Boys Basketball Shortcomings.

Written Sunday March 17th at 12:20 PM
Updated Sunday July 28th at 11:00 PM

Well the Boys Basketball season is over around the State and also in the OAA. Here are some of the storylines looking forward to next season. We are not including Harrison or Hazel Park for different reasons.

Here are the 21 storylines heading into next season.

Clarkston: The Wolves were a streaky team this season losing two straight to winning 17 straight games until getting upset by Adams The nucleus is back for coach Tim Wasilk’s team in Keegan Wasilk, Fletcher Loyer, and Matt Nicholson. Clarkston also got stronger with Blake Kosin likely filling a role along with Luke Scheler and that's not mentioning players like Mike Depillo, Isayah Harris, Connor McKouen, and Logan Forbes. The Wolves will be a tough team to beat next season.

Lake Orion: The Dragons had an up and down year winning 13 games last season. Lake Orion lost Jake Ryquist, Kyle Loken, Shayne Barkley, and Nate Talbot to graduation. The Dragons return several key pieces in Dylan Boedgheimer, Cameron Sutton, and Drew Van Heck for new coach Joel Schroeder. Schroeder takes over for coach Jim Manzo who is retired at the end of the school year. There will need to be certain areas that Lake Orion will need to improve on next season so that will be something worth watching.

North Farmington: The Raiders really overachieved with a very young group this season. North Farmington loses two seniors to graduation including Yusif Jihad. They have the majority of their team coming back next season including Eddie Lenton, Bahseer Jihad, Deon Hayes, and Jamal Hayes. Coach Todd Negoshian should be pretty good next season.

West Bloomfield: The Lakers are in an interesting spot next season. Coach Jeremy Dehna will see their star backcourt of Donovan Moore and Robert Johnson head to colleges next season but West Bloomfield has a ton of talent coming back led by Shameer Mathews, Jake Lanshaw, Chase Glover-Rogers, and Kipras Blazeviciux not to mention if Donovan Edwards comes back which would be a huge addition after missing the basketball season due to an injury he suffered in football. The Lakers could be a team to watch next season.

Oak Park: The Knights had a ton of distractions this season along with a ton of questions heading into next season. Oak Park has the majority of their team coming back including Fred Garland, Soloman Johnson, Jaylin Mines, and DeVontae Edwards. Coach Bobby Thompson will be in an interesting spot and another question will be is that will Maliq Carr come back and if he does then the Knights will be worth watching.

Bloomfield Hills: The Blackhawks have Mason Canfield and Colin Hecker returning next season for coach Phil Kurajian along with a solid three point shooting core. Bloomfield Hills will have some questions in the post next season. If they can address this issue then the Blackhawks will be a team to watch next season.

Troy: The Colts overachieved this season despite finishing with a 500 record and a district title. Troy loses a ton of talent but has Brody Parker returning for coach Gary Fralick. The Colts bring in the Emerzian brothers Jake and Ethan as they transferred from Adams. Ethan has played with Parker in AAU ball. Troy will be a team to watch in the White next season.

Adams: The Highlanders are going to be an interesting team to watch this offseason. There have been massive changes over at Adams with the possibility of Gunner Walters leaving the State and both the Emerzian boys officially departing to Troy. The Highlanders have a new coach in Jared Thomas as he takes over for coach Brad Crighton stepped down in April. Thomas will have to get his new team on the same page if they want to compete in the White.

Farmington: The Falcons had a strong season this year but a disappointing district semifinal loss to Novi Detroit Catholic Central. Farmington has three top players coming back including their guards Terrell Humes and Jadin Atkins to go along with Jack Donehue. Coach Terrance Porter will have this team locked and loaded heading into next season.

Groves: The Falcons had a great first season under coach Benny White but they had a lot of tough luck including four losses at the buzzer. Groves will be better next season with basically a young group led by Mark Watson, Adolphus Cast, and Devin White but they will be a team to watch.

Southfield Arts and Tech: The Warriors even though they had a successful first season under coach Darrell Buchanan but they lose Cameron McEvans which could hurt them. Southfield Arts and Tech has a strong junior varsity team coming up and added Amauri Bates from Southfield Christian. The Warriors will be an interesting team to watch next season.

Stoney Creek: The Cougars were near 500 this season but suffered a disappointing loss to Utica in the district semifinal but coach Steve Norgrove’s team returns Alex Reiter and Trevor Smith which will be a bonus. Stoney Creek will be a team to watch next season.

Avondale: The Yellow Jackets could be a team to watch this offseason. Avondale needs to address their post situation and they will have a new coach in Pat Clancy after coach Tim Morton stepped down in March. Clancy will inherit a team that's strength will be the guards whom are very athletic and talented. I think that moving down to the Blue should help the Yellow Jackets. It will be interesting to see what happens with this team.

Rochester: It was a rough season for coach Vance Kirkwood this year. The Falcons lose Corey Gulledge, Cameron Caggins, and Ryan Noble. Rochester has young group along with a solid freshman class. The Falcons will head down to the Blue next season.

Troy Athens: The Red Hawks had a tough season but what will help coach Dave Scott is that they have a lot of talent coming back led by Jacob Thorton. Troy Athens who went 3-17 last year has moved down from the White to the Blue. They should be a contender in the league next season.

Oxford: The Wildcats had their best season EVER this season but next season will be interesting for Oxford. Coach Steve Laidlaw has Trey and Zach Townsend returning but they lose seven seniors from the team that went to the regional final which was their first appearance since 1948. The Wildcats had a good JV team but they will be a team worth watching.

Pontiac: The Phoenix made a return to prominence. Pontiac won 22 games including going 18-2 but lost to a very good New Haven team in the regional final. The Phoenix will be vastly different this upcoming season. They lost 10 seniors to graduation along with their head coach Joel Schroeder whom left for Lake Orion. Dameon Odneal returns to coach the team. He has prior experience with rebuilding jobs when he was at Waterford Kettering and has been an assistant to Schroeder and Robert Rogers. It will be tough to start from scratch again for Pontiac but they will have Terriah Hazard returning which helps whoever the new coach will be, they will be fine going forward.

Ferndale: The Eagles had a successful first season under coach Juan Rickman which resulted in a regional final appearance but they had a tough outcome against Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy where they had one bad quarter that cost them their season. Rickman has the majority of this team coming back next season led by Treyvon Lewis and the addition of three transfers in JayShawn Moore, Simon Wheeler, and Colin Golston who came from Detroit East English Village Prep and had to sit out this season. Ferndale will be a team to watch out for next season in the tough Red.

Berkley: The Bears made some strides this season getting to the district final and having a halftime lead against Birmingham Brother Rice. Coach Joe Sermo has some talent coming back which is a bonus to have. Berkley should be a sleeping giant in the Blue next season led by Ari Belchinsky and Arshad Walker.

Seaholm: The Maples were up and down this season and should be competitive next season. Coach Mike DeGeeter will have more experience with his team which will help them make some noise next season in the Blue.

Royal Oak: The Ravens were very disappointing this season and they do lose a ton of talent including Jovan Martin. Royal Oak has some questions they need to address next season. The Ravens do have the talent and defensive first mindset but offense will be a question for coach Aaron Smith’s team next season.