Photo by Daniel Gretzner
Wyandotte Roosevelt basketball head coach Dave Crampton (second from left) is flanked by captains Divon Robinson (left) and Devan Stewart.
Prep basketball action in the Downriver League should be interesting this season, especially, since there is no clear-cut favorite going into mid-January and the heart of the 2012-13 cage battles.
Two or three teams are a good posibility to fight it out for the outright Downriver League hoops title. Among the early favorites in finding a path to the championship are Taylor Truman, Wyandotte Roosevelt and possibly Southgate Anderson. Dark horse candidates include Allen Park and Gibraltar Carlson with a remainder of also rans, namely Melvindale, Lincoln Park and Woodhaven.
Wyandotte has jumped off to a perfect start and has posted a 6-0 overall record thus far in the early going. The Bears took down Allen Park 58-40 on Jan. 8. Head coach Dave Crampton has his Roosevelt cagers performing well on the hardwoods.
“This is my 19th year at the helm and we have gotten off to a good start,” Crampton said.
Three seniors lead the way for the Roosevelt varsity, with the trio all 6-foot plus. Stewart Devan and Divon Robinson are the two captains who bring experience to the “Dotte’s” starting lineup. Jacob Bias is the other senior on the squad.
In the contest against Allen Park, Jacob Lavis was the top scorer with 10 markers.
Taylor Truman has a rock solid team and beat Gibraltar Carlson 66-48 Jan. 8, to improve its record to 4-1 overall. Aaron Foster-Smith is a 6-foot-6 -inch scoring machine for the Cougars. He knocked down 36 markers in the game against Carlson as he started his junior year in high scoring fashion.
Truman should fight for the league’s top spot all season long.
The sleeper in the Downriver League circuit this year looks like Southgate Anderson. They have started with a 6-0 overall mark and a 2-0 league record. In their clash with Woodhaven, the Titans came away with a 54-45 victory.
Is there a surprise team among the Downriver League? Only the next four to six weeks of play will determine that. We will be giving updated results to our loyal readership as the hardwood tilts continue.