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Flint Beecher's basketball program stole away the day's headline story on a big night of high school football action. The school with more state hoops championships than any other in The Daily Gazette coverage area took a giant step toward adding to its trophy collection.

Marquis Gray is a homegrown talent. A man with Beecher blood running through his veins. A man with integrity. A leader who can keep the winning tradition alive at Flint Beecher High School.

Gray has been tabbed to take over Beecher's basketball program after Mike Williams departed before the season. Williams stunned everyone by taking his show to Davison. 

Williams won six state championships at Beecher. He was the varsity coach there as well as serving as athletic director since Courtney Hawkins left for a job on Michigan State's football staff.

Williams spent 19 years at Beecher as a coach. His first two years was as JV head coach before being elevated to the job he held as 17 years in charge of Beecher's varsity. His first state title came in 2012 and it would be one of six in a nine-year span where he enjoyed leading the likes of future NBA star Monte Morris and other all-state performers  that included Malik Ellison, Jalen Terry, Earnest Sanders and  Keyon Menifield.

The 6-foot-8 Gray was The Associated Press’ 2004 Division 3 Player of the Year after leading the Bucs to the regional finals. He averaged 25 points, 17 points, four blocked shots and four assists while finishing fourth in the Mr. Basketball voting.

After graduating from Beecher, he played at Michigan State from 2005-09, helping the Spartans reach the NCAA championship game as a senior.

As a Spartan, he averaged 4.4 points and 3.9 rebounds before spending seven seasons playing professional basketball overseas in Israel, Turkey, Poland, Mexico and Japan.

 KEYON MENIFIELD JR. 6-0, Sr., G, Flint Beecher. Menifield Jr. averaged 26 points, 9.3 assists, 6.6 steals and 4.7 rebounds 

At Beecher, Gray was The Associated Press’ 2004 Division 3 Player of the Year after leading the Bucs to the regional finals. He averaged 25 points, 17 points, four blocked shots and four assists while finishing fourth in the Mr. Basketball voting.

As a junior, he led the Bucs to the Division 3 state championship game before they lost to Detroit St. Martin dePorres.

In four seasons at Michigan State, Gray started 50 of 138 games, averaging 4.4 points and 3.9 rebounds. He helped the Spartans reach the 2009 NCAA championship game, where they lost to North Carolina.

Gray spent seven seasons playing professionally in Turkey, Poland, Mexico and Japan, played for the Detroit Pistons summer league team one year and is currently an assistant coach at Beecher.

 BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

HOUGHTON (CCN) — Davison's Tariq Reid rushed for 131 yards and four touchdowns to lead Grand Valley State's 44-21 victory at Houghton over the host Michigan Tech Huskies on Saturday (Sept. 25, 2021). Reid scored on a 3-yard run 6:17 into the game to give Grand Valley a 6-0 lead and his one-yard TD run late in the first half helped the Lakers build a commanding 30-0 lead at hafltime. 

The sophomore speedster added a 28-yard TD bolt in the third quarter and scored on a 34-yard scamper in the fourth quarter. It was his first 100-yard game as a collegiate player and came in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener for Grand Valley State which moved to 3-0 overall as the No. 9 rated team in the nation for Division II football. He had 86 yards a week ago after getting 45 yards in the 2021 opener.

As a freshman last season, Reid rushed for  Rushed for 507 yards and three touchdowns on 88 carries and he caught two passes for 9 yards. 

As a four-year starter during his prep career at Davison, Reid scored 76 touchdowns and rushed for a county record 5,534 yards. He was an all-state selection as a senior when he rushed for 1,203 yards and 13 TD's. He also caught 11 passes for 98 yards and one more TD as a senior. He had an ever bigger year as a junior at Davison when rushing for 2,064 yards and 37 TD's. His sophomore season included rushing for 1,584 yards and 19 TD's. 

 Others with ties to The Daily Gazette coverage area on Grand Valley State's roster this season include Hunter Rison (the son of former NFL star Andre Rison of Flint); Cal Endicott of Flushing; Avery Moore of New Lothrop; Joel Linden of Grand Blanc; and Jay'Viar Suggs of Clarkston.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Davison's Tariq Reid.

