FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 14, 2009
Contact: John Johnson or Andy Frushour
517.332.5046 or www.mhsaa.com
EAST LANSING, Mich. –April 14 – The inaugural Reaching Higher Experiences, involving nearly 200 high school basketball players with aspirations to play the game collegiately, will take place on Sunday (April 19) for girls at South Lyon High School, and on April 26 for boys at Brighton High School.
An educational effort by the Michigan High School Athletic Association and the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan, the Reaching Higher Experience will have classroom sessions for student-athletes and their parents; as well as on-court drills, testing and scrimmaging for the players to give them a vision for what it takes to become a college basketball player and also succeed in college life. College basketball coaches will be in attendance at these sessions.
Participants in the program were selected by a committee of BCAM members. The process began in December when local school coaches submitted nominations to the selection committee member in their BCAM region. During February and March, the field was narrowed to identify the top 100 underclass players in the state in each gender.
Selected to participate in this Sunday’s Reaching Higher Experience for girls are (As of 4/6/09):
Katy Barkley, Olivet
Brooke Borowski, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
Jammie Botruff, Gladstone
TeAsia Bradshaw, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills
Ana Capotosto, Saugatuck
Monica Confer, New Lothrop
Cory DeLamielleure, Warren Regina
Marissa DeMott, Sandusky
Emily Ellison, Traverse City West
Nicole Elmblad, St. Ignace
Emily England, Goodrich
Stephanie Fisher, Johannesburg-Lewiston
Becca Freybler, Battle Creek St. Philip
Cyesha Goree, Wyoming Rogers
Megan Grimes, Richland Gull Lake
Shellis Hampton, Grand Rapids Catholic Central
Courtney Harrison, South Lyon
Nicole Heim, Almont
Hannah Heneveld, Zeeland East
Abbey Hengesbach, Pewamo-Westphalia
JaBria Hill, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills
Emma Holmi, Lansing Waverly
Lauren Houtman, Zeeland East
Grace Howrigon, Plainwell
Ondrea Hughes, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix
Jessica Jarema, Midland
DeVonyea Johnson, Ann Arbor Huron
Caroline Johnson, Novi
Kelsey Jones, Reed City
Danielle Kapustka, Grand Rapids Northview
Denay Kelley, Detroit Denby
Lexi Kelly, Holt
Meredith Klein, Grand Rapids West Catholic
Katie Knudsen, Traverse City Central
Jade Ledy, Marquette
Stephanie Lock, White Lake Lakeland
Jennifer Lofts, Plainwell
Torie Lowe, Dowagiac
Taylor Maas, Stevensville Lakeshore
Dominique Mahone, Detroit Denby
Marisa Marx, Warren Woods-Tower
Kelsey Masserant, Novi
Sylvia Maxwell, Lansing Eastern
Lindsay McCarty, Grand Rapids Catholic Central
Rachel Melcher, Birmingham Marian
Cara Miller, Livonia Ladywood
Allie Nave, Onaway
Ashli Pearson, Bloomfield Hills Roeper
Jessica Peatross, Holt
Annalise Pickrel, Grand Rapids Catholic Central
Jaelynn Pryor, Jackson
Rosanna Reynolds, Dearborn Divine Child
Sierra Riker, Portland
Madison Ristovski, Grosse Pointe Woods Univ. Liggett
Lauren Robak, Waterford Our Lady
Alicia Romano, Marquette
Kari Schmitt, Canton
Sara Schmitt, Canton
Chelsi Scott, Portland
Molly Sleeman, Otsego
Shanell Smith, Bangor
Sarah Spring, Brighton
Chloe Srebernak, Grosse Pointe South
Carlay Stahl, Harrison Township L'Anse Creuse
Kaitlin Susan, Byron Center
Sarah Susan, Byron Center
Alexis Taylor, New Haven
Allie Theut, Marine City Cardinal Mooney
Sarah Theut, Marine City Cardinal Mooney
Nicci Thomas, Whitehall
Davi'elle Thomas, Saginaw Heritage
Raven Trammell, Holland West Ottawa
Sarah Trieweiller, Portland
Kirstin Tripp, Brighton
