Talbott named new Stoney Creek Volleyball Coach.

Written Thursday March 31st at 4:45 PM

The Stoney Creek Cougars has been going through a culture of change, last offseason Kellen James took over the Girls Basketball team and this offseason there have been changes to the Football and Volleyball season side. Bob Lantzy returned to coach the football team and now the Cougars will have a new Volleyball coach.

The Cougars named Ross Talbott head coach on Thursday as Talbott will replace Mandy Moran whom resigned a few weeks ago.

Stoney Creek will be getting a heck of a coach in Talbott as he knows the OAA very well. He is most known being the head coach at Orion from 2012-2013 and previously was the Junior Varsity Coach at Orion when the Dragons went to the State Finals in 2011. After Talbott left Orion he was an assistant under coach Kristi McDevitt at Oxford for a season in 2014. He also coaches an AAU squad that is a powerhouse as well.

The Cougars will be a young team in 2016 after losing a ton of talent from a team that shared the Red with Orion and Seaholm but lost to Utica Eisenhower in the district final last season. Stoney Creek will return All Oakland County Second team Senior liberio Erika Ward. Ward is expected to be the key to lead the Cougars in the fall.

Stoney Creek will be in the Red for Volleyball and compete with the likes of Clarkston, Orion, Seaholm, Troy, and Oxford all in which Talbott knows very well.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for this developing story.

North Farmington vs Detroit University of Detroit Jesuit Preview.

Written Friday March 25th at 9:30 PM

An OAA team is in the State Final in Class A and it's the North Farmington Raiders.

The Raiders currently sit at 24-2 will have an opportunity to do so on Saturday afternoon at the Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University against the Cubs of Detroit U-D Jesuit.

It would be the first State title for the Negoshian family, one of the legendary families of Oakland County Basketball.

The Cubs are undefeated at 26-0 and destroyed Macomb Dakota whom was also undefeated 75-51 in the State Semifinals. Detroit U-D Jesuit features the 2016 Mr Basketball of the State of Michigan in point guard Cassius Winston. Winston whom will be going to East Lansing in the Winter had 27 points against the Cougars in the State Semifinals.

North Farmington features point guard Billy Thomas whom had 26 points in their 60-48 win over Lansing Everett in the State Semifinals. Also the Raiders brought in Amari Hardy whom transferred in from Southfield to go along with returnees Alex Darden, Josh Hogans, Jacob Joubert, among others. North Farmington has 11 of their 12 players are Seniors.

Subplot to the Game:

The Thomas family decided they wanted to leave Detroit U-D Jesuit after Ron Thomas accused Cubs head coach Pat Donnelly of verbally abusing his players. Thomas wanted to take his son and his two adopted sons in 6.9 forwards Ikechekew Eke and Greg Eboibodin whom he brought to the United States from Nigeria and enrolled them at West Bloomfield. The Detroit U-D Jesuit Athletic Department filed a complaint to Child Protection Services which questioned the guardianship and allegations made that Thomas abused the two Nigerian forwards thus setting up a family custody hearing in which the two Nigerians were placed with different parents with Detroit U-D Jesuit ties. Thomas lost custody of both Nigerians and was banned from seeing them.

Thomas spent one semester at a prep school in Virginia before coming back to North Farmington to play for coach Todd Negoshian. He was ineligible until the final three games of the regular season where he played but because of transfer issues Thomas didn't play in the State Playoffs last season.

Eke and Eboibodin are huge parts to the interior of the Cubs this season especially rebounding and scoring from the paint. Eboibodin had 13 points and 18 rebounds against Macomb Dakota while Eke had nine points and eight rebounds in the game.

This will be the only meeting where Thomas will take on his former teammates from Detroit U-D Jesuit. He played for the Cubs as a sophomore on the team that lost to Bloomfield Hills 85-75 in the 2014 State Semifinals.

