2009, March 2: ESPNRISE.com – New York, Michigan clash in semifinals
March 11, 2009
ESPNRISE.com – New York, Michigan clash in semifinals
Monday, March 2, 2009
By Mark Tennis and Doug Huff
Michigan pulled a Great State Debate upset last week, eliminating a Philadelphia-led Pennsylvania squad headed by Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant.
Can the Wolverine State make it two in a row? If it does, No. 5 seed Michigan will need to get past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and top-seed New York in this week's semifinal round.
Michigan's argument that it is more of a statewide basketball power instead of just one city might still fly, since New York is dominated by New York City.
Hall of Famer Earvin "Magic" Johnson of Lansing and current NBA player Jason Richardson of Saginaw are among the all-stars who hail from outside of Detroit helping Michigan's cause.
New York and basketball, meanwhile, go to go together like ice cream and apple pie.
New York City playgrounds alone have produced enough talent to arguably win any Great City Debate. When Abdul-Jabbar was known as Lew Alcindor, he led Power Memorial High to back-to-back unbeaten seasons and a 71-game win streak from 1963-65. Earlier, Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins was the king of the playgrounds in the Big Apple. The list goes on and on.
Voting in this week's semifinal Great State Debate ends on Wednesday night. Next week's semifinals will be between No. 2 Illinois and No. 3 California.
New York's case
New York's all-time best players
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Power Memorial, NYC)
Peekskill's Elton Brand and New York will be a tough match for Michigan.
Kenny Anderson (Archbishop Molloy, Briarwood)
Nate "Tiny" Archibald (DeWitt Clinton, Bronx)
Elton Brand (Peekskill)
Roger Brown (Wingate, Brooklyn)
Bob Cousy (Andrew Jackson, Bronx)
Billy Cunningham (Erasmus Hall, Brooklyn)
Julius Erving (Roosevelt)
Lloyd "World B" Free (Canarsie, Brooklyn)
Connie Hawkins (Boys, Brooklyn)
Mark Jackson (Bishop Laughlin, Brooklyn)*
Bernard King (Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn)
Christian Laettner (Nichols, Buffalo)
Bob Lanier (Bennett, Buffalo)
Felipe Lopez (Rice, New York)
Stephon Marbury (Lincoln, Brooklyn)
Jamal Mashburn (Cardinal Hayes, Bronx)*
Chris Mullen (Xaverian, Brooklyn)
Lamar Odom (Redemption Christian, Troy)
Sam Perkins (Shaker, Latham)
Dolph Schayes (DeWitt Clinton, Bronx)
Kenny Smith (Archbishop Molloy, Briarwood)
Sebastian Telfair (Lincoln, Brooklyn)
Dwayne "Pearl" Washington (Boys & Girls, Brooklyn)
Lenny Wilkins (Boys, Brooklyn)
*Current ESPN NBA analyst.
New York's all-time winningest coaches
(Top 3 active coaches, wins through 2008)
Jonny Flynn stayed in state to play for the Orange.
1. Jack Curran, Archbishop Molloy, Briarwood, 898
2. Ed Petrie, East Hampton, 723
3. Chuck Granby, Jackson/Campus Magnet, New York, 651
New York's all-time best teams
1. Power Memorial, New York, 1964 (30-0)
2. DeWitt Clinton, New York, 1966 (21-0)
3. Power Memorial, New York, 1963 (27-0)
New York's best current NBA players
1. Lamar Odom, L.A. Lakers (Redemption, Troy)
2. Ben Gordon, Chicago (Mt. Vernon)
3. Stephon Marbury, Boston (Lincoln, Brooklyn)
New York's best current college
1. Jonny Flynn, Syracuse (Niagara Falls)
2. Paul Harris, Syracuse (Niagara Falls)
3. Levance Fields, Pittsburgh (Xaverian, Brooklyn)
Michigan's case
Michigan's all-time best players
Shane Battier (Detroit Country Day, Birmingham)
Derrick Coleman (Northern, Detroit)
Mel Daniels (Pershing, Detroit)
Jalen Rose starred in high school and college in Michigan before going on to the pros.
