Written Thursday April 28th at 8:00 PM
Well mark this as a win for players and scouts all around.
On Thursday the NCAA rescinded its ban on Satellite Camps effective immediately making the way for camps like the Sound Mind Sound Body Camp, which will take place at Wayne State on June 9th and 10th to get back to where it was suppose to be and coaches to go where ever they want to be at.
This move was a huge victory for high school players who uses the camps for exposure along with the Big Ten and Mid American Conferences who uses the camps to recruit players and losses by the SEC and the ACC.
End of the day this issue won't go away anytime soon as the NCAA want recommendations from the Board of Governors for improving football recruiting due by September 1st.
For now everything will stay the same as it was last summer and Satellite Camps will be allowed for another summer.
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Thomas Commits to Oakland.
Written Wednesday April 27th at 10:30 PM
Oakland University got a heck of a player coming in Billy Thomas.
Thomas committed to the Golden Grizzlies after leading the North Farmington Raiders to the State Championship Game last winter.
Thomas played his freshman and sophomore seasons at University of Detroit-Jesuit but transferred to a Virginia Prep School but then came back to Michigan to play for North Farmington. Thomas was forced to sit out his junior season due to MHSAA Transfer rules but he had an excellent Senior campaign for the Raiders.
Its also nice to know that the Negoshians (Tom and Todd) are still close to the Golden Grizzlies program and Thomas to Rochester is a perfect fit to go along with Brandon Neely. Both Neely and Thomas will be impact players for Coach Greg Kampe with the departure of Kay Felder.
We shall see what happens but Oakland University got a heck of a player coming to them in Billy Thomas.
Oakland University got a heck of a player coming in Billy Thomas.
Thomas committed to the Golden Grizzlies after leading the North Farmington Raiders to the State Championship Game last winter.
Thomas played his freshman and sophomore seasons at University of Detroit-Jesuit but transferred to a Virginia Prep School but then came back to Michigan to play for North Farmington. Thomas was forced to sit out his junior season due to MHSAA Transfer rules but he had an excellent Senior campaign for the Raiders.
Its also nice to know that the Negoshians (Tom and Todd) are still close to the Golden Grizzlies program and Thomas to Rochester is a perfect fit to go along with Brandon Neely. Both Neely and Thomas will be impact players for Coach Greg Kampe with the departure of Kay Felder.
We shall see what happens but Oakland University got a heck of a player coming to them in Billy Thomas.
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Hall Steps Down as Adams Coach, will take job at Almont.
Written Tuesday April 26th at 7:05 PM
Tuesday night was probably one of the most heartbreaking announcement that the Rochester Adams community has endured.
Longtime Highlanders coach John Hall stepped down as Adams coach and will take the Almont job that was left by former Seaholm coach Jose Andrades whom resigned last month.
The move was a sudden shock to the Highlanders community including Athletic Director Jason Rapp and other Adams administrators.
Hall said the reason why he left Adams was because of his kids, they are going to start school sports in Almont and he wants to see them play. Hall is from Almont, which is in Lapeer County but he will continue to make the travel to teach at Adams everyday.
Hall was at Adams for 17 years and had a 243-142 record with four district titles as Highlanders coach.
The Highlanders went to the regional final falling to Macomb Dakota on the road.
Hall will take over the Almont Knights. The Knights went 7-15 and 3-11 in the Blue Water Area Conference which was second to last in the league last season falling to Croswell-Lexington in the district semifinals. Instead of competing with the likes of North Farmington, Clarkston, Southfield, Stoney Creek, Rochester, and Orion in the OAA, he will play top notch teams like Yale, Richmond, and Imlay City, all in Class B.
Adams will now have to search for a new head coach for the winter season but a possible coaching candidate could be longtime assistant Chris Flynn whom has been in the program for 12 seasons. Also Bob Lineberger will get some attention as well and has spent eight seasons at Adams. Not to mention there is Highlanders baseball coach Jeff Hall, whom is the brother of John Hall. Hall was the Freshman Coach for John until last season when he focused on baseball, could he make the move again back to the hardwood. One last candidate is Jeff Haney, whom is the Rochester Junior Varsity Coach and knows the Rochester area very well. Haney could be an interesting candidate to coach at Adams, anything is possible.
Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest developments on this story.
Tuesday night was probably one of the most heartbreaking announcement that the Rochester Adams community has endured.
Longtime Highlanders coach John Hall stepped down as Adams coach and will take the Almont job that was left by former Seaholm coach Jose Andrades whom resigned last month.
The move was a sudden shock to the Highlanders community including Athletic Director Jason Rapp and other Adams administrators.
Hall said the reason why he left Adams was because of his kids, they are going to start school sports in Almont and he wants to see them play. Hall is from Almont, which is in Lapeer County but he will continue to make the travel to teach at Adams everyday.
Hall was at Adams for 17 years and had a 243-142 record with four district titles as Highlanders coach.
The Highlanders went to the regional final falling to Macomb Dakota on the road.
Hall will take over the Almont Knights. The Knights went 7-15 and 3-11 in the Blue Water Area Conference which was second to last in the league last season falling to Croswell-Lexington in the district semifinals. Instead of competing with the likes of North Farmington, Clarkston, Southfield, Stoney Creek, Rochester, and Orion in the OAA, he will play top notch teams like Yale, Richmond, and Imlay City, all in Class B.
Adams will now have to search for a new head coach for the winter season but a possible coaching candidate could be longtime assistant Chris Flynn whom has been in the program for 12 seasons. Also Bob Lineberger will get some attention as well and has spent eight seasons at Adams. Not to mention there is Highlanders baseball coach Jeff Hall, whom is the brother of John Hall. Hall was the Freshman Coach for John until last season when he focused on baseball, could he make the move again back to the hardwood. One last candidate is Jeff Haney, whom is the Rochester Junior Varsity Coach and knows the Rochester area very well. Haney could be an interesting candidate to coach at Adams, anything is possible.
Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest developments on this story.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
DeHart to Berkley, possiblity.
Written Sunday April 24th at 2:25 PM
The Berkley Bears are in search for a new Boys Basketball Coach after former coach Dave McGlown resigned last week. One name could possibly come up in the coaching search.
Steve DeHart.
DeHart could be what the Bears wanted. He knows how to build a program from scratch and is very good to students.
DeHart was the Junior Varsity Coach at Lake Orion from 2012-2016 and has worked for two very good coaches in Tom Risi and Jim Manzo. DeHart in his second campaign finished 18-2 and has had winning records since, finishing 14-6 last season.
Berkley has went up against DeHart a couple of times with DeHart being 3-1 against the Bears when he was coaching the Junior Varsity with the Dragons.
DeHart is more than capable of building a program up and had success in doing so in Northern Oakland County. If I'm the Bears, I'd look at him, he is available.
Now the Bears could look at other coaching candidates like their assistant coaches but we'll see what Berkley does with their coaching search.
The Berkley Bears are in search for a new Boys Basketball Coach after former coach Dave McGlown resigned last week. One name could possibly come up in the coaching search.
Steve DeHart.
DeHart could be what the Bears wanted. He knows how to build a program from scratch and is very good to students.
DeHart was the Junior Varsity Coach at Lake Orion from 2012-2016 and has worked for two very good coaches in Tom Risi and Jim Manzo. DeHart in his second campaign finished 18-2 and has had winning records since, finishing 14-6 last season.
Berkley has went up against DeHart a couple of times with DeHart being 3-1 against the Bears when he was coaching the Junior Varsity with the Dragons.
DeHart is more than capable of building a program up and had success in doing so in Northern Oakland County. If I'm the Bears, I'd look at him, he is available.
Now the Bears could look at other coaching candidates like their assistant coaches but we'll see what Berkley does with their coaching search.
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Kelso Out at Pontiac, McGlown Out at Berkley.
Written Saturday April 23rd at 5:00 PM
Boys Basketball in the OAA is about to get a major makeover.
