Muskegon native gets chance-in-a-lifetime opportunity with the NBA franchise Detroit Pistons

By JOE WALKER
Staff Writer

Muskegon native Danee Means suffers from chronic modesty. His symptoms include relentless drive for success, professional self-improvement, and unselfish encouragement of others, with no desire for public recognition or to be singled out for his own accomplishments.

Actually, Means has no problem being interviewed. Being the subject of interview is where it gets wavy for him. The expectation to speak openly and complementary about himself is what makes Means as uncomfortable as a backless hospital gown. Yet he concedes, albeit through clinched teeth like a patient reluctant to have vaccination administered by needle. “Go ahead and give me the shot,” Means says, laughing.

As it turns out Means has received exactly that, only not an injection via thin metal prod. His shot was a chance-in-a-life-time career opportunity with an organization as renowned as any sought after medical professional.

Danee Means is now the Group Sales Accountant for National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise Detroit Pistons. “I handle anything with groups coming in to The Palace [of Auburn Hills] for whatever types of events,” he says. “I can also do corporate sales, but I mainly focus on groups.”

When Means assumed his position with the storied basketball organization the league was undergoing surgery, of sorts; unsuccessful negotiations between NBA players and team owners for a new labor deal resulted in a 149 day lockout. “Man, I’m extremely glad the lockout ended,” Means says. “That was actually beginning to worry me. But that’s the interesting part of my job; even with the lockout my job consists of putting people inside The Palace regardless.”

“The Pistons do a lot, which I didn’t know about” Means says, “We fed 700 people for Thanksgiving. For Halloween we probably had a least another 700 people and kids got to Trick-Or-Treat throughout the Palace. And we’re always teaming up with student organizations. I think people from the other side of the state don’t get the full extent of what The Pistons mean to the entire state.”

Through his new role Means is a part program called Homework for Hoops. “We team up with different high schools and help them put on fundraisers. The Pistons give so much money to the schools.”

Before the Pistons, Means worked mostly with music-related events using grass roots marketing to build awareness. At times it was paramount to oversee every aspect of the campaign from concept to completion.  With the NBA everything is on a larger platform with a lot more support, Means says. “You send an email telling what you need, give the graphic people a little bit of direction, and it’s on your desk the next day.”

The culture is what Means enjoys most about his job so far, he says, but acknowledges his cultural background growing up in downtown Muskegon provides a distinct advantage over some of his colleagues. Means highlights his ability to communicate professionally and inner-city-socially, comparing it to fluently speaking a second language. “There are not many African-Americans in the corporate structure of what we do. It’s very few. Dealing with the NBA, which appeals to a wide group of people, you have to be able to speak in a lot of different languages – especially with marketing.”

The Pistons have a new owner in Tom Gores, along with new head coach Lawrence Frank. Proper communication with leadership is a necessity for any organization to thrive, Means says. “What’s happening on top is starting to effect what’s happening on our level. The whole culture of the company is young, it’s fresh, it’s vibrant. It’s not an uptight environment. Everyone is approachable, so you get more done. It’s laid back. That fits in good with my personality.”

Means’ appearance was not initially a perfect fit. He quickly realized his beard made him stand out for the wrong reason. “I didn’t know this was going on until like the second day; they wouldn’t take my ID picture until I went home and shaved the next day,” he says, laughing. “The beard requirement is an old rule, and a lot of teams don’t really exercise that. The previous owner enforced it and it’s something we’re trying to get changed.”

Moving from Muskegon to Auburn Hills was a substantial change for Means. And he soon discovered the environment outside The Palace was a tailored fit for his relaxed attitude. He says he was not familiar with Oakland County. “I was more familiar with Detroit, the Wayne county area. The whole culture here is laid back suburban living.”

After graduating Muskegon High School in 1990 Danee Means felt a sense of urgency to begin making a living. He decided to pursue a career in the military instead of heading straight to college. Eventually furthering his education at Ferris State University where he majored in music industry management with a minor in special events and planning, Means went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Business. He admits he was more nervous returning to school than beginning his job in Auburn Hills. “With school I didn’t know if I was ready to be challenged on that level. So right away I was aware of what was in front of me. With my job, it didn’t really hit me until the third day that I was part of this great organization.”

Means recalls attending a meeting with the different departments, but drifted off for a second. “I was looking at this picture of Michael Jordan defending Isaiah Thomas, and pictures of all these people I’ve seen growing up - people I looked up to, and I’m like ‘I’m a dude from Amity Street, I’m not even supposed to be in here!’” I’m sitting in a NBA board room with NBA reps talking about this lockout! So that third day it really hit me.”
There was a point where Means felt professionally locked out. It hit him drastic change was in order. Up to this point in his life he was fully committed to the music business. Though the relationship was strong he never received so much as a promise ring in return. While attending a music conference last year he saw firsthand where areas of the business were declining. “I saw where all these people had been laid off,” Means says. “It was disappointing to me.” His education validated his place among them, finding the job to secure his placement did not come wrapped with his degree.

