North Farmington’s Jacob Joubert looks to pass the ball Saturday. His father, Antoine Joubert, also played in the state finals.
North Farmington guard Jacob Joubert now shares another bond with his father, Antoine, as both played in state championship games.
“I told him just go out and have fun — this is something you’re going to remember forever. Go out and enjoy yourself and compete the best you can. There’s no other experience like that and I’m so proud of my son,” said Antoine, who now coaches at Oakland Community College.
The elder Joubert definitely left his mark in the finals. In 1983, he scored 47 points, which was the single-game record for 26 years before Detroit Pershing’s Keith Appling topped that by two.
“He really wanted me to win the game,” Jacob said. “He scored a lot and he wasn’t telling me to score as much as he did; he said it’s more important that I get the win.”
However, neither Joubert was able to accomplish that.
Antoine’s Detroit Southwestern squad lost back-to-back games against Flint Central, a team that was regarded as highly as U-D Jesuit was this year.
Jacob had eight points, six assists and five rebounds in the 69-49 loss Saturday to the Cubs.
MR. BASKETBALL IS GOING TO PROM: Cassius Winston, who had already won the Mr. Basketball award on Monday, got two more prizes on Saturday.
Behind Winston’s 31 points, U-D Jesuit won its first state basketball championship, which the MSU signee described as the culmination of four years of hard work.
Between the third and fourth quarters, when Winston formally accepted the Mr. Basketball trophy at center court, he slipped on a white T-shirt that read “Prom Arin” over his jersey. His prom-posal was directed toward Arin Bell, a student at Farmington Hills Mercy, and it worked, even though she was back at home watching on TV.
“I knew before that I wasn’t going to get a no,” Winston said.
SENIOR CITIZENS: One ingredient in North Farmington’s success this year was its chemistry. Of 12 players on the Raiders’ roster, 11 were seniors, and most had been playing together since grade school.
“We’ve known each other for so long. We really were a family, and it’s sad to end this way because we’d all do anything for each other. That’s what helped get us here,” center Alex Darden said.
Coach Todd Negoshian added, “We have seniors that are die-hards toward the game of basketball and love to compete, and when you have kids that are like that, they don’t want something to end, they don’t want to lose. Whether it was losing, the season ending or whatever, they didn’t want to stop being with each other.”
THIS IS OUR HOUSE: Throughout the weekend, many teams explained that it took time to get used to the big-stage atmosphere inside the Breslin Center.
Not so much for U-D Jesuit, which played several home games this winter in the 8,295-seat Calihan Hall on the University of Detroit-Mercy campus.
Senior Matt Schearer explained the Cubs moved down the block since construction of a new science wing eliminated much of the parking around the high school gym.
“We have a great, great fan base and a lot of people come to our games,” he said. “I thought (playing at Calihan) gave us a real edge. We were used to the bigger-sized court, the bigger fan base, the greater crowds, everything. Sure, we love playing at home, but going to Calihan seven or eight times, that really gave us a boost and confidence in our game.”
ALL THEY DO IS WIN: What’s the best won-lost record in a single season? That’s 28-0, based on 20 regular-season games, three district games (not everyone is scheduled for three) followed by a run to the state championship. Previously, 13 teams went 28-0, and that list grew Saturday with Powers North Central and U-D Jesuit both winning.
North Central, which hasn’t lost since the 2013-14 quarterfinals, now has a 55-game win streak, which puts it in a three-way tie for most wins in two seasons, along with Flint Northwestern (1984-85) and Flint Beecher (2012-13).
The most wins in a row is 65, set by Chassell in 1956-58.
