The 2024-2025 high school basketball season is about to kick off and Milford’s boys basketball team is ready to start the season with ferocious energy. Possessing a strong group of experienced seniors and an exciting group of young juniors, the team is coming off tremendous success as back-to-back district champs. With another title as the goal, this year’s expectations are just as high. Also with a few new additions and key returning players, everyone is ready to take their games to the next level. The Milford Mavericks are expecting to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Senior point guard Ben Shaw is the heart and soul of the team, as Shaw returns for his final season as the floor general. His most valued skills are his leadership, court vision, and ability to control the game. All last season, he slowly worked his way up in the lineup. From getting minimal amounts of time on the court to getting important minutes in some of the team’s closest games. Shaw has one goal in mind for this season, “We need to win Districts and be back-to-back-to-back champs.”
Senior shooting guard Carson Lutz is a prolific scorer with deep range, with Lutz ready to continue to have a major impact this year. After an extremely strong junior season and led the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game, he has continued to keep pumping heavy metal in the gym. No one on the team puts up as many shots or works on as many drills as Lutz. We can look for Lutz to be the team’s primary offensive weapon, especially in clutch situations.
Senior forward Owen Stark is the team’s defensive anchor, but, unbeknownst to many, is a sneaky good shooter. His size and athleticism make him a problem for opponents on both ends of the floor. His crucial ability to guard the other team’s best player and then get back and attack on offense will be critical for the Maverick’s success. “We will have to play good defense, obviously make some shots, and we need to play well as a team.” Stark said these will be the keys to winning games this year.
However, the team will be without the “Twin Towers” of Anthony Hutter and Jimmy Stevenson, who graduated after being the starting bigs last season. Hutter and Stevenson were versatile players who could score both inside and out, while also having been the team’s most dignified rebounders. Replicating their production on the inside and most notably rebounding will be one of the biggest challenges for the team this season.
With the return of key perimeter defenders like Shaw and Stark, the team should possess a strong defensive unit. The team will have lots of pressing up, which should allow plays to turn into fast break points. Furthermore, having a strong man-to-man defense will be a point of pride for the team.
With a combination of experienced shooters like Lutz and senior guard Nicholas McAlear the team’s outside shooting could potentially see itself as the main way of putting points up this season, ensuring that spacing the floor will be critical in creating these offensive opportunities.
The team will need to develop more consistent young post-players this season. While the forwards are young and solid defensively, they will need to improve their scoring in the paint to add some pressure off the outside shooting and develop a more balanced offense.
The Mavericks are a well-coached team with a clear identity built around hard work, intensity, and a strong defensive identity. The team showed their identity in their most important game of the year. They played the eventual state champions, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, and were heavy underdogs. They used these pillars to stay competitive against the eventual state champs. The Mavericks were winning the game going into the second quarter. This season they have the talent to compete with the top teams in their league and have their goals set on another deep playoff run. With a good mix of experienced seniors and young juniors who are ready to compete, expect them to be competitive in every game and make some noise come playoff time.
The team’s success will depend on staying healthy. But they also need to manage the ups and downs of the season and play together as a unit. There is no reason why the Mavericks can’t challenge for another district championship this year.
The team has started out well with opening wins again Flint Kearsley, Plymouth Salem, South Lyon East and Walled Lake Northern. In the season opener against Kearsley, Lutz set the modern-day Mavs record with 45 points, starting his senior season off with a bang.
The Mavs continue this week with more games against the other two Walled Lake schools before the holiday break. The first rivalry game against Lakeland will be on Jan. 17th and the Mavs will host the Eagles on Feb. 7.
With a good mix of outside scoring and a strong defensive presence, the Milford Mavericks are ready for a new season full of excitement and hopefully plenty of wins. Head coach of the team David Gilbert said this about the new season, “Every team and every year is different. So that challenge to find how this team works is something I’m excited about. Then with some guys with lots of experience and new guys with not as much, it will be a fun challenge.” Gilbert’s main goal for the season is to “Get better every day, and that will lead to wins on the court.”
