, you know, high motor, high intensity and it didn't seem like that trip had any effect on them, so You know, that was something that I learned and just seeing them be able to lift their first state championship banner and seeing a father and son do it together, it was just a great feel good story.

In unison and being in that environment, of course, being at the Breslin Center, which is so different than any of these kids, especially these kids, in terms of playing on a really great stage, you have to take your hat off to them. again, cardinal. They got to the semi-finals in a team that was very hot, they played a very similar style, they were able to withstand that and then I think when they got to the final they felt really comfortable and confident and it was a great game. That went all the way, so congratulations to Munising, we're going to go to division three and again we talk about, you know, maybe rookies, not rookies on this one and a shout out to TJ, I think for Robert Lee, a shout out on the last episode. because Robert Lee was the reason everyone else on that team was respected, but Robert Lee won that state championship for them, yeah, and he immediately started getting college offers that we were talking about that didn't exist, so yeah , and Wayne State was one of the best I knew Carmelo Harris was with Beecher also on the stage I knew I don't know anyone who wasn't one.

I mean, if you played with Beecher teams over the last 12 years, you won a championship, yeah, but yeah, um, but yeah, caps. I'm going to Wayne State for going ahead and pulling the trigger and making sure you know there would be an opportunity for Robert Lee if he wanted to choose to play in downtown Detroit, but yeah, hats off to him and yeah, I just like the development. of his game and I think that's one of the things that we've also talked about with some of the other winners and Marquis was great yeah and again we're talking about flim Peter yeah let's make it official uh 10th state title in In their history, they actually won three titles in '76, '85 and '87 in class B, the seventh title in 11 years, although now that they have been able to dominate the class C division, they personified the saying: they don't rebuild, they reload well. true, we don't die, we multiply, yes, if you put it in a historical context, they are the last vestige of the Flintstones legacy, those traditional Flintstones superpowers of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s have fallen by the wayside where my team played. or the depressed Charlie Bell, so now Beecher is left with, you know, that Legacy is on his shoulders and that they do an incredible job of showing everyone what it means to be a Flint basketball player, because those guys from all the teams Since I've seen him for money since I started covering professionally in the late 2000s, all the teams I've seen from Beecher just play that prototypical Ruthless Flintstones, you know, tough-as-nails competitors, just great when the when. the game goes to the end at the moment of clutch and I think it is something that transcends from the coaching staff to the players because I have never seen a bench, it is more, you know, very tight, not in the negative sense, but simply in that everything is in order, whether it's Marquis Gray or you know the coaches that came before him and there were a lot of really great coaches that came in to perform, but they always seem to be very focused and put their players in the best position to make big plays and something else. is that the Buccaneers also joined Elite company, with double-digit championships, which you talk about with East Catholic and you're talking about where the River Rouge is, and when you're one of the three in basketball, Michigan has been around for 100 years, so Yeah, I take my hat off to Beecher, he wins, more achievements are coming and now you know the community lives in infamy, uh, with other greats that we've had here in Michigan and I take my hat off to Traverse City .

St Francis is another. boy, that should be good, great run for that program, uh, they were really dominant in football, didn't get the state championship. I know they were bitter about it, I'm sure there were a lot of football guys in it, so Wyatt was the quarterback exactly of the football team's basketball point guard exactly and then they fought and held on there and again I think Relentless is a good word, it's just that their feature surpassed them in every game I've ever had. I saw a Beacher, they play at a pace that you would think would be a pace that would cause a lot of turnovers and would really be Helter Skelter, but their pace is so fast that the motor is, you know, 150, but they still play below . control and again, that's a tribute to the absolutely fine coaching staff in division two, it took Ferndale 57 years to cross the finish line in any sport and win a state championship at the beginning of the season.

I don't think anyone could have said the Eagles as the team that would have been the last one standing, I take my hat off to Juan Rickman, the rest of the Eagles, the whole team because that's what they won with as a team, that's why I could talk to Coach Rickman after the game. I think I asked him a question, you know, wanting to do something with you, you know, you lose a lot of yourself. Coach Dave de Julius, who is that Cincinnati, who you coached Trey Williams or Trey Lewis, who is at Loyola, who you coached Jason and those were at Cleveland State and those were the teams that were supposed to end up taking it to the next level, ya be it East English Village, Greg Greg Elliott being another uh but yeah there's been a lot of guys that got comfortable and now you've got a team and there's really no superstars but you've got guys that's really developed.

