The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
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Schwarze nets honor
Bulldogs celebrate successful season
By Don Richter, Sports Editor
PUBLISHED: March 29, 2007
Chelsea's boys' basketball team held its end-of-season banquet earlier this week, capping one of the Bulldogs' most successful years in school history.
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The Bulldogs finished the season with an overall record of 23-2. The team's 23 wins are a school record. Chelsea made a school record 139 three-pointers this year, while defensively the Bulldogs held opponents to 45.9 points per game, second all-time to last year's club which held foes to 45.2 points per contest.
Chelsea defeated opponents by a margin of 16.9 points per outing, second all-time to the 2002-03 squad which beat teams by a gap of 17.6 points per game.
The Bulldogs, who won their first 19 games of the year and were ranked as high as No. 2 in the state Class B rankings, captured a Southeastern Conference White Division title and a Class B district championship this season before losing to Detroit Southwestern in the regional final.
Coach Robin Raymond said this season's Chelsea team, which included All-State performers from three different sports, was an athletic, hard-working group.
"We certainly didn't have great size, but we used our quickness to our advantage," he said. "This team played with an air of confidence that very few teams do. They always played with intensity."
Raymond said the Bulldogs passed the ball well all season long.
"The teamwork displayed by this group was unique," he said. "They played with togetherness. They played as a team and used each other's strengths. They were a fun group of kids to work with. This was a special team."
Individually, Nate Schwarze was named MVP of this season's squad. The 5-foot-11 senior point guard, who also earned All-State honors as a wide receiver in football, averaged 15.2 points per game this year. His 46 three-pointers this season are second all-time behind 61 by Sean Davis in 1999-00. His 101 career triples is second only to Davis and his 118 treys. He averaged 6.7 assists and only 1.8 turnovers per contest. Schwarze's 160 assists this season set a school record, breaking the old mark of 146 set in the 1999-00 season by Tony Scheffler, now in his second year as a tight end with the NFL's Denver Broncos.
Schwarze also set the school record for assists in a game with 12 against Temperance Bedford. His 351 career assists broke a school record set by Jeff Dils (346, 1977-81) that had stood for over 25 years. He had a team-high 64 steals, shot 79 percent from the free throw line and led the squad with 15 charges taken.
"He had a great career," Raymond said. "We brought him up to varsity two-thirds of the way through his freshman season. He's made improvement every year. He truly was a coach on the floor. He understands our system as well as any player we've ever had."
Raymond said Schwarze's strengths were in making his teammates better.
"That's a sign of the good point guard," he said. "He knows what needs to be done and when it needs to be done on the court. We've been spoiled having Nate at the point the past three years."
"He has a tremendous work ethic," Raymond said. "He was nonstop in practice and in games."
Named Chelsea's Defensive Player of the Year was Adam Connell. The 5-11 senior guard, also All-State in baseball, averaged 9.1 points per game this season and used his outstanding quickness to force 58 steals. He earned the team's Hatchet Award with 54 fouls. He also received the team's Oil Can Award.
"That award goes to the guy that keeps the team loose," Raymond said. "Adam is a fun-loving guy. He has a humorous side to him. He's a unique young man. We will miss his personality."
Receiving the Bulldogs' Most Improved Player Award was Benny Johnson. The 6-2 post player led Chelsea shooting 52 percent from the field this year. He averaged 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per game this season.
"He was selected Most Improved by his teammates," Raymond said. "He put in the time to make himself a better player. His off-season work really paid off. He provided toughness and was one of our hardest workers."
While Johnson was one of the Bulldogs' toughest players, Micah Johnson was arguably Chelsea's best all around performer. The 6-2 senior swing player finished the year tied with Schwarze for the team lead in scoring with 15.2 points per game. He also led the Bulldogs with 7.8 rebounds per outing and had 3.2 assists per contest. He led the squad with 379 total points and 193 rebounds this year.
Despite only playing two years for Chelsea after transferring from Jackson Christian, Hudson is third all-time in three-pointers made with 45 and third all-time in career treys with 87.
"He's made tremendous adjustments since coming to Chelsea," Raymond said. "He was a scorer at Jackson Christian. He played the wing position (for Chelsea) and has become a complete basketball player. He's a good defensive player, rebounder and very aggressive on the backboards. He even played in the middle for us this year.
"Our team was better because of the sacrifices Micah made to help the team."
The team's final senior was Jon Seelbach. The 5-10 guard, who was also the Bulldogs' starting quarterback, missed the entire year because of a leg injury suffered during football season.
"Despite his injury, he was there every day at practice," Raymond said. "He was still a very integral part of our team."
Junior forward Greg Rebudela (6-3) finished the season as the squad's blocked shots leader with 26.
Rounding out Chelsea's regular season roster were juniors guard Elliot Marshall (5-5), guard Matt Schwarze (5-9), guard Jeff Adams (5-9) and center Dean Roberts (6-3) and sophomore center Michael Stratman (6-6).
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