Basketball Early Rankings.

Written Monday September 28th at 1:00 AM.
Updated Wednesday October 7th at 5:00 PM.

These are the unofficial rankings for basketball season coming up in November. They aren't the official ones but here is my top ten teams heading into the season.

Boys.

1. Clarkston- The rich keep getting richer as Dylan Alderson comes to Clarkston from Davison to go along with Foster Loyer and Tabin Throgmorton for coach and Athletic Director Dan Fife. Could a State title be in the works this season for the Wolves???

2. North Farmington- The Raiders did lose a lot last season with Anthony Qassaca and Jerome Rogers graduating but coach Todd Negoshian returns guards Jacob Joubert, Josh Hogans, and Billy Thomas and may have gotten stronger with the addition of Nate Brooks and Amuari Hardy to the program. North Farmington could very well threaten Clarkston again in the Red this season.

3. Adams- Highlanders coach John Hall will have experience back as Spencer Littleson whom committed to Duquense and Joey Zinni as combo guards and is in a different district this upcoming spring. Adams will be solid this season because of these two and more is on the way.

4. West Bloomfield- Lakers coach Jeremy Dehna returns a heck of a team in Brendan Williams and Tristian Jackson. Jackson is going to be a very good player in his senior season. West Bloomfield all ready solid enough is expected to be one of the favorites in the tough White division despite having a tough non conference schedule.

5. Avondale- The Yellow Jackets last season was very solid, which included a buzzer beating shot to beat Troy Athens on their home court. Avondale loses Chris Barton whom went Division One but coach Tim Morton returns a solid group of players led by Jalen Latem. The Yellow Jackets will be there in the loaded White and will be dangerous heading into the season.

6. Pontiac- The Phoenix could be back in the thick of it as it returns some key talent in the form of forward Israel Williams to go along forward Ronald McDonald and with guard Jaylen Kelso. Coach Ben Kelso will have his team ready this season and they had a strong summer league beating some big name schools like Walled Lake Central. Pontiac could be back to where they want to be this season but depth and sub-varsity levels remain a major concern heading into the season.

7. Southfield- New coach Mike Avery will have plenty of talent to worth with but they did lose Amuari Hardy whom transferred to North Farmington. The Blue Jays will still have speed and talent but they could be finding a new point guard to start up their high octane offense.

8. Bloomfield Hills- New coach Mike Maryanski will have some experience back from a team that was in turmoil last season after the Dwayne Graves mess and they do have a solid junior varsity class coming up as well. The Blackhawks are also in a new division which will help things a lot.

9. Hazel Park- Vikings coach Brandon Barrett will return some experience as his freshman class from a season ago are now sophomores in Jeremiah Williams, Carl Bow, and David Hearns. This trio could bring special things to Hazel Park and is very well a contender with Groves in the Gold race.

10. Orion- Dragons have a new and old coach in Jim Manzo. He returns four starters from a team that won four games but three of them in the final week of the season. Expect Orion to be in the thick of the Blue race with Stoney Creek, Rochester, and Farmington this season.

Other Team's to Watch: Stoney Creek, Rochester, Farmington, Oak Park, Groves, Royal Oak.

Girls.

1. Lathrup- The Chargers are clearly the team to beat heading into the season with their two six foot twin towers going to Minnesota in Kehendre and Taige Bello. Also they have Antionette Miller whom is heading to Cincinnati and Deja Church only a junior has offers from Michigan and Iowa. Talk about a loaded program in the final season of the school for coach Michelle Jackson-Marshall.

2. Adams- The Highlanders might have gotten stronger and deeper this season as Taylor Smith whom transferred from Linden is added to the mix to go along with Maggie Rogers, Olivia Aregros, and Ryian Owusu. Adams lost Raiven Owusu, Dazia Dinkins, and Amber Jamison but the addition of Smith should offset the loss of Dinkins and Owusu. Highlanders coach Shay Lewis must address the center spot or move Aregros there and address the power forward spot. The depth is still there for Adams, except it could be a challenge this season.

3. Harrison- The Hawks have Kristen Nelson and Amber Stephans back for one more season as they both are going to go to division one colleges with Nelson going to Southern Illinois and Stephans not sure yet but not joining them this season is coach Tim Micklash. Micklash resigned from Harrison because of family reasons. The Hawks also will have Nyla Warren back as well. The question will be stability as Harrison has a lot of experience coming back but they did lose Kyla Rowland whom is now at college.

4. North Farmington- Raiders return three starters led by Kierra Crockett, Alexa Cherney and, Amber Stephans-Watts. Samantha Cherney is expected to play the shooting guard spot this season for coach Jeff Simpson. They did lose two starters in Faith Gammouth and Megan Carter and they will be missed. North Farmington does have experience playing without Carter but expect them to be in the White race this season.

5. Orion- The Dragons are an interesting team to watch this season as they have three and four year starters returning to the team. Evelyn Wischmeyer and Delaney Hann are four year starters and you add Cheyenne Lada to the mix. Lauren Thorne is the team's best defender and is expected to contribute more offensively. The question will be is who will replace Hannah Hamay's production? Orion returns Jordyn Marchese to run the point guard spot but if they don't find a shooting guard then coach Steve Roberts team could be in trouble.

6. Bloomfield Hills- The Blackhawks might have gotten stronger with Immani Wright coming in to start at point guard and Samantha Patterson likely to play small forward. They will be in a lineup for coach Jeff Rubin that will have Amanda Sape, Victorie Franklin, Katherine Prinna, and Becca Hancock. One of them will be on the bench to start but depth will be a concern though. This could be Rubin's best team since having Shannon Wilson two years ago and they could make a run this season.

7. Clarkston- Christine Rogers takes over a Wolves program that has been successful under Tim Waslik whom left to be an assistant for the boys basketball program but this season it could be a transition year for Clarkston as they don't have Erika Davenport anymore but the talent pool is not bare. The Wolves will be solid this season, led by Kayla Lucenbach and Molly Nicholson at the forward spots. Expect Kristen Page to move to the small forward spot and bring stability to that position. Kayla Russell and Megan Deardorff are expected to be the starting guards for a team that could surprise people heading into the season.

8. Southfield- The Blue Jays return their best team in coach Jamie Glinz's coaching career in Krystal Lynn Defoe, Stormleigh Mattison, D'ylania Holliman, Bailey Harvey, and Tyler Washington in the final season of Southfield Blue Jays basketball. Southfield won 18 games last season and moved up from the Gold to the Blue. The Blue Jays is the early favorite and is expected to be a serious contender in the league this season.

9. Stoney Creek- The Cougars have a new coach in Kellen James and he takes over for coach Brad Crighton. Stoney Creek will be a little undersized this season but they do have two good players in Ally Voss and Emily Solek. Both of them will be counted on to do more this season as the six time district champs have a tough schedule early to start the season.

10. Berkley- The Bears could be a dangerous team this season as they return most of their starting lineup this season for coach Jordan Gruppen. Berkley returns guard Celia Somers, Josephine Pittman, Zoe Anderson, and Makoya Denham. This Bears team is the early favorite in the Gold even though Troy Athens will be the team's toughest challenger led by guards Maddie Crum and Michelle Gervalis. It could be a fun season in the Gold between the Bears and Red Hawks.

Other Team's to Watch: West Bloomfield, Seaholm, Royal Oak, Troy Athens, Oak Park.