After interviews with Atlantic Records yielded no results, Means began to change his desired direction. “I started looking at options with more sustainability,” he says. “I had a cousin in New York working for the Knicks, so I started thinking about the NBA and other forms of entertainment.”

Employment in music was still Means’ wish, so he planned to move to New York to take a chance on the Knicks. If that did not work out, he says, his goal was to remain there with hopes another opportunity would open up. While planning to move he applied with the Detroit Pistons with no expectations. “The date I set to leave for New York I got a call, and I didn’t even answer my phone,” Means admits. “I was sitting at home and my daughter told me I should call the number back. When I did it was the help desk at The Palace.” After being transferred to human resources Means was informed of their interest in setting up an interview. “I told her I was going to be moving out of the state that day. So she asked me if I’d be willing to stay at least another week.”

The interview process was lengthy and detailed. Means met with several persons in the Pistons’ organization, gradually building to a final sit-down with their marketing director. “The whole process they call it drafting; I was sitting at Barnes & Noble when they called saying they wanted to extend an offer to me,” he says. “They congratulated me and said, ‘You’ve been drafted!’”

As it turns out Danee Means made the right selection. Injecting himself into New York population was not meant to cure his professional querying. Remaining in Muskegon is where he needed to be to receive a long desired shot.  Now set in his role as Group Sales Accountant with NBA team Detroit Pistons, Means hopes to one day bring much needed operations to his home town.

“In anything I do I’ve always had an idea of how I’m going to incorporate Muskegon into my professional life,” he says. “A long time ago a friend of mine told me about this poem called “Bring That College Home”. It’s about a lady who washed clothes to send her kid off to college to be a doctor, and once he got educated and became a doctor he would bring that talent back home. That poem has continued to resonate with me. I want to bring it home. And my personal experiences are why I do what I do professionally.”

Big Reds win first title in over half a century behind contributions from entire starting lineup

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By MARK LEWIS
Local Sports Journal

 EAST LANSING — The Muskegon Big Red boys basketball team went into Saturday’s state final game versus Bloomfield Hills thinking that, if they played up to their ability, the only team on the floor who could stop the Big Reds was, well, the Big Reds.

But by the end of the first half it was clear that was not going to happen.

Instead of shooting themselves in the foot and tarnishing a heretofore undefeated campaign, the Big Reds were every bit the best team in the state, and one of the best teams in the country.

Muskegon, which hasn’t won a state title in basketball in over half a century, lived up to the hype Saturday, driving all the preseason press to its logical conclusion, convincingly demolishing an over-matched Bloomfield Hills squad 91-67 to win the 2014 Class A title.

Muskegon finishes with an unblemished 28-0 record, the first Michigan high school boys team to finish undefeated since Rockford did it more than a decade ago.

It was Muskegon’s first boys basketball title since 1937 and the first for Head Coach Keith Guy, who was unsuccessful in several previous tries as Muskegon Heights head coach, and last year feel in the regional finals, Guy’s first as Big Red head coach.

For Guy, it was clearly the completion of a grueling marathon which people had deemed preordained from the very start of the season, though could have run off the tracks at many points along the way.

“This championship is a long time coming,” said a tearfully happy Guy. “We’ve been trying to climb this mountain for years, and finally we get to the top. I’m just excited for (my players).

The players were pretty excited too.

“I don’t know what to say right now,” said senior guard Deshaun Thrower after the game.

It was the most special moment in a season of special moments, and Thrower, this year’s Mr. Basketball award winner and Stonybrook University commit, didn’t lose sight of the game’s, the season’s, absolute novelty in terms of success and goal acquisition.

“We are so used to being on the other end,” he continued, invoking this past fall’s state football title game loss, as well as last year’s regional basketball finals loss. “This time, it’s tears of joy instead of tears of sorrow. It definitely feels good to get it for us, coach, and the rest of the players who didn’t get one.”

Frankly, once the Big Reds showed little desire to undermine their own efforts,the outcome was seldom in doubt. The Big Reds sliced and diced through the Blackhawk defense at will, hitting shots, again playing otherworldly defense, and answering any Blackhawk charge by providing one of their own.

Bloomfield Hills, for it’s part, did take a 6-4 lead two minutes into the game. Yet, it was the last time the squad would hold anything remotely like an advantage.