   BY TIM CROW

CCN Sports Writer

FLINT  (CCN) —  It was opening night Saturday (Oct. 9, 2021) in the OHL at Dort Federal Financial Arena. Hockey is back at full strength with the Flint Firebirds facing off against the Erie Otters. It had been 581 days since the Firebirds had appeared in an OHL regular season game, and Flint's fans and their Firebirds were ready for some hockey. They capped off a fun first night by beating the Erie Otters 3-0.

It was the same Erie squad that had beaten the Firebirds 10-2 during pre-season.

The entire 2020-20 OHL campaign was wiped out because of COVID after the previous season was shut down in mid-March with the Firebirds enjoying their best season in history.

The Erie Otters carried the play for about the first 10 minutes in Saturday's opener — keeping the pressure on Flint and controlling most of the offense with clean passing and the defense holding the blue line to keep the pressure on the Firebird defenders. Flint held strong, not providing any serious threats inside the zone. About half way through the period, the Firebird skaters seemed to settle in and started to carry the puck and make the otters play a little defense. 

The period turned into a mostly neutral ice game as neither team seemed to get prime shots on net.

The Firebirds' best opportunity came with 2:21 left in the period when Brennan Othmann took a high stick to the face, giving the Firebirds a power play in the last two minutes. Erie successfully killed off the power play though and the period ended 0-0.

In the second period, both teams opened up offensively to produce good scoring opportunities. Each team also had two power play opportunities in the second period — only to come up empty. 

With 16:12 left in the period, Flint's Ethan Hay was called for interference, putting Erie on the power play for the first time. Erie lost the advantage though when Brendan Hoffman was given a boarding penalty with 17 seconds left on the power play — wiping out the man advantage and giving the Firebirds 1:43 seconds of  power play time. Neither team was able to take advantage of the power play though, leaving the score tied 0-0.

Flint had its best scoring chance when Hay poked a puck away from the defense and raced down the left side, but Otter goaltender Nolan LaLonde came up with a big save. It was 30 seconds later that the Otters made an offensive rush and Firebird goalie Luke Cavallin came up with a big save when Otters forward Brendan Sellan tipped a shot high that went off Cavallin.

 Flint's Braedon Kressler, fresh off signing a pro contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, was able to score a shorthanded goal for the first goal of the season and put the Firebirds up 1-0. 

Kressler blocked an Erie power-play shot at the point, then gathered the loose puck in the neutral zone and streaked up the left-wing boards. Hay emerged up center ice to create a two-on-one opportunity, but Kressler maintained possession and lifted a wrister that found the twine with a nifty top-shelf blast on the blocker side of Erie goalie LaLonde. It came with 2:01 left in the second stanza and was an unassisted tally by the New York Rangers prospect.

Firebirds goalie Cavallin faced 13 shots in the second period — making some huge saves on great scoring opportunities produced by the Otters. 

The Firebirds also entertained fans by showing a little feistiness during the period — coming to the aid of each other when involved in several shoving matches with the Otters.

To start the third period, Othmann took a big hit at the blue line as he turned up ice after taking a pass. It was Erie’s Cameron Morton who made the clean hit on Othmann but these two had an earlier shoving match in the first period. Othmann seemed to be on the receiving end of a lot of Otter hits. That's when Flint's Riley Pierce took exception to the hit on Othmann and took on Cameron Morton of the Otters near center ice with both picking up five-minute fighting penalties.

But Flint's Pierce also picked up an extra two minutes for interference and a 10-minute misconduct — leaving the Firebirds at a 5-on-3 disadvantage for a full two minutes. The Firebirds' defense came up huge though — killing off Erie's two-man advanced and building some confidence and momentum. 

They cashed in on that momentum at 13:34 when Coulson Pitre was able to find the back of the net to give the Firebirds a 2-0 lead. The assist on the goal when to line mate Tristan Bertucci. 

It was only 30 seconds later when Rangers prospect Othmann took a pass and skated in on a breakaway — only to be brought down by an Otters defenseman. Othmann was awarded a penalty shot and made good on the opportunity by beating LaLonde with a low, hard shot to make it 3-0 for the FIrebirds.

Flint opened the door for Erie to try to get back in the game by taking penalties 1:23 minutes apart to give the Otters another 5-on-3 opportunity for 37 seconds, and a 5-on-4 for the rest of the power play. But Firebirds goalie Cavallin came up with some big saves and the defense held strong again, killing off the Erie power play.

