DETROIT (AP) — Any coach will tell you the point guard is the most important position in basketball. The responsibility of a point guard is greater than at any other position. Coaches will tell you his or her point guard is an extension of the coach's philosophy and personality.
No more is this true than at Melvindale Academy for Business and Technology.
Michael Talley Jr. is in his second season as head coach at the charter school that borders Detroit. Many will remember Talley as the steady point guard at Detroit Cooley who was instrumental in directing the Cardinals to three consecutive Class A titles (1987-89) and being honored as Mr. Basketball his senior season.
Also named to the All-State first team are seniors Taylor Brule of Houghton, Durant Crum of Albion, Josh DuPree of Ottawa Lake Whiteford, Ty Graham of Reese, Sean Jones of Carson City-Crystal, Paul Koviak of Holton, Eli Redmond of Bath and Travis Swanson of Negaunee, and junior Holden Greiner of Traverse City St. Francis.
A forward, Greiner was a unanimous selection to the All-State team. He averaged 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Gladiators.
The point guard at ABT literally is the spitting image of his coach.
Michael Talley III, a 5-foot-8 sophomore, plays like an experienced senior. He's a slick ball handler who is accurate from the 3-point range, possesses that oft-forgotten pull-up jump shot and is fearless when taking the ball to the basket. Coach Talley said his son is better at age 15 than he was at that age.
Talley is averaging 23.5 points, five assists and six rebounds and has been selected as the Associated Press Class C player of the year.
Forget that Talley is a sophomore. He can play on any team in the state. Comparisons are made between him and Maurice Jones, a sophomore who starts for Saginaw Arthur Hill, a Class A school and one of the top teams in the state.
ABT was 20-1 last season, the Talleys first at the school, and the Cardinals were 21-3 entering their quarterfinal game Tuesday, at Whitmore Lake, against Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard.
Talley said, above all else, he tries to teach his son two lessons: to work hard and be humble. He said those were traits his father taught him.
"On his own, he works on things that makes himself better," Talley said. "His strengths are his knowledge of the game, his ability to learn more and more, his shooting and his court vision.
"I have to be careful to prioritize things. I don't want to mess up that great relationship we have off the court."
Crum, Jones and Swanson also led their respective teams to the quarterfinals. Crum, a three-year starter at guard, averages 14.5 points; Jones is a 6-10 post player who signed with Drake and is averaging 16.5 points and 104 rebounds; and Swanson led his team to the No. 1 ranking by averaging 15.1 points and 6.3 rebounds. Koviak is a strong, 6-4 forward who led Holton in scoring (18 ppg), rebounding (12) and blocks (5).
Redmond averaged a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Redmond signed with Saginaw Valley State.
Graham, a forward, averaged 13.9 points and 6.5 rebounds while leading Reese to an undefeated regular season.
Brule and DuPree led their respective teams to the regional finals. The 6-10 Brule averaged 23.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks, and he made teams pay that chose to foul him as he made 79 percent of his free throws attempts. DuPree, a shooting guard, is an excellent athlete who also excels in football and track. He averaged 22.3 points and shot 54.4 percent from the field.
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