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Unified Basketball On MHSAA TV
January 30, 2018
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
The efforts of MHSAA member schools to promote participation opportunities with the Michigan Special Olympics will get live video coverage this week as part of more than 80 events on MHSAA.tv being produced by participants in the School Broadcast Program.
The Kensington Lakes Activities Association is in the midst of several weeks of events where a number of its member schools are conducting Unified Basketball games, including a Tuesday (Jan. 30) contest with Novi hosting Brighton at 5:30 p.m. in a game being covered by Pixellot.
Project Unified puts special education students on the court, participating in concert with their general education peers. Lineups must consist of three unified student athletes and two unified student partners on the floor at all times.
The Unified game is one of several basketball games between Novi and Brighton on Tuesday, beginning at 4 p.m., and culminating with the varsity contest about 7:30 p.m. To help promote the Unified event, all of the games on MHSAA.tv originating from Novi will be free.
The schedule over the upcoming week also features a potential battle of unbeatens in the Copper Mountain Conference. Next Tuesday (Feb. 6), Ewen-Trout Creek (15-0), the second-ranked team in Class D, will play at sixth-ranked Dollar Bay (10-0). E-TC leads the Porcupine Mountain division, and Dollar Bay sits atop the Copper division. On Saturday (Feb. 3), the KLAA Competitive Cheer Tournament will be streamed live from Novi High School.
Of the 83 games on this week’s schedule, 49 at the varsity level will be covered, with more to be added as the week progresses. Fifty-six of the games will be produced by schools using Pixellot, the NFHS Network’s automated coverage solution. Be sure to check Upcoming Events on the MHSAA.tv home page daily for last-minute additions.
In its ninth year, the School Broadcast Program gives members an opportunity to showcase excellence in their schools by creating video programming of athletic and non-athletic events, with students gaining skills in announcing, camera operation, directing/producing and graphics. Pixellot is used by schools wishing to live stream games, but lacking the ability to staff the events. The program also gives schools the opportunity to raise money through advertising and viewing subscriptions.
Here’s this week’s MHSAA.tv schedule of video streams being produced by SBP members:
Monday – January 29, 2018
- JV Boys Basketball – Bessemer at Dollar Bay – 5:45 p.m.
- Boys Basketball – Bessemer at Dollar Bay – 5:45 p.m.
Tuesday - January 30
- JV Boys Basketball - Brighton at Novi - 4 p.m.
- Freshman Girls Basketball - Cedar Springs at Fremont - 4 p.m.
- Freshman Boys Basketball - Hopkins at Plainwell - 4:15 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Clawson at Macomb Lutheran North - 4:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Whitehall at Fremont - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Fruitport at Comstock Park - 5:30 p.m.
- Unified Coed Basketball - Brighton at Novi - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Hopkins at Plainwell - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Copper Country Christian at Dollar Bay - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Au Gres-Sims at Rogers City - 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Clawson at Macomb Lutheran North - 6 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Au Gres-Sims at Rogers City - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Stockbridge at Fowlerville - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Brighton at Novi - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Fruitport at Comstock Park - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Fowlerville at Stockbridge - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Tawas Area at Alpena - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Royal Oak at Lake Orion - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Hopkins at Plainwell - 7:15 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Watersmeet at Dollar Bay - 7:15 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Dearborn Divine Child at Macomb Lutheran North - 7:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Whitehall at Fremont - 7:30 p.m.
- Freshman Boys Basketball - Clare at Harrison - 4:30 p.m.
- Wrestling - Reed City at Fremont - 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday - January 31
- JV Boys Basketball - Clare at Harrison - 6 p.m.
- Wrestling – Standish-Sterling at Freeland - 6 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Clare at Harrison - 7:30 p.m.
