Boys Basketball Stocks after First Week of Season.

Written Sunday December 2nd at 1:00 PM

Here are the direction and progress where teams are heading either their stocks are up, middle, or down after the first week of the season.

STOCK HIGH:

Southfield Arts and Tech (1-0): The Warriors under first year coach Darryelle Buchannan went into a tough hostile environment and won at Southfield Christian 81-77 on Thursday night. Cameron McEvans was the story scoring 34 points for Southfield Arts and Tech. The Warriors have a tough non conference schedule in December ahead of them with a league game against Farmington and games against Kalamazoo Central, Ann Arbor Huron, and River Rouge. Things are trending up for Southfield Arts and Tech.

Oxford (2-0): The Wildcats could be the team to beat in the Blue especially with two wins over Walled Lake Central 57-40 and a four point win over a very solid Avondale team 48-44. The schedule will get interesting and we’ll know a lot about coach Steve Laidlaw’s team when they have Adams, Waterford Kettering, and league matchups with Berkley and Royal Oak on the horizon. Oxford is trending up right now.

Lake Orion (2-0): The Dragons are off to a good start with two road wins at Avondale 71-44 and Adams 51-41 but Lake Orion is far from a finished product as there is always room for improvement for coach Jim Manzo’s team. The Dragons schedule in December features Romeo and tough league games against Clarkston and Troy. Lake Orion could be a scary team that no one wants to see on the schedule.

Adams (0-1): The Highlanders are depleted with injuries to three key players but some of injured are expected to be back next week. Adams lost 51-41 to Lake Orion on Friday night but things will soon be looking up for coach Brad Crighton’s team. The schedule in December is interesting with league games against Farmington and Rochester along with games against Dearborn Divine Child, Utica, Oxford, and Livonia Stevenson. It will be interesting to see where Adams is at but they will be trending upward when healthy.

Farmington (1-0): The Falcons are trending upward right now with an impressive 88-73 win on Friday night at North Farmington over Waterford Mott. Farmington has a nice blend of youth and experience which is always a plus. Also coach Terrance Porter has a solid big that he can go too to aid his big three stars at the guards. The schedule in December isn’t as vaunted as most people think despite league games against Adams and Southfield Arts and Tech loom large along with a non league game at Clarkston. Things should be looking up for the Falcons.

West Bloomfield (1-0): The Lakers got a big victory at Warren Woods Tower 71-60 on Saturday afternoon but the month of December is absolutely brutal for coach Jeremy Dehna and his team starting with non league games against Warren De LaSalle, Detroit Cass Tech, River Rouge, and Macomb Dakota and league games against Troy and Clarkston. That’s going to be tough sledding for West Bloomfield. The Lakers will be fine going forward heading into the New Year.

Oak Park (0-1): The Knights suffered a tough 74-59 loss to Detroit Edison on Saturday afternoon but there is a lot of positives to look at for coach Bobby Thompson and his team. Malik Carr went over 20 points in the game which is huge. Oak Park has a tough non conference December schedule with games against Corliss Illinois, Detroit University Prep, and Birmingham Detroit Country Day. They will have a league game against North Farmington to close out the month. Things are looking up for the Knights even though they are 0-1 right now.

STOCK MEDIUM:

Troy (2-0): The Colts record has been impressive but the competition they have played hasn’t been that impressive with blowout victories over Rochester 64-30 and Seaholm 58-45. Troy should be tested in December with league games against Lake Orion and Clarkston along with non league matchups against Groves, Ann Arbor Huron, and Troy Athens. It will be interesting to see where coach Gary Fralick’s team will be at heading into the new year.

Stoney Creek (1-1): The Cougars split their first two games with two Macomb County teams at home. Stoney Creek blew Utica Ford out 68-45 on Tuesday but lost 53-47 to Chippewa Valley on Friday night. The schedule for coach Steve Norgrove’s team is manageable with tough games against Warren De LaSalle, Walled Lake Northern, and Hackett Catholic Central along with league games against Troy Athens and Avondale. It will be interesting to see where the Cougars are at the end of December.

Groves (1-0): The Falcons looked impressive winning 64-46 over Redford Thurston on Friday night in Beverly Hills but we will know a lot about coach Benny White’s team in the month of December when they play Troy, Warren Lincoln, Berkley, Ferndale, Seaholm and league games against Troy Athens and Avondale. Groves could be a team on the way up but there are some good teams that they need to beat going forward.

Bloomfield Hills (1-0): The Blackhawks needed a home escape against Grosse Pointe South winning 55-54 on Friday night but the jury is still out on Bloomfield Hills. The non conference schedule in December isn’t as impressive to as people think even though they have Avondale and league game against North Farmington looming. The game against Traverse City West will be interesting but right now to me the jury is still out if people should be buying in on coach Phil Kurajian’s team or not.

