New Detroit Pistons beat writer Omari Sankofa II excited for his homecoming

In 2012, I walked through the doors of the Free Press for the first time. 

I was just awarded the Ford Free Press Journalism Scholarship and also was selected for the long-running summer apprentice program for high school students. I was assigned to the web desk and learned the ins and outs of web traffic, search engine optimization and headline writing. I even got to write a few stories. 

Much has changed since.

The Free Press moved into a new office, a short walk from Campus Martius, and the surrounding downtown and midtown core have become more dense with restaurants, bars and renovated buildings. 

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And eight years later, I can finally swap my temporary apprenticeship badge with that of a full-time employee. 

On Monday, I became the new Detroit Pistons beat writer for the Free Press. What a crazy thing to write. 

It’s exciting to be able to work for the paper I grew up reading. Mitch Albom, Michael Rosenberg, Drew Sharp and the other dozens of writers who have formed the sports section the past two decades inspired me to pursue a career in sports journalism. 

Vince Ellis, the previous Pistons writer of 11½ years, leaves big shoes to fill. Hopefully my run covering the team will include a few more playoff appearances. 

Speaking of playoffs, the Pistons deserve partial credit for my passion for journalism. Those deep postseason runs during the mid-2000s cemented my basketball fandom. I vividly remember watching Tayshaun Prince’s block on TV during the 2004 Eastern Conference semifinals.

My parents bought me and my younger brother Rip Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace jerseys. I’m sure my George Blaha bobblehead is still in my room somewhere. 

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I was born and raised in Detroit and grew up on the city’s west side. I graduated from Renaissance High School in 2012 and Michigan State following the 2016 fall semester. I spent three years at MSU’s student newspaper, The State News, and interned for the Jackson Citizen Patriot and Sports Illustrated.

I also freelanced for the Free Press and Lansing State Journal during my final semester, assisting on Michigan State sports coverage.

I spent two years covering Robert Morris basketball, college football and general assignments at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and a year and a half in Memphis covering the Grizzlies for The Athletic.

In that short span, I witnessed them make real strides in something that has eluded the Pistons for more than a decade: a successful rebuild, led by an up-and-coming star in Ja Morant. 

When I moved to Memphis in November 2018, the team was still led by Mike Conley and Marc Gasol. A new front office took over last summer and aggressively remade the roster, sending Conley to Utah and bringing back draft picks and young players who fit a modernized offensive scheme. 

The Pistons appear to be in position to attempt something similar. Andre Drummond is in Cleveland, and Reggie Jackson is a Clipper. Detroit has the fifth-worst record in the NBA and could have its highest draft pick since selecting Darko Milicic second overall in 2003. Remarkably, the team hasn’t picked higher than seventh overall in the 16 drafts since. 

Sekou Doumbouya, Luke Kennard, Svi Mykhailiuk, Bruce Brown and Christian Wood are pieces that the team can potentially build around. Blake Griffin, who had knee surgery in January that ended his season, is the wild card. When healthy, he’s one of the best bigs in the league. What does his future in Detroit look like?

In Memphis, I prided myself on being fair, measured and informed. No one wants to read a homer, and it wouldn’t be fair for me to sell fans a dream.

I’ll leave the fandom to the fans. 

Here’s hoping that my coverage lives up to the standard that was set before me, and that you all enjoy what you read. And if the NBA returns in 2020, that’ll make all of our jobs easier.