Dave DeBusschere (Austin, Detroit)
George Gervin (Martin Luther King, Detroit)
Spencer Haywood (Pershing, Detroit)
Earvin "Magic" Johnson (Everett, Lansing)
Antoine Joubert (Southwestern, Detroit)
Chris Kaman (Tri-Unity Christian, Wyoming)
Dan Majerle (Traverse City)
Glen Rice (Northwestern, Flint)
Jason Richardson (Arthur Hill, Saginaw)
Jalen Rose (Southwestern, Detroit)
Steve Smith (Pershing, Detroit)
Ralph Simpson (Pershing, Detroit)
Rudy Tomjanovich (Hamtramck)
Chet Walker (Benton Harbor)
Chris Webber (Detroit Country Day, Birmingham)
Michigan's all-time winningest coaches
(Top 3 coaches inactive)
1. Lofton Greene, River Rouge, 739
2. Paul Cook, Eastern, Lansing, 635
3. Bernie Holowicki, Catholic Central, Detroit, 612
Michigan all-time best teams
1. Pershing, Detroit, 1967 (21-1)
2. Southwestern, Detroit, 1991 (27-0)
3. Everett, Lansing, 1977 (27-1)
Michigan's best current NBA players
1. Jason Richardson, Charlotte (Saginaw)
2. Shane Battier, Houston (Detroit Country Day, Birmingham)
3. Chris Kaman, L.A. Clippers (Wyoming)
Michigan's best current college players
1. Kalin Lucas, Michigan State (St. Mary's, Orchard Lake)
2. Manny Harris, Michigan (Redford, Detroit)
3. Durrell Summers, Michigan State (Covenant, Redford)
Mark Tennis is the deputy sports editor for ESPNRISE.com. Doug Huff is a senior editor for ESPNRISE.com.
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Philly and Detroit rep for their states
February 23, 2009 — In basketball terms, Pennsylvania and Michigan are home to two of the top American cities.
Philadelphia and Detroit both have storied hoops histories. So who's better? That's what we here at ESPN RISE wanted to know, as we pitted the Great Lake and Keystone states in the first round of the Great State Debate.
If voters look at it strictly as a Philadelphia versus Detroit matchup, then Michigan would be in big trouble. While Detroit does have a strong basketball tradition, Philly has the clear edge in that comparison. In the Great State Debate, however, the entire spectrum of a state's basketball résumé should be considered. Does the rest of Michigan make up the difference and then some? We'll find out in this No. 4 (Pennsylvania) versus No. 5 (Michigan) battle.
The winner will go up against No. 1 seed New York in the semifinals next week.
The case for Michigan…
Being the home of the NBA's Pistons and an impressive list of local players, Detroit would appear to be the epicenter of Michigan basketball.
On the high school level, however, Michigan basketball is arguably better outside Detroit. You'll find many of the state's most successful programs — Saginaw High, St. Mary's of Orchard Lake, Benton Harbor and Northwestern of Flint — elsewhere.
Lansing is the hometown of Michigan's greatest player, legendary point guard Earvin "Magic" Johnson. Johnson averaged 25.8 points per game throughout his prep career at Everett High School from 1974 through 1977.
Earvin "Magic" Johnson led a 27-1 Everett team to the 1977 Michigan state championship.
Flint and Saginaw have been particularly dominant. Flint is the home of sweet-shooting guard Glen Rice, and Phoenix Suns guard Jason Richardson attended Saginaw's Arthur Hill High.
But Detroit still annually produces a team or two for the national rankings, and its list of elite basketball products is tough to beat.
All-time best Michigan players
Shane Battier (Detroit Country Day, Birmingham)
Derrick Coleman (Northern, Detroit)
Mel Daniels (Pershing, Detroit)
Dave DeBusschere (Austin Catholic, Detroit)
George Gervin (Martin Luther King, Detroit)
Spencer Haywood (Pershing, Detroit)
Earvin "Magic" Johnson (Everett, Lansing)
Antoine Joubert (Southwestern, Detroit)
Chris Kaman (Tri-Unity Christian, Wyoming)
Dan Majerle (Traverse City)
Glen Rice (Northwestern, Flint)
Jason Richardson (Arthur Hill, Saginaw)
Jalen Rose (Southwestern, Detroit)
Steve Smith (Pershing, Detroit)
Ralph Simpson (Pershing, Detroit)
Rudy Tomjanovich (Hammtramck)
Chet Walker (Benton Harbor)
Chris Webber (Detroit Country Day, Beverly Hills)
Top five current Michigan players
(Based on ESPNU Scouts Inc. recruiting rankings)
1. DaShonte Riley (Detroit Country Day) 6-foot-11, senior
2. Donnavan Kirk (Detroit Country Day) 6-8, senior
3. Derrick Nix (Pershing, Detroit) 6-9, senior
4. Ray McCallum (Detroit Country Day) 6-1, junior
5. Trey Ziegler (Mount Pleasant) 6-5, junior
Top current Michigan teams
(Based on ESPN RISE FAB 50)
1. Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills)
2. Pershing (Detroit)
3. Clarkston
4. Southeastern (Detroit)
Click here to see Great State Debate: Michigan Vidoe: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3930127
The case for Pennsylvania…
Why should Pennsylvania basketball be considered in the Great State Debate? Because any state that produces arguably the greatest big man in NBA history as well as one of the league's top current players has to be in the conversation.
