Mid Michigan Lakers IMPORTANT news and notes (updated 3/16/2020)

To all MML players, families, alumni, supporters, coaches, and potential newcomers:

Due to the recent state of emergency declaration with respect to the pandemic of the new COVID-19 strain of the coronavirus spreading across our great country, we have officially postponed our tryouts for our 14th season until further notice.  We have been in communication with directors from other programs that we share a brotherhood and bond with and have jointly made the same determination as well.

When we started this program, we determined that it would be built and based on the idea that the well being of our players, families, coaches, and supporters would be at the forefront of every decision that we make.  This situation is no different.  While we are not going to operate from a stance of panic and paranoia, we are going to take this situation very seriously and govern ourselves accordingly.

This situation is a rapidly-changing one in the U.S. and over the coming days and weeks we will closely monitor and consult with our local Genesee County Health Department, our state governing body, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the World Health Organization (WHO).  We will do our best to update this page in a timely fashion as things change and as information comes in, but I also want to invite you to follow our Twitter page at @MMLakers for more instant updates.

As the situation develops we hope to re-visit the start of our tryouts and our 14th year of the program.  As mentioned above, your health and safety are paramount to us and that will always be our first consideration.  In the interim, if there are any questions, please feel free to contact Marcellus C. Miller at 810-965-4417 (text is quickest option) or email at midmichiganlakers@gmail.com for assistance.

-Marcellus C. Miller, Director #MMLFamily #StaySafe

In addition, we recognize that there are many question still unanswered and we want to provide some resources for informational purposes.  This is a great to talk to our families about the seriousness of the situation and allow room for concerns to be raised.  Remember that proper hygiene, especially hand washing remains our biggest ally.  Here are some available resources for information:

CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/summary.html

WHO: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

MI State Health Department: https://www.michigan.gov/Coronavirus

Genesee County Health Department: https://gchd.us/coronavirus/

What you need to know about hand washing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d914EnpU4Fo

Why is hand washing important: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avib0F7-f98

MML 2020 tryout information! (IMPORTANT! POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!!!)

MML 2020 season is upon us!  The initial tryout date information for this year is March 17th and details are below.  The tryout fee is only $10 (nonrefundable).  If you are interested, click the “2020 tryout sign up” link on the home page and fill it out.  In addition, click the “assumption of risk document (mandatory)” link on the home page, print it, fill it out, and bring it with you to tryouts.  It’s just that simple.  Come on time, with basketball clothes to tryout in, your $10 fee, your risk document, and having filled out the sign up form.  See you on March 17th!

Tryout Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Tryout Time(s): U15 (current freshman) AND U16 (current sophomores) 5pm-6pm

                             U17 (current juniors) 6pm-7pm

Tryout Location:  Faith Lutheran Church, 12534 Holly Rd., Grand Blanc, MI 48439

Tryout Questions: Email us at midmichiganlakers@gmail.com

2019 Brawl for the Ball Schedule and Info

All,

I know that this schedule is going to be a shock for some so let me explain.  For many years, every tournament in the month of July used to be NCAA certified, meaning every level of college coach could come and view.  Those tournaments all started on Thursdays to spread the games out to accommodate the coaches’ busy schedules attending multiple tournaments in a weekend.  Since the NCAA changed the rule this year, there were only two live (NCAA certified) weekends this year.  Thus the tournaments were shortened, thank God, to not include Thursday, but still start pretty early on Friday (!2 noon).  That is the situation we have here.  It stinks for those of us who work everyday, as we have to make arrangements for travel and potentially missing work.  That said, this is a huge event and we still wanted to reward the guys for playing through the spring and making it through with it.  With that, the schedule is as follows (remember, it is subject to change until Thursday night):

MML U17 (combined) Pool C:

Friday, July 19 @12:00pm vs. Team Focus 2020- Black at MSA Woodland- court 3 (white jerseys)

Friday, July 19 @2:20pm vs. Storm 17u NY2LA at Courthouse Athletic Center- court 3 (white jerseys)

Saturday, July 20 @8:30am vs. NW Ohio at MSA Woodland- court 2 (blue jerseys)

If we finish:

1st in pool, we play Saturday, July 20 @4:40pm at MSA Woodland- court 4 (blue jerseys)

2nd in pool, we play Sunday, July 21 @8:30am at MSA Woodland- court 1 (white jerseys)

3rd in pool, we play Saturday, July 20 @5:50pm at Courthouse Athletic Center- court 1 (white jerseys)

4th in pool, we play Saturday, July 20 @7:00pm at Courthouse Athletic Center- court 1 (white jerseys)

 

Venues:

MSA Woodland (MSAW)
2100 28th St SE
Grand Rapids, MI, 49508
1 (1), 2 (2), 3 (3), 4 (4)

Courthouse Athletic Center (CHAC)
8895 Byron Commerce Drive SW
Byron Center, MI, 49315
1 (1), 2 (2), 3 (3), 4 (4), 5 (5), 6 (6)

