Traverse City Record-Eagle

Basketball

Related Photos

March 24, 2010

Anderson, Schuba are Class C All-Staters

DETROIT (AP) -- No player has made more of an impact on the Class C state tournament the past three seasons than Michael Talley III.

The senior led Melvindale Academy for Business and Technology to the quarterfinals as a sophomore and to the state championship as a junior, subsequently vacated because of an ineligible player. Talley has his team back in the quarterfinals this season.

Talley, a 5-10 guard, is once again the Associated Press Player of the Year as chosen by a panel of 11 sports writers from across the state.

Joining Talley on the first team are 6-3 junior Dwaun Anderson of Suttons Bay, 6-foot senior Gerrit Mortensen of St. Ignace, 6-6 senior Cameron Metz of Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, 6-foot senior Travis Schuba of Kalkaska, 6-3 senior Kyle Aho of Gwinn, 6-5 junior Dominez Burnett of Flint Hamady, 5-9 junior George Goodman of Saginaw Buena Vista, 6-7 senior Creed Stapleton of Ithaca and 6-foot junior Kody Chandler of Schoolcraft.

The coach of the year is Bob Anderson of Ithaca.

Talley averages 31 points, three rebounds, eight assists and five steals. He had 29 points to lead ABT to a 75-59 victory over Madison Heights Bishop Foley in a regional final.

His father and coach, Mike Talley Jr., said his son has always had the talent to play at a high level, but his experience as a four-year starter has separated him from the pack.

"He was pretty talented as a freshman," coach Talley said. "Now he understands what it takes to win a state championship. Playing with The Family (an AAU team based in Detroit) during the summer helped him tremendously. Being in the program since the sixth grade has really helped."

Another factor that has helped Talley this season is the play of his backcourt mate Marcel Smith, a junior. Smith played with Talley with The Family and has helped take some of the scoring load off Talley.

Anderson is a returning first-teamer who averaged 19 points, five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals this season. He shot 57 percent from the field and was the key in Suttons Bay's 23-game winning streak after losing the opener to Traverse City St. Francis.

Mortensen, also a star on the football field, averaged 30.4 points, 7.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds and shot 54 percent from the field.

Metz, who has signed with Lake Superior State, has a soft touch for a post player. He shot 74.4 from the free throw line and averaged 24.1 points and 10.5 rebounds.

Kalkaska finished a game over .500 and Schuba is the reason why his team was competitive. He averaged 28 points, 4.2 assists, six rebounds and steals. Schuba scored a school-record 43 points against Grayling.

Aho led Gwinn to a regional final by averaging 22.9 points and 8.4 rebounds. A four-year starter, Aho shot 51 percent from the field this season.

Burnett was the main force inside for a Hamady team that was upset in the districts. Burnett averaged 20.5 points and 11 rebounds.

Schoolcraft, a state finalist last season, was also upset in district play. But Chandler had an outstanding season, averaging 16.8 points, five assists, three steals and shooting 45 percent from 3-point range.

Ithaca (21-3) had one of its best seasons, reaching the regional finals, and Stapleton was its go-to player inside. He averaged 20.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. He shot 62 percent from the field.

Goodman is one of the top perimeter shooters in the state. He shot 48 percent from 3-point range and averaged 23.5 points. Goodman also averaged four assists and four rebounds a game.

Anderson, 61, retired after Ithaca (21-3) fell to Grandville Calvin Christian in a regional final last week. The Yellowjackets, however, set school records with 18 regular-season wins and 21 total wins.

Text Only