From the Detroit Projects to the MSU Hall of Fame.

The Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects on the east side of Detroit were home to Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard—who, in 1988, were inducted together into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as The Supremes, one of Motown Records premier acts. The projects were also home to another Hall of Famer: Mike of American House Carpenter.

Mike played his last basketball game for Michigan State University in 1974 but still holds the school’s scoring record of 24.2 points per game 51 years later. He scored 1,717 points in 71 career games, led the Big Ten in scoring in 1972 with a whopping 27.2 points per game, and 26.7 the next season. He was also a First-Team All-Big Ten honoree for three straight years. It’s no wonder that MSU honored Mike for his prolific scoring and tough all-around play by inducting him into their athletic Hall of Fame in 2019.

Mike attributes his success to the epic battles he faced on the courts of the Detroit projects, torn down long ago. In fact, Mike just got a call from a guy who used to play on those legendary Brewster Project courts. The caller was Johnny Davis, who played 10 years in the NBA, and won a championship his rookie season with the Portland Trail Blazers. He told Mike he was his mentor back in the day, recalled how he watched Mike practice every day and how impressed he was by his discipline. Mike was shocked.

“It’s not every day that you get a call from a world champion who never forgot you from his younger days.”

Mike’s discipline was admired by world champions, but how did he acquire that talent?

“I just told myself that if I’m going to be a basketball player, I got to shoot and make sure I make all my shots. What coach was going to leave me on the bench if I’m making all my shots? Everyone was bigger than I was so I made sure I was making my shots. Even when I was playing against great talent like George “The Iceman” Gervin in high school, one of the NBA’s most electrifying players, I was always making my shots.”

Mike’s determination and ability to fight for everything on the court may have come from his father.
“My father came up from Missouri to Detroit to work in the auto industry, but he was also a prize fighter. He was a disciplined man and strong as heck.”

The oldest of nine children, Mike was instructed by his father to take care of his siblings and protect them from all the bullies that roamed the projects back then. He remembered always listening when athletic bags hit the gym floor. If you heard a metal clank, Mike knew there was a gun inside and he already had his escape route planned in his head. He said those were just some of the things you had to deal with and claims this kind of awareness helped him on the basketball court when he arrived at MSU.

“I was a shooting guard and I just instinctively knew how to break a full court press.”

As a freshman, Mike was fourth in the nation in scoring, and this was before the three-point line existed. His talent was following patterns, using screens and always being ready to shoot. He also knew how to play against guys much bigger than him. In 1974, Mike was selected in the seventh round of the NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Off the court, Mike was just as disciplined. He earned his bachelor’s degree in recreation administration, a master’s degree in intramural administration and a second master’s in information systems from Walsh College. After spending half a year with the Cavaliers, Mike began a successful professional career.

He worked for Meijer in their distribution center, for General Dynamics as a senior analyst of materials, at Coca-Cola as a warehouse supervisor, for Soloman Software as a programmer and for Consumers Energy as a software business analyst. Mike has a 22-year-old son who played basketball at Wayne State University and he still follows his beloved Spartans.

Mike has been at American House for four months and loves it.

“The people here are very nice and the services are superb,” he said. “I like it here very much. American House is home.”

We all have a story. A story that taught us something, changed us and helped define who we are. Our seniors have amazing stories that hold a wealth of wisdom. At American House, your next chapter is waiting to be written. We’re here to help you write it. Your way.