It's Football Season!

It's that time of the year! Teams all around the state are putting in those two-a-days with dreams of making it to Ford Field for the State Finals. NGS will now shift its attention to football. For the next two weeks till the season starts I will bring you my preseason poll as well as rankings at every position for the classes of 2009-2012. When the season starts you can expect to see game coverage, as well as top performances from the week, and top game breakdowns.

I will also be combing the state checking out practices and scrimmages, you can check back daily as I will bring you team previews, interviews, and pictures from some of the state's top teams and players.

But as I put 90% of my attention to the gridiron greats I will not forget about the basketball world as I will continue coverage of hoops as the high school season is just 3 months away.

Paully-C

Mustang 15's: July recap

Don't forget to check out a glimpse back on the month of July for the Michigan Mustang 15-u team.

The article which includes player evaluations along with pictures can be found on the original NGS home page under the "HOT" topics on the wire.

Appling makes decision!

Detroit Pershing standout Keith Appling has put an end to his recruitment by giving a verbal pledge to Coach Tom Izzo and Michigan State University.

The 6-2 combo guard is ranked #2 in the class of 2010 by NGS and is #59 nationally according to rivals. Appling had a successful sophomore debut by helping guide his Doughboys to the state finals. He has put on a show this AAU season with REACH Legends. Appling has proven that he can match any player in the country- basket for basket.

Appling also had offers from Memphis, Michigan, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Miami (Fl.), Xavier, Syracuse, Dayton, Cincinnati, and Marquette.

VEGAS: Mustang 15's

The Vegas trip was a whole new experience for this young and talented team, especially since a majority of the squad had never seen Vegas' bright lights. It took a few days for the boys to settle in, this was evident after an embarrassing double digit loss to M33M- CIA Bounce.

Once the fellas did settle down they proved how good they can actually be! The Stangs fired back with back to back pool play wins in dramatic fashion. The first against DC Assault. After trailing the complete first half the Stangs went on a 15-3 run in the second half to take their first lead of the game with six minutes left on the clock. The run was keyed by the defensive pressure from Mustang guards Lee Bailey, Brandan Kearney, and Christian Vaughn. Bailey completely took DC's point guard out of the game, coming off of a first half where the speedy guard killed the Stangs. Kearney also came up with key plays on the offensive end with a 3-pointer that was followed by a drive and dish to teammate Matt Poches, finished DC off with a 62-53 Stang win.

Everything was up for grabs in the final pool play game. With the pool be so competitive a win would guarantee a #2 seed but a loss could have faltered the Stangs to a #3 or #4 seed. The Stangs went right inside to their workhorse Percy Gibson who produced and got his team the early lead, but the Oakland Rebels weren't going to go away so easily. In the second half the two teams traded the lead as time ticked away. Kearney and wing forward Tommie McCune carried a bulk of the second half scoring for the Stangs but it was Gibson's running hook shot that tied the game with less than a minute to go. Neither team was able to knock down a hero's shot so the game was sent into overtime.

In OT Oakland struck first, but Bailey was able to tie the game with a floater in the paint. The overtime turned into a defensive slugfest and again neither team could control a lead forcing a second overtime.

In the second OT the Stangs went right inside to McCune. McCune's first attempt was off but the active wing was able to scrap for the tip back to give the Stangs a two point lead. A pair of free throws from Kearney stretched the lead but still Oakland wouldn't go away as they as they connected on a 3-pointer. With eight seconds to play- Bailey's free throw made the score 56-54. Oakland took the inbounds the length of the court but their shot attemp fell short giving the Stangs the double OT win and a 2-1 pool record.

In the first round of bracket play against IEBP, the Stangs quickly built a double digit lead behind the play of wing Denzel Valentine and Poches. Valentine's ability to rebound and push the ball allowed the Stangs to get out and run. IEBP could never recover as the lead got to as many as 30 points and the Stangs settled for a 66-48 win as the starters sat a majority of the second half.

Next up was the Stangs biggest rival of the summer- Ohio Basketball Club. This time the Stangs were better prepared as Tommie McCune took the Chane Behanan match up personally and went right at the nation's top forward. McCune started the game like a mad man as he was all over the floor blocking shots and tipping in missed shots. Kearney jumped into the scoring act and the Stangs were quickly up 8 points. The two teams fought on to show why they are considered two of the top 15-u teams in the country. Play after play, players from both teams answered with big shots and defensive stops. But in the end turnovers would be the downfall of the Mustangs as they were forced to foul in the game's final minute. OBC went on to take a 70-59 win.