In wake of the major coaching hire that Oxford made bringing back Steve Laidlaw two more coaches have officially left their boys basketball programs according to an accurate source.
At Berkley, coach Dave McGlown stepped down after spending seven seasons as Bears coach. It is not known why McGlown stepped down from Berkley. It is unknown whom will take over the Bears program.
Ben Kelso is now out at Pontiac after two seasons as Phoenix head coach. Last season Pontiac shared the White crown with Bloomfield Hills and West Bloomfield. Kelso previously coached at Waterford Kettering, along with Southfield in which he coached the girls (won two State titles), and in Detroit at Detroit Cooley where he won three State titles in the late 1980's-early 90's along with being at Detroit Mumford for a time.
Kelso and school officials have not gotten along at Pontiac lately, it was very similar to Waterford Kettering and he left on bad terms. Also mentioned was that his name was rumored to be linked with Oak Park as the Knights are in search for a new boys basketball coach.
Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest information on this developing story
Boys Basketball in the OAA is about to get a major makeover.
In wake of the major coaching hire that Oxford made bringing back Steve Laidlaw two more coaches have officially left their boys basketball programs according to an accurate source.
At Berkley, coach Dave McGlown stepped down after spending seven seasons as Bears coach. It is not known why McGlown stepped down from Berkley. It is unknown whom will take over the Bears program.
Ben Kelso is now out at Pontiac after two seasons as Phoenix head coach. Last season Pontiac shared the White crown with Bloomfield Hills and West Bloomfield. Kelso previously coached at Waterford Kettering, along with Southfield in which he coached the girls (won two State titles), and in Detroit at Detroit Cooley where he won three State titles in the late 1980's-early 90's along with being at Detroit Mumford for a time.
Kelso and school officials have not gotten along at Pontiac lately, it was very similar to Waterford Kettering and he left on bad terms. Also mentioned was that his name was rumored to be linked with Oak Park as the Knights are in search for a new boys basketball coach.
Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest information on this developing story
Friday, April 22, 2016
Laidlaw is Back at Oxford.
Written Friday April 22nd at 11:58 PM
A familiar face is coming back to Oxford.
Confirmed via Facebook, the Wildcats hired Steve Laidlaw to coach their Varsity Boys Basketball team replacing interim coach Dave Brown whom replaced Stephan Henning after a scandal. Laidlaw now joins a list of returning coaches to return to coach their former school such as Jim Manzo last season at Orion and Tim Morton at Avondale three seasons ago.
Here is the Facebook Post from returning Wildcats coach Steve Laidlaw.
"Truly honored and privileged to be the new Varsity coach at Oxford. So incredibly thankful for my last six years at Avondale. I made so many lifelong relationships. We had a great first team meeting in Oxford today and the kids sure made me feel at home. I GET to do this again!! Blessed!!"
Laidlaw spent six seasons at Avondale coaching the JV team over in Auburn Hills from 2010-2016 but he is well known for being at Oxford for six seasons from 2003-2009. Laidlaw was forced out in 2009 after an issue with the school board but now he is back as the head man for the Wildcats.
Many Oxford alumni appreciated what Laidlaw did for the Wildcats Boys Basketball program, creating a family like atmosphere despite the 51-97 record he has in six seasons at Oxford coach.
Oxford will return players like Jordan Jayden, Ray LaVine, and Justin Lavalis along with a solid JV team from a season ago. It is unknown if Laidlaw will bring back current assistant coaches that worked under Brown. The Wildcats finished 6-15 last season which concluded with a district semifinal loss to Clarkston.
The Wildcats will compete in the Blue this upcoming Winter with their arch rival Orion along with Stoney Creek, Rochester, Groves, and Seaholm.
Thoughts:
This is a big addition for the Wildcats that I didn't see coming, to bring back one of their own in Laidlaw. He will bring enthusiasm, discipline, chemistry, and a family atmosphere to Oxford, something they have really needed since he left.