Morgan Warfield, Camden-Frontier
Bri Woycehoski, Harbor Beach
Selected to participate in the boys Reaching Higher Experience on April 26 are (as of 4/6/09):
C.J. Adams, Napoleon
Anthony Adams, Pontiac Northern
Aaron Adams, Spring Lake
Kyle Aho, Gwinn
Christopher Anderson, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer
Dwaune Anderson, Suttons Bay
Alex Archambeau, Eaton Rapids
Joey Asbury, Warren Mott
Mitch Asmus, Okemos
Stone Beckwith, Beal City
Joe Blanchett, Owosso
Wade Brodock, Homer
Carleton Brundidge, Southfield
Dominez Burnett, Flint Hamady
London Burris, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian
Myles Busby, Niles
Grant Carey, Roscommon
Alex Cavazos, Royal Oak Shrine
Dan Chilcote, Jackson Lumen Christi
Trevor Closs, Cheboygan
Brandon Crane, Midland
Cole Darling, Holt
Derrick Davis Jr., Bridgeport
David Garner, Niles
John Gaston, Detroit-Douglas
Brandon Gouch, Roseville
Kevin Grant, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills
Marquise Graves, Westland John Glenn
Darvin Ham Jr., Bridgeport
Nick Hancock, Cheboygan
Michael Hankinson, Spring lake
Javin Hardley, Grand Rapids Christian
Tony Harris, Auburn Hills Avondale
LaDontae Henton, Lansing Eastern
Joshua Herbeck, Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard
Taylor Herin, Shelby
Daniel Hill, Wayne Memorial
Cameron Holicki, Coldwater
Lucas Holt, Spring Lake
Lance Hopkins, Holly
Jeff Hoskins, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix
Weston Hudson, Wayland Union
Deonte Hudson, Muskegon Heights
Devon Ivy, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills
Donlunto Jackson, Holt
Roy Jackson Jr., Flint Hamady
Andrew Jaroche, Cedarville
Tim Jensen, Manistee
Joey Jerisk, Burton Bentley
DeMarquise Johnson, Auburn Hills Avondale
Brandon Jordan, Taylor Kennedy
Dietrich Lever, Canton
Tom Lovachis, Stockbridge
Patrick Lucas-Perry, Flint Powers Catholic
A.J. Mathew, Ann Arbor Huron
Mack McKearney, Okemos
Tyler Miller, Battle Creek Lakeview
Gerrit Mortenson, St. Ignace
Julius Moss, Traverse City West
Justin Moss, Plymouth
Sultan Muhammad, Grand Rapids Catholic Central
Patrick O'Brien, Flint Powers Catholic
Devin Oliver, Kalamazoo Central
Doug Oosterhart, Marshall
Samer Ozeir, Novi
Richard Pack, Birmingham Seaholm
Andrew Patrick, Goodrich
Corey Petros, Utica Eisenhower
Chene Phillips, Detroit Renaissance
Jake Plite, Sparta
Jullian Plummer, Muskegon Heights
Zach Porritt, Haslett
Matt Pouches, Hartland
Blake Rankin, Charlotte
Dylan Roe, Traverse City Central
Ryan Sabin, Byron Center
Joshua Saldana, Concord
Cameron Sanchez, Lansing Eastern
Andrew Scarton, Flat Rock
Travis Schuba, Kalkaska
Austin Semple, Zeeland West
Ian Sheldon, Traverse City St. Francis
Jake Silas, Portland
Cory Starkey, Petoskey
Michael Talley III, Melvindale Academy for Business & Tech
A.J. Thomas, Saginaw Heritage
Ryan Thomas, Romeo
Jamil Thornton, Muskegon Heights
Shane Tiemeyer, Zeeland West
Brock Vander Klay, Wyoming Park
Kyle Vinales, North Farmington
Cole Walderzak, Standish-Sterling
Zach Wedesky, Fowlerville
Colin Wedesky, South Lyon
Kevin Weisz, Canton
Keenan Wetzel, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central
Shannon Williams, Detroit Cass Tech
Marcus Williams, Romulus
Traye Williams, Roseville
Darius Wilson, Flint International Academy
Admission to observe the on-court drills, testing and scrimmaging – which begins at 11 a.m. – is $5. The program will conclude at about 5:30 p.m. A complete schedule of activities, plus maps to the venues, can be found on the Boys and Girls Basketball pages of the MHSAA Website.
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by over 1,600 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract approximately 1.6 million spectators each year.