Tim Rybicki Riverview 1983: Rybicki led the Pirates for 3 straight years and was a two time All Huron League player. At 6'3" Rybicki was a do everything guard type who led some of the best teams in Riverview history. Rybicki was a Class B All Stater his senior year. Rybicki went on to have a good college career while playing basketball in Arkansas.
John Vandecaveye Monroe CC 1985: Vandecaveye was a 4 year varsity player for Ray Lauwers and led the Falcons to 3 straight Huron league titles. This slick 6'2" point guard could do it all for the Falcons but scoring was what he did best with a career average of 15.9 points including a 21.5 clip his senior year. Vandecaveye was a 1st Team Class B All Stater his senior year and played his college ball at the University of Toledo.
Dave Clum Flat Rock 1986: Clum was a 6'8" center on some of the great Flat Rock teams of the mid 80's. Clum scored more than 800 points in his 2 1/2 year varsity career but was more known for his rebounding abilities that allowed him to set a Flat Rock rebounding record his senior year with 336 which was a 14 rebound per game average. Clum went on to play basketball at Eastern Michigan University and was a starter on the Hurons Mid American Champion team that lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Andy Mangin Flat Rock 1987: Mangin is considered one of the best point guards in Huron League history. The 5'10" playmaker scored 1,395 points in his career which amounts to an 18.2 scoring average. Many of Mangin's baskets were from long range but he never benefitted from the three point line which was adopted by the MHSAA in 1988. Mangin had a 3 1/2 record on varsity of 62-16. Mangin was a two time Class C 1st Team All Stater and went on to be a four year starter at Alma College and still ranks as one of their all time leading scorers.
Chris Boller Carlson 1989: Boller was a 6'9" swingman who scored over 1,180 points in his career. Although Boller was the tallest man in the Huron League he was capable of bringing the ball up the floor and shooting three pointers. His senior year his team was one of the tallest in Huron League history with 3 of the other 4 starters being 6'4" or taller. Boller was the 1989 Huron League Player of the Year when he averaged 19.5 points per game and led his team to the 1989 league championship. Boller went on to be a 4 year Division I basketball player in Louisiana.
Ray Lauwers Monroe CC: Lauwers won six Huron League Titles in the 1980's and had a mind boggling 169-57 record over the ten year period. His 1980 team won 20 games while his 1985 team led by John Vandecaveye won 21 games. If that was not good enough his 1986 and 1987 teams won 19 games each following Vandecaveye's graduation in 1985.
I'm hoping all my facts are straight on these guys. I did the best I could. Obviously there were some other great players. I was fortunate enough to be a player in the Huron League when four of these guys played. I was a teammate of two of them and had to defend two others personally. Please feel free to throw some other names out there as there were many great players in the 1980's.
Other players that were considered: Dave Suemenick (FR), Steve Applin (MCC), Greg Baker (A), Dan Bondy (A), Randy Windham (J), Don Tuttle (C), Randy Roland (H), Larry Markey (MCC) Joe Skaiger (GI), Doug Lipford (MCC) Mark Vollmer (R), Chuck Collert (A), and Coach Dennis Sluder (FR).
Very cool, nicely done!
ReplyDeleteSteve Klein doesn't make the list? Seriously Chris, you don't know your history of the Huron League very well.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, where was your nomination? I've been asking since early October.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, do you think he was better than the five I listed? If so your crazy!
I am not saying that he was better than those five, but he did leave GI as the leading scoring in school history. I think that at least makes you an honorable mention. I can't believe that I would have to nominate someone who graduated as the leading scorer at a particular schools history.
ReplyDeleteHe probably should have been but I looked at my archives and asked people as early as August to nominate people. Nobody nominated him and I have people from GI who are on my site all the time.
ReplyDeleteEverbody else mentioned was nominated. I will say I was unaware that he was the schools leading scorer at the time. I did see him play many times. Wasn't the middle brother a little better overall player. What was his name, Jeff?
Quite frankly, I considered not even putting the the others considered because I knew people would get on and say what about so and so.
I think the 5 guys I picked are extremely solid and backed it up with some pretty solid facts.
To insuate that I don't know the Huron League history very well is somewhat disingenuous on your part. Don't you think?
I guess we can stop the pissing match but since your reading I will ask again. I am still looking for nominations for the 70's. I know GI and Tecumseh had some very good players in the 70's because I watched them play. But for the life of me I can't remember their names and internet searches have produced nothing. I have even asked my father who probably attended every game imagineable in the league back then and he can't remember either. So I could use some help.
The name Solomon keeps coming to mind from GI but I draw a blank after that.
Anyway, thanks for reading. I am doing my best on this thing but could still use more help.
what were all the school's records for the 80's?
ReplyDeleteChris Boller started at La. Tech but played for Western Illinois as a collegian.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the clarification on Boller.
ReplyDeleteDennis edmonds-Huron
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember a player for carlton airport 1981 through 83 name sterling hall whatever happened to him and why was he not mention
ReplyDelete