OAA Toughest Gyms to Win.

Written Friday November 7th at 10:30 AM

I've noticed that in the postseason and especially in wake of Oxford's volleyball five set wins over Lake Orion and Clarkston having home court is extremely important with student support. Every gym is tough to play at in the OAA. As we head into basketball season these are what I feel are top toughest places to play if your a visiting team. 

Ian Smith Gym (Oxford): Ian Smith Gym is one of the toughest places for a visiting team to play. You got the students on the north side of the fieldhouse making a ton of noise. Also the rims are tough to shoot on. There is the OCTV (Oxford Community Television) crew on top of the track at center court which makes it like a college basketball environment. When Ian Smith Gym is rocking it can be as tough of a place to win as anywhere if your a visiting team.

The Dan Fife Fieldhouse (Clarkston): The Wolves Den is one of the toughest places to play for a visiting team. The rims are hard to shoot at times plus the students on the east side of the gym right on top of you especially if they have an ESPN table in the center of the student section. The fans come out in big time numbers and they have a lot of great causes too like the Chad Tough game where everyone is decked in orange. The magic of Clarkston's past surrounds the gym from the Wolves greats, it has that new school old school feeling at times.

The Fieldhouse (Lake Orion): When the Dragons Den is packed it can be one of the toughest places to win. The rims are really hard to shoot for visiting teams plus the unique setup for games with the boys on the west side and the girls on the east side is very creative. Also the WDBC and ONTV crews (Dragon Broadcasting, Orion Neighborhood Television) broadcast are on top of the track makes it feel like your at a college basketball game. When the students come out it can be as tough of a place as anywhere. 

The Falcon Gym (Rochester): The gyms at all three Rochester schools (Adams, Rochester, and Stoney Creek) are very similar but the gym at Rochester is the most unique and can be a nightmare for shooters. The Falcons student section "The Soldiers of Fortune" makes things tough on the northern end of the court for visiting teams in the first half. Also the rims are very challenging for shooters to shoot. The environment is off the chart especially if Rochester hosts a district or has Adams or Stoney Creek coming into their gym. The gym at Rochester is very unique as mentioned.

The Hawks Nest (Troy Athens): The Red Hawks gym is small but can also be very challenging environment for visiting teams. Many visiting teams are not familiar with Margaret (security lady) and the tradition the Red Hawks do at the half which they clean the floors during the Freshman and Junior Varsity games. When they get on the court it can be very challenging, Troy Athens rims are very tough to shoot at. The Red Hawks student section is on top of you in the first half from the northwest side of the court. In the case of when they play Troy they send their students up stairs for more room. Overall this is a tough place to play when it comes to warm up time and also if the place is full.

The Cougar Gymnasium (Stoney Creek): The gyms at all three Rochester schools as mentioned with Rochester are very similar. Stoney Creek is very interesting place with the Cougar drawing on the north side of the gym. "The Cougar Core" (student section) is on the north side of the gym making things hard for visiting teams but the rims make this a tough place to play. When the gym is packed it can be very tough for anyone and especially if it's Adams or Rochester that come into Stoney Creek. It's also tough when they host a district (Girls Basketball districts with Utica Eisenhower) when the officials asked administrators to move "The Cougar Core" back a few feet. Overall as mentioned it can be tough as anywhere to win at if your the visiting team.

The Maple Gym (Seaholm): The Maples have a huge gym and it can be really tough especially if your a rival of Seaholm because the Maple Forest (Seaholm students) is on the southeast side opposite the bench. The rims can be very challenging too which makes this gym even more tough. Seaholm is very unique where the students are especially if they are playing a rival or a district game.

Groves Gym (Groves): The Falcons have a unique gym. The students are behind the bench while the visiting students are on the opposite side. The gym can be packed especially for rivalry games like Seaholm or Birmingham Brother Rice or Birmingham Marian. The atmosphere at Groves makes this place a tough place to play for visiting teams.

The Colts Gym (Troy): The Colts updated their gym but where they put the students is very unique. The visiting students are placed near the exit on the south side of the gym while the Colts students are either right behind the bench or on the north side of the far bleachers from the bench. It's what makes Troy a very unique place to play at.

Ravens Gym (Royal Oak): The Ravens have a unique gym. The visiting student section is on top or if there isn't a lot of visiting fans they are on the right side opposing the bench. Royal Oak's student section is closest to the exit om the left. The gym however can get very sleepy unless they are playing their rival. The gym and the students make this a place a tough place to play.

The Barn (Berkley): The Barn is filled with tradition and history which makes this place an old school feeling. There is a home and guest areas for students and parents to sit and they can be tough especially when a rival comes to Berkley like Ferndale or Royal Oak then it gets crazy. Berkley can be as tough of a place as anywhere especially in the postseason. The rims can be challenging at times as well and a lot of visiting teams are not familiar with Berkley's gym.

The Eagles Gym (Ferndale University): The Eagles gym is very loud and it's very unusual for bigger schools to come into Ferndale University. The students are right on top of you and the gym is small which makes this place a tough place to play for visiting teams. Just the size of the gym along makes this a tough place to play for visiting teams.