Detroit PSL Basketball

Willie Green is one of just four PSL alums who spent time at Cooley High to make it all the way to the NBA. Can you name the other three? Look at the list below of 48 former Detroit Public School League players who reached the apex of basketball competition. Willie Green and Johnny Davis (Murray-Wright) are the only two PSL alums to head coach an NBA team in the regular season. (NBA Photo)

This compilation of Professional Basketball Players from the Detroit Public Schools has been compiled by Bill Hoover Jr. and is limited to players who appeared in the National Basketball Association (including the four years it was called the Basketball Association of America—1946-47 – 1949-50).

Please note each player’s name is linked to his page at Database Basketball where you will be able to view his statistics and teams he played for.

For a complete listing of ABA, NBA, and Harlem Globetrotters players who attended high school in Michigan, please visit Michigan high school historian Ron Pesch‘s terrific site.

In the future, the list will include the Detroit Public School alums who played in the major professional leagues that preceded the NBA (National Basketball League,  American Basketball League, etc.).

Ager, Maurice – Southfield High/Crockett
Aldridge, Markita – King (Markita Aldridge-Woods/first and only WNBA player from the PSL)
Alexander, Victor – Denby
Appling, Keith – Pershing
Brown (Wroten), George – Cass Tech
Buntin, Bill - Cass Tech/Northern
Coleman, Derrick – Cooley/Northern
Crawford, Joe – Renaissance
Crawford, Jordan – Renaissance/CMA/Hargrave Military Academy (VA)
Cureton, Earl - Finney
Daniels, Mel “Baby” - Pershing
Davis, Johnny – Murray-Wright (Also head coached in the NBA)
Denning (Mitchell), Blaine – Northern
Douglas-Roberts, Chris – Cass Tech/Northwestern
Dial, Derrick – Cass Tech
Edwards, Rob – University of Detroit Jesuit/Cass Tech
Eisley, Howard - Chadsey/Southwestern
Felder, Kahlil “Kay” – Pershing
Fogle, Larry – Brooklyn Lafayette (NY)/Brooklyn (NY) Boys/Brooklyn (NY) Alexander Hamilton (NY)/Brooklyn Eli Whitney (NY)/Cooley
Gervin, Derrick - Cass Tech/Finney/King
Gervin, George “Iceman” - King
Gillery, Ben – Murray-Wright/Cody/Central
Green, Willie – Mumford/Cooley (Also head coached in the NBA)
Hairston, Lindsay – Kettering
Hairston, Malik – Renaissance
Harding, Reggie – Northeastern/Eastern/Nashville (TN) Christian
Hardy, Alan - Northwestern
Harris, Corrperayle “Manny” – Redford
Hawkins, Robert “Bubbles” - Pershing
Haywood, Spencer - Belzoni (MS) McNair/Pershing
Jackson, Jermaine - Finney
Johnson, Ken – Henry Ford
Jones, Clarence “Bill” - Southwestern
Kelser, Greg “Special K” - Henry Ford
Lenard, Voshon – Southwestern
Marshall, Rawle – Mackenzie
Mayfield, Bill - Cass Tech
McCarty, Howard – Northwestern
McElroy, James - Murray-Wright
Money, Eric – Kettering
Murrey, Dorie - Cass Tech
Norman, Coniel – Kettering
Plummer, Gary - Osborn
Robertson, Tony – Southwestern
Rogers, Carlos – Northwestern
Rose, Jalen – Southwestern
Roundfield, Dan - Chadsey
Simpson, Ralph – Southeastern/Pershing
Smith, Doug - Mackenzie
Smith, Steve – Pershing
Tarpley, Roy - Far Rockaway (NY)/Mobile Blount (AL)/Cooley
Taylor, Maurice - Henry Ford
Traylor, Robert “Tractor” – Murray-Wright
Tyler, Terry – Central/Northwestern
Williams, Cliff “Chain” – River Rouge/Southwestern
Williams, Sam – Northern
Willis, Kevin – Kettering/Pershing

10-day Contract, but never got into a game

Tillman, Justin – Pershing