Cavallin, Flint's fourth-year netminder from Greenly, Ontario, was the difference in the game as Erie outshot the FIrebirds 35-to-33. He was named the game's No. 1 star.

“He looked comfortable in the net from the start and he was definitely the backbone for us from the start,” said Coach Ted Dent. “(It was) obviously a big night for Cavvy from the start. No doubt that was real nice to get the win (and) start out of the season on a good note...  Obviously, the goaltender in hockey is your best penalty killer and he was on tonight. He was good. But we had a lot of players blocking shots and that just brings the team together.”

Cavallin made at least a half dozen huge saves in the middle period and perhaps his biggest stop of the game came 4:48 into the final period when Erie's Connor Lockhart took a pass from the corner and blasted a one-timer at Cavallin from the slot. Lockhart's arms went into the air when thinking he had just tied it up at 1-1 but Cavallin kicked away the shot in spectacular fashion.

Dent called it a "good effort from the guys” who 

presented their new coach with his first OHL victory behind the bench in his debut.

Dent previously spent 11 years coaching with the Rockford Ice Hogs in the American Hockey League which is one step below the NHL. He spent his last six years there as the head coach after starting as an assistant coach in 2006. Dent helped develop nearly two dozen players who went on to help the Chicago Blackhawks win three Stanley Cup championships. His 223 career victories are Rockford's all-time record.

He spent one season in the OHL as an associated coach for the Niagara IceDogs in the 2017-18 season before departing for a job as a pro scout for the NHL's Arizona Coyotes.

Othmann was selected as the No. 2 star for Saturday's opener and Kressler was named as the No. 3 star.

The victory before 2,808 fans brought Flint's record to 5-1-0-0 in home openers.

 The Firebirds and Otters will face off again on Thursday night (Oct. 14, 2021) with the puck-drop slated for 7 p.m. at Flint's Dort Federal Event Center on Lapeer Road in Flint.

 NEWARK, NEW JERSEY (CCN) — Linden's Joey Spencer remained unbeaten in pro boxing Saturday night (July 31, 2021) by winning an unanimous decision over James Martin in Newark, New Jersey. Spencer is now 13-0 as a professional.

Martin, dropping to 7-3 as a pro boxer, was coming off an upset three months ago over previously unbeaten Vito Mielnicki Jr. He was scheduled to face Mielnicki in a rematch on Saturday in Newark but was overweight in Friday's weigh-in.

Martin agreed to face Spencer instead for the action that was televised on national TV by Fox.

Martin replaced Dan Karpency as Spencer's opponent after Friday's weigh-in.

Spencer made a post on social media Sunday, telling his fans: "(I was) very happy to go my first 8 rounds last night with a good fighter that (took the fight) on short notice. Thank you to God for always directing my steps, and also a big thank you to James Martin for the great fight."

  PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Linden professional boxer Joey Spencer.

 LOS ANGELES (CCN) — Former Burton Bentley basketball star Kyle Kuzma has been traded to the Washington Wizzards. The deal was made only hours before the NBA Draft on Thursday (July 29, 2021). The Lakers sent Kuzma to the Wizzards with Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the No. 22 pick in this year’s NBA Draft. The Lakers will get Russell Westbrook and a pair of second-round picks in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Kuzma left Bentley High School for a prep school and later signed with the University of Utah. He won a NBA title ring when the Lakers won the 2020 championship. Kuzm averaged 10 points per game off the bench in 21 playoff games when helping the Lakers to the title as a teammate to NBA superstar LeBron James.

Kuzma has a 15.2 scoring average during four seasons in the NBA. He averaged 12.9 points per game with 6.1 rebounds per game last season. His best season came during the 2018-19 campaign when averaging 18.7 points per game.

Kuzma will play in Washington during the final year of a three-year contract he signed with the Lakers. They gave him a $40 million deal.

Monte Morris, a former Mr. Basketball at Flint Beecher High School where he won back-to-back Class C state championships before a great collegiate career at Iowa State, was quick to salute Kuzma with a social media post. The Denver Nuggets star said about his fellow Flintstone: "My assistant coach (is) head coach for Washington now. He’s going to let Kuz play his game I’m excited to see that!"

  PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is former Burton Bentley star Kyle Kuzma.

TOKYO (CCN) — Flint native JaVale McGee scored 10 points off the bench Saturday as Team USA stayed alive for a gold medal in basketball at the Olympics in Tokyo. McGee was 4-for-4 from the field and 2-for-3 from the free throw line to reach double figures in only four minutes of action.

Team USA won 119-84 over the Czech Republic to move on to the final eight teams after pool play. 

Team USA beat Iraq 120-66 after losing their opener 83-76 to France which went on a 16-2 run to finish the game.

McGee scored two points in only two minutes of action against France. He played 12 minutes against Iraq when scoring 9 points. He was 4-for-4 from the field and 1-for-1 from the free throw line.

McGee went to Flint's International Academy until moving to Chicago while his mother (Pamela McGee) was playing professional basketball.

Pamela McGee won back-to-back state titles at Flint Northern and back-to-back NCAA titles at USC before playing professionally overseas. She won a gold medal at the Olympics.

Javale McGee won NBA titles in 2017 and 2018 with the Golden State Warriors and in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers. He finished this past season with the Denver Nuggets who lost in the NBA's Western Conference semifinals to the Los Angeles Clippers. McGee is a 12-year veteran who had his best year during the 2018-19 campaign when joining the Lakers. He averaged 12 points per game.

 PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Flint native JaVale McGee.  

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

DENVER (CCN) — The run of championships may not be over just yet this season for Flint native Javale McGee. The Denver Nuggets center will be joining Team USA's basketball team as the cast of NBA stars makes it final adjustments for the Olympics that start on July 23 in Tokyo, Japan.

McGee won an NBA championship last season with the Los Angeles Lakers after winning back-to-back NBA titles in the previous two seasons with the Golden State Warriors. McGee's Nuggets lost in the Western Conference semifinals this spring to the eventual NBA finalist Phoenix Suns.

ESPN reported that McGee will be one of two players named as replacements for Team USA. Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love and Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal won't be going to Tokyo for the scheduled July 25 basketball opener against France. The other player added to the roster as a last-minute replacement with McGee was Keldon Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs.

Johnson joined the team in time for Sunday's final exhibition game. McGee didn't play on Sunday. Johnson played in a previous Olympics while it's McGee's first time for the Olympic experience.

Love  spent 10 days in Las Vegas training with Team USA, but is still trying to return to full strength after a right calf injury kept him out of a significant part of this season's games for the Cavaliers. Beal was forced to drop out after entering the health and safety protocol last week because of exposure to someone with COVID-19.

Team USA's final pre-Olympic exhibition game was Sunday against Spain. The team leaves for Japan on a Monday (July 19, 2021) charter flight.

Johnson made a huge debut with Team USA by scoring 15 points off the bench and finishing with the best plus-minus of anybody on the roster at plus-18. Team USA won 76-63.

Damian Lillard of the Portland Trailblazers led the way against Spain on Sunday with 19 points and 6 assists. Kevin Durant of the  Brooklyn Nets added 14 points for Team USA in its exhibition finale.

The tune-up victory over Spain followed an impressive 108-80 romp over Argentina in Las Vegas. Team USA had opened play in Las Vegas by suffering back-to-back losses to Nigeria and Australia. No previous Team USA roster had ever lost two exhibition games since NBA players were allowed to compete in 1992.

McGee was born in Flint and attended elementary school in the Flint district. He went to middle school at Flint International Academy and left after 8th grade when transferring to Detroit County Day High School before eventually moving to Chicago. His sister (Imani McGee-Stafford) plays in the WNBA and his mother is Pamela McGee who played professional basketball and won a Gold Medal with Team USA in the 1984 Olympic Games. Pam McGee and twin sister Paula McGee were high school and college All-Americans. They won back-to-back state championships at the old Flint Northern High School before winning back-to-back NCAA national championships with UCLA. 

Javale McGee was the 18th pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards. He has played for seven different teams during his 13-year career in the NBA. His career scoring average is 7.8 points per game and his career average for rebounds is 5.2 per game. His best scoring average was during the 2018-19 season when he led the Lakers to the NBA championship while averaging in double figures with a 12-point clip per game.