Junior Joeviair Kennedy completed the old fashioned three-point play to give Muskegon the 7-6 lead, and the Blackhawks’ fate seemed crystal clear.

A 9-1 run to finish the quarter, led by five points from Thrower, gave the Big Reds the 25-15 lead.

Thrower and Kennedy combined for 14 points in the frame.

Bloomfield Hills head coach Duane Graves knew his team would have to shoot well if they stood a chance.

“(Our) Shots just didn’t fall,” lamented Graves. “That happens. The ball just didn’t bounce our way. We couldn’t make a layup in the first half, in and out, in and out. Someone forgot to take the Saran Wrap off the rim for us.”

But Muskegon was just getting started.

Senior William Roberson went to work in the second, posting 10 points in the final three minutes of the half, completing two and-ones and going 6-for-6 from the line to double the Big Reds’ lead to 20, 45-25, at the break.
Everybody was rolling.

“It felt good,” said senior guard Jordan Waire. “We were just going. We didn’t want to let up.”

Muskegon shot a blistering 68 percent in the half (on 15-for-22 shooting from the field), while the Blackhawks more-than struggled, going 9-for-31 from the floor for 29 percent.

“We talked about leaving nothing in the tank,” said Guy. “Just empty yourself. We’ve gone 28 games, and we didn’t want to leave anything here. We wanted to go back with the state title trophy and finish with a perfect season.”

Bloomfield Hills sought a way back into the contest as the third commenced, and when Muskegon junior center, and Div. 1 recruit, Deyonta Davis picked up his third foul 30 seconds into the second half to give the Blackhawks a ray of hope.

Hope was short lived though, as Blackhawk senior center Yante Maten fouled out with a minute-and-a-half left in the third, eliminating anything standing in Davis’ way underneath.

Not that Maten had any chance over Davis, who will grace that very floor for the Spartans in less than two years.

But it made things that much easier.

After Maten fouled out, the Big Reds scored the final seven points of the frame to lead 65-38 heading into the fourth.

Once there, Davis had three spectacular dunks, including two alley oops, one assisted by Thrower, another by Kennedy, on back-to-back possessions, and then capped the sequence with a three-pointer that underscored the big man’s range.

“He’s real tall, he blocks shots,” said a dejected Maten, who tried his best to match up with Davis. “I had to alter my shot a couple times. He’s a well-rounded kid.”

With around three minutes left in the game, Guy slowly pulled his starters, and each exited with thunderous applause.

“The game just got out of our hands,” said Graves. “I think our inexperience caught up to us.

“Their guards are quick, they spread the floor really well,” he continued. “They do a lot of one-on-one attacking the basket. When you have inconsistent calls on hand checks and stuff like that, it makes it tough for us to cover them.”

Or maybe Muskegon’s guards were just that much quicker than Bloomfield Hills.

Davis led the way for Muskegon, posting 26 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks, while Thrower poured in 21 points and three assists, and Roberson had 17 points, going 10-for-10 from the line, and dished out five assists in his final game as a Big Red.

Kennedy had 14 points and five boards, and Waire added five points, four rebounds and had two steals in the victory.

The Blackhawks were led by Xzavier Reynolds, who finished with a team-high 21 points, including going 4-for-4 from behind the three-point line and 3-for-3 from the free throw line. Maten added 13 points, five boards, and three blocks in just 18 minutes of playing time.

“Everything was geared toward the postseason,” said Guy. “These guys have the formula for success. We don’t have any egos on our team. That’s the formula. They are generally playing for one another, happy for each other. They are happy as long as we get the win. It is a brotherhood, a family.”

In fact, family was a big topic among the Big Reds at the post-game presser.

“It’s like a bond, like a real family,” said Roberson. “We’ve known each other since we were little and (Guy) has been coaching us since then. He’s been there for us every step of the way.”

“We’ve built a relationship,” said Thrower. “Me and him and my parents and him. He’s like a another father to me. He looks after me, on and off the court. He’s going to continue to do that. We’ll have that bond, even after high school.”

“It’s a blessing to run across this man,” Waire declared. “He took me in, kept me on track. I switched schools, came back and he was still the same man. I can go on and on about him. I just love him.”

Guy was awash with emotion when these words were said.

He soldiered on, however.

“We’ve (wanted to) built a two-headed monster, like they have here,” said Guy, citing MSU’s recent success in both football and basketball. “Shane Fairfield does an excellent job (as football coach). We teach them the same message, and it showed because we had a football team finish in the finals. And now this basketball team finish as champions. I think this formula works.”

Speaking of Fairfield, the jovial coach was spotted dancing near the top of the middle-level rim while the entire crowd cheered him on.

