Most coaches will tell you they don’t pay attention to rankings or league standings. They’re just focused on the old cliche of taking things “one game at a time.”
Not Jessica Duleba.
The second-year coach knows exactly where Birmingham Groves stands in the Oakland Activities Association White, and she understands how important crossover and nonconference wins are.
Why? Because Duleba wants to get the Falcons (6-2, 2-0) back to the Red so her five juniors can graduate having played in one of the best divisions in Michigan, something Groves hasn’t done since 2022-23.
Yes, this season is about building the program to a championship level, but it’s also about assembling a resume strong enough to earn that promotion. The Falcons have already beaten two Red teams, knocking off Rochester 68-53 and Lake Orion 83-39.
And after an 80-48 win Jan. 15 at Royal Oak, there doesn’t appear to be much missing from their CV.
Behind 28 points from junior guard Harlem Simpson, who holds 13 Division I offers, four Falcons scored in double figures as Groves won its sixth straight game since opening 0-2. The win also moved the Falcons to 2-0 in the White and alone in first place.
“It’s been a lot of hard work, to be honest,” Duleba said. “We only won six games last year. But they’ve put the time in over the summer and all showed up. They put the time in in the fall and did the work. I’ve just given them the blueprint, and they’ve run with it. My motto is if you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready. I’m trying to instill in them that we’re working. Maybe we got our butts beat last year, but we’re still always working and working.”
That work shows up in more ways than one.
Along with hours of fundamentals and skill development, Duleba has installed the Grinnell System, an uptempo style created by David Arseneault at Grinnell College in the early 1990s. It emphasizes constant pressure, quick shots, heavy reliance on the 3-pointer and hockey-style substitution patterns to keep players fresh.
Duleba was introduced to the system while serving as an assistant for Bob Belf at Oakland Community College.
“He started implementing it there, and we had success,” Duleba said. “I had a feeling in the back of my mind that we would one day run it, but I didn’t think that we were ready for it last year. We didn’t have the skill pieces necessary, but it does fit the people we have.”
The results have been eye-opening. Groves has scored at least 80 points in five of its last six games and broke the school scoring record with 103 points in a Dec. 16 win over Fenton. The Falcons haven’t scored fewer than 59 points all season and are averaging exactly 80 points through eight games.
“With them learning the system, it probably looks like chaos to the outsider,” said Duleba, whose team hit 13 3-pointers at Royal Oak. “But there are a lot of internal rules that we know and go by, and that’s shown on the court.”
It’s also been a boost for returning players like Simpson, the daughter of Michigan State Hall of Fame inductee Kisha (Kelly) Simpson, the Spartans’ former all-time leading scorer and their first women’s basketball All-American.
Despite being a junior, Simpson is just 22 points shy of 1,000 for her career and should reach the milestone Jan. 20 at rival Seaholm.
Senior Jacey Roy has also emerged as a consistent scoring threat. The multi-sport athlete, who is committed to Grand Valley for softball, scored 15 points at Royal Oak and recently posted a career-high 24 in a 94-50 win over Auburn Hills Avondale.
“I’m big on skill work, and I think that’s the big thing lacking in girls basketball,” Duleba said. “Coaches focus too much on plays. These high school kids don’t even know how to play basketball yet, so we’ve built up their skills over the last year while also changing our system. You could see them growing as we started to win games at the end of last season.”
Freshman Mallory Killian added 15 points against Royal Oak, while junior Sophie Schwanik chipped in 11.
With the pace Groves plays at, the Falcons look like the favorite in the White. And while the OAA schedule is just getting going, Duleba is already watching the standings closely.
Winning matters. And they want that promotion.
“I actually do care about the standings,” Duleba said. “I want to be in the Red next year. We’ve already proven we should be there by beating two Red teams. For Harlem’s senior year, and for my four other juniors who will be seniors next year, I want to be in the Red for them.”
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on his new X.com account at @folsomwrites.
This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: Birmingham Groves girls basketball is averaging 80 points per game
Reporting by Brandon Folsom, Hometownlife.com / Hometownlife.com
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