Calvin College – VanNoord Arena (CAL)
3195 Knight Way SE
Grand Rapids, MI, 49546
1 (1), 2 (2), 3 (3), 4 (4), 5 (5)

Cornerstone University (CU)
1001 East Beltline NE
Grand Rapids, MI, 49525
1 (1), 2 (2), 3 (3)

Grandville High School (GHS)
4700 Canal Ave SW
Grandville, MI, 49418
1 (1), 2 (2), 3 (3)

Northview High School (NVHS)
4451 Hunsberger Ave NE
Grand Rapids, MI, 49525
1 (1), 2 (2), 3 (3)

Tri-Unity Christian School (TUCS)
5353 Wilson Ave SW
Wyoming, MI, 49418
1 (1), 2 (2)

Additional Info:

General Information

ADULT ADMISSION = $10 FRIDAY, $15 SATURDAY, $10 SUNDAY OR A $30 WEEKEND PASS
STUDENT ADMISSION = $5 DAILY ($10 WEEKEND PASS) – 10 YEARS OLD AND YOUNGER ARE FREE
COACHES AND PARENTS – BE SURE TO CHECK BACK THURSDAY NIGHT FOR SCHEDULE UPDATES
ALL COACHES AND SCOREKEEPERS (9th-11th Grade Divisions ONLY) MUST CHECK-IN AT MSA WOODLAND AT LEAST 30-45 MINUTES BEFORE YOUR FIRST GAME.
Check-In Information (15u-17u)
CHECK- IN SITE: (MSA WOODLAND – 2100 28th St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49508)
-Please allow enough time for check-in.
-If you Do not check-in prior to your first game, YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO PLAY!
Coach Check In – We will provide a pass for Head Coach, and 1 assistant coach, and a scorekeeper.
Gym Sites – Please know where your game is located and be there early, games may start early.
Rules – Please understand the Rules. Home team is listed first in pool play or on top of bracket(wear light uniform).
EVENT APP FOR SCHEDULE AND SCORES – DOWNLOAD THE GYM RATS APP ON YOUR PHONE
Scores – These will ONLY be updated online.
Ejection Rule – If a player or coach gets ejected they will NOT be allowed to play in next game.
EACH TEAM MUST PROVIDE A SCOREKEEPER/TIMEKEEPER
FIRST TEAM LISTED IS HOME/WEARS LIGHT JERSEYS
REFUND POLICY – NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED AFTER THE REGISTRATION DEADLINE

Tournament Rules:

2019 Brawl for the Ball – Rules Sheet
July 19-21, Grand Rapids, MI
2019 Brawl for the Ball Tournament Rules
NFHS Rules for game play with the following expectations:
High School Divisions: Official stopped clock consisting of TWO 16 minute halves.
Youth/Middle School Divisions: Official stopped clock consisting of TWO 14 minute halves.
All teams should have accurate and printed rosters available for scorekeepers upon request.
Clock will run beginning in the 2nd half if lead is 25 points or more.
Clock will stop again when the lead is below 20 points.
Mercy Rule: If a team is ahead by 20 points or more with 2 minutes or less the game will be called.
Timeouts: 3 Full, 45 second timeouts, will be permitted per game.
5 Personal Fouls for disqualification.
5 minute pre-game warm-up.
3 minute halftime.
Overtime will consist of one 2 minute period. One additional timeout will be granted.
Additional overtimes will consist of a 2 minute period with a running clock, except the last 30 seconds.
Timeouts will carryover from regulation to both overtimes, but NO additional timeouts given for the second overtime.
Games will NOT begin more than 5 minutes earlier than scheduled start time.
A team may forfeit the game (20-0) if they are not on the assigned court within 5 minutes of game time. Tournament director decision is final with regards to all forfeits.
Abusive language or poor conduct will NOT be tolerated. If a parent, fan, coach or player is exemplifying poor conduct they will simply be removed from the venue without warning and may not be allowed back during the remainder of the event.
For seeding purposes the following rules apply to all tie-breakers:
Any two-way tie, head-to-head
Any three-way tie:
Point differential of games involving tied teams only.
Differential value is assessed and ranked with a 20 point maximum.
In the event two teams end with the same point differential value refer to two-way tie.
If the event three teams end with the same point differential lowest points allowed in all games.
2019 Brawl for the Ball Tournament Guidelines
Home team is listed first or on top and should wear white/light color jerseys.
Home team will sit to the left of the scorer’s table.
Bench personnel is limited to 3 approved personnel per team.
Coaches MUST wear badges/bracelets to enter venue and sit on the bench.
Everyone other than players will need a bracelet to get into any game. Team Players must wear uniforms or warm-ups for admission to games.
Event teams, event coaches, fans and general public are strictly prohibited from entering a COLLEGE COACHES ONLY entrance or seating area. Violators may be removed from the venue without warning and may not be allowed back during the remainder of the event.
Event teams will enter/leave the bench area away from the college coaches seating
Tournament Director’s decision is final and without appeal.

