Bingham's Game Grows with Size, Skills
December 20, 2017
By Dean Holzwarth
Special for Second Half
GRAND RAPIDS – Standing 6-foot-10, Grand Rapids Catholic Central’s Marcus Bingham, Jr., has a rare combination of size, length and skill.
However, another asset in his overall game has come to the surface during the early weeks of this season.
“He’s leading our team in 3-point percentage,” Catholic Central coach TJ Meerman said.
For Bingham, who has averaged 27 points and 16 rebounds during the Cougars’ 3-0 start, the improved range has come through his time in the gym.
“It all ties in with the work I’ve put in on my shot,” Bingham said. “And I’m just going to keep getting better and better, so why not? I can shoot, so why not use it, and Coach likes it when I shoot it.”
Meerman has no qualms about Bingham hoisting up 3-pointers, especially when he makes the commitment away from practice.
“He loves to be in the gym, and on our days off he’s still in the gym working on his handles, working on his shot,” Meerman said. “You don’t get to shoot it that well without putting in a lot of time outside of practice time, and he does that. It’s exciting for me, and it’s exciting I’m sure for Coach (Tom) Izzo and the Michigan State staff as well.”
Bingham, who recently signed with the Spartans, also possesses abilities that sets him apart from other high school players.
“He handles it well, he passes well and then he has a seven-foot reach to go with that height,” Meerman said. “With his skill and length, he’s capable of doing things that not a lot of people can do in basketball.”
It’s been an incredible rise. Bingham didn’t play high school basketball at all as a freshman. He played only half a season last year after transferring to Catholic Central, but averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds per game. That was followed by a successful AAU season, and the Division I college offers began rolling in.
A growth spurt didn’t hurt either. He sprouted up eight inches over the past two years.
“I’ve grown, but I’ve also gotten a lot stronger and bigger,” Bingham said. “I’ve just been working, and being bigger I can do things easier. It has been a blessing.”
Meerman has seen a big difference in Bingham from a year ago, and admitted that the end of a frenzied recruiting process also has helped.
“I think he’s more comfortable playing structured basketball,” Meerman said. “He hadn’t played a lot of basketball in his life outside of his sophomore year, and the distraction with the mass recruiting wave that came his way toward the end of the season is gone. It has been a nice relief for him to just focus on school and ball.”
Bingham also added 12 pounds of muscle to his frame.
“He has a ways to go with that, but you can see the difference in his play and with his pace of play,” Meerman said. “He’s understanding the system and the way we want to play, and becoming a senior he understands he has to play at a higher level that he did last year.”
The Cougars claimed conference and District titles a year ago, but are striving for more with a talented nucleus surrounding Bingham.
Senior Jacob Polakovich, along with junior guards Austin Braun and Darrell Belcher, and sophomore guard Devon Boyd are main contributors, too.
“We have a great group of guys, and they like to share the ball,” Meerman said. “I like how dynamic we are, and we have good guard play and very good bigs.”
Catholic Central recorded 25 assists in its season-opening win over Detroit Country Day – a positive early sign.
“We’ve been playing good and sharing the ball more than we did last year,” Bingham said. “We’re just working hard as a team to do what we have to do to get wins.”
Meerman scheduled an early-season gauntlet of the top teams to help measure where the Cougars stand.
Three of their first five games included or will include teams that competed in last year’s MHSAA Finals, and the first two were on the road. Catholic Central downed reigning Class A runner-up Grand Rapids Christian 73-49 on Dec. 12, reigning Class C runner-up Grand Rapids Covenant Christian 62-58 on Friday, and hosts reigning Class B runner-up Ludington on Dec. 29 as part of its invitational.
“We wanted to find out right away who we are and what we need to work on,” Meerman said. “That’s what we’re working on right now, and we have our last early test on the road against one of the best teams in the state.”
Catholic Central will travel to Wyoming Godwin Heights tonight for a highly-anticipated showdown between elite teams.
The undefeated Wolverines feature Division I recruits Lamar Norman and Markeese Hastings.
Tickets sold out Monday afternoon.
“It’s going to be exciting to be a part of that, and gyms don’t sell out like that unless players have put in a lot of time in the gym,” Meerman said. “It’s an opportunity for us to compete against the best and see where we’re at, and it’s going to be fun. It will be a game and crowd they will remember their whole lives.”
