Written Saturday March 25th at 9:30 PM
Updated Tuesday November 7th at 8:20 PM
Here are the shortcomings for the 2022-2023 boys basketball season.
Pontiac: It was a rough season for the Phoenix which saw a
65-48 loss to Waterford Kettering in the first round. Pontiac has some
questions this offseason to really watch. The Phoenix will have a new coach at Dameon O'Neill stepped down and Andrew Myers took over the program. Myers will need to build
program strength. This is an area that Pontiac needs to address this offseason.
Ferndale University: The Eagles had an up and down year this
season. Ferndale University fell 98-46 to Ferndale in the district semifinals.
They lose several talented players to graduation but Coach Josh Nicks has built
the program and is developing on program strength. The best is yet to come for
the Eagles.
Southfield Arts and Tech: The Warriors had a struggle in
Coach Terrance Porter’s first season with the program. Southfield Arts and Tech
was no match for North Farmington falling 73-22 in the district semifinals.
They lose a lot of proven talent to graduation but they have Xavier Bowman
coming back. The Warriors should be a very interesting to watch this offseason.
Avondale: It was a very interesting season for the Yellow
Jackets. They went through a coaching change midseason and had to have that
transition period during the season. Avondale won 10 games but fell 59-47 to
Waterford Mott in the district semifinals. They lose four seniors including
Malik Adams, and Jeremiah Phillips to graduation. Avondale has Justin Sykes, DJ Moody, Anthony Burton, and
Dequarius White coming back for new coach Jaret Thomas. Program strength looks solid
but they will be a team to watch this offseason that is for sure.
Harper Woods: The Pioneers had a great year. They won the
Gold and made a ton of noise in Division One. Harper Woods fell 68-45 to Grosse
Pointe South in the district finals. They lose DeAndre Williams to graduation.
The Pioneers have have Juilan Young, Isiah Lewis, Colby Bailey, Tyler Lowry,
and Stephone Buford coming back for Coach TaJuan Porter. Program strength looks
solid for Harper Woods. The Pioneers should be a program to watch this
offseason.
Royal Oak: It was a very interesting year for the Ravens
which saw a ton of ups and downs. They had a 5-0 start to the season but
struggled a little in 2023. Royal Oak fell 59-46 to Detroit Renaissance in the
first round. They lose Dylan Hoffman, Davis Arbeiter, and Rashad Wilson to
graduation. Royal Oak has Nick Hoffman and Camden Clark coming back for Coach
Aaron Smith. Program strength is solid for Smith. The Ravens should be a team
to watch this offseason.
Troy Athens: It was a very interesting year for the Red
Hawks. Troy Athens had a tough 61-60 loss to Sterling Heights Stevenson in the
district semifinals. They lose seven seniors to graduation including Kyree
Harper, Douglas Mersier, Brock Thornton, Evan Colquhoun, Alex Profke, and
Brogan Withun. The Red Hawks have Emmanuel Robinson, Luke DiGiovanni, Hayden
Crum, and Eli Garvin coming back for Coach Dave Scott. Program strength looks
solid for the Red Hawks. Troy Athens should be a team to watch this offseason.
Berkley: The Bears had a very interesting year which saw
them battle for the Blue crown on more than one occasion. Berkley fell 77-23 to
Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit in the district semifinals. They lose six
seniors to graduation including Hunter Robinson and Tamir Runkenvich. Berkley
has Donovan Powell and Michael Onuoha coming back. Program strength looks to be
solid for Coach Joe Sermo. The Bears will be back for sure next season.
Rochester: The Falcons had a ton of ups and downs this
season. They fell 64-54 to Lake Orion in the first round. Rochester loses Grant
Calcagno, Elijah Kalaj, Rex Maltoid, and Khamanni Potts to graduation. Their
future is bright with Max Mohl, Noah Kim, Logan Pleasant, and Jake Tandy coming
back for Coach Nick Evola. Program strength looks solid for the Falcons.
Rochester should be very interesting to watch this offseason.
Stoney Creek: It was a very tough season for the Cougars.
