Written Sunday December 24th at 10:14 PM
Updated Sunday December 31st at 10:17 AM
Here are my thoughts on all 23 boys teams heading into the holiday season.
North Farmington: The Raiders are rolling right now with wins over Clarkston, Groves, and Oak Park along with Farmington, Zeeland West, Flat Rock, and Detroit Martin Luther King. Tyler Spratt and Landon Williams are playing really well and Rob Smith has been very good for North Farmington. Coach Todd Negoshian has this team clicking on all cylinders heading into 2024. Negoshian has this team in a good spot right now.
Ferndale: The Eagles had two really tough losses at home. They had a 69-58 loss to West Bloomfield and a 70-48 loss to Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit which set them back a little bit. Ferndale
has two tough games looming with
Muskegon and North Farmington heading into 2024. Coach Juan Rickman needs more
scoring out of those besides Trenton Ruth if they want to get back in the thick
of the Red title picture. The Eagles were in a much similar situation to this last season.
West Bloomfield: The Lakers are a perfect Rodney Dangerfield with how they have played lately. Unlike Berkley, West Bloomfield has went through greatness like beating Ferndale, Westland John Glenn, and Southfield Arts and Tech to some heartbreaking losses like Warren Lincoln and Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit, a blowout loss to East Lansing, and a tough one to River Rouge. The win over Ferndale was very important for Coach Arnette Jordan because if they played like they did against the Eagles and do that on a consistent basis then they could beat anyone especially when they get to the postseason when they could see Orchard Lake St. Marys. The Lakers earned their second straight win when they beat Grand Rapids South Christian 59-56 behind Drew Wilson's 30 points. Drew Gilmore had 20 points in their 83-78 win over Detroit Renaissance. It will be very interesting to see how Jordan does in 2024 as well.
Adams: The Highlanders bounced back after a really tough 52-48 loss to Clarkston with wins over Groves and a big one over Grosse Pointe South. Adams had been on a roll with wins over Rochester, Oxford, Macomb L’Anse Creuse North, Milford, and Northville. William Gee and Peter Kardasis are doing their part but Trenton LaGarde has stepped up for Coach Isiah Novak. LaGarde has had several double digit games and has really become that third option for Novak. Adams is in a really good spot right now heading into 2024.
Clarkston: The Wolves have played very consistent as of late with the play of Peyton Fitzsimmons, Cole Charter, John Kaul, Quinn Rosenburg and company. Clarkston is 4-1 in their last five games with wins over Lake Orion, Fenton, Adams, Sterling Heights Stevenson, and Brighton along with tough losses to North Farmington and Detroit Old Redford Academy. Coach Tim Waslik has this team clicking on all cylinders heading into 2024.
Oak Park: The Knights could be in some serious trouble with their play lately. They needed a buzzer beater to beat Warren Michigan Collegiate. They were blown out by Ferndale and North Farmington which are not good signs in the Red. Oak Park had a heartbreaking buzzer beating loss to Flint Hamady after a terrible foul in a tie game which caused the winning three point shot. Coach Durrand Sheppard needs to figure some things out heading into 2024 or it could be a very rough go especially when the postseason looms.
Groves: The Falcons have been really struggling. They have lost five in a row to North Farmington, Ferndale, Plymouth Canton, Detroit Cass Tech, and Adams. Defense has been a big problem for Coach Marc West’s team as they have allowed over 60 points in three of those four games. They also have a loss to Troy and had to survive against Redford Thurston in which they allowed 77 points. They also have wins against Oxford and Livonia Clarenceville where they won by double figures. West needs to address the defense heading into 2024.
Troy: The Colts have started to turn things around after their stunning loss to Berkley. They have wins over Southfield Arts and Tech, Harper Woods, Farmington, Novi, Groves, and Detroit Edison. Troy’s success has been based on their big three of Mason Parker, Jon Whiteside, and Chase Kuiper. Coach Gary Fralick is rolling right now. The Colts are rolling right now.
Harper Woods: The Pioneers have played a really tough schedule. Juilian Young has been the focal point for Harper Woods. They have wins over Seaholm and Bloomfield Hills but losses to Troy, Detroit Renaissance, Detroit Edison, Adrian, and Novi Detroit Catholic Central has been rough for Coach TaJuan Porter. The Pioneers look like they are starting to put things together.
Troy Athens: The Red Hawks have been up and down as of late. They had some really tough losses to Redford Thurston and Lake Orion along with a stunning blowout loss to Howell. Troy Athens has wins over Rochester, Waterford Oakdale Prep, Livonia Churchill, Seaholm, Southfield Arts and Tech, and St. Clair Shores Lakeview. Emmanuel Robinson has been playing really well for Coach Dave Scott. Troy Athens is in a good spot right now.
Seaholm: The Maples have been around 500 lately with wins over Southfield Arts and Tech, Avondale, and Livonia Churchill but they have had losses to East Lansing, Harper Woods, Troy Athens, Walled Lake Western, and Royal Oak are very concerning. Seaholm is very good when they keep teams under 45 points and have struggled when the opponent scored over 45 points. They scored over 50 points in each of their last two games. Coach Mike DeGeeter is more than capable of getting this team back on track heading into 2024.
