Updated Boys Basketball Districts.
Written Sunday February 5th at 12:40 PM
These are the updated districts with my thoughts so here they are.
District 6 @ Clarkston (Winner heads to Fenton to Play District 8)
CLARKSTON
PONTIAC
AVONDALE
Waterford Kettering
Waterford Mott
PROJECTED MPR: 1. Clarkston, 2. Waterford Mott
FAVORITE: Clarkston
NEXT: Waterford Mott
DARKHORSE: Avondale
PLAYER ON THE SPOT: John Kaul-Clarkston
UPDATED THOUGHTS: I’m still at a loss for words how Clarkston didn’t get the top seed in the district last season and Waterford Mott ended up getting that spot. The Wolves should be the favorite with home court and proven experience. They have been hanging by the moment all season with a ton of close games. Clarkston has Brayden Wiley, Desman Stephens, Brody Kosin, John Kaul, Cole Church, and Cavanaugh Diton for Coach Tim Waslik. Waterford Mott won the Lakes Valley last season and had the top seed last season but fell to Clarkston in the district finals last season. They are in a battle with South Lyon East, Milford, Lakeland, and Walled Lake Western for the crown. The Corsairs have been up and down this season. They have Dequantre Warren, Jacoby Menyweathers, Octave Lawerence, Davon Warren, Kalieb Osborn, Devin Lewis, Davis Ellis, and Jake Martin coming back for Coach Sean Moore. Waterford Kettering struggled last season but they have been improving despite the struggling record. The Captains have Tommy Knibbs, Zarek Zelinski, Noah Salazar, Josh Brooks, Adrian Hicks, and Marcus Mitchell for longtime Oxford Girls Basketball and Walled Lake Central Coach Steve Emmert. Pontiac has really been up and down this season. They have Daveon Hall, Tyree Long, and Carter Douglas for Coach Dameon O’Neil. Avondale is a sleeper in this district. They had a coaching change during the season which was very unusual. Yellow Jackets have Malik Adams, Denzel White, Tyler Prentice, Justin Sykes, Terry Daniel, DJ White, Issac Gordon, Jeremiah Phillips, and Darren Pagel coming back for interim coach Aaron Fox. This should be a rematch of a district final from last season between the Wolves and the Corsairs but anything is possible.
District 5 @ Utica Eisenhower (Winner heads to Fenton to Play District 7)
LAKE ORION
STONEY CREEK
ROCHESTER
ADAMS
Romeo
Utica Eisenhower
PROJECTED MPR: 1. Adams, 2. Lake Orion
FAVORITE: Adams
NEXT: Lake Orion
DARKHORSE: Romeo
PLAYER ON THE SPOT: Ethan Mychajulk-Utica Eisenhower
UPDATED THOUGHTS: Could this district be Macomb County revenge??? It looks like it but Oakland County could spoil things again like what happened last season when Lake Orion played Rochester Adams. Utica Eisenhower has home court and proven experience in Ethan Mychajulk, Braden Buza, Preston Crumm, Jackson McHale, Hayden Bills, Ethan Barker, Matthew Elias, and Kyle O’Reilly for Coach Tom Antishin. Romeo has had a good season but the past has really haunted them. They have gotten past the first game once in the last four years. The Bulldogs have Tim Kewey and Aiden Tague for Coach Marv Cushingberry. Stoney Creek has really struggled this season and a lot of the struggles has to be the injury to Peyton Rummler. Rummler is expected to be back for the postseason which should help them big time. The Cougars have Aiden Groszko, Jake Fulkerson, Tre Walker, Leo Kent, Tommasso Sincola, and Jonah McCay for new coach Jeff Olind. Adams should be the favorite in this district. They lost a ton of experience from last season but has Brady Prieskorn, William Gee, Drew Blackmer, and Peter Karakasis for Coach Jaret Thomas. The Highlanders are having a strong season in the always tough Red. Rochester has really struggled which is very unusual. They lost a lot of experience from last season. They have Elijah Kalaj, Joe Lulgjaraj, Grant Calcagno, Rex Matoud, and Kharmani Potts for Coach Nick Evola. Lake Orion should be very interesting. They have had a ton of bad luck and play in the very tough White. The Dragons have Nate Havrilla, DJ Morrow, Kevin Tobe, and Blake Liddell for Coach Jose Andreadas. They are the sleeper in this district despite having a ton of bad luck as mentioned where they lost four one possession games to very good teams. This district looks to be anyone’s for the taking, it is possible there could be an all Oakland or all Macomb County district final but its wide open for the taking.