Lower Merion retired Kobe Byrant's jersey in 2002.
Wilt Chamberlain was already a hoops legend when he left Overbrook High in Philadelphia in 1955. Four decades later, in the Philadelphia suburb of Ardmore, Kobe Bryant started his career at Lower Merion High School.
Philadelphia alone has produced enough talent to compete with many states, and several prominent names aren't included in the list below because they weren't major players in high school.
"Some of the name players from Philly were late bloomers," veteran prep writer Ted Silary of the Philadelphia Daily News points out. "Earl Monroe was only a one-year starter at Bartram High, and another Hall of Famer, Paul Arizin, was cut all four years at La Salle High before he came on strong at Villanova and with the Philadelphia Warriors. But Philadelphia basketball has still produced enough talent to challenge about any city in the land for bragging rights."
In Western Pennsylvania, players like Maurice Lucas, Dick Groat and Norm Van Lier all gained notoriety in national hoops circles.
And since the quality of talent at the high school level is the key factor in determining our Great State Debate champion, it should be noted that 6-11 Tom McMillen of Mansfield was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a 1970 prep standout.
In some quarters, Pennsylvania is considered a "football state," but there's enough talent — especially in the Philadelphia area — to make a strong case in the Great State Debate for basketball as well.
All-time best Pennsylvania players
Gene Banks (West Philadelphia)
Ernie Beck (West Catholic, Philadelphia)
Sam Bowie (Lebanon)
Michael Brooks (West Catholic, Philadelphia)
Kobe Bryant (Lower Merion, Ardmore)
Larry Cannon (Lincoln, Philadelphia)
Wilt Chamberlain (Overbrook, Philadelphia)
Brad Davis (Monaca)
Dick DeVenzio (Ambridge)
Larry Foust (South Catholic, Philadelphia)
Tom Gola (La Salle, Philadelphia)
Eddie Griffin (Roman Catholic, Philadelphia)
Dick Groat (Swissvale)
Rip Hamilton (Coatesville Area)
Walt Hazzard (Overbrook, Philadelphia)
Don Hennon (Wampum)
Simmie Hill (Lincoln, Midland)
Wally Jones (Overbrook, Philadelphia)
Maurice Lucas (Schenley, Pittsburgh)
Andre McCarter (Overbrook, Philadelphia)
Tom McMillen (Mansfield)
Larry Miller (Catasauqua)
Jameer Nelson (Chester)
Billy Owens (Carlisle)
Guy Rodgers (Northeast, Philadelphia)
Ray Scott (West Philadelphia)
Lionel Simmons (SouthPhiladelphia)
Norm Van Lier (Midland)
Rasheed Wallace (Simon Gratz, Philadelphia)
Dennis Wuycik (Ambridge)
Maalik Wayns is a 2009 McDonald's All-American.
Top five current Pennsylvania players
(Based on ESPNU Scouts Inc. recruiting rankings)
1. Maalik Wayns (Roman Catholic, Philadelphia) 6-0, senior
2. Aaric Murray (Glen Mills School) 6-11, senior
3. Zeke Marshall (McKeesport) 6-11, senior
4. Dalton Pepper (Pennsbury, Fairless Hills) 6-5, senior
5. Tony Chennault (Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia) 6-1, senior
Top current high school teams
(Based on ESPN RISE FAB 50)
1. Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia)
2. Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia)
3. Pennsbury (Fairless Hills)
4. Chester
5. Friends Central (Wynnewood)
By Mark Tennis and Doug Huff
ESPNRISE.com
Mark Tennis is the deputy sports editor for ESPNRISE.com. Doug Huff is a senior editor for ESPNRISE.com.
