2021 hoops preview: Top 10 teams in Oakland County
It will be a 6-week sprint for the boys basketball teams around the state in the 2021 season, but that just means a lot of great action in a short amount of time.
There are a number of top contenders in Oakland County this season, and many will get the chance to showcase their skills against one another.
Here are the top 10 teams in the area to start the new season.
1. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s – The best overall team in the state for the second year in a row. The defending CHSL Central champion Eaglets have star power in lead guards Julian Roper (Northwestern) and Kareem Rozier, and a post with multiple tall, athletic bigs in Peter Nwoke, Harrison Ogochukwu and D.C. Temple. Warren De La Salle transfer Will Smythe and Michigan baseball recruit Jack Crighton are zone busters from 3-point range.
2. North Farmington – Ball State-signee Basheer Jihad is hard to handle inside and out, while senior jack-of-all trades combo guard Deon Hayes is as steady as they come in the backcourt. Freshman Landon Williams will start at a guard spot and learn from Hayes. Division I football recruit Aaron Rice (6-5 WR) compliments Jihad in the post and Novi Christian transfer Blake Goodman (First Team all-state in Division 4) should open things up with his deadeye shooting. Todd Negoshian’s Raiders are the early frontrunners in the OAA Red, looking to dethrone 14-time defending champs, Clarkston.
3. Birmingham Brother Rice – The Warriors have the top sophomore class in the state, with Curtis Williams and Xavier Thomas filling out the frontcourt, and a backcourt of John Blackwell and Henry Garrity. Blackwell transferred into Brother Rice in the summer from Novi Christian and is already generating a buzz from college recruiters. Williams is elite on the wing and Thomas is the ultimate grinder inside. Garrity made huge strides last season and can be a true difference maker.
4. Troy – Veteran head coach Gary Fralick unleashes the premier backcourt in the OAA, as seniors Brody Parker (Oakland) and the Emerzian twins – Ethan and Jake (Madonna) – anchor a Colts squad that is bad to the bone and battle tested. D’Anthony Hamilton and Imad Hage will provide consistent nails-tough support at forward spots. Troy is the favorite out of the OAA White.
5. Ferndale – Loaded in the guard department, the Eagles will have the deepest backcourt in the OAA and play small ball in 2021. All-state junior gunner Treyvon Lewis can dominate from the perimeter and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s transfer Jason “Deuce” Drake is a playmaker with quiet confidence. Sophomores Caleb Renfroe and Cam Reid gained valuable experience starting on varsity as freshman last winter. Renfroe could blos
som into a star this season and freshman Trenton Ruth has the chance to be special.
6. Clarkston — The Wolves amazing OAA Red dynasty (14 consecutive titles) is in peril after all-state guard Fletcher Loyer left with his family to Fort Wayne, Ind. in the offseason. However, feisty junior floor general Keegan Wasilk, junior marksman Nate Steinman and senior big fella Luke Scherler hope to surprise people with a team based around old-school Clarkston fundamentals and good ole’ elbow grease.
7. West Bloomfield — Sophomore sensations Ryan Hurst and Mitchell Seay form a dynamite backcourt and Kip Blazevicius and Emmanuel Ovioso should be two of the most improved players in the area out of the frontcourt. Ovioso is a highflyer and slam-dunk specialist who has polished up his post moves. Lakers are the sleeper in the race for the OAA Red.
8. Southfield A&T — Louisville-bound football player Caleb Banks is the best post player in the county and outworks the opposition on both ends of the court. A.J. Davis and Jaylon Mack are an underrated guard combo. Davis is a slasher who can pop it from deep or midrange and Mack is a rhythm shooter prone for hot streaks.
9. Oak Park — The venerable Durand Shepherd takes the reins on the bench for Oak Park and should turn things around for Knights Nation on the hardwood faster than one would expect. The Henderson brothers transferred into the district from Ypsilanti Lincoln and will assume guard duties. DuRand Roseboro and Shawn Brown are strong, athletic bodies on the blocks.
10 (tie). Walled Lake Northern — Senior wing Kevyn Robertson (Spring Arbor) is the No. 1 player in the LVC and Jesse Lawson and Alex Klein form a hustle-and-flow type backcourt for new head coach Ryan Negoshian.
10 (tie). Waterford Mott — The cream of the crop in the LVC since its inception, Mott has a new coach in former assistant Sean Moore. However, Mott will play the same high-octane brand of hoops. The Corsairs’ three-headed monster of guards Tray Solomon and Juan Claudio, and forward Zeke Price — the hardest working man in the league in the paint — will make Mott a top contender again in the LVC.