Thursday - February 1
- Freshman Boys Basketball - Burton Atherton at Otisville LakeVille - 4 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Northville at Novi - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Burton Atherton at Otisville LakeVille - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Grand Rapids West Catholic at Comstock Park - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Gladwin at Harrison - 6 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Northville at Novi - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Watersmeet at Dollar Bay - 7 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Burton Atherton at Otisville LakeVille - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Gladwin at Harrison - 7:30 p.m.
Friday - February 2
- Ice Hockey – Houghton v. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood @ MIHL Showcase - 4 p.m.
- Freshman Girls Basketball - Big Rapids at Fremont - 4:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Baraga at Dollar Bay - 5:45 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Chesaning at Freeland - 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Fowlerville at Portland - 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Grand Rapids West Catholic at Comstock Park - 6 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Oscoda at Rogers City - 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Reed City at Fremont - 6 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Oscoda at Rogers City - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Baraga at Dollar Bay - 7:15 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Fowlerville at Portland - 7:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Chesaning at Freeland - 7:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Grand Rapids West Catholic at Comstock Park - 7:30 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Reed City at Fremont - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday - February 3
- Cheerleading – KLAA Conference Meet at Novi - 11 a.m.
- Girls Basketball - Carson City-Crystal at Vestaburg - 1 p.m.
- Ice Hockey – Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern-Eastern v. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood @ MIHL Showcase - 3:10 p.m.
Monday - February 5
- Freshman Boys Basketball - Riverview Gabriel Richard at Macomb Lutheran North - 4 p.m.
- Freshman Boys Basketball - Alma at Freeland - 4:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Hancock at Dollar Bay - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Lake Linden-Hubbell at Calumet - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Alma at Freeland - 6 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Lincoln Alcona at Rogers City - 6 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Lincoln Alcona at Rogers City - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Lake Linden-Hubbell at Calumet - 7:15 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Hancock at Dollar Bay - 7:20 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Alma at Freeland - 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday - February 6
- Freshman Boys Basketball - Edwardsburg at Plainwell - 4:15 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Saline at Novi - 5:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Genesee Christian at Montrose - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Grand Rapids Catholic Central at Comstock Park - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Vassar at Otisville LakeVille - 5:30 p.m.
- JV Girls Basketball - Negaunee at Calumet - 5:45 p.m.
- JV Boys Basketball - Edwardsburg at Plainwell - 5:45 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Ann Arbor Pioneer at Fowlerville - 6:59 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Genesee Christian at Montrose - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Vassar at Otisville LakeVille - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Saline at Novi - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Rochester Adams at Lake Orion - 7 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Grand Rapids Catholic Central at Comstock Park - 7 p.m.
- Girls Basketball - Negaunee at Calumet - 7:15 p.m. Negaunee #4
- Boys Basketball - Edwardsburg at Plainwell - 7:15 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Ewen-Trout Creek at Dollar Bay - 7:15 p.m.
- Boys Basketball - Republic-Michigamme at Lake Linden Hubbell - 7:20 p.m.
Wednesday - February 7
NFHS Network subscriptions begin at $9.95 a month. Subscribers will have access to all live video and streaming statistics across the country. All content becomes available for free, on- demand viewing 72 hours after being shown live. School Broadcast Program participants will also be selling Season and Annual Passes at a discounted rate. A portion of every subscription sold by a school goes to benefit its program.
A complete list of participating schools can be found on the School Broadcast Program page of the MHSAA website.
Highlights of games produced in the past week by MHSAA School Broadcast Program members feature the following events:
- Boys Basketball – East Lansing 56, Jackson 48
- Ice Hockey – Kingsford 4, Marquette 3
Highlights can be found each week on the MHSAA.tv website, the home page of the MHSAA Website, and the MHSAASports Channel on YouTube.
1975 Class D Football Film Finds Way Back to MHSAA for All to Enjoy Again
By
John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director emeritus
April 11, 2023
Chasing history was one of the most enjoyable parts of serving at the MHSAA for nearly 34 years. Researching information, but especially what I considered for a long time to be talking to the “old guys” (now I’m one of them) and soaking up their verbal histories of our games.
