Troy Boys Basketball Team Overcomes Adversity to Reach Top of Division

Troy boys basketball coach Gary Fralick sighed, and looking up at the scoreboard, slowly but surely, he smiled.

His team had just pulled off an incredible 62-59 win on the road at Ferndale Friday night. The win over the only unbeaten team in the Oakland Activities Association White moved the Colts (12-5; 6-1 OAA White) into a tie for first place with three games left to play.

After the last couple of weeks, it’s easy to understand why Fralick is enjoying the positive vibes.

Difficult Stretch

Calling January a challenging stretch for the Colts program, or for its coach, would be an understatement. In a career that goes back nearly 30 years, Fralick said it was one of the toughest he can remember.

Fralick had to dismiss senior Evan Mahone from the team. Two weeks later, starting sophomore Maceo Baston Jr. transferred out of the school in stunning fashion, leaving Troy without a word to his coach or teammates.

“It’s tough,” Fralick said. “I’ve had maybe one or two other transfers at other times. It would be after a season or after a school year. It hurt, you have to move on. The kids have moved on and moved on faster than I did.”

The son of former University of Michigan and NBA star Maceo Baston Sr., Baston was quickly becoming a top college prospects of the 2014 class. The athletic forward averaged 15 points a game and nearly eight rebounds before leaving.

Baston started in a 74-55 win over Berkley on Jan. 26. After the game, Fralick had no inkling that it would be his last for the Colts.

“Unfortunately, high school sports is getting too much like college sports,” Fralick said. “Sometimes people move around, and I don’t condone it.”

“We Survived”

Troy’s 5-1 record since Baston’s transfer goes beyond one player, even if that one player is junior James Young.

The 6-foot, 6-inch forward is a superstar in the making. He’s the top junior player in Michigan, and he's being recruited by a number of Division 1 colleges.

Since Baston left, the Colts’ centerpiece has played games where he has scored 17, 36, 49 (a new school record), 27, 26 and 24 points.

“He’s just a special player, extra special player,” Fralick said. “He can just turn it on and hurt anybody. He can score at will against almost anybody. He just always finds a way.”

But Young points to his teammates' accomplishments as the key to Troy’s recent success. 

“We are trying to play more as a team,” Young said. “I’m trying to pass the ball around more. I know everybody around me can score. When everybody gets involved, it’s going to be hard to stop us.”

The Colts' Zach Noor and Joe Leonard have really stepped up their play, too. In the win over Ferndale, Leonard had 21 points, including five 3-pointers.

Larry Sylvester is also hitting some big shots for the Colts. With a spot open on the team, Sylvester went from keeping stats as the team manager to clutch performer.

Fralick cut Sylvester during tryouts, but the guard wouldn’t give up. He convinced his coach to let him practice with the varsity squad before Mahone and Baston left. With the hard work, Sylvester earned his way back on the team.

“Larry’s been through a lot, he wasn’t on the team and I talked to coach for him about it,” Young said. “I’m glad for him.”

In a 91-53 win over Berkley on Feb. 12, Sylvester scored a career-high 20 points on a perfect 6-for-6 performance from 3-point range. On Friday, he hit the go-ahead basket against Ferndale.

All the Colts need to do to guarantee themselves a share of the OAA White division title is win their three remaining games. Troy plays Oak Park at home on Thursday, at Avondale on Feb. 28 and Adams on March 1.

From the sound of it, first place isn’t a spot that the Colts are going to let go of without a fight.

“People thought we weren’t going to be able to do it,” Young said, smiling. “It feels good to be back on top.”