Detroit, MI
Melifonwu: Jameson Williams Was ‘Even Faster’ This Spring
Detroit Lions safety Ifeatu Melifonwu has had a first-hand look at the speed of wide receiver Jameson Williams for the past two years.
Appearing on the “Football Analysis” podcast this week, the fourth-year defensive back shared his assessment of Williams’ growth during the offseason.
“Jamo looks really good. Jamo is the best I’ve seen him since I’ve been in Detroit. He’s making plays. In OTAs, he was making plays almost every day. He was making plays, whether it was deep, short, intermediate, all over the field,” said Melifonwu. “And for some reason, I feel like he was faster than he was before. That’s what it seems like to me. I feel like he’s gonna have a really good season, he’s a really good player.”
Matching up against a player that can take the top off the defense at any given moment presents unique challenges to defensive backs.
“You almost have to know where he’s at. This is with anyone in the league, based on where players are kind of tells you different things. But you definitely have to know where he’s at and make sure you keep the top of the defense,” Melifonwu said. “Don’t let him get behind you. You’re definitely aware of where the speedsters are, no matter if it’s Jamo or someone on a different team. You have to be aware.”
Detroit Lions Pre-Training Camp Defensive Depth Chart
Improved secondary
This offseason, general manager Brad Holmes revamped Detroit’s secondary, adding veteran talent and young rookies who are expected to be part of the team’s foundation for many years to come.
“I feel like the secondary heading into this year, on paper, just looks a whole lot different. You could just tell the difference in OTAs. It’s gonna be, in the whole secondary, a whole lot of competition that just makes us better,” said Melifonwu. “But, I definitely think we improved on the field and off the field, just like how everyone messes with each other and how the older guys help the young guys and the guys that’s been there, even if they’re younger, they’ll help the dudes we signed. I feel like it’s definitely gonna be better overall than it was last year.”
Rookies who caught his attention
During his tenure in Motown, the 25-year-old has seen the roster revamped, including adding talented rookies to the roster.
The talented safety shared when asked what his opinions were when the team added high-end talent in the past few drafts.
“Obviously my second year, (Aidan Hutchinson) Hutch came in, everyone knew who Hutch was. Off of that pick, you already knew, ‘Brad Holmes did it again.’ But just watching him practice and everything, you knew he was a dog,” Melifonwu explained. “Jamo coming off the injury, when he first came to practice, nobody had ever seen speed like that. The next year, coming in with (Brian Branch) BB, BB been a dog since OTAs and training camp. I feel like (Sam) LaPorta was good, he was catching everything, but once we started playing the games, that’s when it was really, ‘Oh s**t, LaPorta’s really like that.’ It just happens at different moments for different players.”
Other players selected took a little time to showcase their skills, including running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
“Some you can see it right away, in OTAs, training camp. Some it might take one game. (Jahmyr) Gibbs had kind of a slow start, we knew Gibbs was fast as hell in practice and everything and a good running back from watching his tape. It took him a little bit, took him like four or five games before he had a breakout game against the Raiders. So it all happens differently for different players,” said Melifonwu. “Even my class, Penei’s been a dog since he got there, St. Brown was so consistent rookie year. But then for me and Derrick Barnes, we kind of like, well Derrick probably popped out in 2022. For me, it took me this year. Everyone has their breakout seasons and breakout moments. It just happens differently for every player.”
DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) — Gas prices in Michigan are up 84 cents from last week in the state of Michigan, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).
Michigan drivers are now paying an average of $4.86/gallon for regular unleaded fuel, which is 99 cents more than this last month and $1.64 more than this time last year.
This means that for a full 15-gallon tank of gas, drivers are paying an average of $73, up $22 from last year’s highest prices.
“Michigan drivers are feeling the squeeze as gas prices spike 85 cents in one week,” said Adrienne Woodland, spokesperson, AAA-The Auto Club Group. “Until oil prices ease and gasoline stocks rebuild, drivers may continue to feel pressure from higher prices at the pump.”
Metro Detroit’s current average is $4.83 per gallon, up 76 cents since last week and up $1.66 from this time last year.
Here’s a look at the priciest and cheapest gas prices across the state:
- Most expensive gas price averages: Benton Harbor ($4.94), Ann Arbor ($4.92), Grand Rapids ($4.91)
- Least expensive gas price averages: Marquette ($4.65), Flint ($4.82), Metro Detroit ($4.83)
For more information on gas prices near you, click here.
The playoff comeback of the ages is complete. The Detroit Pistons defeated the Orlando Magic 116-94 in Game 7 on Sunday in front of what was an energetic crowd at Little Caesars Arena, advancing in the NBA playoffs.