This reminds me of the situation very similar to the one at Orion when Jim Manzo returned to the bench. Manzo turned the Dragons into a 12 win team a season ago. Could Laidlaw do the same thing at Oxford??? It's possible.
Stay tuned to OAA Now for this developing story.
A familiar face is coming back to Oxford.
Confirmed via Facebook, the Wildcats hired Steve Laidlaw to coach their Varsity Boys Basketball team replacing interim coach Dave Brown whom replaced Stephan Henning after a scandal. Laidlaw now joins a list of returning coaches to return to coach their former school such as Jim Manzo last season at Orion and Tim Morton at Avondale three seasons ago.
Here is the Facebook Post from returning Wildcats coach Steve Laidlaw.
"Truly honored and privileged to be the new Varsity coach at Oxford. So incredibly thankful for my last six years at Avondale. I made so many lifelong relationships. We had a great first team meeting in Oxford today and the kids sure made me feel at home. I GET to do this again!! Blessed!!"
Laidlaw spent six seasons at Avondale coaching the JV team over in Auburn Hills from 2010-2016 but he is well known for being at Oxford for six seasons from 2003-2009. Laidlaw was forced out in 2009 after an issue with the school board but now he is back as the head man for the Wildcats.
Many Oxford alumni appreciated what Laidlaw did for the Wildcats Boys Basketball program, creating a family like atmosphere despite the 51-97 record he has in six seasons at Oxford coach.
Oxford will return players like Jordan Jayden, Ray LaVine, and Justin Lavalis along with a solid JV team from a season ago. It is unknown if Laidlaw will bring back current assistant coaches that worked under Brown. The Wildcats finished 6-15 last season which concluded with a district semifinal loss to Clarkston.
The Wildcats will compete in the Blue this upcoming Winter with their arch rival Orion along with Stoney Creek, Rochester, Groves, and Seaholm.
Thoughts:
This is a big addition for the Wildcats that I didn't see coming, to bring back one of their own in Laidlaw. He will bring enthusiasm, discipline, chemistry, and a family atmosphere to Oxford, something they have really needed since he left.
This reminds me of the situation very similar to the one at Orion when Jim Manzo returned to the bench. Manzo turned the Dragons into a 12 win team a season ago. Could Laidlaw do the same thing at Oxford??? It's possible.
Stay tuned to OAA Now for this developing story.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Proposed New League Could Give OAA oppertunity to Expand if they so choose.
Written Thursday April 21st at 11:15 PM
Updated Friday April 22nd at 9:40 PM
The KLAA will be different in two years.
On Thursday Morning, ten KLAA schools decided to leave the conference and form their own league effective the 2017-2018 school year according to Hometown Life's Brad Emons.
The schools that are leaving are nine in Oakland County and one in Livingston County. They are Waterford Kettering, Waterford Mott, Lakeland, Milford, South Lyon, South Lyon East, Walled Lake Northern, Walled Lake Central, Walled Lake Western, and Pinckney.
The move will bring the KLAA down from 24 to 14 schools.
Last month, the league voted down Proposal B which was suppose to realign the league based on competitive balance but travel concerns and student enrollment voted down that proposal thus forcing the ten schools to form their own league.
However for the new league to happen it needs approval from the five school district superintendents. If that fails then they can separate and join different conference like the OAA or in Pinckney's case the Capital Area Conference.
We will know by June if this new league forms with the ten schools because the KLAA bylaws state that the schools leaving must stay in the league for one year and have their plan in place by June.
Could They Come to the OAA???
Odds are that the ten schools coming to the league are not likely but you never know but if I had to be an odds maker, odds that nine of them come to the OAA are about 40-60. If these schools join the OAA then they could be perfect fits based on location and distance geographically along with competitive balance, especially the Waterford and Walled Lake Schools along with Lakeland and Milford. South Lyon is very close to Farmington and could establish rivalries with the three Farmington schools along with the rest of the southern schools.