McGee also averaged in double figures for points three straight seasons earlier in his career — twice with the Wizards and once with the Nuggets. He averaged 10.1 points per game during the 2010-11 season in Washington and then 11.9 per game there during the 2011-12 campaign. He averaged 10.3 points per game in Denver during the 2012-13 season. His longest stay anywhere was four seasons in Denver before he left for Philadelphia. He then moved to Dallas, Golden State, Los Angeles and Cleveland before an mid-season trade led to his return to Denver.

He joined former Flint Beecher star Monte Morris this season on Denver's roster after previously playing in Los Angeles with Burton native Kyle Kuzma.

McGee also became well known as a national celebrity when his family was featured in a reality series known as the McGee Family. The episodes lasted only one season.

 PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above is Flint native Javale McGee.

  BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

DAVISON (CCN) — A school that has made two straight trips to the Class A state finals in football suddenly has some visions about basketball glory.

The Davison Cardinals shocked the local sports community by sending out a Tuesday (July 6, 2021) press release to reveal that they've hired long-time Flint Beecher basketball boss Mike Williams.  He has won six state championships at Beecher since 2012 — more than any other Flint area basketball coach in history.

Williams resigned as head basketball coach and athletic director at Beecher High School.  He had coached there for 19 years. The first two seasons was as the junior varsity head coach before he took the varsity resigns.  His varsity teams won 13 regional championships, 15 district titles and 12 conference championships. 

Williams worked at Flint Northwestern for 18 years as a teacher before the Flint school district closed the building. He moved to Beecher's district for two years as Coordinator of Culture until replacing Courtney Hawkins last year as athletic director when Hawkins joined Michigan State University's football coaching staff.

Williams will become dean of students at Davison High School in addition to taking the basketball job. Sources tell The Daily Gazette that district officials created a new position to hire Williams. One individual had previously been serving as dean of students for both the middle school and high school buildings. Williams will be dean of students only at the high school building.

Williams explained his decision to leave Beecher in a video posted by DTV — Davison's student TV class. Williams said: "It's a new challenge and for me, it's a new chapter. I'm just looking forward to the challenge, getting to know the community and bringing some championships to Davison."

Bobby Hatten's contract as basketball coach wasn't renewed earlier this year. He had led the program since the 2013-14 season. The Cardinals didn't win any championships in the Saginaw Valley League during his eight years at Davison.

Hadden, who was a graduate and former Davison basketball player, has now left his teaching position at the district to take a new role as a physical education teacher and varsity boss at Brown City.

Hadden had delivered the news about losing his Davison basketball job by making an April 24 post on Facebook. He said, "Last week, I was informed that DHS Athletics was interested in making a change in the direction for the boys basketball program. Like most of you, this came as a shock to me and completely out of the blue. What followed was a lot of productive conversations and my self- awareness that my vision of attack moving forward was simply not the same as what they were looking/wishing for at this time — which is okay and happens all the time, all over the place. Change is inevitable and a lot of good can come from it for all parties involved, so after a lot of thought, tears, and reflection I have decided it is time to step away and allow for this opportunity of growth/change to happen."

Rumors began circulating in June that Davison had selected a new coach but administrators had kept news about landing Williams as "top secret" until sending out the press release.

"I see lots of top kids from around the area bolting for Davison to play there for Mike Williams," said one local coach who asked not to be identified.

 PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above is new Davison basketball Coach Mike Williams.

 BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor
 

SWARTZ CREEK (CCN) — Fans of Coach Scottie Wright got a final blow to their hopes of seeing him return after MLive revealed that Swartz Creek's school district has hired a new head basketball coach.

Rumors had been circulating for weeks around the local hoops circuit in Swartz Creek that Kevin Root would be the new coach, yet some held out home that administrators would change their mind about not inviting Wright to return.

News about Root "officially" getting the job came via a story posted to MLive by a Flint Journal sports writer on Friday (July 2, 2021).

The program had risen to annual contender status in the Metro League since Wright took over as head coach in 2012. He had previously coached in the Grand Blanc district and operated basketball clinics at Grand Blanc's old All Star Sports Center.

Root is the 29-year-old son of long-time local coaching legend Bob Root. He led teams at Flint Northern and Flint Carman-Ainsworth during a career that featured  381 victories. Kevin Root's cousin, Chris Root, is a former head coach in the Metro League for the Linden Eagles.