That celebratory mood continues.

The Big Reds are hosting a community rally in honor the state title team Sunday, March 23 at the high school.

That event is set to start at 4 p.m.

Future looks bright for the Big Reds

By JASON GOORMAN
Local Sports Journal

One reason the Muskegon Big Reds won a state basketball championship last month is because the players were unusually mature and unselfish for their age, according to their coach, Keith Guy.

That type of maturity might have come from life experiences that taught the players the importance of remaining humble, united and focused on a goal.

Guy talked about the players on the team who transferred from their home school of Muskegon Heights when the district was collapsing from huge financial problems two years ago.

He talked about the players who have experienced personal tragedy in their lives.

He believes those experiences (and others) helped a lot of the players view life – and basketball – from a more confident and balanced perspective.

“These guys are used to adversity,” Guy said in an interview this week with Local Sports Journal. “Some of them had their school fold. For a while they didn’t know where they would transfer to and who they were going to have to bond with.

“Deshaun (Thrower) witnessed his good friend being murdered. Joeviair Kennedy watched his friend die in his arms after getting hit by a car about 18 months ago.

“That’s the thing we talked about at the (Michigan State University) Breslin Center. In the grand scheme of things, we’ve seen a lot worse. I told them to not put pressure on themselves. They’ve dealt with serious life issues, so there’s no point in worrying about things on the court.
“These guys have handled adversity at its worst. Basketball was a piece of cake. This could be a movie, the way they handled all of the pressure.”

The maturity of the team was evident by the way the players blended together and supported each other from the beginning, Guy said.

Team unity was a major factor, according to the coach. While many of the boys had not played basketball in school together prior to the 2012-13 season, they blended remarkably well, Guy said.

“These guys are good character kids who put their egos aside for one common goal – to win a state championship,” he said. “There was no jealously in our locker room. It was like a brotherhood, how the guys looked after each other. It was just special to watch it develop.”

With so much talent on one team, it was crucial for everyone to accept specific roles without whining, Guy said. That’s not always easy to accomplish with a room full of talented players, many of whom would get a lot more playing time at other areas schools.

“In today’s society, where everyone thinks you need to start, these guys demonstrated that great things can happen when you do things the right way,” Guy said. “We had no riffs on our team. Guys were just doing what they need to do.

“We talked about roles before the season – I defined everyone’s role, and they accepted it. They were just a special group.”

Of course, every championship team has star players who score the most points and get the most attention.

Muskegon’s top star was clearly Thrower, who won the Michigan Mr. Basketball award, but he handled himself in a team-first manner that motivated his teammates, Guy said.

“He led by example and held himself accountable to himself and his teammates,” Guy said. “With his will to win, the other kids couldn’t help but respect him. He did whatever the rules allowed for the team to win. He was just tough.”

The other main star was Deyonta Davis, a 6-8 junior center who has already committed to play at Michigan State University.

“He was the anchor of our defense,” Guy said. “He could control the tempo of a game without having a single set play called for him. He’s a special type of player. He doesn’t complain. If he doesn’t get the ball he’s going to get the rebound. He has great hands and great shot-blocking ability, because he keeps it inbounds. He was equally as important as Deshaun.

“When you have a 1-2 punch like that, you had better use it. Teams don’t get that all the time. I have never had one like Deshaun and Deyonta.”

Major role players included William Roberson, who set up many of the big points by leading the team in assists; Jordan Waire, who sacrificed his offensive talents to be a defensive specialist for the team; and Joeviair “Hip Hop” Kennedy, a jack-of-all-trades who can score from anywhere and played great defense on opposing big men over the course of the season.

The rest of the roster also played a critical role, particularly in practice and game preparation, Guy said. It was their job to imitate the playing styles of other teams and get their teammates ready to counter opposing strategies.

That group included Jason Loera, Ja’marie Collins. Jamel French, Daryl Kirkland, Michael Dobson, Jalan Kilgore-Green and Alezay Coleman.

“Those guys could start at any school,” Guy said. “Their contribution to this team may not be appreciated enough by those who never saw it.

They were the guys in the scouting reports. They could pick up a totally different offense and give us a great look in practice of who we would be playing.

“They have a great basketball IQ as a group. Without them preparing Deshaun and those guys, we wouldn’t have accomplished what we did.”

While it doesn’t get any better than a state title, the future looks bright for the Big Reds.

Davis and Kennedy will return to anchor what’s bound to be a very strong 2014 -15 Muskegon squad.

“We’ll be in the conversation,” Guy said. “We have some great players coming back and talent coming up from junior varsity.

I think we’ll make some noise again. The cupboard is not bare.”