Professional Basketball Players
from Michigan High Schools
Last Updated: January 19, 2008
Thanks to input from a host of individuals, this listing is maturing quite rapidly. It is comprised of players who ATTENDED high school in Michigan before playing at the NBA or ABA level of professional basketball or, due to the slow integration of the NBA, those who played with the Harlem Globetrotters.
The sport of basketball presents many challenges. The first professional contest is documented as being played in 1896 and the first leagues date to the turn of the century. A variety of professional opportunities existed prior to the formation of the modern-day NBA in 1946 (then known as the BAA, or Basketball Association of America). These included, but were not limited to: the American Basketball League; the National Basketball League; the Harlem Globetrotters; the New York Renaissance (or Rens for short). So - what qualifies for the list? Obviously, the alumni of the National Basketball Association and its chief competitor, the American Basketball Association. But I’m certainly interested in hearing from the public on the any others that they feel should appear on the list. I've heard tales about many Michigan cagers who came close, including a few who were the final cut in the final week of a season. Guys like Sam Moore of Muskegon, or Art Gelow from Saginaw Arthur Hill. Unfortunately these are extremely tough to document, and hence, they don't appear on the list.
Thanks also to Kevin Cabell, Perry Hall; Jim Moyes; Bob Perlis, Harold Rose and a variety of others who have sent in additions and have helped clear up some of the questions that have appeared on this page previously.
Many, many thanks go to
Bill Hoover, who has had perhaps the biggest influence on this list. Beside
the bits of data that he has fed me on the NBA and ABA alumni, his input
has help develop an integral part of the list.
“You need to keep the Harlem Globetrotters a part of this list. ”The
NBA integrated like pond water and did not accept their 40th
African-American until the 1959-60 season,” points out Hoover. “I do not
mean there were 40 in the league in 59-60. I mean they had 40 since they
began integrating! The early 60's weren't too terrific either. In other
words, the league really wasn't open for a long time…”
So, at Bill Hoover’s request, we display a separate listing of Harlem Globetrotters.
I’m also entertaining the addition of a “Mark Hughes” list. Hughes is a graduate of Muskegon Reeths-Puffer who was Co-captain of the 1989 University of Michigan championship squad. Hughes joined the Detroit Pistons for a season (and has worked as an assistant coach in Orlando and with other teams). The list would honor those players who made the roster of an NBA team, yet did not chalk up any playing time during their stay.
Send me your additions and opinions!
NOTE: When the actual high school is known, the letters HS follow the school name. Otherwise, the listing is the city of birth. The list of senior years is an approximation and is preceded by the letter "c." When the senior year is known, the "c." is eliminated.
All additions and/or corrections are welcomed and greatly appreciated. E-mail your changes to peschstats@comcast.net
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| Last Name | First Name | High School or Place of Birth |
Senior Year |
College |
Pro Team |
Years in Pros |
Date Died |
| Ager | Maurice | Detroit Crockett HS |
2002 |
Michigan State |
Dallas |
2006-07 |
- |
| Akin | Henry | Troy HS |
1962 |
Morehead State |
NY Knicks, Seattle, Kentucky (A) |
1966-69 |
- |
| Acton | Charles (Bud) | Troy HS |
1960 |
Hillsdale, Alma |
San Diego |
1967-68 |
- |
| Alexander | Victor | Detroit Denby HS |
1987 |
Iowa State University |
Golden State; Detroit |
1991-94; 2002 |
- |
| Armstrong | B.J. | Birmingham Brother Rice HS |
1985 |
University of Iowa |
Chicago, Golden State, Chicago, Charlotte, Orlando |
1989-2000 |
- |
| Armstrong | Bob | Holland HS |
c. 1951 |
Michigan State University |
Philadelphia |
1956-57 |
- |
| Battier | Shane | Birmingham Detroit Country Day HS |
1997 |
Duke |
Vancouver/Memphis |
2001-03 |
- |
| Bell | Charlie | Flint Southwestern Academy HS |
1997 |
Michigan State University |
Dallas, Phoenix |
2001-02 |
- |
| Boven | Don | Kalamazoo Central HS |
1943 |
Western Michigan |
Waterloo Hawks, Milwaukee Hawks; Fort Wayne Zollner |
1949-52 |
- |
| Brisker | John | Hamtramck HS |
1965 |
University of Toledo |
Pittsburgh (A), Seattle |
1969-75 |
|
| Britt | Wayman | Flint Northern HS |
1972 |
University of Michigan |
Detroit |
1977-78 |
- |
| Brown | George | Detroit Cass Tech HS |
1953 |
Wayne State University |
Minneapolis |
1957-58 |
- |
| Buntin | Bill | Detroit Cass Tech and Detroit Northern HS |
1959 |
University of Michigan |
Detroit |
1965-66 |
|
| Burton | Ed | Muskegon Heights HS |
1957 |
Michigan State University |
