Top 10 Detroit Pershing basketball players of the last ten years

If there were any question as to who the top boys basketball program of all-time in the state of Michigan is, look no further than on the east side of Detroit: 18875 Ryan Road, to be exact. Home of John J. Pershing High School, or simply, the Doughboys. Pershing's storied boys basketball programs spans back decades, to the 1960s, with legendary players in each decade. One could go on for days naming some of the best that have graced the blue and gold of Pershing, so I'll just go back 10 years to 2006, ranking the top ten players from that era.

1.Class of 2010 PG Keith Appling: His 49 points in Class A state title win as a junior in 2009, is more than enough to put Appling atop this list. But combined with that, at 6-2, Appling was a terror on offense. One-on-one, he was unstoppable, and knew how to score the ball, whether shooting it, or taking it to the rack. Not many players can say they averaged 20-plus points per game as a sophomore, junior, and senior, including 28.1 points. six rebounds, five assists, and three steals in 2010. Appling went on to play all four years at Michigan State, and is currently in the NBA's D-League.

Accomplishments: Appling was rated the No.38 player in the country by Rivals.com in 2010, and a four-star recruit. He was named Mr. Basketball his senior year, and was a Dream Team member as a junior and senior. He also was named a McDonald's All-American in 2010.

2.Class of 2006 SF DeShawn Sims: He's known as "Peedi" when you mention his name around Detroit, and Sims was definitely one of the best high school players to ever play in the city. A bit undersized a 6-8 for his position, but more than able to get his points in a variety of ways, inside or outside. One of the most decorated players out of Pershing, he averaged 19.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks in his career there. He started for three years, and averaged 25 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks as a senior. Sims had a good career at Michigan, and now plays overseas in the Lebanese Basketball League.

Accomplishments:Detroit News Dream Team member in 2005, and 2006. Detroit Free Press Dream Team member in 2006. Played in the Jordan Capitol Classic Game. Rivals.com ranked him as the No.31 best player in the country in 2006, and a four-star recruit.

3.Class of 2008 PG Demetrius Ward: A big 6-3 combo guard who excelled at getting in the lane and scoring at the rim, Ward didn't win any championships at Pershing (state or city), but his game spoke volumes. A nice blend of size, scoring ability, and craftiness is what made Ward so special at Pershing. He averaged 16.9 points and 8.0 rebounds as a senior, taking Pershing to the Class A state title game, which they lost to Saginaw and Draymond Green. Ward continued his playing career at Western Michigan ,where he had a solid career.

Accomplishments:Detroit News Class A All-State first-team member, and Detroit Free Press Class A All-State third-team member as a senior. Ranked as a three-star recruit coming out of high school in 2008 by Rivals.com.

4.Class of 2009 C Derrick Nix: Truly a man amongst boys when he stepped on the court, mainly due to his overwhelming size at 6-9, 270-pounds. But to be so big, Nix was nimble, could score at will almost in the paint, and was a tremendous rebounder. He helped Pershing win a Class A state title in 2009, where he averaged 15 points and 15 rebounds per game senior year. Nix was one of the best players in the country that year, before Michigan State was able to grab him, where he played all four years. He last played overseas in a league in France in 2015.

Accomplishments: Mr. Basketball 2015 award winner. Class A state title winner. Detroit Free Press Class A All-State member. Detroit Public School League city champion in 2009. Ranked as a four-star recruit, and the No.69 best player in the land in 2009.

5.Class of 2013 PG Kahlil Felder: If Felder were at least inches taller, he could have been ranked as one of the best guards in the nation. Instead, he was 5-9, but played much bigger. There wasn't much Felder couldn't do on the floor at his size, with his quickness, strength, vision, shooting, leadership, and ability to jump. He had a very productive senior season, where he averaged 17.7 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists for Pershing. He plays college basketball for Oakland University now, and is arguably their best player.

Accomplishments: Detroit Free Press 2013 Dream Team member. Detroit Public School League All-City first-team member in 2013. Won a Detroit PSL city title in 2013. Detroit PSL Mr. PSL 2013 award winner.

6.Class of 2014 PF Justin Tillman: His tenure at Pershing was about a season and a half due to a transfer, and then a foot injury, but the 6-8 Tillman was a special one. With a wingspan that went on for days, Tillman was a monster on the glass, a skilled shot blocker. He also never seemed to disappoint when it came to highlight reel dunks in a game. He averaged an incredible 23 points and 16 rebounds as a senior. Tillman currently plays for VCU.

Accomplishments: 2014 Detroit Public School League All-City first-team. Detroit PSL Mr. PSL 2014 award winner. Mr. Basketball 2014 runner up. Rivals.com ranked him as a three-star recruit, and the No.142 best player in the nation in 2014.

7.Class of 2013 SG Martez Walker:A 6-5 south paw that no one wanted to check, Walker, or "Melon" as most people called him, was a killer on the offensive end. Just ask Detroit Cass Tech about his fade-away 3-pointer at the buzzer in the state playoffs in 2013. He averaged 20.4 points a game and seven rebounds as a senior, helping them to 25-1 record. Walker went on ton play at Texas, but recently had to transfer to Oakland University.

Accomplishments:Detroit Free Press and Detroit News Class A All-State first-team member. Detroit PSL All-City first-team member in 2013. Rivals.com rated him as three-star recruit in 2013.

8.Class of 2010 SF Juwan Howard: Not quite his father, but still a very good basketball player Howard Jr., was. A skilled, and all-around player for his size at 6-6, 200-pounds, Howard helped Pershing win a Class A state title as a junior, and followed that up with a senior campaign where he averaged 24.7 points, and 12.3 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. He originally committed to Western Michigan, before finishing up his career at Detroit this year.

Accomplishments:Detroit Free Press first-team All-Detroit as a senior. Won back-to-back Detroit PSL titles in 2009 and 2010. Won a Class A state title as a junior in 2009.

9.Class of 2012 SG Sherron Dorsey-Walker: Like most Pershing guards, Dorsey-Walker could score the ball. But unlike a lot of them, he was 6-4, and smooth with his game, rather it was shooting, or going in for a dunk. He was a three-year starter for Pershing, and averaged 17 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists as a senior in 2012. Dorsey-Walker committed to Iowa State, but transferred home to Oakland University this past December.

Accomplishments: First Team Class A All-State player as a senior. Won a Class A state title as a freshman in 2009. Rivals.com ranked him as a three-star recruit, the No.125 best player in the nation in 2012, and second best in Michigan.

10.Class of 2015 SG Marquel Ingram: He only played two seasons as a Doughboy, but the often controversial, but sweet shooting Ingram, made the most of his time at Pershing. At 6-2, Ingram knew how to put the ball in the basket, and wasn't a slouch on defense. On a very young Pershing team, he averaged 23 points, seven rebounds, and four assists as a senior. He signed on to play his college ball at Bethune-Cookman University.

Accomplishments: Detroit Public School League 2015 All-City first-team member. Mr. PSL 2015 runner-up. Detroit News and Detroit Free Press All-Detroit second team member as a senior. Won a PSL city title as a junior.