Friday night basketball and coach Rick Bye

Hello bloggers. I hope everyone is doing well.
We're wrapping up another Friday night of high school basketball.
Tonight, Source Associate Editor Don Chamberlain covered Utica's win over Ford II in girls basketball, while I covered Ford's win over the Chieftains in boys basketball.
It's hard to believe the basketball seasons are past the halfway point. Soon we'll be talking about the state tournaments.
A couple area teams to watch out for as the regular season wraps up are the Eisenhower boys basketball team and Stevenson's girls basketball team.
The Eagles are undefeated in the MAC Red Division's halfway point. Eisenhower is led by 6-9 center Corey Petros, who has committed to play at Oakland University next season, and 6-5 forward Joe Wirth, who has verbally committed to play football at Central Michigan next fall. These two strong towers inside are posing problems for all opponents. If they stay healthy and out of foul trouble, the Eagles are a team that will have to be reckoned with in the state tournament.
As for the Stevenson girls basketball team, the Titans started slow under new coach Troy Marks but have shown signs of becoming a solid team in recent weeks. In fact, last week's seven-point loss to Grosse Pointe North, one of the top teams in the state, shows how well Stevenson is progressing.
The Titans don't have any so-called stars on the team, but have many weapons who can catch fire on any given night. Watch out for players like Stephanie D'Ascenzo, Katie Reading, Beverly Krall, Lauren Hopfner and Sarah Prybys. A strong second half of the season could propel the Titans into being a force in the state tournament.

Finally, it was announced on Friday that Stevenson varsity football coach Rick Bye has stepped down after 31 seasons at the school.
I have mixed feelings on this because to me, Bye and Eisenhower head coach Bob Lantzy are the Joe Paterno of Macomb County football. You can't talk about the history of prep football in this county without talking about Bye or Lantzy.
On the other hand, I totally understand that all good things must come to an end. His legacy will live forever at Stevenson. To me, Bye was more than just another coach I had to interview after a game. He was and always will be a friend. I wish him the best in his retirement and will cherish the memories Bye and the Titan teams he coached gave me as a sports writer.

Let me know your thoughts on the basketball seasons or give me some of your best memories of coach Bye.

Have a great weekend.