Detroit, MI

Thompson: The new year brings a promising future for Detroit students

Published

2 months ago

January 11, 2026

Thompson: The new year brings a promising future for Detroit students

Detroit Public Schools Community District often gets a bad rap due to declining enrollment issues or longstanding challenges that led to the historic takeover of the school system before voters returned it to an elected board.

And in many cases, that is the lens through which the school system’s performance is examined and viewed across the state. But there are hidden stories of progress within a school system that is still struggling to define itself and to give young Detroiters hope for a meaningful future.

I saw that first-hand last week at Denby High School, part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District, on the city’s east side, where hundreds of young Black and Brown male students gathered in the basketball gym for the annual policing and prosperity forum.

The annual event initiated and led by tenacious Detroiter Sharlonda Buckman, the district’s assistant superintendent for family and community engagement, is one of the hidden jewels of the public school system and brings together male students from various high schools to discuss their interaction with law enforcement. On the panel were senior and junior police officers from the Detroit Police Department, as well as the district’s public safety chief, Labrit Jackson, all of whom took hard questions from the students about how to navigate the complexities of the criminal justice system.

Before the start of the forum, I met three students: 17-year-old Justin Montgomery, 17-year-old Exavier Ward and 16-year-old Wesley Lewis, all students of Denby.

The three of them live on the east side and are serious and determined students who believe they have an obligation to be worthy ambassadors of their communities.

“I just got a scholarship from Cleary University for track and field and cross country and I just signed the papers so I can be committed,” Ward told me. “I am excited for the new year and I’m ready to live my adult life.”

His parents are also joyful about his future because, “out of all of my siblings, I’m going to be the first one to go to college. I want to major in cybersecurity,” he says.

Montgomery is scouting Oakland University or Central Michigan University and is also interested in a trades school. He’s keeping his options open.

“I have been here for a while and I’m ready to get out of high school. The experience has been good for me,” he says.

For Lewis, graduating in 2027 will make him the first in his family to be committed to college. That alone keeps him upbeat for the new year as he prepares for the challenges and the pressures of being an 11th grade student.

“I’m really ready to go to college. I’m looking at Kentucky State University, Wayne State University and Michigan State University,” he says. “I probably would major in music in college because I currently play the piano. But sometimes I get nervous about college because I feel like it is going to be harder than high school.”

These impressive young men speak to the vitality of the school system and the need to continue to nurture and support them.

The forum on policing and prosperity reinforces that need.

“This forum is so important because we give the students an opportunity to have a voice and talk about the things that are important to them and how they interact with law enforcement,” says Marty Bulger, the district’s senior director of male mentoring.

“Even a more dynamic piece is the fact that because the city has seen a reduction in violent crime, we believe as we reach our young people, we will continue to see a decline. These young men are our future leaders.”

X (formerly Twitter): @BankoleDetNews

bankole@bankolethompson.com

Bankole Thompson’s columns appear on Mondays and Thursdays in The Detroit News.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Mercy basketball two wins away from NCAA tournament bid

Published

5 hours ago

March 7, 2026

Press Room

Detroit Mercy basketball two wins away from NCAA tournament bid

UDM is two wins away from its first NCAA tournament berth since 2012.

Calling what Detroit Mercy basketball has done this season a resurgence may be an undersell.

UDM (16-14, 12-8 Horizon), the No. 3-seed in the Horizon League Tournament, is playing No. 2 Robert Morris (22-10, 13-7) in the conference semifinals at Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis on Monday, March 9. The game is scheduled to tip off at 9:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN2.

For a team that went 8-24 in the 2024-25 season, and a program-worst 1-31 in 2023-24, that the Titans are just two wins away from an NCAA Tournament appearance represents nothing short of a rebirth. That possibility looked distant even on Jan. 24, when a 95-87 loss to rival Oakland brought the Titans to 8-12 overall.

Watch Horizon League tournament on Fubo

But UDM responded by winning seven of its last nine regular-season games, including a 95-89 win against Oakland at the O’Rena to secure the team’s first 16-win season since 2016.

