WARREN, Mich. – After taking a break from game action over the holidays, No. 21 Macomb Men's Basketball returns to action at the St. Clair County Community College (SC4) Skippers New Year's Classic on Jan. 2-3 in Port Huron. The two-day event will mark the end of non-conference play for the Monarchs this season.
THE RUNDOWN: The Monarchs tip-off the new year on Jan. 2 against Kalamazoo Valley Community College at 4 p.m. A game against Bay College—a team receiving votes in the latest NJCAA Division II Rankings—is next on Jan. 3 at 1 p.m. Both games will be played at the SC4 Fieldhouse in Port Huron.
HOW TO WATCH: SC4 will live stream every game but there is a $7.95/day fee to watch. Link:
https://stream.prestosports.com/stclaircountycc
A LOOK AT KALAMAZOO VALLEY: A familiar opponent, the Jan. 2 game at SC4 will mark the ninth meeting between the Cougars and Monarchs since the 2022-23 season. The Monarchs won the first seven meetings in that span, including back-to-back victories in the Great Lakes District Championships in 2022-23 and 2023-24, but the Cougars were able to win the last meeting in KVCC by a 93-85 final on March 1, 2025, for the 2024-25 MCCAA Championship.
Like the Monarchs, the Cougars feature a new-look roster this season and are led in scoring by sophomore wing Josiah King at 23.3 points per game on 49.0% shooting from the field. Fellow sophomore Gerald Crawford is next at 17.0 points per game while three other Cougars check in averaging 10-or-more points per contest.
The Cougars enter the new year 7-5 overall and have won four of their last five, including a 100-80 victory over Kirtland Community College on Dec. 20. As a team, the Cougars average 84.2 points per game on 45.6% shooting and dish out 16.1 assists per game.
The Cougars are coached by Jim Horn.
A LOOK AT BAY: While not as familiar as KVCC, the Norse and Monarchs share a brief history despite being separated by over 430 miles. The programs have met twice over the past four seasons with the Monarchs emerging victorious in both—the first coming in Warren in Dec. 2021 by a 70-59 margin and the latter in March 2024 in the MCCAA Semifinals, a 94-85 win.
As a team, the Norse head into the Skippers New Year's Classic averaging a MCCAA-best 16.8 offensive rebounds per game and are currently second in steals forcing 12.1 per contest. Featuring a balanced scoring attack, the Norse check in at 79.4 points per game behind eight players tallying six-or-more points per outing.
Taveon Vann and Adam Page pace the Norse at 11.4 and 10.2 points per game, respectively.
The Norse, led by Matt Johnson, are 9-2 overall with their only two losses coming against ranked competition.
A LOOK AT MACOMB: Health was a major concern as the games on the 2025 calendar came to a close for third-year head coach
Christopher Burns and the Monarchs. While the status of several players remains unknown, the Monarchs enter the new year at 7-6 overall as they wind down arguably the most challenging non-conference slate in NJCAA Division II.
Malachi Irving leads the Monarchs with 14.5 points per game and is followed in double figures by
Lajuan Holloway (13.9 PPG),
Caron Williams (13.4 PPG) and
Donald Wilburn (12.0 PPG). Irving and Wilburn missed the final two games in December while Williams has been out for the past three contests.
Tabari Howard, the final MCCAA Eastern Conference Player of the Week of 2025, led the Monarchs to a 91-77 victory at Hocking on Dec. 20 behind a career performance that featured 25 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. The win at Hocking marked the Monarchs' final game prior to the Skippers New Year's Classic.
Howard, a sophomore guard, leads the team on the glass at 7.2 rebounds per game, while Irving, Wilburn and
Keithan Gilmore all haul in five-or-more rebounds per game.
UP NEXT: MCCAA Eastern Conference play begins Jan. 10 at No. 22 Schoolcraft College. Tip-off for the conference opener is set for 3 p.m. on Schoolcraft's Livonia campus.
