A Tour of Detroit’s Basketball History
Few cities in the United States have as rich of a basketball tradition as Detroit. From the three-time world champion Pistons, to the dozens of All-Americans that have come to national prominence on the hardwood of Detroit’s high schools, the Motor City is home tough players, crowded gyms, and a unique style of play.
March begins the home stretch of the basketball season. The NBA regular season is in its home stretch and the hometown Pistons are making a playoff push. Michigan and Michigan State are atop the Big Ten standings as we head into March Madness. And in hundreds of high school gyms across the city, fans are packing the bleachers to get a look at the next wave of Detroit hoopers.
In a city with such a love for basketball you are bound to find hoops history everywhere you look. To celebrate this rich basketball tradition, I have compiled a list of Detroit’s most historic basketball locales.
Evaluation Process:
It would be impossible to include every historic basketball gym into one single post. In an attempt to be concise, this list will only include gyms and arenas that are or were located within the city limits. Unfortunately, this leaves places like the Jenison Field house, where Detroit Ford’s Greg Kelser shined, or Eastern Michigan’s University where George Gervin perfected his finger roll. Even the Palace of Auburn Hills, the former home of the Detroit Pistons will have to be left off the list. Additionally, every high school gym in Detroit has a fair share of history. But in order to keep the list short we have only included one of the city’s high schools.
Olympia Stadium:
Olympia is best remembered as the longtime home of the Detroit Red Wings, but The Old Red Barn also has its fair share of basketball history. In 1946, Olympia hosted the City High School Championship. Detroit Miller fell to the Prospectors of Detroit Southwestern in front of a crowd of 14,000. Miller High was the first predominantly black high school in the Motor City and would become one of its most consistent programs. The following year, Miller rebounded from their loss by beating Detroit Northern by 30 points in the public school championship. Miller stayed hot and beat the Catholic League Champion, Detroit St. Joseph, in front of a sellout crowd of 16,000.
Olympia was the first home of the Detroit Pistons. After arriving in Detroit in 1957, the Pistons called the Barn home until the end of the 1960–61 season. Although the team never won more than half their games at Olympia, the arena was dazzling enough that it hosted the 1959 NBA All Star Game.
The Pistons take the hardwood at Olympia.
(credit: Detroit Athletic)
Cobo Arena:
With extensive renovations that dismantled its famed arena and a forthcoming name change, the history of basketball at the famed Cobo Arena will have to be preserved though the memories of Detroiters. Cobo Arena was home to the Detroit Pistons from 1961 until 1978. In that time, the City of Detroit fell in love with a player who would be in their lives for decades to come: Dave Bing. The future Mayor of Detroit would begin his Hall of Fame Piston career in the 1966–67 campaign, securing the Rookie of the Year award. Bing would go on to average over 22 points a game during his Piston career and would represent the team in six All Star Games.
Cobo Arena hosted a fair share of events outside of NBA action. The arena was home to many Detroit Public School League Championship games. The horseshoe layout of the facility created a unique atmosphere for a high school basketball game. Fans would fill the rafters and crowd the area around the floor to watch some of the city’s finest ball players compete for bragging rights.
Otto Moore and Dave Bing soar for a rebound at Cobo Arena
(credit: Getty Images)
Calihan Hall
On the campus of the University of Detroit Mercy you will find one of the finest mid-major basketball arenas in the country. Local icons such as Ferndale’s Rashad Phillips, Pershing’s Spencer Haywood, and Austin Catholic’s Dave DeBusschere spent their college careers filling up the score sheet at Calihan. The list of impressive names that have passed through the Calihan doesn’t just include local talent, the legendary basketball announcer Dick Vitale spent four years as head coach for the Titans and in 1988 Hershey Hawkins scored 63 points as the visiting Bradley team defeated the Titans.
Perhaps the finest performance ever seen at Calihan occurred before that name graced its front door. In 1961, Detroit Eastern faced off in the city championship against Detroit Catholic Central in what was then called the University of Detroit Memorial. Fans flocked from around the city to the campus box office and the game was sold out within in minutes. Many turned to scalpers who were charging $3 for a 70 cent student ticket and $4 for a regularly priced $1.25 adult ticket. Eventually the Detroit police shut the ticketing operation down and the game was played for a crowd of over 9,000 (after extensive renovations Calihan now holds just over 7,000 people). It would be the last prep game for the infamous Detroit ball player Reggie Harding who scored 18 points and pulled down 21 rebounds in the win. Following the season, Harding would be drafted directly into the NBA, forgoing college and beginning a career with the hometown Pistons. Unfortunately, Harding would hit hard times and would never fully realize his potential.
Calihan continues to host important games each season. Following the tradition that began in the 1960s, the Public School champion and the Catholic League champion square off in the “Operation Friendship” game each season. The University of Detroit Mercy Titans continue to call the arena home and just last week their freshman sensation, Antoine Davis, broke the NCAA record for 3-pointers by a freshman, eclipsing the mark previously held by Steph Curry.
A home game for the Detroit Mercy Titans.
(credit: University of Detroit Mercy)
Detroit Pershing High School:
While Detroit is filled with dozens of high schools that have all seen their far share of historic teams and performances few can hold a candle to the home floor of the Pershing Doughboys. Pershing has produced two basketball Hall of Fame inductees, seven NBA players, four Mr. Basketball winners, eight city titles, and nine state championship appearances. The school, which is named for a World War One Army officer has become a battle field of sorts for the Detroit’s basketball teams on their quest for city glory. The gym still resembles an old-time basketball field house, with limited bleacher space, an elevated track, and massive windows that allow natural light to pour in, creating a spotlight effect on the Doughboy’s basketball team.
More often than not, the city championship goes through Pershing. To be the best you have to beat the Doughboys, and this is often tough to do. From the Will Robinson led 1967 squad that featured NBA Hall of Famer Spencer Haywood to the 2010 team which saw Keith Appling break the state finals scoring record, Pershing High School has developed some of the city’s best teams.
Natural light pours through the Doughboys gym.
(credit: USA Today)
St. Cecilia’s
No list of Detroit basketball gyms would be complete without a mention of St. Cecilia’s. Although this small cramped gym isn’t home to any professional, college, or high school teams, it is without a doubt the most important basketball gym in the city’s history.
The gym, that began as a refuge for the city’s youth during the 1967 uprising, became Detroit’s version of Rucker Park. Under the direction of Samuel Washington, St. Cecilia’s would begin hosting summer league games that would attract all-star talent to its small church gym. It was said that to gain respect in Detroit one had to prove themselves at the Saint. Everyone from high school players, college All-Americans, and NBA stars stopped by the Saint. Local icons like Dave Bing, Isiah Thomas, Jalen Rose, and Magic Johnson came to the cramped gym to prove themselves. Even Marvin Gaye stopped by to test out his talents.
As the Michigan High School Athletic Association began to tighten its hold on offseason practices and summer leagues, St. Cecilia’s lost some of its luster as the premier location for Detroit offseason hoops but the memories of the games held within its tight gym are still spread around the city today.
A league game at the Saint.
(credit: Detroit News)
Commenti
Posta un commento