The Pistons are the second Eastern Conference team in this year’s NBA playoffs to come back from a 3-1 deficit and win the series. The Philadelphia 76ers also rallied from a 3-1 deficit to upset the Boston Celtics.
The Pistons’ first-round win over the Magic is their first playoff series win since the 2007-08 season, and now they’ll advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals and look to reach one step closer to reaching their goal of winning their first NBA championship since 2004.
Not only did the Pistons repeat history from 2003 by rallying from a 3-1 deficit in the first round against the Orlando Magic as the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed, but the comeback showed their resolve as a team that could provide a huge confidence booster for the group heading into the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Tobias Harris’ Remarkable Game 7 Performance
While Cade Cunningham led the Pistons in scoring with 32 points, Tobias Harris put on arguably the best performance of his career in the playoffs. Throughout this series and in the Pistons’ three elimination games, Harris has been an unsung hero for Detroit. Without his contributions, the first-round comeback likely never would have happened for the Pistons.
In the Pistons’ win, Harris scored 30 points, nine rebounds, and two assists on 11-of-18 shooting from the field, including five three-pointers. It was a remarkable performance for a player who, in the past, faced criticism for his postseason contributions. Entering Sunday’s matchup, Harris was 0-2 in Game 7’s, and he ended that streak in a big way.
In addition to Cunningham and Harris 30-point playoff performances, Jalen Duren (15 points) and Duncan Robinson (10 points) also scored in double figures for the Pistons.
For the Magic, Paolo Banchero led Orlando in the loss, scoring 38 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. While not as efficient offensively as Banchero was in Game 7, Desmond Bane (16 points) and Wendell Carter Jr. (13 points) also scored in double figures for the Magic.
What’s Next For Pistons?
The Pistons currently await their opponent in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, as they’ll face either the Toronto Raptors or the Cleveland Cavaliers. Game 1 of the Pistons Eastern Conference Semifinals series is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday night at Little Caesars Arena, with the game broadcast on Peacock.
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Jaelen Reaves is well-prepared to study vocal music starting this fall at Oakland University.
And the reason why will be on display this week at Detroit’s Fox Theatre.
“An Evening of Fine Arts,” a free show taking place on Wednesday, May 6, is the Detroit Public Schools Community District’s 57th showcase of performing and visual arts. Some 760 students from 14 schools will take part in the presentation, which includes 27 stage performances and 26 works on display in the Fox’s Grand Lobby.
And for students such as Reaves, who attends the Detroit School of Arts, it’s a chance to take a step towards a career on a stage that’s hosted showbusiness legends they’ve looked up to.
“It’s like, wow, because I know people like Patti LaBelle and Chaka Khan and so many others have performed there,” says Reaves, 18, a vocal soprano who will perform with the DSA Lady Achievers and Concert Choir on Wednesday. “The fact that they sang on that stage and I’m about to sing on that stage is crazy. Just going to the Fox to see (a performance) is a privilege; for me to be performing on that stage is really an honor.
“The fact I have the opportunity to showcase my talent and what we represent here (at DSA). If I was in another school, I would never have had this opportunity. I definitely don’t take it for granted.”
Other performances during the night will come from the district’s harp and vocal ensemble, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary and is the oldest such program in the country, and a selection of choirs, jazz bands, orchestras and theater programs.
“(The evening) spotlights the voices of our students in the highest visual and performing arts programs, district-wide,” says Andrew McGuire, deputy executive director of fine and performing arts for DPSCD. “When our students are stepping on the stage, they’re not only stepping into a legacy, they’re also stepping into the future as performers — as actors, as singers and all of that.”
The evening also demonstrates DCSPD’s continuing commitment to arts education at a time when many districts nationwide have severely limited or completely curtailed similar curriculum.
“We have a whole-child commitment,” McGuire explains, “which has meant the rebuilding and revitalization of fine and performing arts (education) district-wide. And DSA is not the only space where artists exist. All 106 schools have fine and performing arts, with most schools having two or more (programs) in them. It’s really exciting that in an age when there’s so much talk about pulling back, restricting and cutting, that’s not in our narrative at DPSCD. We’re proud of that.”
Reaves is certainly emblematic of the district’s effectiveness. Raised in an artistic family, as well as singing in church, she became interested in classical singing, but plans to study a broad array of styles at Oakland. “I just want to be a solo performer who has every single (style) under my belt,” she says. “I don’t want to just sing one type of genre. I would love to go around the world singing all types of things
“I know that singing, for me, is not a hobby. It’s something that’s in my blood. I can’t do anything but sing every day. So I want to make the best of it.”
The Detroit Public Schools Community District’s “An Evening of Fine Arts” takes place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, at the Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Admission is free, but tickets are required. 313-471-7000 or 313Presents.com.
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