Lake Orion: The Dragons have won five straight since suffering losses to Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and Clarkston. Lake Orion has wins over Holly, Troy Athens, Bloomfield Hills, Farmington, Oxford, Plymouth, and Rochester. Coach Jose Andrades has done a really nice job with this really young team. The Dragons have built proven scorers and it has shown. Lake Orion will be tested heading into 2024 but they are in a really good place right now and the scary part is they can get better.
Farmington: The Falcons are better than their record indicates. Greg Grays has been playing very well for Coach Byron Johnson. They have been in a ton of close games against Lake Orion, Livonia Stevenson, and Livonia Franklin even though they lost those games much closer than the score indicated. They did beat Bloomfield Hills, Redford Union, and Avondale. Farmington is a very young team. If Johnson can keep this core together than two years from now they will be very good
Bloomfield Hills: The Blackhawks have been struggling as of late. They have blowout losses to Walled Lake Central and Lake Orion along with tough losses to Harper Woods, Farmington, Royal Oak, and South Lyon. Talking to Coach Brian Canfield it’s like putting a puzzle together. Canfield has the pieces there like a Phillip Muhammad, or a DeRon Mason, or a Carter Canfield but it’s putting it all together and it will take time. Bloomfield Hills did get their first win of the season by beating Detroit Central 57-46 behind a balanced attack for Canfield's team. It’s a puzzle when describing the Blackhawks.
Southfield Arts and Tech: The Warriors have been really struggling. They had blowout losses to West Bloomfield, Belleville, Summit Academy, Troy, and Seaholm. They lost a tough one to Troy Athens and beat Detroit Fredrick Douglass and Detroit Denby Tech. Coach Terrance Porter is taking small steps with this team. They took Dexter to overtime which shows a first step that they can play with them. It will be interesting to see how Porter does with Southfield Arts and Tech as we head into 2024.
Stoney Creek: The Cougars have really struggled and the stats prove it. They don’t really have a true scorer besides Tre Walker. Walker needs to be on the floor in order for Coach Jeff Olind’s team to be successful. They earned their first win of the season by winning over Sterling Heights. Stoney Creek was up by 25 points at one point. Tyree Smith had a breakout game with 25 points while Walked added 13 points. That could be an indicator that things might be starting to turn around. Walker needs to be on the floor if the Cougars want be successful.
Avondale: The Yellow Jackets have started to turn things around a little bit with wins over Pontiac and Ferndale University. Avondale has kept teams from going under 50 points which is a recipe for success for Coach Jaret Thomas. Thomas has played a brutal non conference which included tough losses to Birmingham Brother Rice, Seaholm, Farmington, and Dearborn. They also have wins over Berkley, Walled Lake Northern, and Detroit Loyola as well. Thomas has Avondale in a good place right now.
Oxford: The Wildcats have won four straight after a 1-3 start. Oxford has wins over Royal Oak, Stoney Creek, Rochester, Plymouth Salem, and Lapeer along with tough losses to Lake Orion, Groves, and Adams. Jake Champagne has been a scoring machine but others have stepped up like Luke Stoffan, Jay Cady, Drew Cady, and Nolan Mauser. Coach Joe Fedorinchik has his team in a really good place heading into 2024.
Rochester: The Falcons earned their first win of the season with a 62-59 win over Pontiac. Prior to that game they had scored no more than under 50 points until this past week where they scored 57 and 62 respectably. Rochester had blowout losses to Lake Orion and Adams along with really tough losses to Dearborn Fordson, Troy Athens, Oxford, and Berkley prior to their win over Pontiac. They had a tough loss to Grosse Pointe North but bounced back to beat Lakeland in the New Baltimore Anchor Bay Classic. Coach Nick Evola has been trying to get this team on track and it looks like he has. The Falcons will be a very interesting team to watch heading into 2024.
Berkley: The Bears are your classic Rodney Dangerfield. They are off to a strong start which included an upset win over Troy but losses to Novi, Avondale, and Hartland are very concerning but to their defense they didn’t have Owen Stone in the Hartland game. Berkley has played very well since the Hartland game winning two straight and heading into 2024 with a ton of confidence. Coach Joe Sermo has this team in a better place right now.
Pontiac: The Phoenix are 1-5 in their last five games which is not good but they have been competitive in each of those games. The defense has been the problem for Coach Andrew Myers. They have allowed over 60 points in each of those losses. If Pontiac wants to get back to what got them wins over Hazel Park, Ferndale University, and Southfield Christian they have to really defend because if they don’t they could be in some trouble.
Royal Oak: The Ravens started off strong with wins over Seaholm and Bloomfield Hills. They rolled to a 7-3 start with their losses to Oxford, Novi, and Livonia Stevenson. Camden Clark has been the story for Coach Aaron Smith. They have others as well like Nick Hoffman among others who have also stepped their games up. If Royal Oak can keep this up then they could be a darkhorse in the Blue heading into 2024.
Ferndale University: The Eagles have lost three straight league games to Pontiac, Royal Oak, and Avondale and four straight if you count Hamtramck. Ferndale University hasn’t been able to get to 50 points in those games which is very concerning for Coach Josh Nicks and the points against has gone up as well. The Eagles were scoring over 50 points earlier in the season but teams have done a good job defending them. Ferndale University needs to score more than 50 points if they want to be very competitive in 2024.
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