Practice this week…

Practice Tuesday form 5-7pm at Faith Lutheran…be there on time and ready.  Also with your financial responsibilities ready to be taken care of!  There should be no questions, but if there are, by all means please let me know.

Brawl for the Ball schedule will be posted when I receive it

Brawl for the Ball info

All, It was decided based on attendance last night and other factors that we will be travelling as one team to the Brawl for the Ball tournament by combining our groups together.  That said, practice last night did not meet the expectations of attendance especially after a long break.  Keep in mind that there are no guarantees, no handouts, no free rides, etc and we all have a responsibility to meet.  It goes without saying that if you have not met those responsibilities, you will be unable to compete.

At any rate this tournament will be July 19-21 in Grand Rapids, MI.  If you have already made hotel reservations, that is fine, but I am attaching the hotel service for the tournament that will assist you in doing so if you have not already.  They say that all of the reservations need to be made through them, but if I have people that have made their arrangements already, so be it.  The schedule will not be out until July 15th, so stay tuned for that as well.  Please contact your coaches if there are any questions.

2019 TOURNAMENT HOTEL INFO

In an effort to make travel easier, Brawl for the Ball has partnered with TBD Sports to create a ‘Stay to Play’ policy for this event.

In an effort to make your travel and stay, in Grand Rapids, as efficient and easy as possible, please make your hotel (teams and coaches) accommodations for our event through TBD Travel Service. This is a complimentary service that makes securing your rooms quick and easy. It is required that teams book their housing through this service to ensure placement in this tournament. Team and individual reservations can be made online or by phone.

***Click the TBD Traveling Service icon to reserve your hotel room(s) today! 

TBD Traveling Services

9:00AM TO 5:30PM MON – FRI EST

Phone: 515.207.4910

 

*IMPORTANT — ALL Event Coaches & College Coaches MUST check in and register at MSA WOODLAND (Tournament Headquarters) PRIOR to their first game!
Tournament Headquarters: 2100 28th St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49508
ADMISSION PRICES

ADULTS:
DAILY PASS $10 – FRIDAY
DAILY PASS $15 – SATURDAY
DAILY PASS $10 – SUNDAY
WEEKEND TOURNEY PASS $25

STUDENTS:
DAILY $5 – WEEKEND TOURNEY PASS $10
KIDS 12 & UNDER ARE FREE

NO PRACTICE THIS WEEK…

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are unable to resume practice until after the holiday week next week (July 9).   See you then.  Please see prior post for other important information.

Updates and resuming of MML practice…

All, hopefully you are finding success with your HS summer programs and are continuing to progress.  For those who’s teams are not participating in summer league, I hope that you have continued to work out.  We will be resuming practice next week on Tuesday, June 25 from 5-7 as usual and will also go next Friday, June 28 at the same time.  Now, we understand that some of you will have HS games and you will not be punished for not attending practice; however, we want to open the gym up for some drill work work for those who are not scheduled with their HS.

If you have not completed your commitment payments, the time has come to do so.  There will be no July exceptions to that and that financial commitment is how we play in July as the tournament fees do increase.

Also, I want us to all keep Mrs. Julie and Sammy in our hearts and prayers as they lost their mother and grandmother respectively.  We take being a MML family as a real thing, not just words so when one has a loss, we all do.  We pray for their entire family.

If there are any questions, contact Coach Miller immediately.

No Practice this week!

As you gear up for your high school teams in June, please contact your coach with your schedule once you figure it out.  We will be setting up skill workouts if guys are available during June

Preliminary Up North Challenge Schedule (5/24-5/26)- updated 5/23

Hello all, we are entering into the last spring tournament coming off some of our best play last weekend.  The competition will be tough and the opportunities great to excel here in Mt. Pleasant.  As a note, parents, hotel room is generally scarce in the city of Mt. Pleasant so hopefully you have already made your arrangements for that if necessary.  Now this tournament is only a 3 game guarantee, so Sunday is NOT guaranteed!  The initial schedule is as follows:

17u (pool C):

Saturday, May 25 @ 9:00am vs. HHBC Flight at Shepherd High School (court 1- blue jerseys)

Saturday, May 25 @ 2:00pm vs. REAL Basketball at Shepherd High School (court 2- white jerseys)

Saturday, May 25 @ 7:00pm vs. Championship Sports at Shepherd High School (court 3- blue jerseys)

 

If we finish:

1st in pool- we play Sunday, May 26 @ 11:00am at Shepherd High School (court 1- white jerseys)

2nd in pool- we play Sunday, May 26 @ 11:00am at Shepherd High School (court 2- blue jerseys)

3rd or 4th in pool- we go home

 

Venues:

1- Shepherd High School

100 E. Hall Street
Shepherd, MI 48883

Facilities

• Court 1
• Court 2
• Court 3

2- Shepherd Middle School

150 W. Hall Street
Shepherd, MI 48883

Facilities

• Court 1

Practice this week

Practice will commence Tuesday and Friday from 5-7pm as usual.  On Tuesday, there will be a parental meeting for all 16U parents immediately following practice at 7pm  Please be in attendance if you are at all able.