You would be hard-pressed to find another high school in the state of Michigan with as much basketball tradition as Detroit Pershing. Spencer Haywood, Ralph Simpson, Steve Smith, Winfred Walton, DeShawn Sims, Keith Appling, Kahlil Felder, and many, many more once dawned the blue and gold of Pershing.

But things have changed since the golden days at Pershing, and not just on the court. Pershing has won five Class A state titles, but could possibly be moving down two classes, to Class C, do to an ever-occurring drop in enrollment. A school that once shouldered the enrollment load of an area around East Seven Mile Road and Ryan, known for its crime and blight, as seen its numbers go from well over 2,000 students a few years ago, to just around 400. The cut off point for Class C is 419 students.

It's unfortunate that a great basketball program such as Pershing's has to be effected, but it goes way beyond the hardwood.

"When you think of Pershing, of course you think of a basketball Mecca as far as high school basketball in Michigan," said head basketball coach Wydell Henry. "I'm not 100% sure if we will be making that move, but from talking to my athletic director, the move will help benefit other sports.

"We have other sports here that can't compete in the higher classes because of our enrollment like basketball can, so it'll be beneficial to them."

Class C?? But this is Pershing basketball. The pride of Detroit high school hoops. They want to play the best of the best, and it's always been that way. Then again, the move is out of Henry's hands.

"Of course we don't like it, but it is what it is," he said. "No disrespect to the Class C teams, but we want to play Class A basketball.

"But if we are moving, we are still going to play Pershing basketball. Nowadays you have the these lower class teams who can still play Class A basketball, so it really doesn't matter where you play. The move will allow me to load up on a Class A schedule, and we will still play a high level of basketball. At the end of the year, if you're a state champion, you're a state champion."

So where have all the students gone? You can point that finger at a number of reasons. Pershing is not ran by Detroit Public Schools anymore, rather EAA, or the Education Achievement Authority, and has been since 2012. Many blame them for how they run the schools now. The students are in school from September-August of the next year, and quite frankly, they don't want to be in school for 11 months.

Another fact is the declining population in the city. Detroit once housed close to 2 million residents, but has seen that number subsequently drop to under 600,000 since 1950. We could on and on about why the enrollment in the city's school system continues to decline, but it has also continued to become a dangerous trend, headed towards a catastrophic end.

"This is a sign of the times, due to the mass exodus of people from the city, and yes, the Charter School movement," said Detroit King and former Detroit Southeastern head basketball coach George Ward. "Also, the disconnect from the community with the majority of the TFA (Teach for America), in EAA, has put a severe strain on the relationships between community and teachers." This mindset shows you that their mission was definitely not to help our kids."

Like Pershing, Southeastern isn't too far removed from playing from two Class A state titles under Ward, who left after last season. The Jungaleers have also seen a huge decline in enrollment, much larger than Pershing's, and will also make the move to Class C.

In you're really in touch with the city of Detroit, and it's high school basketball, or athletics as a whole, then you feel the pain. You hate to hear how badly the school system has failed, and how our children are being effected by it, with sometimes the only thing that keeps their mind off of the daily struggle in the city, sports. If things don't get better, more closings of our more historical schools like Pershing and Southeastern could be next. Let's hope not