Top Boys Basketball Headlines Heading into 2016.

Written Friday December 25th at 4:30 PM

1. Who Wins the Red, North Farmington, Adams, or Clarkston???

The Red could be the most entertaining division this season with three teams ranked in the State and one team that has a player scoring gaudy numbers. Clarkston and North Farmington brought in some transfers that have helped their teams while Adams has relied on experience. Southfield has a sick player whom scored 50 points in a loss. Troy Athens will struggle in this division and Lathrup will compete in their final season as a school. The Wolves sit at 2-1 on the season, the Highlanders sit at 3-0 and have to play Novi in the Roundball coming up, while the Raiders sit at 2-1 with two games in the Roundball against Michigan City, Indiana and Detroit Loyola. The Blue Jays sit at 2-2 with tough games coming up against Detroit Martin Luther King at Detroit Cass Tech, along with Roundball Games against West Bloomfield and Chicago, Illinois Hyde Park. The Red will be fun to watch for sure.

2. Stoney Creek, Rochester, Orion will Come down to the Wire.

When looking at the Blue, Orion, Stoney Creek, and Rochester seem to have the best shot at winning the crown. I’m not sold on Farmington as they are not consistent despite playing a tough non-conference schedule. Seaholm is very scrappy but they have offensive liability issues. Oxford is going through a lot right now with the departure of coach Stephan Henning. The Cougars look like they are a complete team on paper with their strength being strong outside shooting and it has led them to a 4-0 record. The Falcons are 1-25 in their last 26 games will get some wins in this division. They are experienced and talented but guard heavy, Rochester will be tested against Detroit University Prep at the Rochester Holiday Classic. Orion is guard heavy as well but the lack of post is a major concern for the Dragons even though they sit at 3-1. There won’t be any days off in this division to say the least.

3. West Bloomfield Will Be Challenged in White.

The Lakers were the most talked about team in the division and for good reason with the team they have. West Bloomfield’s only loss on the season came against Macomb Dakota, sit 3-1 and they will play in the Roundball against Southfield. The Lakers will be challenged though this season with Avondale, whom have been in two double overtime games this season, Pontiac who is very solid, Oak Park when they have their full team together will be dangerous under first year coach Jamie Thomas, Troy who is well coached and always scrappy, and Bloomfield Hills who is led by a former West Bloomfield assistant in Mike Maryanski. Like the Red this division could be one of the toughest in the State.

4. Who Challenges Hazel Park???

The Gold could be a three team race with some of the teams getting big non-conference wins. Hazel Park is the early favorite with their 2-2 record but they have played good teams like Bloomfield Hills, Detroit Public Safety Academy, and Cornerstone. The Blackhawks lost to Groves, a team that will be there as well. The Falcons lost a tough game to Southfield and sit 3-1 on the season. The other contender is Royal Oak, the Ravens destroyed Oak Park and have a very good guard tandem. Royal Oak will play in the Madison Heights Bishop Foley tournament and has a great shot to win the tournament. Ferndale will be decent but not strong enough to compete with the big three, Berkley is very young, and Harrison will struggle. The Vikings, Ravens, and Falcons have great shots at winning this division and making some noise in March.

Top Girls Basketball Storylines as we head into 2016.

Written Friday December 25th at 3:30 PM

1.  Will Bloomfield Hills Non-League Schedule help or hurt them???

The Blackhawks Girls Basketball team sit at 6-1 on the season after suffering a disappointing eight-point loss to Highland Park Chandler Park Academy (37-29) in the Bloomfield Hills Showcase. Bloomfield Hills’s division rivals Orion and North Farmington have played by far a more difficult non-conference schedule than the Blackhawks. The Dragons played Lapeer, Clarkston, and Stoney Creek while the Raiders played Harrison, Clarkston, and Lansing Everett in the Roundball. Bloomfield Hills has played Milford, South Lyon East, and Berkley and had to survive each of those games. The Blackhawks will be tested in January when they open up league play at Orion.

