Girls Basketball District Preview.

Written Saturday February 28th at 4:00 PM

Welcome to district week folks, here are my thoughts on each District and you can watch my podcast OAA Now and will go more in detail of each district. Here they are folks.

District 26 @ Walled Lake Northern

Walled Lake Northern vs West Bloomfield- 6 PM-Monday
Lakeland vs Walled Lake Western- 5:30 PM-Wednesday
Walled Lake Northern/West Bloomfield vs Walled Lake Central 7 PM-Wednesday
District Final-Friday 7 PM

Favorite:  Lakeland is the early favorite because of their inside game. The Eagles feature Amanda Lock who has had a good season so far and expect her to bounce back for some lost time last season when she torn her ACL last season.

Toughest Challenger: West Bloomfield: The Lakers play a different style of basketball than the rest of the teams in this district. West Bloomfield has been an up and down team this season but if their guards led by Charlika Stubbs and Rachel Harnish is on fire then the Lakers could win this district.

Prediction: I like West Bloomfield to beat Walled Lake Northern in the pre district game because of Harnish and the interior for the Lakers is much better than the Knights. In the district semis I like Lakeland because of Lock and her pressence and West Bloomfield to knock off Walled Lake Central in a rout. In the district finals, last season it went overtime with Lakeland winning but this time I think Rachel Harnish makes a winning three to send West Bloomfield to Fenton in the regional.

Pick: West Bloomfield

District 23 @ Warren Mott

Warren Cousino vs Warren Regina- 5 PM-Monday
Sterling Heights vs Warren Mott- 7 PM- Monday
Cousino/Regina vs Hazel Park- 5 PM- Wednesday
Sterling Heights/Warren Mott vs Warren Woods Tower- 7 PM- Wednesday
District Final- Friday 7 PM

Favorite: Warren Cousino: The Patriots have had a strong season despite their ugly home uniforms have a lot of talent on that team led by Kierra Fletcher and Haley Hoffman and has a wins over Grosse Pointe South and Utica Ford II. Expect the Patriots to be a huge factor in this district.

Toughest Challenger: Sterling Heights and Warren Woods Tower could give Warren Cousino problems but don't expect neither of them or the other teams to contend with the Patriots.

Prediction: I like Cousino to beat Regina handly. I like Warren Mott winning over Sterling Heights in the predistrict. In the district semis Cousino should beat Hazel Park handily despite the emergence of a 6.1 freshman showing promise this season. I like Warren Woods Tower to beat Warren Mott in the semis. In the district finals expect Cousino to move on.

Pick: Warren Cousino

District 25 @ Birmingham Marian

Bloomfield Hills vs North Farmington-7 PM-Monday
Harrison vs Seaholm-5:30 PM-Wednesday
Bloomfield Hills/North Farmington vs Birmingham Marian-7 PM- Wednesday
District Final- Friday 7 PM

Favorite: Birmingham Marian: The defending state champs haven't lost a game to a Michigan team this season. They won the Catholic League by a landslide. This Mustangs team maybe the best in the state and could repeat again.

Toughest Challenger: I don't think anyone will touch Birmingham Marian. Harrison would have a chance but they lost Amber Stephans and Kyla Rowland to season ending injuries. It would be a gigantic upset if Birmingham Marian were to go down.

Prediction: I like North Farmington to beat Bloomfield Hills close in the pre district. Harrison will beat Seaholm in the semis because of Kristen Nelson and their pressure defense will contain Mackenzie Harbort and Diana Hoerman. Marian will rout North Farmington and Megan Carter. It should be a Harrison-Marian Final with the Mustangs advancing to the next round.

Pick: Birmingham Marian

District 24 @ Royal Oak

Groves vs Berkley-5:30 PM-Monday
Royal Oak vs Lathrup-5:30 PM-Wednesday
Groves/Berkley vs Oak Park-7 PM-Wednesday
District Final- Friday 7 PM

Favorite: Lathrup: The Chargers have experience, talent and have been battle tested. Lathrup also won the Red this season and has guards Deja Church along with Antoinette Miller and you have the Bello Twins in the paint. The Chargers could make a run at this thing.