I know we talked about Chris Williams, we talked about blocker Noah early in the season, how they've developed in the last few weeks, how they've developed and and it's one of those things where you see other guys improve, you see your teammates. get better and you want to be hungry too and as they push each other and I think that's one of the things that finally puts them over the hump where they were able to get their first championship and I take my hat off to Juan Rickman because, you know, He did a fantastic job and really brought it together for the Eagles.

This was a coaching job and he is one of the true greats we have in the mhsaa right now. Saying this is his best moment is actually a tribute to how good he is because he has a lot of great seasons under his belt, but if you look at this on this team's stat sheet, you know the definition of poise and selflessness. each of these guys had like 10 11 12 points a game and I think they had four guys that were averaging double digits for the season, you had like TJ's head, the foundation was laid with those East English Village teams with the first handful of Ferndale teams he had and the seniors on this team led by Cam Reed and Chris will be Chris Williams and Caleb Renfro, who we'll talk about a second time.

They all played as freshmen. I think two of them started as freshmen and they've been through wars and when the Trayvon Lewis and Jason Drake left or the Colin Goldstein before him, you had these Marquee Super Division One Superstars going for the championship. state and they approached, but did not finish the job. It was this group of, I don't want to say throwaways, that's the wrong way to say it, but less heralded guys and we all fought two guys, but I thought, I think a lot of people thought this was a year for Ferndale to make a decision. back off and reload for 24 and 25, but they didn't understand that, maybe like what we're seeing with Clarks, yeah, they didn't get that memo and just made it to a state championship and brought it back to Ferndale for the first time. since 1966.

The Roy Burkhart era, Rick Bloodworth, who played at Michigan, no one remembers those guys unless you're from Ferndale, right, and uh, but Ferndale has had a lot of great basketballs in the Halls without winning state championships . Tom State, uh, so. just a great job by Juan and this whole team and South Christian was moving forward and getting better. I will say that it is for a team that ran poorly during the tournament until the semifinals, yes, in both the semifinals and the final they had to come back, yes. Yeah, well, no, I had another thing with Ferndale, me and I, and I mean there are so many kids that want to hustle to get time to play.

I'm not so sure if they were thrown or if all those guys were thrown into the fire. They would have been successful or at least won a championship when you look at it. I think there's a lot you can learn and I'm just saying that sitting on the bench you might not get as much playing time as you want, but yeah. but you can learn to win, you know what I'm saying, you evaluate things a little differently, in a different place, you came off the bench and I mentioned that all the time, even with kids in college, sometimes I think when You know what?

They come with a lot of prestige and they're not necessarily living and suddenly they live up to who they are. You know what everyone says about them, but all of a sudden, let's say they have an injury or they have to sit out for a couple of months in a few months and they sit next to an assistant coach and they say now you see, this is why we're doing this, this is the reason we're doing that, you're doing it all crazy. things you know and when you sit breathe, really grasp what's going on, learn to be a coach on the court and I think that was also one of the big ones and I want to say this Reed camera, whichhas been rolling.

The roller coaster throughout his career had been that he was consistent throughout the game, he wasn't shooting crazy layups, he wasn't turning the ball over, he really wanted what and that, and you really went out and played really strong defense against some of the best guards. you know they're there in this state and you know they're champions in their own right with South Christian, a four-year starting point guard in a tournament, I mean, like you want to talk about a tie, yeah, yeah, guys. I've been running your offense for four straight years and then this is really going to be the last thing I say from a recruiting perspective and I talk about this on my blog for state champions uh um at state

champs

network.com.

For the most part, there are a couple of exceptions, but for the most part, recruiting-wise, Ferndale's roster is open for grabs and I hope there were a lot of Scouts and recruiters watching this tournament because, other than Chris Williams, who he's going to Cleary and Jaden Hardiman, who I think was now at Mid Michigan and is now at Alabama, it's one of the smaller schools in Alabama, but other than those guys, Caleb Renfrow's camera read um Trenton Roof, the blocker Noah uncommitted, all of those guys are available if you're looking to stack your college roster well with fellow players and winners and you know the most important thing, but yeah.

That's, yeah, congratulations to that whole group because there's nothing better at the end of the day when they say and I don't even think this group has surpassed their accomplishments, you know? But they came in, let's say you're proving the naysayers wrong or whatever. I mean, I didn't have them in my top 20 rankings, you know, we'll probably shoot until the end of February, yeah, you know what I'm saying because their record really wasn't safe, yeah, their record wasn't, it really wasn't there. and then, but Juan prepared coach Rickman prepared a schedule that was really able to build a championship team, so hats and camera Reed led a team to three final fours um and a regional final, I think so, I don't know, It's not shit.