2. Will Adams Recover in League Play???

The Highlanders sit at 1-4 with non-conference losses to Macomb Dakota, Warren Cousino, and Howell. What makes Adams road much tougher is that they have a league loss to Stoney Creek. They have to still play Stoney Creek one more time along with Clarkston, Harrison, and Lathrup twice. Life in the Red is very difficult and coach Shay Lewis knows that but they did show potential of what they could be at the Palace despite losing 61-58 to the Patriots. Adams plays Royal Oak Shrine before we head into 2016 and they do open league play with a trip to Clarkston.

3. Will Oak Park threaten Seaholm???

We might as well give the Blue Division crown to Southfield but who is the second best team in the league??? Seaholm currently sits at 5-1 with wins over Berkley, Troy, and Royal Oak. It’s only loss was to Waterford Mott 36-35 on the road. Oak Park meanwhile sits 1-4 but have played a murderous row schedule with games against Harrison, River Rouge, Grosse Pointe South, Dearborn Robichaud, and Lansing Everett. The Knights still have to play Waterford Mott and Woodhaven in the Roundball before they get into league play. Oak Park is much deeper than Seaholm but the Maples have more experience than the Knights even though Seaholm has major questions at the wing positions. Oak Park is still trying to adjust to new coach Peggy Evans-Carr’s system and that will take time to do that.

4. Can Pontiac exceed five wins???

The Phoenix have improved in coach Christopher Wright’s three seasons in Pontiac despite all the problems he can’t control. Pontiac went winless in the 2013-2014 season to 5-15 last season but still they don’t get the respect they deserve. The Phoenix sit 1-2 with a huge game against the host school Detroit Edison at the Roundball. If Pontiac can get depth to their lineup, then there is no reason that this team can win nine games this season with the experience they have back despite being very young. Pontiac is on the way up and could be a major player in the Gold this season despite Troy Athens and Berkley being the two top teams in the division.

5. Who is the best team in the Gold???

The Gold is very interesting this season with Berkley sitting at 3-3 being the best team in the division. Pontiac is 1-2, Groves is 2-3, Troy Athens is 0-4, Hazel Park is 1-3, and Ferndale is 0-5. I wonder who is the best team in this division despite the league being a combined 7-20 this season. Berkley has played a tough non-conference schedule while Groves has not been impressive. Hazel Park is building a program under coach Jessica Wagner and has a lot of experience back from that team. Pontiac also has a lot of experience back as well. Ferndale is very young and not deep. The most disappointing team of the bunch is Troy Athens who sits 0-4 and has a tough game with New Haven coming up at Rochester. We’ll see what happens when league play starts in 2016, someone will break out and separate themselves from the pack.

6. Is Southfield-Lathrup a State Championship Team???

The expectations were very high at Southfield-Lathrup with its final season as a school before they merge with Southfield. The Blue Jays are playing well right now and is expected to run away with the Blue division but the question is with the Chargers as they sit 2-2 and have losses to Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Bay City John Glenn but they did beat Ann Arbor Huron last week. Coach Michelle Jackson-Marshall's team will have a big one with Waterford Kettering at Detroit Edison in the Roundball before going into league play with Stoney Creek. Southfield-Lathrup was ranked 22^nd nationally until the loss to Bay City John Glenn. After the loss to Grand Rapids Catholic Central there were questions that if the Chargers were still a State Championship caliber team with the college bound talent they have on its roster. We will know a lot about the Southfield-Lathrup Chargers in March when they are in a very tough district with Detroit Renaissance, Southfield, Berkley, and Oak Park.

7. Oxford Is In BIG trouble.

The Wildcats currently sit at 1-4 on the season and have a tough slate of games coming up for coach Steve Emert. Oxford was demolished by Orion and their only win was against Lakeland in a close contest. The Wildcats are coming off a disappointing 22-15 loss to Pontiac Notre Dame Preparatory. Oxford will play in the Northville Tournament against the host school and then likely against Dexter for the second game. In 2016, the Wildcats will have a tough game against West Bloomfield before league play starts and that includes Lathrup, Stoney Creek, Harrison, Clarkston, and Adams all twice. It wouldn't surprise anyone if Oxford doesn't win a game in the league and finish either 1-19 or 2-18 in the regular season.

Girls Basketball Thoughts.