Kevin Root spent the last six years under Jay Witham at Flint Carman-Ainsworth. He was the freshman head coach for three years before serving as a varsity assistant under Witham for the past three years. The 2020-21 Cavaliers handed eventual Class A state champion Grand Blanc its only loss in Saginaw Valley League play.

Kevin Root is also a teacher in the Swartz Creek school district. Wright was not a teacher or on the staff at any building in the district.

Wright became a fixture, however, around the Cage training center which was purchased by the district from private owners one year before Wright's reign over the varsity program began. He could often be seen working with players at the lower levels in his program and he also worked during the off season when Wright coached girls' middle school teams.

 "I love Swartz Creek and I bought a house in this community," he said. Wright admitted that he turned down other jobs to stay at the Creek, too. "It was always my dream to coach at a Class A high school and I'm living my dream at Swartz Creek," Wright once said on The Daily Gazette Sports Weekend Show as his team prepared for a 2018 showdown of local unbeatens against Saginaw Valley League power Flint Carman-Ainsworth

Wright spoke to the Swartz Creek Board of Education in the spring about his contract not being renewed. He said he believed it wasn't a basketball issue, but related to hard feelings over a dispute about paychecks being moved to once per season instead of three times per season.

Wright said he was told "not to talk to school board members" after embarrassing an administrator who e-mailed Swartz Creek coaches that all other Metro League schools paid their coaches in an identical manner. Wright promptly sent out a group e-mail to prove it simply wasn't true that other Metro League schools paid coaches that way.

Swartz Creek Education Trustee Chuck Melki said publicly during the last board meeting that it wasn't right for anybody to tell Wright not to talk to board members. Melki invited Wright to meet with him to discuss the situation and that was encouraging news that many of Wright's supporters welcomed as a flicker of hope that their man would possibly be retained as head coach after all.

Wright also disputed the fact that administrators said he wasn't respected by student athletes in his program. "I just don't think that's the case," he told board members.

One parent, who asked not to be identified, told The Daily Gazette: "I challenge them to find one who didn't like Scottie Wright. He stood up to the Swartz Creek administrators, proved they were liars and they couldn't shut him up. That's the bottom line here. No kids or parents wanted him gone. They love him. He's the best coach we've had out here since Jeremy Trent left us many years ago for a job at (Flint) Powers (Catholic)."

Dozens of social media posts echoed the anonymous parent's sentiments with similar statements of support for Wright. Many of them came on Wright's Facebook page after he posted an initial statement about the situation on May 21.

His May 21 statement attracted 52 positive responses. Wright's statement then read: "I’m not ready to make a full post. But I would like to clarify what is going on. I was told that my contract was not going to be renewed for coaching at Swartz Creek. Coaches are at will employees and have one-year contracts and each year they evaluate whether or not to bring the coaches back."

One of Swartz Creek High School's former football coaches (Shawn Fitzgerald) also made a strong endorsement for Wright in a Facebook post. Fitzgerald had been involved with helping lead the Lake Fenton and Swartz Creek varsity football teams to the state playoffs 13 times in the past 16 years before departing for the Flint Kearsley job earlier this year.

Fitzgerald's post was as follows: "I'll say it for you (and I hope he reads this and knows that I’m coming for him) with a chip on my shoulder. You made your bed last fall with the powers that be (Hans or Franz  —  can’t quite remember which one but  — you get it ) when you challenged the way in which coaches get paid over there. They want yes people that make their jobs easy. Who cares about mentoring, winning, holding kids accountable, and anything else that causes feathers to ruffle? You raised a stink and Hans didn’t like that because he’s a coward and not someone who wants to be challenged  — he would rather be feared than respected. How he’s where he is without interviewing for one single position  — I’ll never know. He’s a snake in the grass and he will have his day — I promise you. Who loses and who will continue to lose because of one man's agenda? The kids."

Fitzgerald, who had been on the staff at Swartz Creek High School and served as the school's strength and conditioning leader, wrote on Wright's Facebook page that few would respond publicly to his rant. "I won’t get but a few people that publicly agree with me on here but my over/ under is ( hmmmm  — I’ll call it an even 200) people that will reach out to me privately about this post," he predicted. 

