Former Niles great Henry Schrumpf has been named Retro Mr. Basketball for 1923.

The Vikings’ Eddie Chambers was one of the finalists for 1923, while Dowagiac’s Edgar Wilson was a finalist for 1973.

Schrumpf was a calm, reliable leader, who set a state final scoring mark with a 26-point performance (eight field goals and 10-of-12 from the free throw line) in the 1923 state title game against Alma.

He finished his senior season with 285 points (103 field goals, 79 of 143 free throws). A three-sport star and captain of the basketball team at Western Normal College, he later earned a baseball tryout with the White Sox, then returned to Michigan, serving as a basketball coach at Whitehall and Grand Rapids Creston.

Chambers made up for his lack of weight with speed and grittiness.

He scored 134 points in 25 games.

Chambers became the University of Michigan basketball captain in 1927 then went on to a hall of fame career as high school coach at Crystal Falls.

Chambers guided his cage teams to 312 wins, including 34 straight victories in 1938-40. His teams won 16 district titles in Class B, (12 consecutive from 1936-1947) six consecutive Upper Peninsula basketball championships from 1938-1944 (there was no quarterfinal, semifinal or final round in the tournament in 1943) and finished as U.P. runner-up in 1934, 1936 and 1937.

For over 30 years, the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan (BCAM), in association with the Detroit Free Press, has sponsored the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball award.

Given to the state’s top prep senior, Lansing Eastern’s Sam Vincent was selected in the spring of 1981 as the recipient of the first award. Monte Morris of Flint Beecher was named the 2013 winner.

In 2010, BCAM announced a program designed to honor the state’s top senior prep basketball players from the years 1920 through 1980. This year marks the fourth year of the Retro Mr. Basketball project. Rolling out over a 10-year span, BCAM announces the winners of the award for the 1923, 1933, 1943, 1953, 1963 and 1973 seasons. In 2019, the list will total 100 award winners, spanning the years 1920 to 2019.

As with the current honor, the goal of the Retro award is to focus on high school careers. Hence, information pulled from All-State, All-Area, All Conference and All-Tournament teams is used to guide the committee as it selects nominees for the award. This year presented challenges for the group.

“For many of the list, this is the first time their high school accomplishments have been recognized outside their home towns,” notes Ron Pesch, sports historian for the Michigan High School Athletic Association. “No All-Tournament or All-State teams were found for 1933, so regional sports reporting became especially important to the process.  The 1943 basketball season was cut short due to travel restrictions and rationing in place due to World War II. The country as a whole was concentrated on defeating the enemy. Post season play ended after what we would call the regionals today. To date, no All-State teams have been found for either 1943 and again, regional reporting was used to identify the state’s top ballplayers.”

As with past teams, the committee examined details from the career of a number of players, established a final ballot for each season, and then selected a “Retro Mr. Basketball” winner for each season.

 

1973

TOM LAGARDE

DETROIT CATHOLIC CENTRAL, 6-11, 210

UPI Prep Player of the Year.

Great coordination and mobility for his size with a good turn-around jumper.

“Had a 25-point per game average that could have gone into the 30s if he had chosen to shoot more,” stated the Detroit Free Press when it announced its All-State selections in 1973.

Played for Dean Smith at North Carolina, then spent six years in the NBA. A member of the 1976 gold medal Olympic team.

 

Edgar Wilson

Dowagiac, 6-5, 190

Only player to be named to the Detroit Free Press first team in both football and basketball, Wilson averaged 26.7 points and 15.5 rebounds per game as a senior. Receiving 150 scholarship offers, he chose to play college ball at Michigan State. Following graduation, Wilson served as an assistant at MSU and Central Michigan then was named head basketball coach at Ferris State in 1996.