From December to February, weekend after weekend, dozens of students compete on the basketball court; not at South’s gym, however, but at Pierce Middle School. The Neighborhood Club (NC) basketball league gives high schoolers across Grosse Pointe the opportunity to continue playing with their peers far after their competitive basketball days are over. On Feb. 7, 2026, the “Cavs” concluded their undefeated season with a 61-52 championship victory over the “Sixers.”
Trey Grabowski ’27 led the way for the Cavs, putting up a game-high 32 points—over half of his team’s total. He credits his team for showing up every weekend ready to compete, even if the other bench did not hold the same mentality.
“A lot of teams don’t take it seriously, but we take it seriously and had that advantage all year,” Grabowski said. “We all trust each other, and I feel like the combination of how we all play together works out really well, and it’s hard to beat that.”
After falling short in last year’s championship game, Grawbowski said he is relieved to finally finish first. He is grateful that he can keep playing basketball despite not playing for the Blue Devils.
“Only so many kids can play high school basketball, so this gives another 50 kids at South a chance to play organized basketball, including myself,” Grabowski said. “If I didn’t have this league, I wouldn’t be able to play any basketball, so that makes it super enjoyable.”
Alongside Grabowski, Charlie Marks ’27 helped pave the way for his team’s undefeated season. He thanks NC for organizing this league every year, and his team for their commitment to succeed.
“Every team has good players, every team has players that could have made the school team, but we all work together, want to be here, and want to win, which is what really matters,” Marks said. “We take it really seriously, we have good attendance at every game, and I think that’s what makes the difference.”
As a former high school basketball player, Jack Leonard ’27 used this playing experience, leadership abilities and knowledge of the game to help guide his team towards victory as a player and head coach. He credits the NC league for reviving his love for the game and feels “great” to be a champion.
“I played JV basketball at South last year, and when I decided to stop playing, I was sad about not playing competitively again,” Leonard said. “But when I started playing NC, I got excited for the games, and it opened my eyes to how fun this is and how the Neighborhood Club does this for us.”
While not every player could be a top scorer, they all played a part in the Cav’s championship run. Whether they were starters or not, Leonard appreciates the role everyone played to help the team thrive.
“We trust each other and have the ability to play off of each other,” Leonard said. “I want to shout out the dudes who don’t play as much as they would on any other team, but they’re willing to sacrifice that to be on this team to build a bond and win a championship.”