Last Time They Met:

The Cubs are no strangers in meeting OAA Teams in the last three seasons. They have wins over Clarkston, Berkley, Oak Park, Southfield, Lathrup, and North Farmington. Detroit U-D Jesuit lost to Bloomfield Hills in the State Semifinals three years ago. The Raiders and Cubs met last year at Southfield in the Regional Finals where Detroit U-D Jesuit won 52-34 behind balanced Cubs attack and a cold shooting night for North Farmington. Winston had 15 points for the Cubs while Joubert had seven points for the Raiders in that game.

Preview:

The most interesting matchup will be Thomas vs Winston in the battle of point guards because whom ever wins that matchup wins the game. Hardy is the interesting part of the matchup since he nor Thomas did not play in last season's game to go along with Joubert. Hardy had 15 points in the State Semifinal game against Lansing Everett. Detroit U-D Jesuit also has good guard play as well but looking at this matchup I got to give edge to North Farmington because all three of their guards can score. ADVANTAGE: NORTH FARMINGTON.

The inside matchup is most interesting as Eke and Eboibodin, the two 6.9 Nigerians will go up against Cincinnati Baseball bound center Alex Darden. The 6.9 Nigerians made Thomas Kitcher of Macomb Dakota struggled badly in the semifinal game and could very well do the same to Darden. Darden is not a scoring machine but will get his fair share of good looks. He had 14 rebounds in the State Semifinal win over Lansing Everett but against the two Nigerians it won't be much of a case whom controls the glass unless you get them into foul trouble then that changes everything. ADVANTAGE: DETROIT U-D JESUIT.

The bench matchup is interesting, both teams are deep but both could limit their bench. If Winston or the two Nigerians get into foul trouble then it could change everything. If Thomas, Hardy, or Darden get into foul trouble then that changes everything. If I had to choose a bench to trust more in this game, it's the Raiders because of Hogans. ADVANTAGE: NORTH FARMINGTON.

The coaching matchup between Pat Donnelly and Todd Negoshian is as good as advertising but something about having assistant coaches like Pete Mantalya and Tom Negoshian on your bench gives players a huge advantage to be at. ADVANTAGE: NORTH FARMINGTON.

PICK: This is a tough matchup for North Farmington because of Winston and the two Nigerians. If the Raiders can win the inside matchup then they have a great chance, expect Thomas and Winston to have big games but the inside game with the Cubs could be too much for North Farmington to handle in a really close and tight game. DETROIT U-D JESUIT 58, NORTH FARMINGTON 55.

New Football Divisions Out.

Written Tuesday March 22nd at 2:00 PM

Well for everyone who wants to know how the football divisions will play out, here are the divisions for the OAA for the 2016 season. I will have previews and a OAA Now Special on how the expectations and teams will be played out in August.

Red:

Orion
Oxford
Clarkston
West Bloomfield
Southfield A&T
Troy Athens
Stoney Creek

White:

Adams
Oak Park
Harrison
North Farmington
Farmington
Seaholm
Groves

Blue:

Troy
Rochester
Bloomfield Hills
Pontiac
Avondale
Hazel Park
Ferndale
Berkley
Royal Oak

Harrison will Close It's Doors.

Written Tuesday March 15th at 10:05 PM
Updated Wednesday March 16th at 10:00 AM

The Farmington School Board has decided the fate of Farmington Hills Harrison High School in an emotional vote.

The School Board voted 6-1 in favor of closing Harrison in the 2019-2020 school year. There will be no freshman heading to Harrison next year as they will phase out the school based on class which means the current freshman class (Class of 2019) will be the last class to graduate from Harrison.

The school closure will leave the OAA down to 22 schools pending if some schools want to enter the OAA in the near future.

Current Harrison students and International Baccalaureate students will be able to graduate from the school.

This Facebook post from the Farmington Voice told the whole story from tonight's Board Meeting.

"Farmington school board members have voted 6-1, with David Turner opposing, to close Harrison High School effective with the 2019-2020 school year, meaning that currently enrolled students and International Baccalaureate students will graduate from the school. Whether or not you agree with the decision, it's clear that it was a very emotional and difficult one, especially for board members who have students at the school. I've been watching school boards for more than 20 years, and I have never seen officials express as much open emotion as this group did tonight."