Fitzgerald continued in lengthy post by writing: "Why? Because they fear this man. I was the guy who challenged standard based grading. If attendance, homework and all the other things that go into the development of positive members of society didn’t matter  —  I suppose MSU, UM and Harvard for that matter would adopt such a narrow minded approach. But Hey, here’s your guy Creek, the educational innovator himself with all his charm and religious splendor pulling the wool over your collective eyes once again. Don’t worry about it Scotty. You’ll land on your feet just like I did. I sat in a meeting with a puppet the Tuesday after we beat Flushing for the first victory ever about my behavior last fall. Why are you out of control? It’s called passion. Why do you berate your players? It’s called intensity. I build relationships with my students and players that are second to none and I’ll live and die with that...
jealousy is a horrible thing Scottie. You and I were picked to play dodgeball in the sixth grade. We excelled in sports. We are real men, and the fact of the matter is that guys like him don’t like guys like us because they want to be us but, they can’t because they just don’t get it and they are soft, raised soft, and continue to be soft. So there you have it  — have a woman do your job for you because again  —  you are a coward. I’m sorry Scott. You’ll be fine. I already know. Nailed it because I did nail it so no names please - we all know who we are talking about and it is what it is.

I love Creek, the people, the teachers, most of the coaches and some of the administrators but the fact is that agendas hurt kids and that is unfortunate because guys like us can fall in love with kids anywhere and that is why you will land on your feet. We’re done here."

The post by Fitzgerald triggered lots of other public support for Wright.

Bryan Spooner directed his comment to Fitzgerald and so did Jennifer Dikos.  Spooner quickly responded, "KaBOOOOM!!" Dikos added, "You are awesome!!! My family thoroughly enjoyed your comments and know EXACTLY who you are referring to!!!!! Could NOT have said it better!!!! Love to you and Scott Wright!"

Spooner also said, "Simply put, holding people accountable in this day and age is not popular nor appreciated by entitled politically correct parents and status quo school districts."

Bob Carney reacted to the news of the district opting not to renew Wright's contract by posting: "Scott this is how they tell you what to think. You are a great person and raised by wonderful people. Look forward and be who you are."

Kevin Willman added: "I’m sorry Scott. You are a great coach and mentor to the kids best of luck wherever you go."

Allie Lambert wrote: "You have built an amazing program and invested more than anyone will ever truly understand. You are a coach through and through; to the boys, girls, youth, and coaches. You took on more than just a job position, it was a lifestyle for you and your family and it’s a void that will be felt for years to come. As a player and a coach, thank you for everything you have done for me and for the Swartz Creek basketball program, and thank you for helping me through my first year of coaching. Praying for you and your family as you move forward through this."

Adrea Moleski wrote to Wright: "Your dedication to the kids, parents, program and LOVE of the game will be missed.  You are in my thoughts."

Tim Mowry added:  "Sorry to hear that
Scott. You will be sorely missed. These schools think they always want something better but at the end of the day, they’ll figure out they HAD one of the best."

Brandan Kelly observed: "Scottie, you will land somewhere very quickly. Great talent like yours is extremely hard to find."

Vickie Jo Clouse wrote to Wright: "You ran a great program Scotty. I can’t understand why they would make that decision. However I know God will turn this into a blessing for you and your family. You might not see it now but he is planning something big for you! Maybe this is the time to make that move to Florida you guys have been wanting to do. Who knows. But whatever is in store for you and your family I know God will bless you. I know it hurts but please find comfort in knowing you have touched the lives of so many from the youth program to the young men in high school. Prayers for God's guidance as you navigate this next chapter."

Cindy Terrian said, "So sorry to hear this. A great loss to the S.C. family and sports program. You went above and beyond not just coaching but teaching these children to learn and grow. I felt like teams were made of a player's ability, not who they were or knew. I enjoyed watching the games and watching you teach these children to grow. Will miss you."

John Michailo wrote to Wright on Facebook: "I'm so sorry to hear this Scott. I totally admire and respect your commitment and passion you gave to the student athletes from Swartz Creek. Please know that they will not go unrewarded! You are a class act my friend."

Jill Welch added: "Big loss for Swartz Creek if you don’t go back. I’m super confused! You created a totally different culture for the whole community to enjoy and be part of. Why don’t people THINK? There has to be something bigger and better waiting for you. It makes zero sense."

