Erik Kangas

Erik Kangas, a 2005 DeWitt graduate, earned four varsity letters in basketball and track.  He led the Panthers to a 19-8 record and a berth in the basketball state championship game at the Breslin Center in 2004.  His dominating performance during that tournament run included scoring 25.7 points per game while making 30 three-point shots in those seven games.  His 17 three-pointers in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals shattered the old Michigan High School Athletic Association(MHSAA) record of 12 in that three-game span.  Kangas was named All-League, All-Area, and All-State during both his junior and senior seasons and was a two-time member of the Lansing State Journal “Dream Team.”  He finished seventh in the voting for Mr. Basketball in 2005, making him the only DeWitt male player to ever appear on the ballot for that award.  When he graduated, he held the sixth best single-season free-throw percentage (.907) in MHSAA history.  He scored 1,052 points during his three seasons on varsity, placing him third overall at DeWitt before going on to star for Oakland University from 2005-2009.  He finished his career for the Grizzlies with 1,540 career points, a scoring average of 12.9 points per game.  At the time of his induction, he was the all-time leader in three-pointers made (348) and attempted (861).  His career three-point field goal percentage (.404) places him third all-time.  As a senior, Kangas averaged 18.9 points per game and earned First Team All-Summit League honors while setting a school and league record with 135 three-point shots made.  He also finished runner-up at the State Farm Three-Point Championship.  Kangas was not only the first DeWitt male graduate to earn a Division I basketball scholarship, but he was also the first to play at the professional level in Spain.