Dunckel Middle School will also close as well, the School Board voted 5-2 on that issue Tuesday night along with the creation of a new academy that will house Kindergarden through Eighth Grade.

The reason why Harrison and Dunckel is going to close is because of budget issues that Farmington Public Schools is going through and also decreased student enrollment.

Next year's Middle School options hasn't been decided but students could choose to go to either North Farmington or Farmington High Schools.

At least for three more years the OAA will enjoy Harrison High School and legendary football coach John Herrington has a chance to break the all time State wins record as Hawks coach.

Stay tuned to OAA Now and the Blog for this developing story.

Williams Named Yellow Jackets Football Coach.

Written Tuesday March 15th at 12:45 PM

Looks like Avondale found its new head football coach.

Former Ypsilanti football coach Lamanzer Williams was named head coach on Tuesday of the Yellow Jackets replacing longtime coach Steve Deutsch whom left for family reasons according to the Avondale Twitter Page.

Williams resigned from Ypsilanti after his job was cut in the district in November. He spent one season as Varsity coach and three as an assistant for the Grizzlies. Last season Ypsilanti finished 4-5 and shared the Southeastern Conference White Championship with Chelsea but will lose a lot of talent next season.

The biggest win Williams had last season was over Chelsea 34-24 whom was undefeated at the time.

Williams is currently the Dean at Detroit Jalen Rose Academy and is a 1993 Willow Run graduate. He spent four years at Minnesota for College Football and was an All-American as a Gopher. Williams has also played in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings for a few seasons before going into coaching. He was a sixth round draft pick in the 1998 NFL Draft.

Williams traveled from Detroit to Ypsilanti for practice and games, now he will travel from Detroit to Auburn Hills to coach football for the Yellow Jackets. It is unknown if Williams will get a job in district like he did in Ypsilanti before his job was cut.

It is likely that Williams will bring Rufus Pipkins (was head coach at Ypsilanti in 2013-2014 and assisted in 2015) with him to Auburn Hills as both he and Pipkins have great chemistry together. It is unknown if Williams will keep any of Deutsch's former coaches with him.

Avondale finished 4-5 last season and didn't make the playoffs for the third straight season. The Blue will be much tougher next season as Troy and Bloomfield Hills joins the division from the Red and Rochester from the White. The Yellow Jackets will open up at New Boston Huron in August.

2016 will for sure be different in Auburn Hills next season as Williams will bring in a different system, there will be a transition period that has to happen during the season and OAA is a much different animal than the Southeastern Conference but he'll be ready for the challenge.

Stay tuned to the blog and OAA Now for this developing story.

Girls Basketball Thoughts and Conclussions.

Written Friday March 11th, at 1:00 AM

The OAA season for Girls Basketball is over and here are my thoughts at the conclusion of the season.

1. Lathrup Going Out Means Warriors Questions Begin.

Lathrup going out by Detroit Martin Luther King was a shocker at Dearborn Fordson in the Regional Final. The Crusaders shot 11 threes in a 74-56 win over the Chargers. Lathrup concludes its program as they merge with Southfield to become Southfield Arts and Technology but there are questions heading into next season as three players head to Division One Schools. If Michelle Marshall becomes the new coach at Southfield A&T expect Deja Church to stay on board and also the new Warriors team will have some top talent returning from the core of Southfield Blue Jays but we’ll see what happens.

2. Dragons poised for bounce back season.

The Dragons suffered a turbulent season in 2015-2016 as they went through many changes despite winning 12 games. Orion lost Maddie Novak to an MCL injury in the district overtime semifinal loss to Waterford Mott, had she been healthy the Dragons beat the Corsairs. Orion loses five players from this season’s team but do return Novak along with Tessa Nuss, Sophie Wyborski, and Jordyn Marchese, among others. There will be questions with this team heading into next season concerning which division the Dragons will be in along with the bench but they must address the internal issues this off-season.

