MCC men’s basketball pushing limits for national championship run

Recognized as one of the premier junior colleges in the nation, Macomb Community College is doing everything it can to regain the magic of the 2023 season.

The Monarchs shocked the world when they reached their first national championship game two seasons ago, falling to Milwaukee Area Technical College 86-65, but regained momentum with a stellar showing in head coach Christopher Burns’ first season at the helm in 2024.

Burns earned Michigan Community College Athletic Association Coach of the Year honors as Macomb set a school record for wins in a season (31) and captured its conference, the MCCAA, and a region title all in the same season for the first time in program history. Macomb was eliminated in the Sweet 16 last season but finished the national tournament 3-1.

The achievements and national ranking for Macomb, which is ranked No. 4 in the National Junior College Athletic Association DII, are a great nod to the program and how far it’s come, but there’s an expectation now.

What used to be MCC’s best is no longer enough — it’s about reaching the brightest stage of the season and bringing home history for the school.

“Last year, we had a good run nationally,” redshirt sophomore guard Josh Hines said. “I’m looking to go way past that point and learn from what happened last year and push the guys to their limits and go all-in.”

Hines, a 2021 Macomb Dakota graduate, has been the leader the Monarchs needed after the majority of the team transferred on after their sophomore seasons, which included leading scorer Juwan Maxey (Youngstown State University), leading rebounder Tymias Williams (Rochester Christian University), and a slew of other guys.

Posting 24.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, Hines has answered the call and then some, leading the Monarchs to a 10-1 record so far this season.

Hines, who tallied 11.6 points per game last season with MCC, not only leads on the court with his play, but is a symbol for what MCC prides itself on — working harder than everyone else.

“Nobody works harder than Josh (Hines),” Burns said. “He’s hands down the hardest worker that there is. If we’re doing the six-hour days, he’s doing the six-hour days with us but also doing stuff on his own before and after. His dad instilled that in him at an early age, and it’s the reason he puts the work in more than anybody.”

The Monarchs understand the expectations placed on them, and Burns reinforces it through each practice and every drill that pushes his team more and more each day.

Because they’re a junior college, Burns said it gives his team complete freedom to utilize as much time as needed for his guys to get right before the season.

“It’s just the work that we put in the offseason and every day,” Burns said. “Division I and II have compliance officers, where they only get so many hours on and off the court to be with their team. Junior college, there are none of those rules. We push it to the limits. We’re doing long days every day.”

It’s also a chemistry thing — something that can be difficult with different players moving in and out after a year or two.

Guys like Jalen Jenkins, Malachi Irving, Caron Williams, Davion Guity, Lajuan Holloway and Cameron House are trying to find their roles in their first season with MCC.

These are guys who were “the guy” at their respective high schools, and now they’re trying to find out what they can do to make their presence felt on the court.

“It hasn’t been easy,” Malachi Irving, a 2024 Warren Fitzgerald graduate, said. “It’s kind of been a rocky start, because I’m coming from a team where I was always the leader, and now I have to transition to someone who follows the leader. They’ve been good leaders for me, so it’s becoming easier to follow.”

Jenkins has only flourished from his days at Belleville, asserting himself as a two-way guard who can do just about anything for MCC. The freshman guard currently averages 8.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while tallying a team-high in assists (42) and second-most in steals (19).

“He’s coming from a winning program at Belleville,” Burns said. “He’s got a lot of experience, and he brought that to the table with us. Even though he’s coming off the bench, he could be a starter. He’s definitely an unsung hero, that’s for sure.”

Then you have your veterans in Marlon Williams, Jotham Nweke and DaMaryon Fishburn, who all found ways to contribute last year but are stepping into their leadership roles both on and off the court.

Williams and Fishburn went from logging 12-13 minutes a game last season to now being in the starting rotation, especially with Fishburn shooting behind the perimeter at a 66% clip and averaging 13.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game so far this season. 

Williams (17.5) and Nweke (15.2) are both averaging double-digits in the points-per-game column.

The Monarchs offense, averaging just over 93 points per game, isn’t as dominant as last year’s 96 points per game so far, but Hines said it will only improve with the team meshing the way that it is.

“The strength of our team right now, I feel like, is the chemistry with our teammates,” Hines said. “We get along on and off the court, and then we come in here and try to go all-out. We just push our limits and stay together as a team. When we go out to play, hopefully we can put the right pieces together and do the things we’ve been working on in practice.”

Oh, and how about the addition of two 6-foot-8 players to the rotation in Guity and Holloway, who both made their season debuts in a 109-51 win Dec. 18 over Owens Community College as Guity dropped 24 points while Holloway chipped in seven rebounds.

Guity is the most NIL-endorsed junior college player, according to MCC, and was once ranked the No. 3 player in the state of New Mexico, while Holloway, an Oak Park graduate, is a bully in the paint.

“I think these two guys are going to put us over the top,” Burns said. “It’s just going to put everyone in their natural spots and have someone down there that we can funnel. Right now, we’re funneling all our guys to the rim, but we don’t have a rim protector. We now have two rim protectors where we can split their minutes up so we have one on the court at all times.”

The Monarchs have a long way to go before it’s time to think about bringing home a national championship, but they’re on the right track and only progressing each game.

“We all got one goal, and that’s to get a national championship,” Irving said. “We’re working towards that every day and getting better every day.”