District 4 @ Grand Blanc (Winner heads to Flushing to play District 3)
OXFORD
Grand Blanc
Davison
Lapeer
Flint Kearsley
PROJECTED MPR: 1. Grand Blanc, 2. Davison
FAVORITE: Grand Blanc
NEXT: Davison
DARKHORSE: Oxford
PLAYER ON THE SPOT: Greg Lawson-Davison
UPDATED THOUGHTS: This is the same district as of last season but the district is at Lapeer. Grand Blanc has a ton of storylines. They have a new coach in Tory Jackson. Jackson takes over for Mike Thomas whom left to take the East Kentwood coaching job. It will be very interesting to see how the transition period goes. The transition period has gone well and the Bobcats are rolling again. Grand Blanc was a Division One State runner up has Robert Williams, Tae Boyd, Amonte Allen-Johnson, Micah Welch, Anthony Perdue, RJ Taylor, Bryce O’Mara, Trevon Johnson, Jake Lindquist, Joe Nemeck, and Donnine Huddleston for Jackson. Lapeer has really struggled this season. The Lightning have Owen Boyle, Matt Sierakowski, Christopher Best, Alex Wells, and Matthew Smith for Coach Greg McGeary. Davison has a very young core that has made a ton of strides during the season and has also been doing very well in the Saginaw Valley League. The Cardinals have Greg Lawson, Teon Armstrong, Buddy Williams, Zach Papadakis, Henry Carstaphen, and Braylen Himmelin for Coach Mike Williams. Flint Kearsley has been up and down this season. The Hornets have Neely Dakari, Donovan Harrington, and Julienne Brandt for Coach Joe Corkan. Oxford is a sleeper in this district, I do wonder what Chicago Brothers Pizza Owner Dan Brown has to say about this district??? They have been up and down this season. The Wildcats have Dominic Cassisse, Lucas Botette, Jake Champagne, Kyle DiMalanta, and Dylan Stone for Coach Steve Laidlaw. Grand Blanc right now is the favorite but watch for Oxford and Davison.
District 25 @ Berkley (Winner heads to Troy to play District 27)
BERKLEY
ROYAL OAK
OAK PARK
Detroit Renaissance
Detroit Mumford
Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit
PROJECTED MPR: 1. Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit, 2. Oak Park
FAVORITE: Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit
NEXT: Oak Park
DARKHORSE: Detroit Renaissance
PLAYER ON THE SPOT: Sonny Wilson-Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit
UPDATED THOUGHTS: This is a very interesting district at Berkley. Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit is the early favorite in this district. The Cubs won this district last season and has Sonny Wilson, Tarrance Reed, Julian Robinson, David Herron, Xavier Johnson, Zavier Banks, Sebestian Randolph, and Branden Walker coming back for Coach Tim Connely. Detroit Mumford had a really rough season last year and is also having a really rough year this season for Coach Anthony Woods. Detroit Renaissance has had a good year but they have had some tough losses in which they were in some high scoring games. They can score but defend is the question. The Phoenix have Lance Stone, Dion Stinson, Jayson Gamblin, Jacob White, and Jayden Savoury for Coach John White. The Bears can’t seem to get a break with the district but they have home court and is having a really good season so far. Berkley has David Rolands, Tamir Runekvich, Riley Shafritz, Jacob Sheriff, Luke Winter, and Ian Smith for Coach Joe Sermo. Oak Park is having another very strong season. The Knights made the district finals last season but have ran into Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit in the last two years where they haven’t been able to overcome that hump despite having very good seasons. They have Jason Harns, Robert Smith, Geon Hutchins, Kevin Tolliver, Soloman White, and LuJuan Holliday for Coach Durand Sheppard. Royal Oak is a very odd team. They started off unbeaten but had a really rough January but have managed to turn things around again. The Ravens have Camden Clark, Dylan Hoffman, Davis Arbeiter, Rashad Wilson, and Nick Hoffman for Coach Aaron Smith. Hoffman is the all-time points leader at Royal Oak. This district has the makings of very similar to last season.
