New University of Michigan-Dearborn coach John Mackson (center) leads his young team into the 2011-12 season with local talent A.J. Dombrowski (left) and Khalil Beidoun.
By Daniel Gretzner
Men’s Division II college basketball, being played in the greater Dearborn area, is now getting underway as the University of Michigan-Dearborn cagers open their 2011-12 season.
Everything is new this year at UM-D. The Wolves have a new head coach and five new freshman players, dotting the maize and blue’s current varsity roster. It should be an interesting winter on the west Dearborn Evergreen campus now that the hardwood campaign starts to get in full swing.
Head coach, John Mackson begins his first year and hopes that his young team will have enough scoring power to be a top contender during the coming cage tilts in the Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference competition.
Last week, Mackson commented on a few of his local players, saying: “I have two former Dearborn prep athletes on our team. Both of these roster players will be seeing playing time and should contribute scoring punch this season.”
Coach Mackson was referring to AJ Dombrowski and Khalil Beidoun. Dombrowski, 6 foot 4 inch sophomore forward, from Dearborn Heights, played his high school ball at Crestwood, and is expected to fire off shots from 3-point range. Beidoun, comes to the Wolves via Dearborn High and is a 6-3 freshman who will be in one of the forward positions.
UM-D had two non-league games scheduled this past weekend at Hillsdale and Mt. Vernon in Ohio. An important homestand has the Wolves hosting Alma College on Friday and Olivet College on Saturday. These games represent an opportunity for local area fans to check out the Wolves.
League action will open Nov. 30 when Davenport University comes to town.
Just how well the Wolves will do this season is questionable at best. We can’t help but wish Mackson all the best and I’m sure UM-D will win its share of games as it plays out the 2011-12 WHAC schedule.
Wyandotte in regional grid playoffs
Wyandotte Roosevelt is having an exceptional year on the gridiron this season. The Bears were set to play Detroit Martin Luther King in Wyandotte this past Friday night in the Division 2 Region 4 finals. The winner advances to the Division 2 semifinals next weekend.
Can Wyandotte (10-1) score a victory over King (8-3), is a big question mark as these two prep giants clash. Downriver folks, will be rooting for the Bears, since they are the last local team still playing in the state playoffs. Running back Tyler Dunn has been considered the key offensive player for the Bears.
A capacity crowd was expected this past Friday night as head coach Ron Adams and his varsity team have been in hopes that the “home field advantage” will play a part in the game’s final score.