Toughest Challenger: I don't think anyone will touch Lathrup but Royal Oak and Oak Park will have some says here. The Ravens won the Blue and has Allison Karpinski and Bailey Haran along with home court. Oak Park can give them trouble inside but still I don't think they haven't played to what Lathrup has been this season.

Prediction: I like Berkley to beat Groves because of Celia Somers. Lathrup will beat Royal Oak by 15, too much size inside for Karpinski to handle with the Bello twins and Oak Park will beat Berkley because of the inside game of the Knights. The Chargers will move on to play Birmingham Marian in the regional.

Pick: Lathrup

District 21 @ Detroit Renaissance

Detroit Renaissance vs Mercy-5 PM-Monday
Detroit Mumford vs Farmington-6:30 PM-Monday
Detroit Renaissance/Mercy vs Southfield-5 PM-Wednesday
Detroit Mumford/Farmington vs Detroit Cody 6:30 PM-Wednesday
District Final- Friday 7 PM

Favorite: There is no clear cut favorite in this district but early favorite seems to be Detroit Renaissance because of home court but Mercy, Southfield, and Detroit Mumford will have strong says here.

Toughest Challenger: Watch out for Southfield, they were 18-2 this season and won the Gold. They can give both Detroit Renaissance and Mercy trouble. Detroit Mumford has had a good season as well and could be tough for Farmington.

Prediction: I like the Marlins to upset the Phoenix in the predistrict. I also like Detroit Mumford to beat Farmington. I think the Blue Jays pull off the upset of the tournament as they beat Mercy, I like what they have done over at Southfield led by Krystal Lynn Defoe and Stormlength Mattison. I also like Detroit Mumford to beat Detroit Cody. I like Detroit Mumford sadly to end Southfield's season because they look to be too tough for the Jays.

Pick: Detroit Mumford

District 31 @ Waterford Kettering

Troy vs Waterford Mott-5:30 PM-Monday
Troy Athens vs Avondale-7:30 PM-Monday
Troy/Waterford Mott vs Pontiac-5:30 PM-Wednesday
Troy Athens/Avondale vs Waterford Kettering-7:30 PM-Wednesday
District Final-Friday 6 PM

Favorite: Waterford Kettering: The Captains lost a tough one to Plymouth Salem in the KLAA championship game on Thursday night but will have a lot of experience for coach Scott Woodhull. Waterford Kettering has home court, won the KLAA North, and expect them to be the odds on favorite in this district.

Toughest Challenger: Kettering will have two challengers to deal with here. The first one is their crosstown rival Waterford Mott. The Corsairs upset the Captains last season in the district playoffs and would love to do so again and Mott has wins over Troy and Clarkston in the regular season. The Colts of Troy is the other team that can challenge Kettering because of their experience but lack of an inside game is concerning for the Colts.

Prediction: I like the Corsairs to beat Troy because of their 53-50 game early in the season and being close to home. I like Avondale to beat Troy Athens because of the Mason sisters being the difference there. I like Mott to beat Pontiac bad and Kettering to beat Avondale bad as well. I think the home team will get revenge here and move on and that's Waterford Kettering.

Pick: Waterford Kettering

District 32 @ Orion

Stoney Creek vs Rochester-5:30 PM-Monday
Adams vs Clarkston-7 PM-Monday
Stoney Creek/Rochester vs Oxford-5:30 PM-Wednesday
Adams/Clarkston vs Orion-7 PM-Wednesday
District Final-Friday 7 PM

Favorite: In a district comes in 78-40 heading into play (Adams 13, Orion 13, Oxford 16, Clarkston 12, Stoney Creek 15. Rochester has nine wins.) The early favorite is Adams by the slimmest of margins. They have a lot back in Amber Jamison, Raiven Owusu, Ryian Owusu, Maggie Rogers, Olivia Aregors, and Dazia Dinkins for first year coach Shay Lewis. Adams has had a tough stretch this season, playing four games in seven days. That's not an easy thing to do.