District 26 @ North Farmington (Winner heads to Troy to play District 28)
NORTH FARMINGTON
FARMINGTON
SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH
Detroit Henry Ford
Livonia Stevenson
PROJECTED MPR: 1. North Farmington, 2. Detroit Henry Ford
FAVORITE: North Farmington
NEXT: Detroit Henry Ford
DARKHORSE: Farmington
PLAYER ON THE SPOT: Landon Williams-North Farmington
UPDATED THOUGHTS: This should be a very interesting district. North Farmington should be the favorite in the district and they could be a possible State title contender. They have proven that they are more than capable with their start. The Raiders have Landon Williams, Prince Jackson, Vincent Lee, Lee Hardy, Ryan Hurst, Tyler Spratt, Donovan Williams, Dwayne Ray, Daemon Eubanks, Connor Childress, and Lamar Walls for Coach Todd Negoshian. Farmington should be improved and have shown major strides. The Falcons have Greg Greys, Anthony Bailey, Tony Tobert, Nick Morgan, Chris Boyd, William Henderson, Jaden Turner, and Darrell Cochrane for Coach Derrick McDowell. Southfield Arts and Tech has been a very interesting story this season. They have been up and down which has been very surprising and have a lot of proven experience in Greg Davis, Davier Burt, Quantie Pryor, Ethan Taylor, Bryce Hewins, Kayel Sims, Nicholas Hardy, Matt Young, and Juwan Ramsey for former Farmington Coach Terrance Porter. Detroit Henry Ford won 11 games last season but have been playing around 500. The Trojans have some proven talent in Terrance Coker and Semaj Sanders for Coach Ken Flowers. Livonia Stevenson won 12 games last season but they have really struggled this season. The Spartans have Bailey Way, Domnick Jentzer, Nate Curtis, Maek Stein, Dylan McGlinch, Lucas Young, John Toth, and Chuck Davidek coming back for Coach Eoghann Stephens. The Raiders won this district last season and is the favorite again but Detroit Henry Ford could give them some fits, something to watch.
District 27 @ Bloomfield Hills (Winner heads to Troy to play District 25)
BLOOMFIELD HILLS
GROVES
SEAHOLM
WEST BLOOMFIELD
Birmingham Brother Rice
Orchard Lake St. Marys
PROJECTED MPR: 1. Birmingham Brother Rice, 2. Orchard Lake St. Marys
FAVORITE: Birmingham Brother Rice
NEXT: West Bloomfield
DARKHORSE: Orchard Lake St. Marys
PLAYER ON THE SPOT: Curtis Williams-Birmingham Brother Rice
UPDATED THOUGHTS: This is a really interesting district. Orchard Lake St. Marys is loaded after winning the district last season and could be one of the favorites again. The Eaglets have Trey McKenny and Sharad Barnes for Coach Todd Cobert. Birmingham Brother Rice has having a very strong year and is on the verge of a Catholic League Central crown. They have a ton of proven experience. The Warriors have Xavier Thomas, Henry Garrity, John Blackwell, Luke Salkowski, Warren Marshall, Quincy Twymon, Tom Labruzzy, Curtis Williams, Keithan Gilmore, and Chasr Van Ameyde for Coach Ricky Palmer. Bloomfield Hills has had a very good year despite some very tough losses in the White. The Blackhawks have Noah Adamcyzk, Drew Wilson, CJ Jackson, Brandon Newland, Ahmad Taylor, and Henry Jackson for Coach Brian Canfield. Groves is very interesting. They have had a strong bounce back this season. The Falcons have Jack Abbott, Max Kramer, Josh Simpson, Elijah Yelder, Myles McClary, Brody Tushman, and Josh Gibson coming back for returning Coach Marc West. Seaholm is always scrappy and they have showed it in January when they got healthy. The Maples have Ben Diskin, Findlay Sparby, Rishi Thota, Abe Miller, and Jeff Sheldon for Coach Mike DeGeeter. West Bloomfield has been much improved in the very tough White. The Lakers have Jayden Jones, Evan Ammori, Donnie Watts, Andrew Shewcraft, Terrance Curry, Dewan Moore, Corey Pittman, Tory James, Chris Britton, and Mitchell Seay for Coach Arnette Jordan. This will be a very interesting district as mentioned but the Catholic League stands out but watch for West Bloomfield and Bloomfield Hills.
