West Bloomfield Has Their New Volleyball Coach.

Written Wednesday February 17th at 3:45 PM

The West Bloomfield Lakers have a new coach in Volleyball.

The Lakers named Nancy McKouen to take over the program. Previous coach Lauren DeLuck Forbes stepped down at the end of the season.

McKouen brings a ton of coaching experience. She coached at Milford for six seasons and was an assistant under Coach Mike Hatch at Lake Orion.

McKouen brings over 20 years of coaching experience to West Bloomfield and is well known around the OAA. “I’m excited to start this journey with the Lakers family. Coach Forbes has left a solid program and I’m grateful for that. My goal is to build off what is here and take it farther with hard work and perseverance we can do that together. I cannot wait to get to work” she said in a press release.

West Bloomfield will play in the White next season and go up against the likes of Groves, Avondale, Rochester, Farmington, North Farmington, Royal Oak, and Berkley.

The Lakers will have a young roster next season but a battle tested one.

My Thoughts

I really like this hire that West Bloomfield and Athletic Director Eric Pierce made. McKouen knows the OAA from her days at Lake Orion. She will bring a different dimension the White. It wouldn't surprise anyone if McKouen toughens up the non league schedule especially at tournaments.

It won’t be long but West Bloomfield should be in the mix to do special things in the near future.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.

Here is the article from Athletic Director Eric Pierce

https://westbloomfieldathletics.com/2021/02/17/west-bloomfield-announces-nancy-mckouen-as-new-varsity-volleyball-coach/?fbclid=IwAR29PUGRRR9cbAOLj1w1Myngc05mKg4OFuKLfAxSWqu5X_rlZzqY9Z8yhi4

Inside the OAA Top 22 Basketball Rankings.

Written Sunday February 14th at 11:00 AM

Boys Top 22.

1. North Farmington (2-0) - Raiders slowing adding more games. Will help them going forward.

2. Clarkston (3-0) - Wolves still the standard bearer of the OAA.

3. Troy (2-0) - Colts leg up in the White after emotional double overtime win over Stoney Creek.

4. Stoney Creek (2-1) - Trevor Smith is a scoring machine for the Cougars.

5. Ferndale (1-1) - Looks like the Eagles found an inside game.

6. Adams (3-0) - Highlanders are rolling and gaining confidence right now.

7. Troy Athens (1-1) - Red Hawks using senior experience to their advantage.

8. Berkley (2-1) - Bears have had a good week despite seeing Detroit Country Day’s best game of the season.

9. Lake Orion (1-1) - Dragons need to bounce back after tough loss to Troy Athens.

10. West Bloomfield (0-3) - Lakers are fine, no panic.

11. Groves (1-0) - Falcons ready to prove people wrong.

12. Pontiac (1-0) - Phoenix found a way to beat Royal Oak. Right now top team in the Gold.

13. Oxford (2-1) - Wildcats living on the edge lately.

14. Farmington (2-1) - Falcons needed a buzzer beater to beat Bloomfield Hills. Have started to develop some chemistry.

15. Rochester (1-2) - Falcons are much improved after last season.

16. Southfield Arts and Tech (0-1) - Warriors are a hard team to figure out.

17. Bloomfield Hills (1-1) - Ah what happened against Groves Blackhawks???

18. Seaholm (1-1) - Good win over Milford for the Maples.

19. Oak Park (0-1) - Knights will get better from their blowout loss to Ferndale.

20. Royal Oak (0-1) - Ravens were competitive against Pontiac.

21. Avondale (0-1) - Yellow Jackets didn’t look good against Pontiac Notre Dame Prep. Huge game on Monday looms.

22. Ferndale University (0-2) - It’s going to be a very challenging year for the Driving Eagles.

 

Girls Top 20.

1. West Bloomfield (3-0) - Davis Twins are for real enough said.

2. Clarkston (3-0) - “Always on the Move”-Obi Wan Kenobi Star Wars Revenge of the Sith. Perfect description of the Wolves.

3. Troy (1-1) - Colts look quite different under Coach Julius Porter.

4. Stoney Creek (3-0) - Quick someone call Paul Finebaum, the Cougars have a lot to like.

5. Farmington (3-0) - Falcons off to a great start.

6. Adams (1-1) - Highlanders were very competitive against Detroit Renaissance. A lot to look forward too for Coach Shay Lewis.

7. Rochester (1-1) - Megan Lorenzo and Jackie Hurst are going to be the key for the Falcons success all season long.

8. Groves (1-2) - Falcons shocking win at Royal Oak puts teams on notice however two losses to good team hurts right now.

9. Lake Orion (1-2) - Tough schedule really hurting Dragons but they should be fine.

10. Oxford (1-2) - Wildcats are a mystery team.

11. Seaholm (1-2) - Anytime you beat Walled Lake Western it’s a program changer.

12. Berkley (1-1) - Bears not a deep team which is a concern going forward.

13. Royal Oak (0-2) - What has happened to the Ravens???

14. North Farmington (1-1) - Raiders have found something to build on.

15. Troy Athens (1-1) - Red Hawks got a much needed win over Clawson on Saturday afternoon.

16. Oak Park (1-0) - Tamyra Todd has been playing well for the Knights.

17. Ferndale University (0-1) - I was impressed with the Driving Eagles, could be better than thought.

18. Southfield Arts and Tech (0-2) - It’s going to be a very long year for the Warriors.

19. Bloomfield Hills (0-2) - Young team just trying to figure things out.

20. Avondale (0-0) - Haven’t played a game yet.

Ferndale Won't Field Girls Basketball Program this season according to Athletic Site.