The coaching transition was very difficult throughout the season. Stoney Creek
fell 66-63 to Romeo in the first round. The Cougars lose Leo Kent, Jake
Fulkerson, Aiden Grotszko, Jonah McCay, Emillo Villafuerte, Peyton Rummler,
Jacob Watson, and Brock Cavanaugh to graduation. Stoney Creek has Tre Walker
and Tomaaso Sinacola coming back for Coach Jeff Olind. Program strength look
solid in the future. The future looks bright for Stoney Creek as mentioned but
this senior class left their mark on the program.
Oxford: It was a very interesting year for the Wildcats
which saw a ton of ups and downs. They won 13 games this season. Oxford fell
64-48 to Grand Blanc in the district semifinals. They lose four seniors
including Lucas Bottente, Dylan Stone, and Kyle DiMalanta to graduation. The
Wildcats have Jake Champagne, Dominic Casissee, Drew Cady, Jay Cady, and Luke
Stoffan coming back. Program strength looks solid for
Oxford. They will have a new coach in Joe Fedorinchik taking over the program. The Wildcats should be a program to watch this offseason.
Seaholm: The Maples were a completely different team in
2023. Seaholm struggled in 2022 going 0-5 to start the season but the Maples
turned things around after several players returned from suspension and won the
Blue on the final shot over Troy Athens. They beat their arch rival Groves
55-48 in the first round but fell 52-34 to Birmingham Brother Rice in the
district semifinals. Seaholm loses seven seniors including Ricky Sparby, Jeff
Sheldon, and Ben Diskin to graduation. They have Findlay Sparby coming back for
Coach Mike DeGetter. Program strength looks solid for the Maples. Seaholm
should be a team to watch this offseason and next season as well.
Farmington: The Falcons had a rough year this season which
resulted in a 56-41 loss to Detroit Henry Ford. Farmington loses six seniors
including Tony Tolbert and Chris Boyd to graduation but does have Greg Grays,
Jordan Turner, Darrell Cochrane, Quintez Salter, and Anthony Bailey coming back but they will have a new coach in Byron Johnson taking over the program. Program strength is a concern for Farmington. The
Falcons should be improved next season.
Lake Orion: The Dragons had a very interesting season which
saw them finish with a 500 record (12-12.) Lake Orion fell to Adams 50-42 in a
hard fought district semifinals. They lose five seniors in DJ Morrow, Blake
Liddell, Nate Havrilla, Kevin Tobe, and Matteo Decio. The Dragons have Ryan Rocheleau, Quay
Fly, Ethan Sharkey, Hayden Armstrong, Sam Blakeley, Nick Galben, Gabe Scott,
and maybe Kaydon DeGraffenreid coming back for Coach Jose Andreadas. Lake Orion added a transfer in Zack Parks who comes from Brandon. Program
strength looks to be solid especially at the younger levels for Andreadas. The Dragons should be a very interesting team to watch this offseason as they have some
questions heading into next season.
Groves: The Falcons had a very good season but was upset
55-48 by Seaholm in the first round. Groves loses seven seniors to graduation
including Jack Abbot, Max Kramer, and Paige Williams. They have John Simpson,
Josh Gibson, Brody Tushman, and Elijah Yelder coming back for Coach Marc West.
Groves has two players in Paul Hubbard, and Landon McKinney that could make
some noise next season. Program strength looks strong. The Falcons could be
right back in the mix next season.
Bloomfield Hills: The Blackhawks had a ton of ups and downs
in a transition year but they won 15 games this season. Bloomfield Hills fell
62-56 to West Bloomfield in the first round. The Blackhawks lose five seniors including
1,000 career point scorer Noah Adamcyzk along with CJ Jackson, Ahmad Taylor,
and Dominic Shenna to graduation. The Blackhawks have Brendan
Newland coming back for Coach Brian Canfield. Also watch for Carter Canfield to make an impact. Program strength looks solid as
well. Bloomfield Hills will be a very interesting team to watch this offseason.
Troy: The Colts had a great season overcoming a ton of
adversity. Troy won a district crown with their win over Sterling Heights
Stevenson. They didn’t give up or quit with everything against them despite
having home court. The Colts fell 54-48 in the regional semifinals to North
Farmington. Troy loses a ton of proven experience including Darrius Whiteside,
Zach Penoza, Bryce Parker, and Carter Cusmano to graduation. The Colts have
three proven starters in Mason Parker, Jon Whiteside, and Chase Kuiper coming
back for Coach Gary Fralick. Program strength is a bit of a concern despite
having Greg Tester, Jaiden Peacock, along with the younger Cusmano, and younger
Penoza to watch in the wings. Troy should be back in the mix next season no
matter what division they are in.