You know, many, many point guards in any league or conference who can say they are great, you know, three final fours in a row, yes, and a state championship. I mean, great advice, great advice, I think is to stack your schedule because it doesn't matter what your record is. once you get to the playoffs you're set, Cardinal Mooney with another team that was practically 500 when they entered state in the tournament, made it all the way to the state semifinals, obviously, what Ferndale did, what Orchard Lake St Mary's was able to do. uh a lot of these teams just don't care the only thing Ferndale didn't do was win the red OA who had been the two time defending champions but I'm sure if you told them yeah hey man we.

We're going to win the district, we're going to Regional, we're going to win the state championship, yeah a red flag, well the city of Detroit is back on top of division one for the first time since Detroit Western won in 2015 , Many of you. I don't remember that it took me a while to remember that, but Steve Hall has led his alma mater to his first state basketball championship in school history. I tell you what I, for a school that has so much tradition, I mean, Lily Tomlin went to school, you know what I'm saying, but at the same time you have a lot of tradition, whether it's just the alumni that have passed and now, In recent years, we have seen sports, obviously with the football team, but now, to see the basketball team, you talk about a school that has been around for more than a hundred years, finally overcomes the obstacle that they call themselves The Jewel of the city, you know, when people say gypsum platform, you know, I mean, you don't have to put Detroit Cash Tech, you know that speaks for itself, um, for Brady, if you want to know that, yeah, a lot of famous people, half of Motown, you know if you want to watch, if you want to watch it from there and when.

You think about the city, there is no doubt that you go to school, now it is Detroit, yes, and it is not inconsiderable. I know they have their rivals, but at the same time you know Cash Tech is one of them, he's been there, I mean, obviously. for over 100 years shortening the football field and everything, but yeah, but yeah, going back to the victory that Cass Tech had there, I mean it's very similar to what Ferndale had and obviously they had Darius Acuff, who just get an offer from Michigan on Wednesday, so he's really putting himself in the spotlight, he's not going to put out, he's not going to put out a lot of information like, yeah, he's gotten offers from Mac schools out west, east, etc., and so on.

He's just not one of those guys where he's going to put a bunch of information out there for everyone to know. Let the chips fall where they may let my game speak for itself. I'm still a sophomore, yeah, I'm still a sophomore, but he had there. strong core right there, that coach Hall had, as far as the seniors go, a mix of blood of football players and basketball players and everyone wants to fit in and the other thing is when you only have one piece of information and I was talking to some guys after this and when someone pointed out that you only have one thing, uh, uh, Scout and prepare for Detroit Cash Tech because you don't see many teams where they are point guards and their center is six, three, six, four and all the rest, you know it well. that five eleven to six foot one range, but it makes it a lot harder, you can't go out and catch them because they have so many guards out there, they're super fast, they're hard to emulate, you know? a practice and maybe you thought I thought Muskegon could do it, you know, let's say this.

I think Muskegon probably played them as well as they could, but it takes a lot to figure out that maybe Muskegon could have used their bigs. a little bit more, but I'm not the coach, I'm not one way or another, they have the guards that can do it, um, with the day, who's going to go to Aquino, you have sitting or go to Ferris State and then. you've got Jordan Briggs, who's going to Wayne State, so you'd think that core right there, all the way to Gardens, they could make it, but at the end of the day I take my hat off to the great work of Cast Tech. by, uh, Steve Hall sticks with this weapon seeing what it's going to do and then the game plan and this is what we're going to want to end up materializing in a victory, so I take my hat off to them.

I think this is a team and a career that you will be talking about for decades. I think you know you have the Championship storybook with Steve Hall returning to his alma mater just by knowing how to focus and take this program to the next level. and he's done just that, um, but you've got a mix of young and old football basketball and it was just perfect, you know, brewing the beer and it was and it was Steve, you know, blending it and getting all the right spices and everything. that and then serving. the food that led to the state championship, but you have two of what I think will eventually be two of the psl's all-time great athletes, uh, cheeks, a policeman, you know, he already established himself as a state champion and as a goat and then you have CJ Sadler, yeah, the football phenom who blew up this year at the Gridiron and then told people, in case you didn't know, I'm a really good basketball player too and I played a big role In this race.

