Traverse City Record-Eagle

Prep Sports

March 22, 2012

Cadillac's Simons is 1st-team All-State

Valentine chosen as Class B's player of the year

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Associated Press

LANSING — With the season on the line in Tuesday's quarterfinal because his team was trailing after one quarter and then ahead by just four points after three quarters, Denzel Valentine showed why he was selected as the Associated Press Class B player of the year.

The 6-foot-6 senior forward who plays more like a guard scored 19 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, made seven assists and sparked 10-0 second-quarter and 13-0 fourth quarter runs to help Lansing Sexton High School advance to a third straight trip to the state semifinals. The Big Reds went on to finish runner-up in 2010 and earned the state title last year.

Denzel is one of three senior starters heading for NCAA Division I schools in the fall, but coach Carlton Valentine still didn't expect his team — which is 25-1 heading into Friday's semifinals — to finish undefeated in the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue Division.

"We went 14-0 in a good conference that included the No. 1 team in Class A in the state," said Valentine, referring to Lansing Eastern (which was No. 1 for a week).

East Lansing also spent considerable time among the top 10 in Class A in the Associated Press poll, and unranked Okemos reached the Class A quarterfinals from the CAAC Blue.

Sexton's on-the-court leader is Denzel, who will play for Michigan State next season and averages nearly a triple-double at 15 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists per game.

The Big Reds' only loss was 81-80 against Class A No. 5 Detroit Pershing, when Valentine fouled out late in the game.

"He's so unselfish," Coach Valentine — who also has been named Class B coach of the year — said of his son. "His first instinct is to look for (Bryn) Forbes. He understands where the scorers are on the floor, and tries to get it to them."

Forbes, a 6-3 senior headed to Cleveland State, also made first team all-state along with Iowa-bound 6-1 senior Anthony Clemmons. Forbes scored 18 points per game and has made 60 3-pointers, while Clemmons has added 14 points and four assists per game.

Lansing Catholic 6-5 senior Stevie Repichowski, who averaged 21 points per game and made 61 3-pointers, earned all-state as well. His Cougars were ranked No. 2 behind Sexton for much of the season, and finished No. 4 and 21-2 after a 66-56 district final loss to the Big Reds.

Also making first team all-state were Wyoming Godwin Heights 6-foot senior Kevin Badger, Bridgeport 6-0 junior Lance Monroe, Detroit Crockett 6-5 senior Lloyd Neely, Cadillac 6-8 senior John Simons, Otsego 6-1 senior Jared Klein, Grand Rapids Christian 6-4 sophomore Drake Harris, Dowagiac 6-2 junior Dontel Highsmith, Detroit Community 6-6 junior Byron "Bo" Ziegler, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood 6-1 senior Sterling Morrow, Pontiac Notre Dame 6-8 senior Kellen McCormick, and Harper Woods Chandler Park 6-0 junior Derrick Walton.

Simons averages 28 points and 10 rebounds per game for No. 8 Cadillac (22-3).

Grayling's Zane Tobin was honorable mention.

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