The winter season for high school sports is coming to a close. Boys and girls basketball playoffs are ongoing as we speak; the former now down to the final eight teams in each of the four classes.
Among the teams to have reached the quarterfinals, which begin on March 20, are the Rockets of New Haven in Class B. The defending state champions are led by prep star Romeo Weems, who is regarded as Michigan’s top prep player from the Class of 2019.
Weems and New Haven picked up yet another win on Wednesday in the regional final round, an impressive 92-74 win over Detroit Country Day for a fourth straight regional championship. In that game, the 4-star prospect turned in a quadruple-double — 21 points, 16 rebounds, 12 assists and 10 steals. And for good measure, he added seven blocks to the stat sheet.
Romeo Weems' quadruple double helps New Haven notch 51st straight win https://t.co/S8HCcUZRqc
— Freep Sports (@freepsports) March 15, 2018
The victory for New Haven was their 51st consecutive victory going back to last season. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that he is a man amongst boys at the high school level. But the scientist behind this group of Rockets, head coach Tedaro France, lauds him for his versatility.
“One thing he does is make his teammates better. Four guys are averaging double figures this whole year. Kids love playing with him because he shares the ball and creates shots.”
“People just see that he’s a great player, but they don’t see how hard he works,” said France. “He’s a great teammate, he gets better everyday, but the thing about him is that he’s a great leader.”
“It’s a blessing to coach a player of that caliber, and still be so humble, and have such great character.”
France said the biggest thing that has helped fuel their 50+ straight decisions in the win column is matching the pregame prep for every contest during that stretch. He also added that having a player of Weems’ caliber makes everything easier because he “gets (his teammates) involved and they feed off his energy.”
Weems (6-7, 215 pounds) is listed as the No. 1 junior hoops player in the state, per the 247Sports Composite. He’s already received a plethora of scholarship offers going back to his sophomore season. Both Michigan and Michigan State have offered him; he’s the highest-rated target from the Class of 2019 for Michigan and among the highest for MSU. The state’s two Division I mid-majors — Oakland and Detroit Mercy — have also offered him a scholarship.
Weems has been connected to MSU for some time now, Spartans head coach Tom Izzo has visited him on multiple occasions, and he’s made many trips to East Lansing throughout his prep career. The Spartans formally offered the New Haven standout back on January 30 of last year. However, the Wolverines and a host of others remain hot on MSU’s trail, vying for his services.
You can see Weems and New Haven next on Tuesday, March 20 when the quarterfinals get underway across the state. The Rockets will square off with Bridgeport (24-1) at Corunna High School. The game will be on MHSAA.TV as well.
