John Raffel
Sports Scene
Denzel Valentine has officially declared where he’ll be playing his college basketball. Now he’s going about the business of trying to make it back-to-back Class B state titles for his Lansing Sexton basketball team.
Valentine, one of three key returning players for Sexton, selected Michigan State University over Georgetown, Iowa, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Oakland University. He also received attention from Butler, Drake, Utah, and Xavier. His dad, Carlton, who is also his coach, played at Michigan State in the mid 1980s.
Michigan State coaches covet Valentine’s ball-handling skills.
Valentine had committed to Michigan State before his junior season. He knew he wanted to be a Spartan.
“I want to keep working on my body and make sure I’m physically ready, that’s the biggest thing,” Valentine said. “I want to make sure I’m ready for that pace and I have my head right and know how to deal with things.”
Valentine’s freshman year was curtailed when he needed corrective surgery for a piece of broken bone under his right kneecap.
Along with Valentine, other key players back from the state-title team are Anthony Clemmons and Bryn Forbes.
Denzel said he played practically every day during the off-season.
“I want to improve on my body and get ready for the next level,” he said. “I’m also trying to work on my jumpshot.”
Valentine formerly played football, but now he focuses solely on basketball.
Carlton Valentine said it’s unlikely his son’s role will change much with the team this season.
“He may score a few more points and have a couple more assists and rebound the ball a little more,” Valentine said. “He’ll be a guy to get everyone involved and keep everyone glued together.
“He’s the longest-tenured player on our team, a varsity player for four years. I expect him to maybe score a few more points per game, maybe a couple more rebounds. That’s statistical things. Statistics take care of themselves. I want him to be the best leader he possibly can be in the locker room, in the school, and on the floor.”
Denzel expects passing to be a strength this season, “and scoring when they need me to,” he said.
Against Muskegon Heights in the state title game, Denzel had 17 points, six rebounds, and three assists while Forbes had 10 points and four rebounds in the 75-60 win.
“My role will pretty much be the same,” Denzel said. “We have to keep working hard and stay humble and hungry and not get big-headed but go after it every game.”
“This year’s team is a collection of very talented people,” Coach Valentine said. “They’ve proven they can be successful. It’s going to be a very interesting year. It will be different because those guys will be hunted this year. It’s different. This year’s team will have to learn how to deal with being in a position where they’re being hunted.”
The returning trio, Valentine said, will have to pick up their game a few notches.
“They’ll have to pick it up like five notches,” he laughed. “This will be a situation here people will be coming after you. If you’re not prepared for that, mentally or physically, you’re going to have a rough time. These guys have worked hard all summer. They worked hard this preseason. It’s going to be tough. They’ll have to make sure they’re maintaining a good effort every night.
“It’s all about energy. If we can’t match the other team’s energy, it’s going to be tough. We have to make sure we’re maintaining a good effort every night.”
Valentine expects Forbes to be his team’s leading scorer.
“He’s our best shooter,” Valentine said. “He’ll have to pick up his leadership as well. He signed in November to play at Cleveland State University. He’ll play Division I basketball in the Horizon Conference with Butler, against U of D…It’s going to be tough.”
Clemmons has signed to play at Iowa.
“He’s probably going to have to score a few more points,” Valentine said. “Everybody will have to do a little bit more this year.”
Valentine said it’s an advantage that the three college-bound players for Sexton all know prior to their senior seasons where they’ll be playing college ball. In other words, that distraction no longer exists.
“Last year, we were a little bit stressed out,” he said “Having those two committed and signed helps us feel more comfortable coming into the season.”
Denzel Valentine wouldn’t mind leading Sexton to another title, while fully realizing the challenges that lie ahead.
“We have Detroit Pershing, Romulus, and Kalamazoo Central for nonleague and those will all be hard games,” he said. “We have to bring it every night if we want to repeat.”
On Jan. 20, Sexton improved to 8-1 and 6-0 in the conference with a 70-57 win over East Lansing. Clemmons scored 18 points in that game and had six rebounds plus five steals.