It’s February in Detroit.

The feel good days of winter are long gone. The holiday cheer that flowed through the City, making it look like a Hallmark movie, has been replaced by a grey cloud that hangs over the region like a moody instagram filter.

As we power through another long winter it would be easy for you to start looking forward to summer. But as this temperature continues to dip, there is one thing in Detroit that’s just starting to warm up: high school basketball season.

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Metro Detroit has one of the richest basketball cultures in the country and I’ve been involved with it for as long as I can remember. From the time I was in diapers, my grandpa would bring me along with him to games, ramming me into the bleachers beside him as we watched the next generation of Detroit’s high school basketball stars compete on the hardwood.

In the years since, I’ve continued this tradition on my own, bringing along friends and loved ones to games with me. Through my love of the game, I’ve been able to see hundreds of gyms across the region, from River Rouge to Eastpointe and from Ypsilanti to Macomb. Every gym I go to, I cram into the bleachers, just like I did as a kid and I get to know the people sitting around me, building relationships with others who enjoy the game.

This year there are dozens of regional teams in the hunt for a state championship with players who are ranked as some of the best in the country. If you’re looking for a fun way to get to know Metro Detroit then I encourage you to check out a game this winter.