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MIDWEST RECRUITING: Burney’s midseason Michigan basketball notebook — commitments, offers, records fall
Coloma’s ace gunner, senior floor general, Zach Goodline, recently committed to Huntington University, an NAIA program in Indiana. Goodline is a bulldog out of the backcourt, pouring in 30 points per game for Division 2 Coloma and nearing the 2,000 mark for his career.
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Madison Heights Madison’s Austin Brown (pictured), maybe the best three-sport athlete in Metro Detroit, has committed to play football at Grand Valley State. Brown (6-foot-1, 180 pounds) was one of the state’s most prolific quarterbacks the last few years, this past season leading Madison into the Division 7 state finals (61 total TDs, 2,400 yards passing, 1,950 yards rushing). He was previously committed to play Division I college baseball for Marshall. Right now, Brown is balling out on the hardwood as the star point guard on the 13-1 Eagles hoop squad.
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Detroit Edison senior wing Brian Taylor is without question the most underappreciated superstar cager in Motown. Taylor helped take Edison to a Class C state title as a junior in 2018, but he is often overlooked when the discussion of who the best player in the PSL jumps off in rec centers and barber shops throughout the city. An efficient and high-energy forward, my man B-REAL Taylor has DI scholarship offers from U-D Mercy, Stoney Brook, Canisius and Arkansas-Little Rock. He’s averaging 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists per night this winter and his recruiting stock continues to quietly rise.
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Two of Oakland County’s premier post prospects, North Farmington 6-foot-9 senior center Yusuf Jihad and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 6-foot-8 sophomore power forward Pete Nwoke, picked up offers from Oakland University recently. The OU offer served as both Jihad and Nwoke’s first college bid.
Jihad, the most improved player in the OAA and possibly has the highest upside of any big fella prospect in the senior class, accepted the offer and committed to the Grizzlies last week.
After not starting as a junior, he’s putting up 17 points and 10 rebounds per outing in 2019. He recently had the most productive game of his career, recording a monster double-double of 34 points and 14 boards in a Raiders’ dub on the road vs. OAA Red rival West Bloomfield.
Eighteen months removed from landing in the U.S. from Nigeria, Nwoke is raw, an unpolished ruby just beginning to realize he’s natural potential as a rugged rim protector.
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Mr. Basketball favorite Romeo Weems from New Haven became the Rockets all-time scoring king earlier this month, surpassing 1970s era all-stater Eli Sims’ 1,840 career points. The DePaul-bound Weems, the top swingman in the state and a threat to go off for a gaudy triple double every time he steps on the floor (29 ppg, 12 rpg, 6 apg) currently sits at 1,955 entering the final week of January. Weems has led New Haven to back-to-back Class B final fours and the Rockets took home a state championship in 2017 during Weems’ sophomore campaign. Sims was a first-team all-state pick in 1971 before going on to play in the Pac10 at Washington State.
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Woodhaven senior guard Josh Warren, the best player Downriver, broke his school’s scoring record this month as well.
B. Artis White became the second Canton player to surpass the 1,000-point plateau when he did it earlier this week.
Joe Moon broke Nick Daniels’ Westland John Glenn career scoring mark of 1,170 points with 22 points in a win over Wayne Memorial this week.
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River Rouge is by far the most dapper boys cage crew in the D. The Panthers attend road games decked out in maroon-colored blazers and bow ties. Fresh 2 Death 24/7 … nice!!