It also involved chasing down old photos, broadcasts and game films – especially those which preceded our more modern video era beginning in the 1990s.
When I arrived at the MHSAA in 1987, there was a shelf of old 16mm film canisters of an assortment of Boys Basketball Finals from the 1950s to the 70s – certainly not a complete set. The Association would shoot some game action from each quarter and the trophy presentations. They’d be sent out to the participating schools to show to the students (I remember watching a Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart game in 1967 when I was in fifth grade). Some would find their way back to the office – most would not.
Will Robinson, the legendary Detroit Public School League coach who led Pershing High School to the league’s first MHSAA titles (in 1967 and 1970) after a district-imposed hiatus from 1931-61 from statewide tournaments, would pull my chain every time we saw each other about those games featuring Spencer Haywood and Ralph Simpson, among others. We never found them.
So it became a project to try and track down as many old game films of state championships as we could.
Any conversation with someone with a history tone always included a question about the whereabouts of a game film or video. One of those recently bore fruit.
When Crystal Falls Forest Park played in the 8-Player Football Finals at the Superior Dome in Marquette back in 2017, I spent a lot of time talking with living legend Bill Santilli, who led the Trojans to the Class D crown in the very first year of the tournament in 1975, and who would later coach the school to a second state title (2007) and serve as athletic director. He said he had a box on his desk collecting dust that he didn’t know what to do with – that box contained an old video tape from that game.
I uttered four little words – “Send It To Me.”
After a while the tape arrived in East Lansing, and I got our video production friends at When We Were Young Productions/Rush Media in Wisconsin on it. This winter, they found someone who could convert it and sent me a file that was recently posted to the MHSAASPORTS Channel on YouTube. You can watch the Trojans play Flint Holy Rosary by Clicking Here or watching above.
There are all kinds of old game films/videos and artifacts in attics, closets, garages, etc., in every town. Two of our Muskegon historians – Ron Pesch, the MHSAA’s history guy; and the old broadcaster, Jim Moyes, who called games on the radio for years in the Port City – can tell stories of their own about discoveries they have made. Moyes found all kinds of mementos while working on his book on the history of high school track & field in Michigan, and sitting with Ron at this year’s Girls Basketball Finals, he told a story of finding the mother lode of photographs from one of his other historical passions – silent film star Buster Keaton – who spent ten summers in the Actor’s Colony in Muskegon.
Pesch found a listing for Eleanor Keaton, Buster’s widow, using a telephone book (remember those?), made a phone call and shortly thereafter, on a vacation to California, was in her living room where he was loaned a photo album and family scrapbook containing all kinds of images from their time in Muskegon. Many of those images appear in a soon-to-be-released documentary, while the album and scrapbook now reside in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences library in Beverly Hills, Calif. You can preview the film by Clicking Here.
So if you think you have something of a state championship that could be utilized on a bigger platform and enjoyed by everyone, drop a note to [email protected]. If something needs to be converted to a more modern format, you’ll get a copy back, and the footage will be eventually viewable on the MHSAA’s YouTube channel.
To help guide your search, think in the following terms:
► Just about anything before 1990. But there are gaps during the 90s that need to be filled as well.
► Only Championship games and Semifinal games, unless something momentous occurred (like Richie Jordan’s 60-point game for Fennville against Bridgman in a Regional Semifinal in 1965, which is still an all-time tournament single-game record for boys basketball).
► For a list of what’s in the MHSAA archives prior to 2000 – Click Here. A long-term project is to get all of the games on the list and up to about 2010 uploaded to the YouTube channel. Most games from 2013-14 on can be viewed on the NFHS Network, and some games between 2010 and 2013 are available for purchase as DVDs from PrepFilms.com.
PHOTO Posing with the championship trophy after the 1975 Class D Football Final are (left to right): Forest Park tight end Bryan LaChapelle, quarterback Richard Mettlach, head coach Dick Mettlach and running back Bill Santilli.