Publication select ▼
Brother Rice senior point guard David Williams dribbles up court against Toledo St Francis De La Sales Feb. 8 at Marian High School. The Warriors have had their way with most of their opponents this season.
Photo by Erin Sanchez
BLOOMFIELD HILLS — Brother Rice has put together a phenomenal season up to this point, and now another test looms in the form of playoff basketball.
At press time, Rice was an outstanding 18-2 on the year, with its only regular-season loss coming via a Detroit U of D Jesuit team that went 7-0 in the Catholic High School League.
“First and foremost we have a great group of kids,” Brother Rice head coach Rick Palmer said. “I think this is a group that maybe other people didn’t see being this good. But we kinda felt like we had the right mix.”
In the CHSL playoffs, Brother Rice lost to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 72-41 in a semifinal contest. Despite the disappointing CHSL playoff result, Rice had won 16 straight games before the loss, had a 66-64 win over OLSM earlier in the season, and ended the regular-season in second-place in the league.
“I think we walk into every game now confident that we’re going to win,” Palmer said. “Not in a cocky way, but they really believe in each other. It’s been fun to be around.”
The team is fun to be around and fun to watch. Rice’s offensive style revolves around finding the open man and shooting 3-pointers. The roster has produced one of the more impressive passing and shooting seasons in recent memory.
“Numbers wise, the percentage of our baskets that are created off an assist is the highest I’ve ever had in seven years here,” Palmer explained. “We’re shooting 42% from three (as of Feb. 4)... which I think would put us fifth or sixth in Division 1 out of 355 teams.”
One of the biggest reasons why Brother Rice is a threat this postseason is the team’s depth. This is undoubtedly one of the deepest teams in the state, which immediately gives it an advantage against almost any opponent.
“We’ve had really good teams here and never been this deep,” Palmer said. “I’m playing four [players off the bench] a bunch, but there’s three or four more that probably should be playing more.”
Depth, along with passing and shooting are the focal points of the program, and perhaps no one personifies those attributes more than senior Dave Williams and junior Greg Grays Jr.
“We just go as he goes,” Palmer said of Williams and his impact on the team. With an average of 12 points per game, Williams is the second leading scorer on Rice’s roster. He also averages five assists per game and is shooting a whopping 48% from the 3-point line.
“We shoot (3-pointers) at a high clip,” Williams said. “We really play together as a team. No one tries to outshine anyone. We do what we have to do and get a win.
Having a team-first mentality from the program’s point guard causes an important trickle-down effect, as Brother Rice’s roster has completely bought into that mentality.
“As a team, you’re going to accomplish more than one person trying to do everything,” Williams said. “In life, basketball, on and off the court… That’s how we get it done, as a team.”
Brother Rice’s leading scorer is Farmington transfer Greg Grays Jr., who averages 18 points per game and is an impact player on both sides of the floor. Having a talented transfer like Grays Jr. has both increased the team’s top-end talent and helped add depth to the roster.
“We know we have great players,” Grays Jr. said. “We have some of the top players in the state. But we know it’s going to take the whole team.”
Although Brother Rice has proven that it is capable of putting points on the board, the Warriors’ defense can also cause problems for opponents, which can make a big difference come playoff time.
“We pride ourselves on our defense,” Grays Jr. said. “We feel like we’re one of the best defensive teams. We feel like we’re the best team in the state and we just want to show it every time we step on the court.”
The goal for Brother Rice? To avenge the CHSL loss to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in the form of a state title.
“We feel like we’ve got what it takes to win it all and that’s what we want to go do,”Grays Jr. said.
District tournament play begins Feb. 24, which is followed by regionals March 4. The state finals are set for March 15 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