The league could very well talk to these schools and with the OAA having 23 schools and needing to expand. This could be the perfect opportunity to expand to 33 schools or 32 because of the geographic standpoint that nine of the schools are in Oakland County but there is a possibility that Pinckney could be left out because they are in Livingston County and it is very well documented especially with Grand Blanc, Davison, and Lapeer that no matter how hard schools try to get them in, the OAA will not take schools who are not from Oakland County.
The Lessons
This is a wake up call for the OAA to address some of their problems such as travel and competitive issues, especially in football. The KLAA issues revolved around one sport, football and the conclusion that came out of the league disagreement concluded in disbandment. Now the superintendents could prevent this from occurring, this would be a very unpopular move and I'm not sure the superintendents would want to anger their constituent.
Stay tuned to OAA Now on this developing story.
Updated Friday April 22nd at 9:40 PM
The KLAA will be different in two years.
On Thursday Morning, ten KLAA schools decided to leave the conference and form their own league effective the 2017-2018 school year according to Hometown Life's Brad Emons.
The schools that are leaving are nine in Oakland County and one in Livingston County. They are Waterford Kettering, Waterford Mott, Lakeland, Milford, South Lyon, South Lyon East, Walled Lake Northern, Walled Lake Central, Walled Lake Western, and Pinckney.
The move will bring the KLAA down from 24 to 14 schools.
Last month, the league voted down Proposal B which was suppose to realign the league based on competitive balance but travel concerns and student enrollment voted down that proposal thus forcing the ten schools to form their own league.
However for the new league to happen it needs approval from the five school district superintendents. If that fails then they can separate and join different conference like the OAA or in Pinckney's case the Capital Area Conference.
We will know by June if this new league forms with the ten schools because the KLAA bylaws state that the schools leaving must stay in the league for one year and have their plan in place by June.
Could They Come to the OAA???
Odds are that the ten schools coming to the league are not likely but you never know but if I had to be an odds maker, odds that nine of them come to the OAA are about 40-60. If these schools join the OAA then they could be perfect fits based on location and distance geographically along with competitive balance, especially the Waterford and Walled Lake Schools along with Lakeland and Milford. South Lyon is very close to Farmington and could establish rivalries with the three Farmington schools along with the rest of the southern schools.
The league could very well talk to these schools and with the OAA having 23 schools and needing to expand. This could be the perfect opportunity to expand to 33 schools or 32 because of the geographic standpoint that nine of the schools are in Oakland County but there is a possibility that Pinckney could be left out because they are in Livingston County and it is very well documented especially with Grand Blanc, Davison, and Lapeer that no matter how hard schools try to get them in, the OAA will not take schools who are not from Oakland County.
The Lessons
This is a wake up call for the OAA to address some of their problems such as travel and competitive issues, especially in football. The KLAA issues revolved around one sport, football and the conclusion that came out of the league disagreement concluded in disbandment. Now the superintendents could prevent this from occurring, this would be a very unpopular move and I'm not sure the superintendents would want to anger their constituent.
Stay tuned to OAA Now on this developing story.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
About Me
- Saginaw Bay
- I have highest function of autism (Asperger Syndrome.) I'm a huge Dallas Stars fan. I like to play and watch football, especially when the Dragons play on Friday nights. I am a 2006 alum and used to play football for the Dragons. I ran track, I ran the 100, 200, 400 meter dashes along with shot-put and discus. During my time in Orion I was a manager for Junior Varsity Boys Basketball team. I'm the volleyball, girls basketball, and football announcer for the team and do the book on the road for girls basketball. I do the clock for volleyball in the fall along with girls basketball in the winter and announce some boys basketball games as well. In the spring I coach shot-put at Scripps Middle School, in my fifth season coaching. I run the shot-put for high school meets. I played Special Olympics Basketball, I've won three gold medals for them. I host "Between Taorminas" which is on ONTV along with a podcast called "OAA Now". In other various things outside of Lake Orion, I love to jet ski over Saginaw Bay. Saginaw Bay is basically my life. I'm a trained weather spotter for the National Weather Service for Oakland and Huron counties.