Written Wednesday December 16th at 11:45 AM

The season is underway and we are starting to get a good idea what teams will look like as we head into 2016. Here are my Top five thoughts for Girls Basketball.

1. What is Going on at Lathrup???

The Chargers were coming in with lofty expectations but losing two straight games doesn't help the cause despite it being against good teams. Lathrup lost to Grand Rapids Catholic Central (69-62) and Bay City John Glenn (53-44) by a combined 16 points. They have tough games coming up with Ann Arbor Huron and Waterford Kettering before opening Red play with Stoney Creek. Talk about irony for the Chargers.

2. What is Going on with Adams???

The addition of Taylor Smith from Linden is starting not to look good for coach Shay Lewis and her team. The Highlanders started the season at 1-3 with losses to Macomb Dakota (54-45), Stoney Creek (50-28), and Howell (66-38). Now given that all of them are very good teams, its odd to see that Adams is struggling like this before we head into January. They do play Warren Cousino at the Palace on Wednesday and Royal Oak Shrine in the Rochester Holiday Classic on December 28th. Their league play start is brutal in January as they have to play Lathrup and Clarkston in a span of one week.

3. Orion and North Farmington will be FINE.

The Dragons sit 3-2 right now with a tough road game coming up at Lapeer on Thursday. Orion's only two losses to Clarkston (60-52) and Stoney Creek (55-53) were by a combined 10 points to two teams that are a combined 10-0 so far in the season. North Farmington sits at 3-1 with it's only loss came to Harrison (57-41) but they have Clarkston on Wednesday and Lansing Everett in the Motor City Roundball Classic coming up. I think both the Dragons and Raiders have played more brutal non conference schedules than Bloomfield Hills whom is projected to win the White. The Blackhawks sit at 5-0 right now and had to survive Milford, South Lyon East, and Berkley. Bloomfield Hills will get tested again in their own Holiday Tournament as they play Chandler Park Academy on December 22nd.

4. Southfield will make some noise.

In the last year of the school at Southfield, Blue Jays coach Jamie Ginez's team hopes to go out with a bang. Southfield sits at 4-0 and will be favored in every game until January 30th when they get a visit from Lathrup. Their toughest challenger in the Blue will be Seaholm. The Maples had a tough one point loss to Waterford Mott (36-35) early in the season and with their two top players in Mackenzie Harbort and Dana Hollerman along with the emergence of Caroline Owens, Seaholm will threaten Southfield. Expect the Blue Jays will make noise in the Blue and could even ruin someone's playoff dreams.

5. Avondale in Trouble???

The Yellow Jackets were a team that I kept an eye on, I thought they would make the next big jump with their experienced size back in Addie Saltarelli and Alissa Smith and Toya Golden at small forward but Avondale has not been competitive and it has been showing as they sit 0-4 with all their losses being blowouts. The Yellow Jackets must fix this or they are in trouble and they have West Bloomfield and Orion coming up, those will be tough games for Avondale.

OAA Christmas Top 24.

Written Wednesday November 16th at 10:45 AM

I've looked at the strength of schedule of these teams with their good wins, good and bad losses. These rankings sound about right for both Boys and Girls Basketball.

Girls.

1. Harrison

2. Clarkston

3. Stoney Creek

4. Lathrup

5. Orion

6. North Farmington

7. Bloomfield Hills

8. Southfield

9.  Seaholm

10. West Bloomfield

11. Royal Oak

12. Adams

13. Berkley

14. Oak Park

15. Troy

16. Rochester

17. Oxford

18. Groves

19. Troy Athens

20. Pontiac

21. Hazel Park

22. Avondale

23. Farmington

24. Ferndale

Boys.

1. North Farmington

2. Clarkston

3. Adams

4. West Bloomfield

5. Avondale

6. Bloomfield Hills

7. Hazel Park

8. Pontiac

9. Southfield

10. Stoney Creek

11. Orion

12. Royal Oak

13. Rochester

14. Oak Park

15. Groves

16. Seaholm

17. Troy

18. Berkley

19. Farmington

20. Troy Athens

21. Lathrup

22. Ferndale

23. Oxford

24. Harrison