The Michigan High School Athletic Association announced Monday that the boys and girls basketball seasons will be switched for the 2018-19 season. The boys season will begin the week after Thanksgiving, and the girls the first week of December, the opposite of the way things are now. The reason is that the Michigan State women’s basketball team wants to reserve the Breslin Center in case it plays host to NCAA Tournament games, and with the high school finals going on, the Spartans were unable to host a couple of years ago and had to play on the road. The boys semifinals and finals being a week earlier would eliminate the conflict, while the girls tournament would be moved to Calvin College next year. Howell coach Nick Simon says the switch isn’t an issue.
Simon’s Howell team begins the 2017-18 season tonight at Linden, a team that endured a 10-game losing streak last season before rallying to win a district title. The Highlanders also won their district, and while Simon emphasizes his desire to see his team go deep into the postseason, he and guard Johnny Shields also want to get off to a good start tonight. (whmi.com)