However, rumors of Boyce's plan to accept the head coaching job at Eastern Michigan University began to develop throughout the in-state basketball community.

Grand Rapids Creston High School senior Melvin McLaughlin, hoping to debunk the gossip, made a phone call that changed the course of history.

"No, I'm going to be here with you (at Michigan)," McLaughlin remembers Boyce telling him. "Are you ready to sign?"

McLaughlin went with his gut and declined. He told Boyce he would wait a few more weeks before making the decision.

Sure enough, Boyce departed for the Eagles a few days after the phone call, leaving Orr without his top recruit and McLaughlin without a destination for his next four years.

"He lied to me," McLaughlin, 58, said. "He said he'd be there for my four years as an assistant coach. I had a chance to go all over the nation."

Dick Parfitt was in the midst of building a men's basketball dynasty in Mount Pleasant. He took the Chippewas to the NCAA Tournament in the 1974-75 and 1976-77 seasons. Once Michigan, McLaughlin's first choice, was out of the mix, Parfitt came calling.

Back in the eighth grade, McLaughlin developed a relationship with Dave Ginsberg, a legendary high school basketball coach in the Grand Rapids area. Parfitt added Ginsberg as an assistant coach in 1975, and his stint lasted 16 years.

Ultimately, Ginsberg sold McLaughlin on the Chippewas.

"It was the relationship I had with coach Ginsberg that helped make my choice to come to Central Michigan," McLaughlin said.

Central Michigan guard Melvin "Sugar" McLaughlin dibbles the ball while driving past his opponent. From Creston High School, McLaughlin nearly went to Michigan. (Photo Credit: Melvin McLaughlin)

'Most people still call me Sugar'

Baxter Community Center still stands in Grand Rapids to this day.

When McLaughlin was in fifth and sixth grade, he went to play pick-up basketball after school. More often than not, George Knight, a former college basketball player at Niagara University and the owner of the community center, watched him compete.

McLaughlin zoomed down the court and wove past defenders. He dribbled the basketball between his legs, scooped it behind his back and pulled up for a long jump shot.

It went in.

"That move was sweet as sugar," Knight said in awe. "I'm going to start calling you Sugar."

From that point on, the nickname stuck.

McLaughlin went on to shine for Creston from 1977-79. He finished with over 2,300 career points at the high school level.

When Creston High School closed its doors forever as the 2012-13 school year came to a close, 1982 graduate Jerry Hendrick shared his favorite memory of the school in an MLive article. It was of McLaughlin.

Hendrick claimed McLaughlin as a better offensive player than many basketball greats.

"Over the years I have watched many of Michigan's high school basketball legends play, including Glen Rice, Roy Marble, Jalen Rose, Antoine Joubert, Chris Webber and others but have never seen a better offensive player than Mel," Hendrick said.

While Rice, Webber and Rose are some of the all-time great players, McLaughlin most looked up to guard Val Bracey and forward Leon Guydon – both products of Grand Rapids.

Bracey and Guydon attended CMU when McLaughlin was a senior in high school. The pair, alongside assistant coach Ginsberg, helped persuade McLaughlin to join the Chippewas.

"They were whistling in my ear like, 'Man, you should come up to Central Michigan,' McLaughlin recalls. "They went to the NCAA Tournament a few times and won the Mid-American Conference."

Pressure loomed on McLaughlin's impending decision. The 6-foot guard made the 85-mile journey from Grand Rapids to Mount Pleasant and fell in love with the atmosphere.

He called Parfitt and signed to the Chippewas. It seemed like fantasy at the time of his signing, but McLaughlin would go on to become one of the greatest players in CMU history.

Central Michigan guard Melvin "Sugar" McLaughlin poses for a portrait. He played for Central Michigan from 1979-83, accumulating 2,071 career points. (Photo Credit: Melvin McLaughlin)

As a freshman in the 1979-80 season, McLaughlin was second on the team in scoring behind 6-foot-9 veteran center Mike Robinson. The rookie averaged 12.4 points per game (297 total), adding 2.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists to his early resume. He made 136-of-290 shots from the field (46.9 percent).

As McLaughlin emerged as a sophomore in 1980-81, he punished his opponents by making 231-of-460 shots (50.2 percent) for an average of 20.8 points per game (542 total).

Of all the points scored in his career, McLaughlin's favorite memory came that season.

Down by one with two seconds remaining against Ball State, 6-foot-7 senior forward Ted Anderson was inbounding the ball at the opposite end of the court.

McLaughlin raced to the half court line, jumped over his defender (future NBA coach Ray McCallum), took one dribble and launched a 40-foot shot.