3. Blackhawks Ready to Take Next Step.

The Blackhawks will be a senior heavy team in 2016-2017 led by Katherine Prinna, Becca Hancock, and Amanda Sape. Bloomfield Hills suffered a disappointing loss to Birmingham Marian in the pre-district playoffs but this was not the same team when Sape got concussed against Orion. The Blackhawks will be a dangerous team if they get moved up to the Red or stay in the White next season because of the experience. If they can toughen up their non-conference which I expect coach Jeff Rubin to do so. It could be an interesting season in Bloomfield Hills.

4. Could the Cougars get another district title???

Stoney Creek under first coach Kellen James grabbed the fifth district title in six seasons with their win over Utica in the district final but suffered a tough loss to a very good Fenton team in the regional semifinals at Grand Blanc. The Cougars lose three starters but does return a lot back in Ally Voss, Emily Eckhout, Morgan Porter, Gabby Sincola, among others for the 2016-2017 season. The district possibilities next season are endless for Stoney Creek as they could stay put in Macomb County or go back west but that will be decided in June when the Volleyball districts come out.

5. Wolves must put painful lessons aside.

The Wolves had a nice season under first year coach Christine Rogers but the fallout of the loss to Waterford Kettering in the pre-district gave some tough and painful lessons to Clarkston. It was their second straight pre-district loss. The Wolves do return Maddie Beck and Kayla Luchenbach for next season. Beck had a great sophomore campaign and looks to do more from the guard spot in 2016-2017 for Clarkston. Luchenbach is expected to have a strong bounce back season to go along with Molly Nicholson inside the paint. Rogers will be strong again next season despite losing three starters from a team that won 15 games.

6. Could this be the Raiders best chance to get over the hump???

The Raiders won the White in 2015-2016 and is expected to move back into the Red for the 2016-2017 season. North Farmington lost three key players from last season but coach Jeff Simpson’s team will return Kierra Crockett along with Samantha Cherney from a team that lost in overtime to Harrison in the district semifinals. The reason why this could be the Raiders best chance is because Harrison will be down along with Farmington Hills Mercy and if the district is the same as this season it could be a special season at North Farmington as the Raiders will have a senior heavy team and might be the best team in Farmington Hills.

7. Coaching Carousal.

There will be some new coaches in the league heading into next season. The big one could be at Oxford where there is a vacancy since Steve Emert resigned two weeks ago after the loss to Waterford Mott in the pre-districts. The Wildcats return players like Monae Evans, Jordyn Zyinger, Olivia Clark, Madelyn Morris, and Grace Cleland, among others. Oxford was in a really tough division and is expected to move down from the Red to the White for the 2016-2017 season. The other vacancy is at Harrison where Allen Walker resigned during the season and coach Stefan Wilson took over the team but we don’t know if he will coach both teams or stick with the boy’s team. The Hawks are going through a lot of rumblings that the school could close and they did lose Amber Stephens and Kristen Nelson to graduation. Harrison does return though Olivia Perkins and Tedi Pickens, among others so there is a good core to go with for a few seasons.

8. What will the divisions look like next season???

The million-dollar question will be the divisions as we head into next season. There will be 23 schools in the league so it will likely be a 7-8-8 format of three divisions. Here are my best guesses as the divisions could look like in the 2016-2017 season.

Red:

Southfield A&T

Clarkston

Stoney Creek

Adams

Harrison

North Farmington

Bloomfield Hills

White:

Oxford

Orion

West Bloomfield

Troy

Royal Oak

Seaholm

Groves

Troy Athens

Blue:

Farmington

Rochester

Oak Park

Berkley

Ferndale

Hazel Park

Avondale

Pontiac

Boys Basketball District Preview.

Written Saturday March 5th at 8:10 PM

Pre-district: March 7.

Semis: March 9.

Finals: March 11.

District 42 @ Detroit Collegiate Prep. CAPS: PROJECTED WINNERS.

Warren Fitzgerald vs DETROIT MUMFORD 4 PM

Hamtramck Frontier International vs HAZEL PARK 5:30 PM

DETROIT COLLEGIATE PREP vs Detroit Central 7 PM

Warren Fitzgerald/DETROIT MUMFORD vs Ferndale 5 PM

Hamtramck Frontier International/HAZEL PARK vs Detroit Collegiate Prep/Detroit Central 7 PM

PROJECTED DISTRICT FINAL: HAZEL PARK VS DETROIT MUMFORD.