District 28 @ Sterling Heights Stevenson (Winner heads to Troy to play District 26)
TROY
TROY ATHENS
Sterling Heights Stevenson
Utica Ford II
Utica
PROJECTED MPR: 1. Troy, 2. Troy Athens
FAVORITE: Troy
NEXT: Troy Athens
DARKHORSE: Utica
PLAYER ON THE SPOT: Zach Penoza-Troy
EARLY THOUGHTS: This is a very interesting district in Macomb County. Troy is the early favorite in this district and has had a strong season thus far. The Colts have Darius Whiteside, Jon Whiteside, Zach Penoza, Chase Kupier, Nate Liberty, Carter Cusmano, Kyle Parker, Bryce Parker, and Mason Parker for Coach Gary Fralick. Troy Athens should be very interesting. They have been on a roll as of late and in the thick of the Blue standings. The Red Hawks has Doug Mersier, Evan Colquhoun, Alex Proefkee, Kyree Harper, Emmanuel Robinson, and Brogan Withun for Coach Dave Scott. Sterling Heights Stevenson has a ton of proven experience and home court. The Titans have Austin Akrawi, Mariano Manciel, Sam Kashat, Mazino Amuwha, Caynon Love, Darrin Bobbitt, Zach Alinfogan, Victor Campbell, Alex Moratalla, Daron Bobbitt, Joseph Malak, and Luke Sesi for Coach Ryan Joseph. Utica really struggled last season but they have really improved and have won eight of their last nine games. The Chieftains have Logan Davis, Mason Brodi, Trent McFarland, Sebastian Soriano, Jack Malone, Nick Bosilkovski, Nathan Silver and Austin Lemerise for Coach David Hinke. Utica Ford II is much improved despite the struggling record this season. The Falcons have Dakari Rogers, Aaron Johnson, Diego Harden, Carson Strumn, Eli Miller, Gavin Gugliemetti, and Maid Kurjakovic for former West Bloomfield coach Jeremy Dehna. Troy should be the favorite but Utica, Sterling Heights Stevenson, and Troy Athens should have strong says.
District 59 @ Hazel Park (Winner heads to Hazel Park to play District 57)
FERNDALE
FERNDALE UNIVERSITY
Hazel Park
Detroit Lincoln King Academy
Detroit Old Redford
PROJECTED MPR: 1. Ferndale, 2. Detroit Old Redford
FAVORITE: Ferndale
NEXT Detroit Old Redford
DARKHORSE Ferndale University
PLAYER ON THE SPOT: Chris Williams-Ferndale
UPDATED THOUGHTS: This is a very interesting district but it’s starting to become very clear at the moment. Ferndale went to the Division Two State Semifinals the last two years and has a pretty strong team despite losing their two top players. Detroit Lincoln King Academy won 14 games last season but they are really struggling this season. Detroit Old Redford won 11 games last season and is rolling. Ferndale University is a sleeper in this district. They have had a bounce back year despite the 500 record. The Eagles have a ton of proven experience in Chris Kendrix, Semaj McGhee, Rasheed Jones, Semaj Clark, Cordae McAllister, Antione Owens, Pierce Sanders, Jonathan King, Zakaria Smith, Antione Owens, and Damir Orr for Coach Josh Nicks. Hazel Park is the weakest team in this district and they are having a really rough season. The Eagles have Cameron Reed, Chris Williams, Caleb Renfroe, Jayden Hardiman, Noah Blocker, Kendall Mays, Maurice Booth, and Trenton Ruth for Coach Juan Rickman. Ferndale is the early favorite in this district but Detroit Old Redford and Ferndale University could challenge if things go right for them.
District 30 @ Grosse Pointe North (Winner heads to Macomb Dakota to play District 32)
HARPER WOODS
Grosse Pointe North
Grosse Pointe South
Roseville
St. Clair Shores Lakeview
PROJECTED MPR: 1. Grosse Pointe South, 2. Grosse Pointe North
FAVORITE: Grosse Pointe South
NEXT: Grosse Pointe North
DARKHORSE: Roseville
PLAYER ON THE SPOT: Julian Young-Harper Woods
UPDATED THOUGHTS: This is a very interesting district that has four teams that won more than 10 games last season and each team has won at least eight games. Roseville won 13 games last season but is very low in the MPR which is very odd. The Panthers have Brian Hunter, Amonti Greene, AJ Scott, Todario Payne and Isiah Mays for Coach Greg Boler. Grosse Pointe North has played a really tough schedule. The Norsemen have proven experience in Adam Ayrault for Coach Andrew Ayrault. Grosse Pointe South has had a very good season and they have some wins over OAA teams. The Blue Devils have Donovan Moody, Noah Stiyer, Karter Richards, Tommy Maccagnone, Griffin Adams, Brady Kennedy, and Alex English for Coach Stephen Benard. St Clair Shores Lakeview is the lowest team in the MPR despite winning double digit games. The Huskies have Matthew Ritter, Austin Stockett, Keonte Woolf, Tyler Griffin, Charrone Gordon, Bryce Ong, Easton Demeulenarere, and Zavier Hassan for Coach John Carr. Harper Woods came up from Division Two this offseason. They control their own destiny in the Gold and is having a really strong season. The Pioneers have Julian Young, Stephone Buford, Isiah Lewis, and DeAndre Williams for Coach TuJuan Porter. This is a very tough district, it’s anyone’s district to take in Grosse Pointe.