NY, St Louis |
1961-62; 1964-65 |
- |
| Burton | Willie | Detroit St. Martin dePorres HS |
1986 |
University of Minnesota |
Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte |
1990-99 |
- |
| Calip | Demetrius | Flint Northern HS |
1987 |
University of Michigan |
LA Lakers |
1991-92 |
- |
| Chandler | Wilson | Benton Harbor HS |
2005 |
DePaul |
NY Knicks |
2007-08 |
- |
| Clark | Archie | Ecorse HS |
1960 |
Minnesota |
LA Lakers, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Seattle, Detroit |
1966-76 |
- |
| Cleaves | Mateen | Flint Northern HS |
1996 |
Michigan State University |
Detroit, Sacramento, Cleveland |
2000-04 |
- |
| Cofield | Fred | Ypsilani HS |
c. 1979 |
Oregon, Eastern Michigan |
New York, Chicago |
1985-87 |
- |
| Coleman | Derrick | Detroit Northern, & Detroit Cooley HS |
1986 |
Syracuse |
New Jersey, Phil, Charlotte, Phil, Detroit |
1990-04 |
- |
| Crawford | Chris | Comstock HS |
1993 |
Marquette |
Atlanta |
1997-01 |
- |
| Cureton | Earl | Detroit Finney HS |
c. 1975 |
Robert Morris College, University of Detroit |
Phil, Detroit, Chicago, LA Clippers, Charlotte, Houston, Toronto |
1980-89; 1994-97 |
- |
| Daniels | Mel | Detroit Pershing HS |
1963 |
Burlington JC (IA), New Mexico |
Minnesota (A), Indiana (A), Memphis (A), NY Nets |
1967-77 |
- |
| Darden | Oliver | Detroit Western HS |
1962 |
University of Michigan |
Indiana (A), NY Nets (A), Kentucky (A) |
1967-70 |
- |
| Davis | Johnny | Detroit Murray Wright HS |
1973 |
Dayton |
Portland, Indiana, Atlanta, Cleveland |
1976-86 |
- |
| Davis | Paul | Rochester HS |
2002 |
Michigan State |
LA Clippers |
2006-07 |
- |
| Dawkins | Paul | Saginaw HS |
1975 |
Northern Illinois |
Utah |
1979-80 |
- |
| DeBusschere | Dave | Detroit Austin Catholic HS |
1958 |
University of Detroit |
Detroit, NY Knicks |
1962-74 |
05/14/03 |
| Denning | Blaine | Detroit Northern HS |
1948 |
Wilberforce (OH), Lawrence Tech |
Baltimore |
1952-53 |
- |
| Dial | Derrick | Detroit Cass Tech HS |
1993 |
Eastern Michigan University |
San Antonio |
1999-00 |
- |
| Dill | Craig | Saginaw Arthur Hill HS |
1963 |
University of Michigan |
Pittsburgh (A) |
1967-68 |
- |
| Duerod | Terry | Highland Park HS |
1975 |
University of Detroit |
Detroit, Boston, Golden State |
1979-83 |
- |
| Edge | Charles | Detroit Northeastern HS |
1968 |
Lemoyne-Owen |
Memphis (A), Indiana (A) |
1973-75 |
- |
| Eisley | Howard | Detroit Southwestern & Detroit Chadsey HS |
1990 |
Boston College |
Minnesota, Seattle, Utah |
1994-00 |
- |
| Elliot | Bob | Ann Arbor Pioneer HS |
1973 |
Arizona |
New Jersey |
1978-81 |
- |
| Farmer | Desmon | Flint Northwestern HS |
1999 |
USC |
Seattle |
2006-07 |
- |
| Feher | Ray "Butch" | Alpena HS |
1972 |
Vanderbilt |
Phoenix |
1976-77 |
- |
| Flowers | Bruce | Berkley HS |
1975 |
Notre Dame |
Cleveland |
1982-83 |
- |
| Fogle | Larry | Detroit Cooley HS |
1972 |
Southwestern Louisiana, Canisius |
New York |
1975-76 |
- |
| Fuller | Tony | Detroit St. Martin dePorres HS |
1976 |
Pepperdine; Vincennes |
Detroit |
1980-81 |
- |
| Ferguson | Desmond | Lansing Everett HS |
1996 |
Missouri, Detroit Mercy |
Portland |
2003-04 |
- |
| Furlow | Terry | Flint Northern HS |
1972 |
Michigan State University |
Philadelphia, Cleveland, Atlanta, Utah |
1976-80 |
|
| Gaines | David "Smokey" | Detroit Miller and Detroit Northeastern HS |
1959 |
LeMoyne-Owen |
Kentucky (A) |
1967-68 |
- |
| Gervin | Derrick | Detroit Finney, Detroit Cass Tech and Detroit Martin Luther King HS |
1981 |
University of Texas-San Antonio |
Philadelphia, New Jersey |
1989-91 |
- |
| Gervin | George "Iceman" | Detroit Martin Luther King HS |
1970 |
Long Beach State, Eastern Michigan |
Virginia (A), San Antonio, Chicago |
1972-86 |
- |
| Gillery | Ben | Detroit Central Detroit Murray-Wright and Detroit Cody HS |
c.1984 |
Hutchinson (KS) JC, Georgetown |
Sacramento |
1988-89 |
- |
| Grant | Paul | Birmingham Brother Rice HS |
1992 |
University of Wisconsin, Boston College |
Minnesota; Utah |
1998-04 |
- |
| Grayer | Jeff | Flint Northwestern HS |
1984 |
Iowa State University |
Milwaukee, Golden State |
1988-94 |
- |
| Green | WiIlie | Detroit Cooley HS |
2000 |
Detroit Mercy |
Philadelphia |
2003-04 |
- |
| Griffin | Paul | Shelby HS |
1972 |
Western Michigan University |
New Orleans, San Antonio |
1980-83 |
- |
| Hairston | Al | Mt. Clemens HS |
c. 1963 |
Bowling Green University |
Seattle |
1968-70 |
- |
| Hairston | Lindsay | Detroit Kettering HS |
1971 |
Michigan State University |
Detroit |
1975-76 |
- |
| Halimon, Jr. | Shaler | Romulus HS |
1963 |
Utah State, Imperial Valley (CA) Community College |
Phil, Chicago, Portland, Dallas (A) |
1968-73 |
- |
| Ham | Darvin | Saginaw HS |
c.1991 |
Texas Tech. |
Denver, Indiana, Washington, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Detroit |
1996-04
|
- |
| Hamood | Joe | Dearborn Fordson HS |
1961 |
Houston |
Houston Mavricks (A) |