The highly anticipated Michigan Elite 25 program will hold its first basketball camp this weekend at Cass Tech High School in Detroit, Michigan. 25 of the state’s top ranked player were mailed invitations from the classes of 2014 through 2017, who will come and participate for three, two-day sessions in a training camp-style practice with hopes of improving their skills before the high school season starts in November.
The Michigan Elite 25 was an idea that came to the mind of two local former hardwood stars and friends Tim McCormick and Mike Dietz.
McCormick, prepped at Clarkson, went onto to star in the Big Ten Conference at the University of Michigan, and later became the 12th draft pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1984 draft. Through his NBA career, Tim bounced around the league playing for a total of eight season with six different teams before retiring following the 1991-1992 season. But Tim’s love for the game of basketball did not end once his playing days were over. Tim currently runs the NBA Players Association Top 100 Basketball Camp, an invite only camp to the top high school players in the country, whose alumni include Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant.
Mike Dietz went onto play collegiate ball at Western Michigan University after starring in high school at Brother Rice. Dietz previously worked as the vice president of sales and marketing for Ilitch Holdings Inc. before opening his very own sports management firm Dietz Trott Sports and Entertainment, the official sponsor of the Michigan Elite 25.
The week’s festivities started on Tuesday night with the Michigan Elite 25 Coaches Academy at U of D Mercy’s Calihan Hall. The Academy featured presentations from just about every division one basketball program in the State of Michigan, including John Beilein [Michigan], Tom Izzo [Michigan State], Steve Hawkins [Western Michigan], Keno Davis [Central Michigan], Ray McCallum Sr. [U of D Mercy], and Greg Kampe [Oakland]. Who stressed the importance off academics, the dangers of social media, and what it means to be a great teammate in the sport of basketball.
These players are likely to attend but surely other high quality players are to participate:
2014- Justin Tillman [Pershing], Jaylen Johnson [Ypsilanti], Yante Maten [Bloomfield Hills], Edmond Sumner [Country Day], Mory Diane [Country Day], Aaron Foster-Smith [Taylor Truman], Darrell Davis [Frederick Douglass].
2015- Jeron Rogers [North Farmington], Eric Davis [Saginaw Arthur Hill], Xavier Cochran [Ann Arbor Huron], Marquel Ingram [Pershing], Bakari Evelyn [Southfield Christian], Jaylin Walker [Romulus], and Deyonta Davis [Muskegon].
2016- Josh Jackson [Consortium], Cassius Winston [U of D Jesuit], Corey Allen [Ypsilanti], Brailen Neely [Detroit Western], D’Angelo Hanbro [Romulus], Algevon Eichelberger [Saginaw], and Marlo Brown [Southfield Christian].
2017- Brian Bowen [Saginaw Arthur Hill], Will Weems [Detroit Western], Christian Rodriguez [Godwin Heights], Jermaine Jackson Jr. [Mt. Clemens], Armonee Felder [Pershing], and Xavier Tillman [Forest Hills Central]
The Prep Ball Report plans on attending all of the sessions for the Michigan Elite 25 camp, look for recaps on all the day’s actions here and for live coverage of the camp, please follow me on Twitter: @PrepBallReport
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