Toughest Challenger: There are four challengers to win this district and can easily beat the favorite. Clarkston lost twice to the Highlanders this season and features Erika Davenport. Orion features Hannah Hamay and Evelyn Wischmeyer. Oxford features Jessica Murphy, Skye Donaldson, and Cherylin Bandis. Stoney Creek will always be a tough team and features Maria Zandi. Rochester has the Norgrove sisters Jenna, and Delaney along with Zo Schultz. This will be a fun district to see.

Prediction: I like Stoney Creek over Rochester because of experience. I think Adams and Clarkston is going down to the wire, I think Clarkston wins a third time though because of Davenport. I like Stoney Creek over Oxford because they have enough to handle Jessica Murphy and Murphy struggled against Stoney Creek at Rochester. I like Orion to pull off the upset of the tournament over Clarkston, it worked in 2007 when the Wolves were fourth in the state at Oxford, it could happen here. In the end however, Stoney Creek will win this district because of strong guard play by the closest of margins.

Pick: Stoney Creek

District 42 @ Detroit Collegiate Prep

Detroit Old Redford vs Warren Fitzgerald-6 PM-Monday
Detroit Old Redford/Warren Fitzgerald vs Ferndale- 5 PM-Wednesday
Detroit Henry Ford vs Detroit Collegiate Prep- 7 PM-Wednesday
District Final-Friday 5:30 PM

Favorite: Detroit Collegiate Prep: The Colts are the early district favorite, being at home and having a good season in the Detroit Public School league. Also they got a good draw with not playing in the play in game on Monday.

Toughest Challenger: Warren Fitzgerald and Ferndale: The Spartans play in a tougher conference (MAC Silver) and have had a successful season thus far. The Eagles have played a lot of Class A Schools and being in the Gold and dealing with teams like Southfield, Berkley, and Troy Athens should help them here in district play despite their tough season.

Prediction: I like Warren Fitzgerald to beat Detroit Old Redford and them and Ferndale will be a close game but still like Warren Fitzgerald to come out close. I think that the home team (Detroit Collegiate Prep) will prevail over Detroit Henry Ford but will lose in the district finals to Warren Fitzgerald.

Pick: Warren Fitzgerald

OAA Top 10.

Written Sunday February 22nd at 5:00 PM

Boys:

1. Clarkston: Can the Wolves be stopped??? guess not.

2. North Farmington: Raiders have big test at Clarkston on Friday.

3. Oak Park: Kevon Fuller will be back on Friday which is a good sign for the Knights.

4. Avondale: Chris Barton is a machine right now.

5. West Bloomfield: Tristan Jackson is a machine right now.

6. Troy Athens: Riding the seniors to carry the Red Hawks.

7. Pontiac: Jordan Lavalis and Robert McDonald could be sleepers once districts start.

8. Adams: Tough loss to North Farmington, now its time to get ready for districts.

9. Seaholm: Second win over Oxford has the Maples in a good spot

10. Berkley: Bears in drivers seat in the Gold after beating Ferndale and Farmington and Hazel Park both losing Friday night.

Girls:

1. Lathrup: Won the Red and most of that team is back next season:

2. Adams: Three games in four days won't be easy for the Highlanders.

3. Oxford: Won the White title over Troy, first since 2001 when they were in the Flint Metro League.

4. Stoney Creek: Tough week coming up but will be tested once districts start.

5. Clarkston: Like Adams, three games in four days won't be easy for the Wolves.

6. Southfield: In total command of the Gold, now they must get ready for districts.

7. Troy: Huge game for the Colts on Thursday against Bloomfield Hills if they want to keep second place.

8. Orion: Dragons have two tough road games to close the season out (at Bloomfield Hills and Oxford.)

9. Royal Oak: Ravens have two tough road games to close the season out (at Seaholm and Oak Park.)

10. Oak Park: Big week for the Knights loom with a trip to Rochester and host Royal Oak to close the season.

Detroit Kick Off Classic Set.

Written Sunday Feburary 22nd at 4:45 PM

The Detroit Kickoff Classic is set and it will involve two OAA Football Teams playing on two different days at Wayne State.

The Southfield Blue Jays fresh off from their State Semifinal appearance will take on Detroit Cass Tech on Saturday August 29th at 5 PM. The Blue Jays will feature running back Matt Falcon, whom is receiving college offers around the country. Southfield's defense will be tested as they deal with quarterback Rodney Hall, who has experience after starting last season in place of Jayru Campbell.