West Bloomfield: The Lakers had a very successful year this
season. They had a 12 win turnaround from last season. West Bloomfield earned
their first playoff win since 2017 with a 62-56 win over Bloomfield Hills in
the first round but they had a very tough 57-47 loss to Orchard Lake St. Marys
in the district semifinals. West Bloomfield loses Evan Ammori, DeJuan Moore,
Andrew Shewcraft, Terrance Curry, Mitchell Seay and Jayden Jones to graduation.
They have Chris Britton, Corey Pittman, Donnie Watts, Caleb Caudle, and Dyoni
Edwards coming back along with Bloomfield Hills transfer Drew Wilson for Coach Arnette Jordan. Program strength is very strong
for Jordan and the Lakers. West Bloomfield should be a force to be a recon with
next season.
Adams: It was a great season for the Highlanders. They won
their first regional crown in school history with a win over Clarkston. Adams
had a rough matchup with Grand Blanc in the State Quarterfinals falling 64-44
to the Bobcats. They lose Nathan Kim, Jack Donohoe, Broder Kawa, Drew Blackmer,
and Ozan Kesici to graduation. The Highlanders have William Dee, Peter
Karadasis, Trenton Lagarde, Chan Yang, Gavin Farris, Luke Marcial, Jake
Andrzejak, Aaron Troxell, and maybe Brady Prieskorn coming back. Coach Jaret Thomas stepped down and left for Avondale. He left the program very strong. Adams named Isisah Novak as their new coach taking over for Thomas. The Highlanders will be a very interesting team to watch next season.
Clarkston: The Wolves had a good season despite everything
they had to overcome from the Red, a not as strong district, to a game of the
ages in a double overtime win over Fenton. Clarkston fell 58-48 to Adams in the
regional finals. They lose three seniors in Brayden Wiley, Frank Schuster, and
Cavanaugh Diton to graduation. The Wolves have Matt Pfliger, Brody Kosin,
Desman Stephens, and John Kaul coming back for Coach Tim Waslik. Program
strength looks solid for Clarkston next season. The Wolves should be back right
in the thick of things.
Oak Park: The Knights had a very good season but they could
not overcome Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit for the third straight year by
falling 62-47 in the district finals. They have Geon Hutchins coming back for
Coach Durand Sheppard. Program strength looks solid for Oak Park. The Knights
until they can overcome their Cubs problem they aren’t expected to have deep
postseason runs until they can solve their Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit
problem.
Ferndale: It was a tale of two seasons for the Eagles.
Ferndale started the season 1-5 after playing a really difficult non conference
schedule. They managed to get through it and won 16 of their last 17 games to
get back to the Breslin Center for the third straight year. The Eagles won the
Division Two State Crown and their first State title since 1966 with a 44-38
win over Grand Rapids South Christian They lose six seniors including Cameron
Reed, Caleb Renfroe, Noah Blocker, Chris Williams, Jacoby Jackson, and Jayden
Hardiman to graduation. The Eagles have Trenton Ruth, Mishawn Hereford, Julian
Cardenas, Kendall Mayes, Markiese Young, Kaden Hutson, and Darion Johnson
coming back for Coach Juan Rickman. Program strength is a bit of a concern this
offseason. Ferndale should be a very interesting to watch next season.
North Farmington: The Raiders had a very strong season but
they had a very tough fourth quarter where they were outscored 22-10 which
resulted in a very disappointing 56-44 loss to Orchard Lake St. Marys in the
regional semifinals. North Farmington loses a lot of proven talent in Ryan
Hurst, Malaki Jackson, and Lee Hardy to graduation. They have Tyler Spratt and
Landon Williams coming back for Coach Todd Negoshian. Negoshian added Dylan Smith after he transferred from Walled Lake Western this offseason. Program strength looks
solid for the Raiders. It was a tough outcome for North Farmington. The Raiders
will be a team to watch this offseason. They should be back next season.