Rose Arena erupted. Ball game.

"It was a beautiful, enthusiastic time," McLaughlin said. "It was beautiful, man."

While it seems improbable, McLaughlin took his performance to new heights in 1981-82, averaging 23.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals. He scored a total of 581 points on 255-of-497 (51.3 percent) shooting from the field.

During his final campaign as a senior in 1982-83, McLaughlin scored 651 points behind a 49.3 percent shooting mark – averaging 24.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

Grand total: 2,071 points.

His senior season provided a handful of memories. McLaughlin tallied 21 points against the Boyce-led Eastern Michigan Eagles to break the CMU all-time scoring record, previously held by Ben Kelso.

Old friend Boyce, the reason McLaughlin didn't end up at Michigan, spoke on the his greatness following CMU's defeat of cross-state rival Eastern Michigan.

"Melvin showed what a great player he is," Boyce said after the game. "We played him tough on defense and he still got the ball to his teammates."

During that same 1982-83 stellar season, McLaughlin put together a 42-point performance in a 64-62 win on the road over Toledo near the beginning stages of MAC play. He was 18-of-23 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line.

"It was vintage Melvin McLaughlin," Parfitt, CMU's coach at the time, said. "That was as hot as I've seen him. He kept doing it even when he was fatigued."

Later in the season, McLaughlin canned a 23-foot jumper at the buzzer to beat Toledo, 70-69, at Rose Arena in Mount Pleasant.

In a 74-68 victory against Kent State during McLaughlin's senior year, he scored a career-high 46 points, one shy of the Rose Arena record set by Indiana State star Larry Bird in 1977.

Ahead of his time

McLaughlin believes he played in the wrong era of basketball.

As a matter of fact, he said nearly 90 percent of his shots came from what now would count as three points. However, the NCAA didn't universally implement the 3-point line until 1986, three years after McLaughlin graduated from CMU.

McLaughlin estimates he would have totaled approximately 3,000 points in college if there was a 3-point arc.

"I had less games and didn't have the 3-point line," McLaughlin said. "Most of my shots were from 25-to-30 feet out. Once again, I only got credit for two (points). My game was for this era – getting up and down, shooting the long ball."

Of his four years spent in Mount Pleasant, McLaughlin said he will never forget the friendships and memories. Those truly last a lifetime.

He went on as a sixth-round draft pick in 1983 by the Cleveland Cavaliers (119th overall), but never took the court. In 1993, McLaughlin etched his name into CMU's Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

McLaughlin, statistically speaking, was the best pure scorer to play at CMU. He forever changed the Chippewas.

Understanding all of that, the value of CMU women's basketball senior guard Presley Hudson passing his all-time scoring record becomes undoubtedly lucid.

Cody Scanlan | Photo Editor
Senior guard Presley Hudson makes her way down the court to score on Feb. 2 in McGuirk Arena.

Passing 'Sugar'

It's been 36 years since McLaughlin capped his career at CMU.

On Feb. 9, 2019, his all-time scoring record of 2,071 points was snapped by Hudson.

The 5-foot-6 guard knocked down a mid-range jumper with 8:54 left against Ohio to secure sole possession of the scoring title.

"When I got here, I had some goals in mind that I wanted to accomplish," Hudson said. "I never even thought about breaking the men's scoring title, but it's icing on the cake. I wouldn't be able to do it without my coaches and teammates."

Surprisingly enough, Hudson attended a basketball camp during her middle school years at Ottawa Hills High School. The camp was hosted by McLaughlin, something he's done for over 20 years for boys and girls in Grand Rapids between 5th and 12th grade.

McLaughlin doesn't remember since Hudson only went once.

"That's a beautiful connection that she went to the camp, went to Central Michigan and ended up breaking one of my records," McLaughlin said. "I'm really happy for her and her family. She's done her thing, for sure."

McLaughlin said Hudson's ability to pass his record is a testament to her work ethic and desire for greatness.

"When I watched her tape, I could see the determination," McLaughlin said. "She's like a little dynamite stick. It reminded me a lot of myself coming up."

To this point in her CMU career, Hudson holds the women's basketball records for points, assists and 3-point shots made – along with the men's scoring title.

"It's very unique that it's a woman to break the (men's) record," said CMU coach Sue Guevara. "When you watched her in high school, you knew that she was special. You knew it."

McLaughlin, as proud as he is of Hudson, hopes CMU fans remember one thing.

"I still got the men's scoring record," McLaughlin said with a laugh. "It ain't over with yet.”

"I didn't need the 3-pointer or extra games to do it. With that said, this record stands out more than any record because of the way I did it."