Written Friday February 5th at 3:30 PM

It looks like Ferndale won't be fielding a Girls Basketball program this season.

According to their athletic website Ferndale has cancelled every game on the schedule this season because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of numbers.

Meanwhile their boys program is scheduling games and getting ready for the season.

The Eagles became the second OAA school to cancel their season. Pontiac cancelled their girls basketball season due to lack of numbers last week. 

Now this will leave the Gold this season to just Farmington, Seaholm, Oak Park, and Ferndale University.

We will see what happens with the Eagles going forward.

My Thoughts

It's a tough situation for Coach Keith Paris and the Eagles. Like Pontiac the numbers were not there for Ferndale to have a program this season. Hope things will get better for the Eagles next season

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.

Ferndale Athletic website-Girls Basketball.

https://ferndalehighschool.bigteams.com/main/teamschedule/id/1683349/seasonid/4564282

Winter Contact Sports Are Back.

Written Thursday February 4th at 4:30 PM

Winter contact sports are back.

During her press conference on Thursday afternoon, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that she along with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) was going to allow contact Winter Sports to start practicing and competing Monday with safeguards in place.

Participants including players, coaches, and staff are required to wear a mask during in play and on the bench. Those sports without masks, particularly wrestling will be required to go through COVID-19 testing.

The MDHHS recommended that players only allow two per player for spectators or 250 for smaller venues, 500 for bigger venues.

The five contact sports include Boys and Girls Basketball, Wrestling, Hockey, and Competitive Cheer

Contact sports were banned on November 18^th when Whitmer and then director Robert Gordon announced “the pause.” The remaining fall sports were paused played a few weeks ago because the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced that there was an antigen testing program that tested the remaining fall sports athletes that were still playing. 

Today was a great day for everyone involved, players, parents, coaches, staff, athletic directors, superintendents. 

Important Dates.

Basketball/hockey: Monday Feb 8^th (Practices/Competitions)

Cheer/Wrestling: Friday Feb 12^th (Practices/Competitions)

MHSAA Tournaments remain in place

Cheer/Hockey March 27^th

Wrestling April 2^nd/3^rd

Basketball (will run together) Girls M/W/F Boys T/R/S Girls April 9^th, Boys April 10^th

Face masks worn at all times (Basketball/Hockey/Cheer)

Wrestling- MDHHS (rapid testing on days of meets) compete One to Two times a week

Cheer- masks (only time masks come off when tumbling/stumbling), without an opponent, physical contact.

Basketball six weeks of regular season, three games a week. (Can play when teams are eliminated.) 

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.

It Didn't Have To Be This Way.

Written Tuesday February 2nd at 9:30 AM

It didn’t have to be this way.

This isn’t about politics.

It’s to let them play.

“The Let Them Play” movement rallied on Saturday just to have their Winter Sports back. There were legendary players like Andre Rison and Darren McCarty spoke in support of the student-athletes just to let them play. Also college basketball coaches in Greg Kampe, Tom Izzo, Juwan Howard, among others support the student-athletes to just let them play.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services have refused to hear their pleas.

They had no choice and now sadly it’s going to be played out in a courtroom.

It didn’t have to be.

“The Let Them Play” movement filed a complaint against new MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel in her official capacity just to let student-athletes from cheerleading, basketball, wrestling, and hockey to play and start their seasons. This was confirmed by FOX 17's Zach Herig.

This has garnered national attention. This is the third time that “The Let Them Play” movement protested at the State Capitol in Lansing during the 2020-2021 school year.

Whitmer and then MDHHS Director Robert Gordon extended “the pause” on January 22nd to include these five sports which is set to expire on February 21^st. Gordon stepped down on that same day and Hertel took over as MDHHS Director.

So why aren’t these four contact sports haven’t started their seasons despite most of the United States whom have more coronavirus cases than Michigan are playing???

The data from the MDHHS when they did their antigen test program for football, volleyball, and girls swimming and diving showed a 99.8 and a 99.6 percent negative test rate.

This comes down to trust.

Does Whitmer and the MDHHS trust schools especially athletic directors, superintendents, support staff, and coaches to do the right thing???

This is clearly a lose-lose for Whitmer and the MDHHS.

Here is another question, is this really about public health??? Restaurants, casinos, bars, and in person learning in schools are open despite strict restrictions but they can’t play a basketball game, cheer, wrestle, or play hockey???

Something is not right.

The mental health has been and always will be beyond paramount. Depression and suicides have been rising since “the pause” went into effect. There have been two student-athletes in the state that have taken their lives including a hockey player in Muskegon because of the coronavirus restrictions.

Whitmer mentioned in an email that it’s because of the close contact that makes these four contact sports more risky and the arrival of the new B.1.1.1.7 variant coronavirus strain. I was very thankful that Whitmer wrote back but I had more questions than answers.

Football and volleyball were done safely and with spring sports on the horizon it will be easier to socially distance and competitions are outdoors with the exception of water polo which is in a pool.

This is the most important time of a young man and woman’s life especially if they are a senior. To play a sport they love with their friends and family. The bonds that are grown with teammates and coaches those will forever be cherished.

Teams are like a family. They are basically a family.

If there isn’t a season especially for the seniors they won’t be able to get it back.

These student-athletes are going to be your future voters. The future of the state. They are certainly going to remember all of this. 

It has become clear that these student-athletes have lost faith in their state government.

It didn’t need to happen.

It didn’t have to happen this way.

I don't know what will happen next but it's the eye of the storm.