“We all found out who we were as players and as people. So now we know what positions to put the right people in at the right time,” said Titans senior point guard Orlando Lovejoy of the team’s late-season surge. “Once we figured that out, it was game on.”

The Detroit native Lovejoy has put up exceptional numbers in his senior season with the Titans, putting up a career-high 33 points in a 74-70 win over Green Bay on Feb. 22 and 29 points on 13-for-16 shooting against Oakland in the regular-season finale.

“He scores in phases. He can score on the fast break, he can post up, he can get to his spots,” said UDM coach Mark Montgomery. “He also brings the, ‘Gimme the ball in the biggest moments, and I’ll take over.’”

Lovejoy might have to take over more than usual against a tough Robert Morris team. The Colonials are the defending Horizon League champions and have beaten the Titans twice this year, with an 85-77 win in Detroit on March 2 and a 73-62 win at home on Feb. 25.

“We turned the ball over in key moments in those games, and then we have to keep them off the offensive glass,” said Montgomery of the Colonials. “We’re gonna get down to Indy, we’re going to enjoy a day, and then we’re going to lock in and know it’s one-and-done time.”

As for Lovejoy, who only gets four tickets to give to friends and family for the upcoming game, he expects to have a big travelling crowd to support him and the local team.

“I don’t know who I’m not bringing to Indianapolis,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of people coming to support as they did ever since I started playing basketball.”

Detroit Mercy basketball time vs Robert Morris in Horizon League semifinal

Date: Monday, March 9.
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET.
Location: Corteva Coliseum, Indianapolis.

UDM is looking for its fourth conference tournament win and first since 2012.

Detroit Mercy basketball channel vs Robert Morris in Horizon League semifinal

Tipoff: 9:30 p.m. ET.
Channel: ESPN2.
Streaming: Fubo.

Monday’s Horizon League semifinal game featuring UDM and Robert Morris will be televised on ESPN2 and can be streamed on Fubo, which carries ESPN channels.

Watch Detroit Mercy-Robert Morris on Fubo

Horizon League tournament results

Play-in: No. 11 Cleveland State 101, No. 10 IU Indianapolis 93.
First round: No. 5 Green Bay 64, No. 6 Purdue.
First round: No. 1 Wright State 90, No. 10 Cleveland State 61.
First round: No. 2 Robert Morris 68, Youngstown State 53.
First round: No. 3 UDM 84, No. 8 Milwaukee 63.
First round: No. 7 Northern Kentucky 85, No. 4 Oakland 84.
Sunday, March 8, Second round: No. 5 Green Bay vs No. 7 Northern Kentucky, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+).
Monday, March 9, Semifinal: No. 1 Wright State vs TBD, 7 p.m. ET (ESPNU).
Monday, March 9, Semifinal: No. 2 Robert Morris vs No. 3 UDM, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2).
Tuesday, March 10, Final: TBD vs TBD, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN).

Detroit Mercy NCAA tournament history

UDM hasn’t made the NCAA tournament since the 2011-12 season and has only made the tournament six times in program history..

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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.

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Detroit, MI

Multiple tornadoes reported in Southwest Michigan amid severe weather

Published

18 hours ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

Multiple tornadoes reported in Southwest Michigan amid severe weather

Updated on: March 6, 2026 / 7:42 PM EST
/ CBS Detroit

At least two tornadoes were reported in Southwest Michigan on Friday amid severe weather, according to CBS Detroit’s Chief Meteorologist Ahmad Bajjey.

Two of the tornadoes were reported in Union City and Three Rivers, while a possible third tornado may have been in St. Joseph County. Bajjey says the tornadoes caused significant damage. According to Consumers Energy, more than 3,200 customers are without power as of 7:40 p.m. on Friday.

Official reports of fatalities or injuries are unknown, but CBS-affiliate WWMT in Kalamazoo reports that the Branch County medical examiner is on scene in Union City.

The Michigan State Police Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division says Gov. Gretchen Whitmer activated the State Emergency Operations Center in response to the storms in Branch, Cass and St. Joseph counties. The department says the center will be supporting local requests for assistance.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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