Only four Mr. Basketball candidates? Makes no sense

Steve Hall of Detroit Northwestern can't understand it. Tim Crawford of Frankenmuth doesn't think it's fair. Nate Oats of Romulus is taken aback by it, too.

What concerns these three boys basketball coaches is the short list of candidates released by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan for the Mr. Basketball Award. There are just four, the fewest in the 28-year history of the award.

They are, in alphabetical order, Dominique Buckley of Romulus, Draymond Green of Saginaw, Brad Redford of Frankenmuth and Paul Williams of Detroit Renaissance.

Conspicuously left off are Eric Evans of Detroit Northwestern and Blake Cushingberry of Romeo. Other candidates whose name could also be placed on the list are Drew Maynard of Lake Orion and Jason Washburn of Battle Creek Central.

In most seasons, the BCAM names 10 candidates. In 2004 there were just eight.

This short list is wrong for a number of reasons.

Evans and Williams are the top two players in Detroit. One would be hard-pressed to choose one over the other. Evans is a point guard, Williams a wing forward. And just because Evans outplayed Williams in the Detroit PSL semifinal last Friday doesn't mean Evans is a better player or that he's having a better season. It just showed he can play well in a big game.

Furthermore, the BCAM is cheating players like Evans and Cushingberry of the honor of being a Mr. Basketball candidate. It might not mean anything to the people responsible for making this decision, but it does to Evans, Cushingberry, and their teammates and coaches.

When Hall played for Detroit Cass Tech he finished eighth in the voting for the award. Even today, Hall says he's proud to have been mentioned with the other nine candidates.

It is unlikely that Cushingberry would win the award. Macomb County players are shown little respect around the state. But that's no reason to leave him off the list of finalists.

Buckley isn't going to win the award, either. Buckley hasn't received near the attention as the other three candidates. Statistically, his numbers don't compare. But should Buckley's name be removed just because he won't win? Of course not.

Do you remember Todd Bayle of Walkerville? Neither do I. But he finished eighth in the voting in 1986. Rest assured, those in Walkerville, a Class D school, remember Bayle. I'm certain Bayle is proud of the fact that his name was on this list.

If it is the intention of the BCAM to eliminate the Todd Bayles of the world from appearing on the list, fine. Evans and Cushingberry play for Class A schools. Evans made the winning shot in the 2005 Class D final to give Detroit Rogers the title. Evans has his team in the PSL championship game for the first time since 1978.

Cushingberry is the best player on a Macomb County team since Travis Conlan of St. Clair Shores Lake Shore in 1994. Oakland University coach Greg Kampe said there is no other player in the senior class he would rather have play for him than Cushingberry. He convinced Cushingberry to sign a letter-of-intent with Oakland.

The point is, Cushingberry could be one of the top-five seniors in this class and deserves to be recognized.

Decreasing the players BCAM members have to choose from could force them to vote for a player they wouldn't have. Placing Evans and Cushingberry on the list would have given voters more options.

In most years, the concentration of top-rated players is in the Detroit area. That's not the case this season. Some would argue the top two players are Green and Redford. Those who have seen Williams play more than a couple times would argue he has had a senior season worthy of winning the award, and I would agree. But the same can be said of Evans and Cushingberry.

Crawford, the Frankenmuth coach, was shocked when he was informed Evans was left off. His player, Redford, and Evans are outstanding point guards who can score. Crawford has seen Evans play and compares him favorably to his own player. But only one has a chance to win the Mr. Basketball Award, and that's a shame.

No conflicts

One positive note: The Michigan High School Athletic Association should be commended for its scheduling of the girls and boys basketball tournaments.

Barring weather-related postponements, no boys game will be played on the same day as a girls game. It'll make for a hectic two weeks when the boys begin tournament play in Feb. 25 -- the girls begin Feb. 18 -- but it's the right thing to do.

This way each tournament has its own stage, and fans don't have to choose between watching a boys or a girls game. They can watch both.

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