Bingham is looking forward to matching skills against Hastings, who has committed to Butler, and Norman, who recently reopened his recruitment after previously committing to Texas-El Paso.
“I’m really excited just knowing that everyone is going to be there to see Catholic Central and Godwin play,” he said. “Godwin is a good team, and we’re just going to go out and fight and do what we have to do to win.”
Dean Holzwarth covered primarily high school sports for the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years and more recently served as sports editor of the Ionia Sentinel and as a sports photojournalist for WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Grand Rapids Catholic Central's Marcus Bingham (30) defends in the post against Spring Lake last season. (Top photo courtesy of the Grand Haven Tribune; middle photo courtesy of the Grand Rapids Catholic Central boys basketball program.)
Niles Boys Hoops Able to Lay Low - for Now - but Climbing Toward Contention
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
February 27, 2024
NILES – Niles isn’t a school you will hear mentioned in conversations about the best boys basketball teams in Michigan.
But Niles head coach Myles Busby, his coaching staff and players prefer living in obscurity on the hardwood. Being an unknown could prove beneficial for Niles at this week's Division 2 District Tournament at Edwardsburg.
Niles is in arguably one of the state's toughest Districts with top-seeded and statewide No. 2-ranked Benton Harbor (20-1) sitting on the other side of the bracket. The Tigers and Vikings are on a collision course to meet in Friday's Final.
The Vikings are fresh off of winning their first Wolverine Conference title since joining the league with the 2021-22 school year. Busby was a sophomore in 2010 the last time Niles (13-1 Wolverine Conference, 17-5 overall) won a league title in the sport, as part of the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference.
Two of the Vikings' five losses this winter came to Lakeland Conference co-champs Benton Harbor (47-45) and Niles Brandywine (56-43). Niles' other three losses came to South Bend Clay, Ind. (64-57) and Lansing Everett (53-40). The Everett game was part of the Love and Basketball Showcase hosted by Kalamazoo Loy Norrix on Feb. 3.
Second-place Otsego (60-49) handed Niles its only conference defeat Feb. 2, avenging an earlier-season loss on the Vikings' home floor (62-52).
Busby said his team's 49-41 win over Chicago North Lawndale Charter (Ill.) – on Dec. 16 in the Tri-State Holiday Classic at Southwestern Michigan College in Dowagiac – helped serve as a momentum builder for the remainder of the season.
Following a nine-game winning streak, Niles suffered back-to-back losses to Otsego and Everett before winning four out of its last five contests.
"In between these walls (our school gym) and when we're on the floor, we know how good we can be. We have the best coaching staff in the area. We know our guys put in a lot of work,” Busby said. “For us, it's just challenging our team to work incredibly hard every single day because that's not common and we don't want to be common. You must do the things other teams aren't doing.
"We have several new pieces this year with a lot of young guys. Now we have to focus on hitting our stride at the right time. Those two straight losses helped us get refocused. We don't care about what everyone else thinks about us. No one talks about Niles in the preseason rankings, and that's fine. We try to use that as fuel and strive for more."
Niles is led by senior point guard and three-year varsity letter winner Mike Phillips Jr. Phillips averages 20 points, three assists and four rebounds per game.
"We just try and take things one step at a time. Our goals after winning conference are to win Districts and make a long run in the postseason," Phillips said. "Our seniors strive to lift everyone up. We just need to pick one another up every day when someone gets down on themself. This team is viewed as the underdog by a lot of people. We use that as our motivation. It's important to focus on the mental part of the game each day."
Phillips, who has received interest from college programs at various levels, is shooting 50 percent from the floor, including 43 percent from behind the 3-point arc.
"Every one of our seniors and other players on the team have really bought into fulfilling their individual roles. It helps when you have one of the best players in the area like Mike," Busby said.
Sophomore Brayden Favors, son of varsity assistant head coach Desmond Favors, handles the other guard spot.
"Brayden has a ton of potential. He's not even close to growing into the player he'll be two years from now as a senior,” Busby said. “He really worked hard on his shooting last summer. This summer we will work on building up his strength. He's a well-rounded player who likes to defend.”
Brayden Favors, who lettered on the varsity as a freshman, averages 12.5 points, three assists and four rebounds per game and is shooting 52 percent from the field.
Senior forward Ethan Chambliss is averaging a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, along with two blocked shots. He is shooting 64 percent from the floor for the Vikings.