District Final: 5:30 PM

FAVORITE: Hazel Park

TOP CHALLENGER: Detroit Collegiate Prep

DARKHORSE: Warren Fitzgerald

KEY PLAYER: Carl Bow-Hazel Park

When looking at this district this could be a Vikings OR Detroit Collegiate Prep district final. Detroit Collegiate Prep. Warren Fitzgerald could be a dark horse along with Detroit Mumford. The Phoenix are quick and athletic and could threaten pending if they get past the Spartans. The Eagles had a rough season in the Gold but like the Girls, Ferndale could make a run in the district playoffs because of the Class B experience. Hazel Park won the Gold outright and is considered the favorite in this district.

PICK: Hazel Park.

District 24 @ Southfield. CAPS: PROJECTED WINNERS.

DETROIT RENAISSANCE vs Oak Park 5:30 PM

DETROIT UNIVERSITY-DETROIT JESUIT vs Southfield 7 PM

DETROIT RENAISSANCE/Oak Park vs Southfield Lathrup 5:30 PM

DETROIT UNIVERSITY-DETROIT JESUIT/Southfield vs Berkley 7 PM

PROJECTED DISTRICT FINAL: DETROIT UNIVERSITY-DETROIT JESUIT VS DETROIT RENAISSANCE.

District Final: 7 PM

FAVORITE: Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit

TOP CHALLENGER: Detroit Renaissance

DARKHORSE: Southfield

KEY PLAYER: Justin Turner-Detroit Renaissance.

This district has some top heavy teams in here including one whom can go all the way to the Breslin Center. Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit is the early favorite because of whom the Cubs have in the two seven foot Nigerians along with future Michigan State recruit Cassius Winston. Justin Turner leads the Phoenix into the district playoffs. The Blue Jays are led by Michael Flowers and is very talented. The Bears are solid themselves, the Knights have been up and down, and the Chargers have had a long season. It could be an interesting district but you got to give an edge to Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit.

PICK: Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit.

District 21 @ Orchard Lake St. Marys. CAPS: PROJECTED WINNERS.

Harrison vs WEST BLOOMFIELD 7 PM

NORTH FARMINGTON vs Farmington 5 PM

Harrison/WEST BLOOMFIELD vs Orchard Lake St. Marys 7:30 PM

PROJECTED DISTRICT FINAL: NORTH FARMINGTON VS WEST BLOOMFIELD.

District Final: 7 PM

FAVORITE: North Farmington

TOP CHALLENGER: West Bloomfield

DARKHORSE: Orchard Lake St. Marys

KEY PLAYER: Amari Hardy-North Farmington.

This district when looking at it has a Raiders vs either the Eaglets or Lakers district final on Friday. West Bloomfield has struggled down the stretch in sharing the White. North Farmington shared the Red with Clarkston and has its fair share of senior experience and talent on its side. Orchard Lake St. Marys is also talented as well. Harrison and Farmington are the weakest in this district and could be routed in their respective matchups on Monday and Wednesday respectably. It’s the Raiders district to lose.

PICK: North Farmington.

District 23 @ Troy Athens. CAPS: PROJECTED WINNERS.

ROYAL OAK vs Sterling Heights 6 PM

TROY ATHENS vs Warren Mott 8 PM

Royal Oak/Sterling Heights vs WARREN DE LASALLE 6 PM

Warren Mott/TROY ATHENS vs Warren Cousino 8 PM

PROJECTED DISTRICT FINAL: TROY ATHENS VS WARREN DE LASALLE.

District Final: 7 PM

FAVORITE: Warren De LaSalle

TOP CHALLENGER: Troy Athens

DARKHORSE: Royal Oak

KEY PLAYER: Kevin McKay-Warren De LaSalle.