The Orion Dragons, who missed the playoffs for the first time since 2000 will play Chippewa Valley and their wide receiver/defensive back Sean Bunting at 7 PM on Thursday August 27th. Orion returns to the Classic for the first time since 2008 when they lost to Rockford 17-7. The Big Reds beat the Dragons 42-35 last season at Chippewa Valley.

Two interesting games, we'll see what happens.

Rubin may not be the best fit to coach the Bloomfield Hills Boys Program and reasons why.

Written Sunday February 22nd at 4:40 PM

Jeff Rubin's name has came up to coach the boys basketball team at Bloomfield Hills since the shocking resignation of Dwayne Graves. However in a recent blog article written by MIPrepzone's Scott Bernstein, it is possible that Rubin could coach the boys again next season.

Rubin is currently the girls basketball coach at Bloomfield Hills and does have experience coaching both boys and girls at the same time while he was at Andover. Bernstein added that he was the best choice to coach them next season but there are some questions if Rubin does coach both boys and girls again, although its not likely he will do so.

1. Loyalty and Respect: There are many players who respect Graves for what he did at Bloomfield Hills and at Lahser and also the Lahser kids and how they would respond if Rubin were to coach them. The Andover kids should have no problem because he was the coach there.

2. Girls Program: What will happen if the girls and boys play on the same day, where will Rubin be at if he coaches both teams???

3. Differences in Styles: Rubin is a run and gun coach, loves fast breaks while Graves had set plays for his team and likes to slow the action down. Rubin does have some set plays set up for his big girl Amanda Sape and his point guard Amanda Moss. There is a different clash in styles if Rubin were to become the coach.

4. Jeff Rubin Himself: We don't know if Rubin has the heart to coach both teams again like he did at Andover. He has a strong family who supports him and he coaches one program. It would be very hard to coach both programs and we aren't sure if he wants to do it again.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for complete coverage.

McMann takes over Ravens Football Program.

Written Friday February 6th at 1:00 AM

Consistency has been an issue in Royal Oak.

The Ravens will have their fourth football coach in six seasons (three in four years) but someone very familiar with within the building.

Royal Oak hired Ray McMann to coach it's varsity football program after coach Tim Chapman resigned on Thanksgiving.

McMann is a chemistry teacher, also coaches the Boys Golf Team at Royal Oak but does bring football coaching experience coaching under Terry Powers and coaching the Middle School and High School levels in Royal Oak.

Royal Oak as a school has been 19-64 since merging Royal Oak Kimball and Royal Oak Dondero in 2006.

McMann wants a strong tie in with the Middle School program bring alumnis from both Royal Oak Kimball, Royal Oak Dondero, and Royal Oak themselves.

The Ravens this year will be in the Blue after a miserable campaign in the White, going winless. Royal Oak opens up the season with the team they replaced in the Blue, Farmington.

We'll see what happens.

Graves Resignation, a Shocker.

Written Friday February 6th at 1:00 AM

Duane Graves suddenly resigned on Thursday after allegations that he slapped a player and criticized another player for having "nappy hair" at practice on Wednesday night.

Graves apologized to both of the players and reported the violation to district administrators. He offered his resignation effective immediately. He said to Oakland Press MIPrepzone High School Coordinator Keith Dunlap saying he was resigning for personal reasons.

"It's time for me to move on. I have a 12 year old son who is becoming a man and I get to be there for him. I'm not done coaching but I am done this year" Graves said to Dunlap in a phone interview.

Graves a 1994 graduate at Lake Orion, coached at Bloomfield Hills Lahser for five seasons (including this season) before Lahser merged with Bloomfield Hills Andover to become Bloomfield Hills. In the first season of the merged school, the Blackhawks would go to the State Finals before losing to Muskegon.

Blackhawks freshman coach Nick Stration will coach the Varsity and will coach both teams for the rest of the season.

Graves leaves Bloomfield Hills with a 74-35 record. His former team will move on without him as they will travel to Clarkston to face the unbeaten Wolves. "They will be good. Give them some time and they will be able to do some good things" Graves concluded.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for complete coverage.