The Mustangs came back home with a 3-2 record but both losses were to teams that advanced into the final four. On a positive note the Mustangs proved that their players can be mentioned with the nation's best and the Stangs proved that they have three players worthy of being top 100 players nationally.

Check back tommorow on NGS' original homepage to read a complete evaluation of player performances from the 15-u Mustangs.

Big Matt makes decision!

Warren Cousino's Matt Balkema ended his recruitment yesterday by making a verbal commitment to play basketball for Eastern Michigan. Balkema gives Eastern their second commitment from the class of 2009, as he joins Livonia Clarenceville's 6-3 wing Jamie Stewart.

At 6-10 Blakema is a beast in the paint and tough to move around. He loves to get physical and knows how to fight for position. He has spent the last two years playing center for the Michigan Mustangs and during that time Big Matt has battled with some of the country's elite and has held his own.

Balkema chose Eastern Michigan over the University of Detroit, and Kent State. The two sport stud was also getting major interest to play football from some Big Ten schools as well as most of the MAC, but his passion was to play college basketball.

VEGAS: Mustangs 16's

The Mustangs 16-u team traveled to Las Vegas shorthanded but they guys were able to string together a 4-2 record which included an appearance in the "sweet 16".

The trip started bumpy for the Stangs in their first pool game as they didn't score a single point till nearly 10 minutes had ticked off the clock. The slow start was the cause of a double digit lost to 43 hoops out of Minnesota. The Mustangs bounced back with two double digit wins of their own to close out pool play and take the #2 seed going into bracket play. The wins were keyed by the post play of 6-8 Alex Gauna and 6-5 CJ Olaniyan. The inside duo were relentless on the boards which sparked the transition play for the Stangs.

The Mustangs topped Seattle Rotary 51-42 in the first round. Playing well against Seattle was Sultan "Showtime" MoMohammad, Juwan Howard Jr., and Matt Kamieniecki. The team was without a "true" point guard but the trio did a solid job of playing point guard by committee.

In the second round the Mustangs faced a huge test against the heavily favored Atlanta Celtics. Them boys from the ATL jumped out to quick double digit lead but the Stangs got tough and went inside to their muscle, particularly Gauna who displayed an array of post moves that gave him constant trips to the free throw line. The Stangs were able to cut the half time deficit to two points. In the second half the two teams continued to lock horns but the Mustangs had no answer for the Celtics' Jordan McRae. McRae, a 6-5 slashing combo guard with plenty of bounce, got to the basket and scored at will.

A late turnover by the Celtics allowed the Mustangs to tie the game off of a Gauna basket and force overtime. In OT the teams traded baskets back and forth. A free throw by McRae gave the Celtics a 70-69 lead with 6 seconds to play. Juwan Howard took the inbounds pass and went the distance of the court and without hesitation he pulled up and burned a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the win.

The emotional win advanced the Mustangs into the "sweet 16" but there the Stangs were overwhelmed by the Playaz and 6-2 point guard Isiah Epps. Epps bombed the Stangs with 35 points in the 76-53 defeat.

The overall out take for the Mustang 16's Vegas experience was a good one! They did manage to put together the 4-2 record without a "true" point guard nor without Jon Horford. The top two overall performers for the Stangs were Howard and Gauna but players like Kamieniecki, Devin Oliver, and Showtime proved they are D-1 worthy.

Hoskins to become a Titan!

Warren Conner Creek's John Hoskins verbably committed last night to play basketball for Coach Ray McCallum and the University of Detroit. The 6-8 wing forward is McCallum's second instate commit, with junior college trasfer Thomas Kennedy being the first via Mott CC/ Detroit Southeastern.

However Hoskins is Detroit's first commitment from the class of 2009. McCallum has has a successful past with getting the recruits he wants and Hoskins is a solid start for the new era of basketball in Detroit. Hoskins is one of Michigan's best kept secrets due to the fact he plays class D basketball. He has spent the summer playing AAU ball with the Detroit Fire.

The 6-8 wing forward will new to put some hours in the weight room to handle the physical pounding that he will need to be successful in the paint at the next level. Hoskins does have a polished game from 15-feet out and has no problem hitting the mid-range jump shot, as well as putting the ball on the floor, or scoring with either hand.