Michael Jewell thanked Wright for "welcoming me back into the fold at Swartz Creek six years ago" and praised how Wright was able to creatd a "family atmosphere" with his program. "You truly care about the kids and the community in which you live! It was a pleasure to be part of your coaching staff! I appreciate you my friend!"

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above is new Swartz Creek Dragons basketball Coach Kevin Root. He spent the last six years coaching in Flint Carman-Ainsworth's program.

 FLINT (CCN) — The Flint Fury are set to go for an 18th season of semi-pro football. They will be part of a new league known as the Midwest Elite Football Alliance (MEFA). Owner Charles Lawler announced that the season opener is set for May 1. "We're not sure yet on how many fans will be allowed, I guess that will be up to the governor," said Lawler who also revealed that he will again serve as the General Manager and Head Coach for the Fury.

He said negotiations continue about using the new turf field at Flint Hamady High School. "It would be a great place to play," Lawler said. "We just need to make sure we can afford the price."

Not operating a gate happened last season under the governor's COVID-19 rules, but Lawler was quick to assure everyone that the "games will go on."

The Fury is currently conducting a raffle to benefit the 2021 Flint Fury Youth Football Camp. Tickets are $10 each and will be limited to 1,500, according to Lawler. A flyer with information is presented at right if you are on a PC or laptop, or scroll down to find it under this story if you are on a mobile device.

Lawler said the raffle winners will collect $50 to spend at black businesses of their choice for fourth prize, a $100 Visa or Mastecard gift card for third prize, an Apple air pod pro or Raycon the Performer ear buds for second prize and a Samsung 65-inch smart TV for the grand prize.

"The new league is a great league and we're really looking forward to it," Lawler said as he prepared for Saturday's practice session at an indoor facility in Fenton. This year's numbers are the best in franchise history and he credits the interest in a new video campaign.

"We've been doing highlight videos for new players and posting them all over Facebook which has really helped get the interest up, I think," Lawler said.

He announced that the MEFA will field a 16-team lineup this season. "The league has also made a deal for our championship game to be at the beautiful indoor facility in Brighton (The Legacy)," he added.

The Legacy Center Sports Complex is a sprawling state state-of-the-art sports complex on a 90-acre site. Strategic partners include Adidas, Xenith, Fox Sports, Polynesian Bowl, Pylon, Michigan Elite and Europe’s Elite, and Legacy Football services more than 15,000 student athletes every year from Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Florida, North Carolina, Washington, California and Canada. The complex also offers training and events for baseball, softball and lacrosse with more than 100,000 square feet of indoor field space on two fields. The Legacy also features seven outdoor multi-purpose fields ad six outdoor ball diamonds, in addition to fitness, nutrition and sports performance consulting offices.

The Flint Fury will play in the MEFA's Elite Red Conference's North Division with the Tri-City Stampede, Michigan Hurricanes and Wayne County Badgers. The tentative schedule for the Fury is at right if you are on a PC or laptop, or scroll down to find it under this story if you are on a mobile device.

The Elite Red Conference's West Division will include the Muskegon Mustangs, Kalamazoo Titans, West Michigan Patriots, Tri County Crusaders and Calhoun County Panthers.

The Elite Black Conference lineup will be comprised of the Detroit Ravens, Detroit Seminoles, Michigan Gators, Metro Raiders and Motor City Hawks in the East Division and the Toledo Thunder, Lima Warriors, Eastside Mudd Doggs, Southern Michigan Red Storm and Findlay Knights in the South Division.
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 GRAND BLANC (CCN) — An indictment was announced Wednesday (Feb. 10, 2021) against a former financial adviser from Grand Blanc who is the former owner of The Jewel of Grand Blanc and Paddy McGee's Irish Pub. Federal prosecutors accuse Mark Hopkins, 53, in an indictment of "devising a scheme to trick two sets of elderly investors" into giving him $1.1 million in an alleged fake investment. The charges say Hopkins produced fake bank account statements to make the investments appear legitimate when their money actually went into an account associated with the Jewel of Grand Blanc. Hopkins and fellow Grand Blanc businessman Jerry Drudi bought The Jewel of Grand Blanc in 2009.READ MORE