Sean Hodges, another. football player going to Grand Valley State just a blocking defender, someone who made great shots, you know, stay, did what was asked of him. Kenny Robertson is another guy who loved like another, you know, football, basketball, great shooter, great leader and then. For me, the they turn on the lights. They were the brightest, I think he scored 20 points in the final, so great job from Steve Hall and again, this is a historic team that people will talk about for years and years and, again, hats off. Steve with what he did with his group and really the last few minutes because Sadler fouled out, yeah, and that was a concern, that was what I think two points castled for two points, yeah, Sandler goes out to third at the start of the fourth quarter and then they want to uh practically go on a 7-0 run or something and really extend it and I remember, you know, sitting on the sidelines, everyone's like oh, I'm like, what's happening here is this isn't supposed to happen. that I should do it. it happens, but yeah, again, hats off, you mention Trayvon Cooper and Cass, excuse me, Muskegon has size, you know, they have TJ Davis, um, they have a little big, six, seven sophomores, um, They have Stanley Cunningham, which is everyone. bigger than anyone Cass has and when you know when you go and you're the tallest guy on the team and you say hey we need you to do this, we need you to step up and I think that's one of the big things where and that will continue. in life when you get on the big stage, whenever, when, when the pressure is on you and you go out and you go out and you succeed and you perform, so that's up to them, I think if you go back to the last week of the season regular and you had two shadows, Brother Rice and Castac in the Friendship game, which was an all-time classic Friendship game, Donna Callahan and Cass lost in the final seconds, Brother Rice got a maybe. that's what they needed I was going to say I think when you look back you're almost happy you lost that game that's true so yeah yeah great point great point and you know the state champions were all over the state championship , so if you want relive and watch lots of clips and things happening at the Breslin Center.

Just make sure you follow the Michigan State Champions and find them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tick Tock, YouTube and all those things you can watch. A lot of the stuff that happened in the state finals we had access through our partnership with Valley Sports Detroit to some really cool stuff in the locker room, so check it out and it'll be there forever for you to visit whenever you want. Well, as we close out this edition of the State Championships in the state finals, I just want to tell these guys and I'll give them mine too. TJ.

What will you remember most about the 2023 men's basketball arena? I'm going to remember. because I like to mess with the Cast Tech people because they're, you know, yeah, yeah, and I mean I have a lot of friends that are on Facebook, uh, you know, on Twitter and stuff like that, but to actually see Cast Tech , I think Willie Ogiltree didn't mention anything in a Detroit article and he's been doing this as a scorer for 50 years. They broke up, what happened? At the end of the first quarter, something was wrong with the book and suddenly Cass asked for a technician because they don't have the right book and she has asked Mr.

Ogletree. I'm sure he can tell you the 1977 roster, he can tell you the 1983 roster, if they're left-handed or right-handed along with their number and it was like one of those things wow, like a technical foul and I'm thinking it was like Mr. Ogletree Are you so nervous? You know, yeah, yeah, sweaty palms over there or something and you know, but I'm more the more I'm happy. I got to see long-time Castle alumni, who and my phone blew up like crazy afterwards and there were a lot of boos, so hey, I mean, it is what it is, but that's what I'm going to remember just because uh, ya You know, seeing a lot of joy on those people's faces and stuff like that, so I take my hat off to them too. uh, for me, I'd have to say Caleb Renfro, uh, senior Swing Man of the Ferndale Eagles, another one of these storybook endings.

Caleb Renfro's career was a four-year starter, but he missed his entire junior season due to injury, he returned this year and was slow from the start. I think there were people who were wondering what kind of season he was going to end up having and how the season progressed, he started, you know, building momentum, uh, and it was a big reason why they went on this run into the championship game. state. I think he had 20 points, 18 points, uh, he looked great, he showed everyone that the injury was behind him and that he could handle it. this team and leading this team forward he cam Reed and Chris Williams were really the straws that stirred the drink for that group and uh, it's only if you had told me in the first week of January that no, that Ferndale was going to make a run, but that Caleb Renfro after that first month where he didn't seem to have 100 healthy people told me that they were going to win the state championship and that Caleb will be the leading scorer in the state championship game.

I don't know if I would have believed it but I would have told you if that happened what a tremendous narrative and something that will be remembered at a school and within a program like Cass Tech with a lot of tradition even though they don't have many state championships or, more recently, any state championship until this year, so have your senior captain be able to go out like that. I think it was a great way to end his career to cap off this state championship for Ferndale and be with that group of cam guys Reed Chris Williams and Caleb that were playing and starting since they were freshmen who spent the entire four years at Ferndale uh with Juan.

