Title IX at 50: Edison's Whitehorn named 2022 Miss Basketball

By Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator

March 29, 2022

Detroit Edison senior Ruby Whitehorn was named Michigan's 2022 Miss Basketball Award winner to begin MHSAA Finals week.

Whitehorn, a 6-foot guard, finished her season by scoring 28 points in a Division 2 championship win over Grand Rapids West Catholic. During her senior season, Whitehorn averaged 26 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and four steals per game, and she will continue her career next season at Clemson.

The other three finalists for this year's Miss Basketball Award were Abbey Kimball from Grand Rapids West Catholic, Mya Petticord from Ypsilanti Arbor Prep and Theryn Hallock from Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central.

This was the 41st year of the Miss Basketball Award presented by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan. This award is presented to the state's top senior girls basketball player and selected through a voting process organized and headed by BCAM.

A total of 33 schools have had at least one player named Miss Basketball. The last four recipients of this award were Detroit Edison student-athletes. Edison is the only school to have four players named Miss Basketball.

Only five schools have had two players named Miss Basketball: East Lansing, Grandville, Manistee, Redford Bishop Borgess and Saginaw Nouvel Catholic. The following schools have had one student win the award: Ann Arbor Huron, Benton Harbor, Bloomfield Hills Marian, Central Lake, Crystal Falls Forest Park, Detroit Country Day, Detroit DePorres, Detroit Martin Luther King, Flint Northern, Flint Powers Catholic, Frankfort, Freeland, Goodrich, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, Ionia, Lansing Christian, Leland, Livonia Ladywood, Maple City Glen Lake, Mount Pleasant, Muskegon Mona Shores, Okemos, River Rouge, Saginaw, Salem, St Ignace and St Joseph.

Second Half's weekly Title IX Celebration posts are sponsored by Michigan Army National Guard.

Previous Title IX at 50 Spotlights

March 22: Carney-Nadeau Sets Girls Hoops Standard with 78-Win Streak - Read
March 15: 
Binder Among Voices Telling Our Story on MHSAA Network - Read
March 8: 
28 Years, Thousands of Cheers - Read
March 1: 
Kearsley Rolls On Among Girls Bowling's Early Successes - Read
Feb. 22: Marquette Ties Record for Swim & Dive Finals Success - Read
Feb. 15: Jaeger's 2004 Winter Run Created Lasting Connection - Read
Feb. 8: Marian's Cicerone to Finish Among All-Time Elite - Read
Feb. 1: WISL Award Honors Builders of State's Girls Sports Tradition - Read
Jan. 25: Decades Later, Edwards' Legend Continues to Grow - Read
Jan. 18: Iron Mountain Completes Championship Climb - Read
Jan. 11: Harrold's Achievement Heralds Growth of Girls Wrestling - Read
Dec. 20: Competitive Cheer Gives Michigan Plenty to Cheer About - Read
Dec. 14: 
Evelyn's Game Had Plenty of Magic - Read
Dec. 7: 
Council Term Ends, But Leinaar Leaves Lasting Impact - Read
Nov. 30: 
Basketball Season Ready to Add to Rich Tradition - Read
Nov. 23: 
Marysville Builds Winning Streak Yet to be Challenged - Read
Nov. 16: Wroubel Has Championed Girls School Sports from Their Start - Read
Nov. 9: Pioneer's Joyce Legendary in Michigan, National Swim History - Read
Nov. 2: Royal Oak's Finch Leading Way on Football Field - Read
Oct. 26: Coach Clegg Sets Championship Standard at Grand Blanc - Read
Oct. 19: Rockford Girls Set Pace, Hundreds After Have Continued to Chase - Read
Oct. 12: 
Bedford Volleyball Pioneer Continues Blazing Record-Setting Trail - Read
Oct. 5: 
Warner Paved Way to Legend Status with Record Rounds - Read
Sept. 28: Taylor Kennedy Gymnasts Earn Fame as 1st Champions - Read
Sept. 21: 
Portage Northern Star Byington Becomes Play-by-Play Pioneer - Read
Sept. 14: 
Guerra/Groat Legacy Continues to Serve St. Philip Well - Read
Sept. 7: 
Best-Ever Conversation Must Include Leland's Glass - Read
Aug. 31: We Will Celebrate Many Who Paved the Way - Read

PHOTO Whitehorn is honored during halftime of the Division 3 Girls Basketball Final at the Breslin Student Events Center on March 19, 2022. (MHSAA file photo)

Future Teammates Crow, Kamin to Face Off 1 Last Time

By John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com

March 22, 2021

GLADSTONE — During the past four years, Escanaba’s Nicole Kamin and Gladstone’s Megan Crow have been teammates on the basketball court – except for high school games.

The senior standouts have played on the same travel team since eighth grade and will be teammates at Grand Valley State University next season.

They will be on opposing teams one more time tonight when Escanaba visits Gladstone for a Division 2 District opener at 7 p.m.

“I’d be very happy with that,” Crow said of facing off against Kamin, after Gladstone’s recent 57-40 loss to the Eskymos. “This would be our last time playing against each other. I think it’d be kind of fun.”

This will be the third meeting between the teams this season. The Eskymos also won 64-63 at home Feb. 15.

“When we’re shooting free throws, we sometimes throw a little jab in there,” said Kamin. “We have fun, although we get pretty intense when we have to. Once Meg gets the ball inside, there’s no stopping her. I’m not one who should be guarding a post player, but I have to do it. I try to keep the ball from getting to her. This will be the last time we play as opponents, which will be a relief because we won't have to play against each other anymore.”

Crow is aware of the challenges Kamin provides for opposing teams.

Escanaba/Gladstone girls basketball 2"I don’t guard Nicole, but once she gets past the free throw line, you need help right away,” she said. “She’s hard to defend. Her penetration makes it very challenging.”

Both joined the 1,000-point club recently. Kamin scored her 1,000th career point in this season’s first meeting between the teams, and Crow reached a thousand in a 59-36 triumph over Manistique at home March 11.

Kamin usually plays guard, but was the team's center in a 60-47 victory at Bark River-Harris on Friday. She averages 24 points and nine rebounds a game and figures to be more of a forward at Grand Valley.

Crow recorded a triple-double (16 points, 18 rebounds and 12 blocked shots) in the Braves' 43-24 regular season-ending victory at Marquette on Wednesday.

She expects to be a post player for the Lakers.

"That will be very exciting," said Crow. "Nicole makes good passes, and I make good kick-outs. Playing at the post would give me more freedom. I would be able to post up more and drive to the basket."

Kamin, like Crow, knows she has some work to do prior to her collegiate career.

"I'm more of a driver," she said. "I need to work on my shooting a little."

Kamin scored 21 points in Thursday's 71-27 rout of Kingsford, then often distributed the ball and hit 14 at BR-H.

Esky finished its regular season at 10-4 and Gladstone is 8-5 going into the postseason.

Both like to go to the Northern Lights YMCA in Escanaba and play ball with other girls.

"I also like to work out at home and go to the shooting range in my spare time," said Crow.

Kamin played on two Division 2 championship softball teams at Escanaba before last season was cancelled due to COVID-19. She was a back-up pitcher to current University of Wisconsin hurler Gabi Salo, but figures to play first base for the Eskymos this spring.

John Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.

PHOTOS: (Top) Gladstone’s Megan Crow and Escanaba’s Nicole Kamin both have been standouts in the Great Northern Conference and will be teammates at the collegiate level. (Middle) Kamin and Crow face off last season. (Photos courtesy of the Escanaba Daily Press.)