Only one senior from Southfield High School was on the Boys Varsity Basketball team roster at press time, and he is a bench warmer.
And that’s not OK with senior Brent Joyner, who says he hopes to change his status from bench warmer to starter before the season is over.
“It’s never too late to give up on something you love,” said an optimistic Joyner, who played golf and tennis for Southfield High last year, but was not on the basketball team until this year.
The 6-foot, 3-inch shooting guard has competition from seniors from University High School – center Isiah Green and small forward Kari Fanning – who are in Coach Teasley’s starting lineup.
In an unusual arrangement, students from University High School in Southfield, which does not have its own sports teams, are eligible to join sports teams at either Southfield High or Southfield Lathrup, which ever is their home school, sometimes replacing home school players, such as Joyner.
Joyner has not quite made it onto the lineup, being red-shirted, which means he is on the practice squad.
Coach Gary Teasley said all is not lost for Joyner because Teasley will have three spots open second semester for the best of his practice squad players. “Nothing is promised,” said Teasley. “I’m not putting Joyner out there just because he is a senior. He will have to prove himself if he wants to play.”
Teasley said Joyner has promise: “Joyner has good size, gifted ball handling skills and can be a great fit with the team.”
Sophomore point guard Amauri Hardy said, “It feels good to have a new piece to the team.” Hardy said Joyner listens, and “He’s very humble.”
Hardy says Joyner’s defense and scoring are like “the missing piece to the puzzle to really get our team moving. “