I think that was the first full group that happened with him since he came. East English and watch them end up likethey finished is simply, they like the storybook. Renfro should have a piece of the house at Como's, yes, exactly, so everyone will be fine with whatever we have Little Caesars right next door. to his school, then you have to go down another mile before you get to Como. I got that big sandwich place that will possibly kill me and I want you to know that he is one of the five wildest cats you will ever talk to in us. right in the neighborhood but nothing open from 11 to 3. but he talks to everyone, you mean Ernie, yes, yes, Ernie, yes, sponsorship next year, we are looking for you, check it out, yes, culinary tips, There, uh, okay, well.

My history is in Munising, you know, it took 70 years to create this history in 1954, the Mustangs claimed a regional title and a player named Chuck Neville accepted the regional trophy almost 70 years later, his grandson was ready to leave Munising a little further in. In fact, this time around the tournament, back in '54, the Mackinac Bridge hadn't been built yet, so they had to travel by ferry to their playoff games in the lower Peninsula. Well, Chuck was in the stands to see Kate Neville, King Neville, uh, lift the hardware and that's it. what it's about, it's a beautiful thing, you know, and I'll tell you one thing that I really love to see, like the Champions, a lot of them, this is the last game that they're going to play, you know, organized or You know, obviously, they're going to have guys. that they'll still play in college, but you know, the guys that really tried hard, the guys that played for the love of the game, uh, you know, just to see, wow, we did it.

You know and then you have the agony of defeat on the other side, yeah, and I've been there several times, uh, but you know, my heart goes out to you, you know all the contestants, um, in this season, you obviously know the seniors and uh, you know, I take my hat off to you guys, what you've been through, you know if you know if you were freshmen when right before Colvin came out and then the sophomores came in, your years they were cut short because of Kobe, their sophomore year again and then they couldn't play. in front of a lot of guys their junior year and now finally their senior year, you know they were able to do it whether you won or lost, you know you were able to at least have a full season, you were able to have a ton of fans and me. and I think you know this group here, you know they've been through a lot and you know just by watching them come out on the other side, if they're going to touch whatever their endeavors are in the future, whether it's basketball, being a great person in the life, hopefully, you know that's what's important.

High school sports make a correction, she just awakened my memory, intellect, the Ferndale

boys

, they are three years old, they only finished three seasons. So the only seasons that ended made it to the final four. In my mind I said they won a regional. That season, this season was cancelled. That's right, we never know, we didn't know what would happen to that group, so it's even more impressive. that those three that for those three guys Caleb Chris and Cam every season that they finished ended up in Breslin well, I'll tell you what I'm grateful for you guys and for what you do in high school basketball.

I know everyone appreciates all the coverage that you give to the guys and you know all season long and again we love talking about boys basketball here at the state champions, we'll do it again hopefully we have some really exciting things to announce in the future um really exciting stuff, including some events and some stuff like that, so that's the most I can tease because nothing's really been resolved, so if you watch the show later and then say hey, what happened? You don't hear anything well. It didn't work out, but hopefully we can fix things because it's going to be super exciting and again, that's it, we're going to bow to this season, the 2022-2023 boys basketball season again, congratulations to all the state championships.

We had a great time doing this and we'll be happy to come back and talk about all of this one more time very quickly and I didn't even give these guys a clue what I was going to ask them but very quickly who would you say and you have to get yourself out of head who is one of those that you think is the favorite for Mr Basketball next season? Oh, you know what, uh, fat fat Brooks, you know he's got the resume, but I guess the resume is maybe not. It doesn't count anymore but we'll find out uh but I really think big fat Brooks is definitely there and I think you know there are other guys that you know that will obviously make a charge in the junior class.

It's absolutely yes, but we don't have, we're not talking about, yeah, you know, I probably would have left out the big fat guy too because he's the guy who's probably been the highest profile in that class, does the most trips. , deep into the tournament, you know? this, I will discard this name as a sleeper. I mean, I think Warren Marshall, no one talks about him as Mr Basketball, but I think he could have a big year at Rice next year, um, yeah, with a chance to put up some great stats as well. Yeah, we'll see, so stay tuned, we'll talk to you next year, but thanks for watching this year's edition of the State Championships on the state line.

The State Championships at the State Finals are presented by Lawrence Technological University. For more information about the athletic programs offered at ltu, visit l2athletics.com. The state championships at the state finals are also presented by the Michigan High School Athletic Association, which promotes the value and values ​​of educational athletics, the Michigan Army National Guard, a proud sponsor of the mhsaa, the coaches association Michigan basketball team, learn more at vcam.org. Detroit Athletic Club Foundation Men's and Women's Athlete of the Year Awards, who will be this year's award winners, find out live June 5 only on State Champs Sports Network overseas.