"Ethan is a great kid who does well academically. On the court, he has a big heart and takes a beating every night. He's not the biggest guy on the floor, but does all the dirty stuff inside for us," Busby noted.
Sophomore wing Brenden Olsen is another key player. He averages nine points and five boards and is shooting 54 percent from the floor. Busby noted that sophomore Acie Kirtdoll is the future point guard and leader, and senior forward Darris Johnson, III, along with 6-foot-7 freshman post player Donovyn Williams also play vital roles. The final senior on Niles' roster is wing Logan Olsen, who Busby noted for his hustle plays.
"The best kind of teams are led by their players and not the coaches. This is a player-led team, but you have to demand excellence,” Busby said. “This group has done a great job of rallying around one another when someone isn't playing very well and has instilled confidence in each other."
Busby and Desmond Favors both come from families with strong basketball traditions.
Myles' father Mike Busby, also one of the Vikings' current assistant coaches, and his uncle Gerald Busby played on Buchanan's Class C championship team in 1976. Gerald Busby would lead the Bucks to another title two years later as a senior in 1978. James Busby, another uncle, played on Buchanan's 1985 District title squad.
After Niles won its District in Myles Busby's senior season, 2011-12, the Vikings experienced an 11-year drought before capturing the 2023 District crown. That run included an upset of Benton Harbor in the District Semifinal, 65-61.
Grand Rapids South Christian, the eventual Division 2 runner-up, then defeated Niles 72-33 in a Regional Semifinal at Vicksburg.
"When I was in school, we always had to beat Kalamazoo Central to get out of Districts. They always beat us and were usually ranked No. 1 in the state coming into the tournament. It took us four years to finally win a District beating Kalamazoo Central, Mattawan and Kalamazoo Loy Norrix," Myles Busby recalled.
After graduating from Niles, Myles played two years at Mott Community College under Hall of Fame coach Steve Schmidt before transferring to Urbana University, a Division II school in Ohio. He finished his college career at Chadron State College in Nebraska.
Busby returned to his roots serving as a varsity assistant for Niles during the 2019-20 season. He became interim head coach late in the 2020-21 campaign before being awarded the position permanently before the following winter.
"Taking over the program was a tough decision. I had never intended on coming back to Niles, but I wanted to help revive the program and keep the improvement trend going upward," Busby said. "There's no secret recipe after you put your coaching staff together. Once you get kids in your program who are good leaders with great character, you just have to keep working hard each day. It's those traits that we feel are a big key so far to our success. It's not always about how much talent you have."
Busby believes things started heading in a positive direction after his 2022-23 ballclub began the season 2-4. The Vikings were then 6-9 into the beginning of February but finished 15-11.
"At that point, I think we won nine out of our last 10 games and managed to find our rhythm in time to win our District," Myles Busby said.
Niles has enjoyed past success, including reaching the 2000 Class B Semifinals before losing to Orchard Lake St. Mary's. Current Niles athletic director Matt Brawley was a standout senior post player on that Vikings' squad.
Desmond Favors came to Niles from Detroit his sophomore year of high school and began playing for the Vikings his junior year, 2000-01.
"We won Districts my junior year and lost to Grand Rapids South Christian in the state Quarterfinals my senior season," said Favors, who also played collegiately for Lake Michigan College, Northwood University and Indiana University-South Bend – at IUSB for current Notre Dame head coach Micah Schrewsberry.
Favors was an assistant for the Vikings during Busby’s senior season. "I've known Myles for over 20 years, and we're just very familiar with one another. We're always bouncing ideas around and talking basketball," Favors said.
He enjoys being a part of the coaching staff especially with his son Brayden moving through the program now.
"Initially Brayden was a baseball player. He started working on his game the summer between his eighth and ninth grade year. As a freshman he got put up on varsity and did pretty well,” Desmond Favors said. “He spent a lot of time this past offseason working on ballhandling and making plays. For me, it’s fun watching him.”
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Niles senior forward Ethan Chambliss (23) scores inside against Three Rivers. (2) Niles players and coaches hold up the 2024 Wolverine Conference championship banner after defeating Plainwell last week. (3) From left: Niles assistant boys basketball coach Desmond Favors, Brayden Favors, Mike Phillips Jr., and head coach Myles Busby. (4) Phillips Jr. attempts a 3-pointer this season. (Top photo coach/player photo by Scott Hassinger; banner photo courtesy of the Niles athletic department. Phillips action shot by Jeff Douglas/Leader Publications.)