Written Thursday January 1st at 11:14 AM

Happy New Year to OAA Nation, here are some storylines to watch heading into 2026.

The White is the toughest division in Boys Basketball.

The White looks to be the most competitive division in boys basketball. Avondale and Clarkston stand out in the Red. Bloomfield Hills looks to be the favorite in the Blue. The Gold looks to be a mess between Harper Woods, Oak Park, Southfield Arts and Tech, and Waterford Kettering. The White with Waterford Mott, Lake Orion, Stoney Creek, Rochester, Adams, and Oxford looks very interesting. Each team has flaws but also has strengths as well. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if the winner of this division has at least five losses.

Could this be the year for Ferndale in Division Two???

The Eagles have a Division Two State Championship to their name (2023) in this century but can they get a second remains to be seen in boys basketball. Ferndale has the talent and experience to get back to the Breslin Center. They play a very tough non conference schedule along with being in the Red. The Eagles will have some challengers in their district with Detroit Old Redford Academy and eventually Warren Lincoln and whomever is in the west side of the state. It certainly looks doable for Ferndale.

Girls Basketball Outlook.

Groves has taken the league by storm and is firmly in the White title picture. They introduced a new but very familiar college style type of game where they want to go run and gun and up tempo. Coach Jessica Duebla learned this pace in college to which they want to go up tempo and not stop leading to open shots and dribble drive possibilities. The Falcons had two early losses to Farmington Hills Mercy and Livonia Stevenson but has won two straight by putting up 103 and 92 points respectively. Harlem Simpson has become a Miss Basketball candidate and she’s only a junior.  Is Bloomfield Hills for real, they have a high MPR but a very young team. West Bloomfield is starting to look like a State title contender again led by Sheridan Beal and company to make another run in Division One. There are other challengers that could make a run like Clarkston or Stoney Creek but for now the two to watch are the Lakers and the Falcons.

Does an OAA team stand out in football???

Football is going to be the most interesting heading into this fall. A lot of the contenders lost a lot of proven players to graduation. Harper Woods could be the most interesting especially at the quarterback spot but they should be a title contender in Division Four. Groves should be in the mix and could be a contender in Division Two. How will both Waterford schools adjust to life in the OAA??? Stoney Creek and Oxford have a lot coming back but can both teams make the next step. West Bloomfield, Clarkston, and Adams lost a lot of talent from last season. There will be new coaches at Avondale and Berkley will have new coaches. Also another team to watch is Lake Orion after having a 1-8 season, what will their outlook be heading into this season. There are a lot of questions in the OAA this fall.

Expansion if any???

The OAA has been no stranger to expansion and loss when it comes to adding and subtracting schools. The league brought back Waterford Kettering and Waterford Mott from the Lakes Valley Conference this past winter and is going to lose North Farmington and Farmington to the Lakes Valley Conference this fall. This will be something to watch and see what the OAA does when it comes to this area.

Early Spring Sports Outlook.

Spring sports are not too far away. Lake Orion, Adams, Rochester, West Bloomfield are teams to watch in baseball. Lake Orion and Stoney Creek looks like they could be the teams to beat in softball. Track should be very interesting in both boys and girls. Birmingham is the team to watch in girls lacrosse. Clarkston looks to be the team to beat in boys lacrosse. Soccer looks to be wide open with Bloomfield Hills, Adams, Rochester, Stoney Creek, Troy Athens, and Troy look like they are the teams to beat. Spring is not too far away as mentioned but this is the early indicators.

There will be more storylines to come, stay tuned to OAA Now, the blog, and our website https://aroundtheoaa.weebly.com/ for all the information.

Written Tuesday December 30th at 10:35 AM

Here is the final top 25 for girls basketball for 2025 heading into 2026

1. West Bloomfield 3-1 (654): Lakers starting to gel heading into the new year.

2. Groves 2-2 (707): Harlem Simpson needs to be in the “Miss Basketball” conversation NOW.

3. Clarkston 5-2 (641): Wolves getting ready for a bonding trip in Ohio.

4. Stoney Creek 4-1 (692): Warning (Danger) signs are still there with the Cougars.

5. Rochester 3-1 (635): Stella Marlow is the key to the Falcons season.

6. Bloomfield Hills 3-1 (621): Black Hawks have surprised a ton of folks.

7. Lake Orion 3-2 (585): Dragons need to keep growing and not get discouraged.

8. Troy 3-1 (575): Colts quietly starting to gel behind the guards Olivia Sprangler and Maci Zeiter.

9. Oxford 2-2 (549): Kaitlyn Brockway has carried the Wildcats on her back.

10. Southfield Arts and Tech 3-2 (546): Warriors have been very competitive.

11. Troy Athens 4-2 (532): Katrina Tasich has been playing well.

12. Harper Woods 3-1 (566): Pioneers starting to turn things around.

13. Adams 2-1 (535): Highlanders should be in full gear once the new year begins.

14. Berkley 1-5 (467): Bears need their guards to step up if they want to make noise.

15. Avondale 0-3 (445): Better days are ahead for the Yellow Jackets.

16. Waterford 3-2 (465): Waterford has been inconsistent as of late.

17. Ferndale University 3-0 (629): Eagles haven’t played in a while.

18. Farmington 3-2 (503): Falcons have been an odd team to figure out.

19. North Farmington 3-1 (416): Lucy Nemith is the key to the Raiders season.

20. Seaholm 1-3 (394): Maples going through it right now.

21. Royal Oak 2-3 (311): Ravens blowout win over Walled Lake Central is a start.

22. Pontiac 1-4 (310): Phoenix struggling everywhere.

23. Oak Park 1-1 (196): Knights need to improve on their MPR ranking.

24. Ferndale 0-0 (0): Eagles haven’t played a game yet.