North Farmington (1-0): The Raiders had a blowout 80-33 win over Detroit Westside on Saturday night but we will know a lot about North Farmington in the month of December especially early. The Raiders will have league games against Bloomfield Hills and Oak Park but they have to play Detroit Cornerstone, Detroit Cass Tech, Wyandotte Roosevelt, and Warren Colligate. It will be interesting to see where North Farmington is at and where coach Todd Negoshian has his team going forward.

Pontiac (1-0): The Phoenix came off a 68-53 victory on Friday night over Advanced Tech but questions still loom for coach Josh Schroeder and his team. Pontiac’s schedule will toughen up with games against Clarkston, Clawson, and Mount Clemens. They also have league games against Ferndale and Harrison but the stretch of December 4^th through the 10^th could tell the Phoenix’s whole season if they are for real or not.

Avondale (0-2): The Yellow Jackets have came off a tough week losing to Lake Orion 71-44 at home and a tough 48-44 defeat to Oxford. Avondale should be fine moving forward after playing two solid teams. The rest of December is interesting for coach Tim Morton and his team as they still have league games against Stoney Creek and Groves but non league matchups with Bloomfield Hills and Waterford Mott looms huge as well. The Yellow Jackets are in an interesting spot but this is a team that can break out of their slump really quickly.

Berkley (2-0): The Bears had two convincing wins last week over Detroit Central 46-32 on Friday night and Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest when they won 74-32 on Tuesday night but the non conference schedule does get tough for coach Joe Sermo and his team starting with Groves on Tuesday night before going to league play with games against Oxford and Hazel Park. If Berkley wins over Groves on Tuesday night then maybe the Bears could be a darkhorse to watch in the Blue.

Royal Oak (0-0): Can’t really judge the Ravens, they haven’t played yet but I like this team going forward. There are tough games that loom for coach Aaron Smith’s team in December with Waterford Kettering and a league game against Oxford but the rest of the schedule is manageable. If Royal Oak can beat the Captains and get off to a solid start then a special season could loom for the Ravens.

STOCK DOWN:

Ferndale (0-1): The Eagles and coach Juan Rickman had so much hype surrounding this team but they were blown out 78-55 on Saturday night by Flint Beecher at Detroit Edison. Ferndale has Seaholm and Pontiac with their league matchup in December but they have to play Groves and Chicago Orr which are tough matchups for the Eagles. Ferndale is an interesting team to keep an eye on for sure but right now their stock is down.

Clarkston (0-1): The Wolves had a shocking setback against Sterling Heights Stevenson being upset 59-53 by the Titans on Friday night. Clarkston still has a tough December slate which includes league games against Lake Orion and West Bloomfield but they still have non league matchups against Orchard Lake St. Marys, Lakeland, Pontiac, Wayne Memorial, and Farmington. If the Wolves win out in this December slate then it would be much easier for coach Tim Waslik and his team but right now looks like trouble is looming for Clarkston.

Troy Athens (0-1): The Red Hawks suffered a tough 59-40 loss to Utica Eisenhower on Friday night. Troy Athens is young but coach Dave Scott knows his schedule in December is brutal with non league games against Lake Orion, Mt Clemens, Troy, and Madison Heights Bishop Foley and league games against Stoney Creek and Groves. There are some growing pains for the Red Hawks but right now the stock is down for Troy Athens.

Rochester (0-2): The Falcons we knew were going to go through some scoring pains with the departures of LaMarko Gulledge and Hunter Schalater but losing 56-38 to Warren Mott on Tuesday night and 64-30 to Troy on Friday night does not feel really good. Rochester in the month of December has league games against Adams and Southfield Arts and Tech along with manageable games against Bloomfield Hills, Seaholm, and Fraser so it will be interesting moving forward for coach Vance Kirkwood and his team.

Seaholm (0-1): The Maples did not look on Tuesday night losing 58-45 to Troy. Seaholm is young for coach Greg DeGeyter but the schedule gets tricky for the Maples in December which includes non league games against Stoney Creek, Grosse Pointe South, Rochester, and Groves along with league games against Harrison and Ferndale. It will be a tricky going forward to see where they go in the Blue.

Harrison (0-1): The Hawks did not look good on Friday night against Waterford Kettering losing 75-61 at home. Harrison has three games this week which includes games against Detroit Leadership Academy and Hope of Detroit Academy along with Farmington. Coach Jarrell Hogan’s schedule is manageable in December besides this week’s three games they have Seaholm and Pontiac as their league matchups. It will be interesting to see where the Hawks go this season.

Hazel Park (0-1): The Vikings stock took a disappointing hit as they were blown out in by their Battle of Nine Mile arch rivals Warren Fitzgerald 63-33 on Friday night in Warren. Hazel Park is a young team for coach Stefan Wilson but not being competitive in their final season in the OAA doesn’t look good. It’s going to be a long season for the Vikings especially with the schedule even though manageable looms in December with games against Ferndale University, whom they place twice and either Center Line or Hamtramck, all teams in their district along with league games against Berkley and Royal Oak in the month of December.