When I see this district this one could be very interesting. The early favorite has to be the Catholic League runner up Warren De LaSalle. The Pilots are very talented led my Kevin McKay. McKay played really well in the Catholic League tournament and expect him to do well in this tournament. Royal Oak is the dark horse led by guards Gavin Boswell and Cordell DuPree. Troy Athens is very young but they did compete in the Red this season. The Red Hawks are led by Taylor McCaskill. Don’t expect much from Sterling Heights or the Warren schools, it could be an interesting district to watch.

PICK: Warren De LaSalle.

District 25 @ Avondale. CAPS: PROJECTED WINNERS.

GROVES vs Seaholm 5 PM

Avondale vs BLOOMFIELD HILLS 7 PM

Groves/Seaholm vs TROY 5 PM

Avondale/BLOOMFIELD HILLS vs Birmingham Brother Rice 7 PM

PROJECTED DISTRICT FINAL: BLOOMFIELD HILLS VS TROY

District Final: 7 PM

FAVORITE: Troy

TOP CHALLENGER: Bloomfield Hills

DARKHORSE’s: Groves, Avondale

KEY PLAYER: Marcus Pittman-Groves

This district is as even as it could get in Auburn Hills. Five teams have a shot at winning the district with this paring but the early favorite slightly you got to give it to Troy. The Colts are very young and have had the top challenger Bloomfield Hills number lately but Troy did lose to Avondale a few weeks ago. The Yellow Jackets have had a rough season in the White this season but could be a threat once the playoffs start. Groves although they were in the Gold have the depth to matchup with any of those teams in this district. Bloomfield Hills is very young as well but did share the White crown but have struggled lately. This district is a pick-em between five teams.

PICK: Bloomfield Hills.

District 30 @ Adams. CAPS: PROJECTED WINNERS.

Utica vs UTICA EISENHOWER 7 PM

STONEY CREEK vs Rochester 5 PM

Utica/Utica Eisenhower vs ADAMS 7 PM

PROJECTED DISTRICT FINAL: STONEY CREEK VS ADAMS

District Final: 7 PM

FAVORITE: Stoney Creek

TOP CHALLENGER: Adams

DARKHORSE: Utica Eisenhower

KEY PLAYER: John Paul Sincola-Stoney Creek

This district is shaping up to be a Highlanders/Cougars district final. Adams has Spencer Littleson and Joey Zinni while Stoney Creek has an array of three point shooters in John Paul Sincola and Ben Reiter but Rochester could have a say, they have gotten better this season led by Hunter Schlatter, Ivan Barraza, and Larmaco Gillridge. Utica Eisenhower is a good team as well and could threaten Adams pending if they get by Utica. I would be shocked if this district is not an all Rochester district final.

PICK: Adams.

District 31 @ Waterford Mott. CAPS: PROJECTED WINNERS.

CLARKSTON vs Waterford Mott 5 PM

ORION vs Waterford Kettering 7 PM

CLARKSTON/Waterford Mott vs Oxford 5 PM

Orion/Waterford Kettering vs PONTIAC 7 PM

PROJECTED DISTRICT FINAL: CLARKSTON VS PONTIAC

District Final 6 PM

FAVORITE: Clarkston

TOP CHALLENGER: Pontiac

DARKHORSE: Orion

KEY PLAYER: David Gomez-Orion

This district looks like this could be a good one but you got to give the edge to Clarkston because of experience and talent they have in Foster Loyer and Dylan Alderson. The Phoenix shared the White this season and is led by Jaylen Kelso. Pontiac also has size and quickness along with the stall ball that coach Ben Kelso likes to do. Orion is an interesting team to keep an eye on as the Dragons are led by David Gomez, Noah Harris, Jaylen Wiggins, and Chris Dudek. Oxford is a darkhorse team as well led by Jordan Jayden but the loss of Justin Lavalis has hurt the Wildcats, we don’t know his availability for the district playoffs. The Captains are a senior heavy team like Orion is but have been in turmoil along with the Corsairs of Waterford Mott. This district looks like it could be a Wolves vs Phoenix or Dragon final.

PICK: Clarkston.