2021 HOOPS PREVIEW: TOP 50 PLAYERS IN OAKLAND COUNTY
The 2021 basketball season is finally set to tip off on Monday and Oakland County brings a lot of exciting talent to the floor this winter.
Here’s a look at the top boys basketball players around the area for the new season.
1. Julian Roper (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 6-3 Sr. G) – Signed with Northwestern, Roper is an eruptive force of a combo guard – electric in the open court and deadly from downtown. Should be an early frontrunner for Mr. Basketball and headlines an Eaglets’ lineup that is considered the best in the state.
2. Curtis Williams (Birmingham Brother Rice 6-6 Soph. F) – The No. 1 sophomore in the state, Williams is a killer on the wing and has offers from Maryland, Alabama and LIU Brooklyn. Michigan and Louisville are said to be close to offering.
3. Basheer Jihad (North Farmington 6-8 Sr. F) – Signed with Ball State, Jihad has the most upside of any player in Oakland County, and maybe the state, in terms of future potential. Fluid in the frontcourt and just growing into his body, the Raiders’ forward is the top inside-outside threat in the area. Last winter, he averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds per game.
4. Treyvon Lewis (Ferndale 6-4 Jr. G) – Coldblooded competitor of a two-guard, who has a silky-smooth stroke on his jumper and finishes at the rim. Lewis is the most lethal hoopster the Eagles Nest has had in its midst since the Rashad Phillips-era of the mid-1990s. He averaged 23.5 points per night last year as a sophomore.
5. Brody Parker (Troy 6-0 Sr. G) – Signed with Oakland University, Parker is a true gunner and the OAA’s top scorer. He’s averaged 25 points per game the past two seasons and has firmly established himself as one of the best players to ever lace them up for the Colts.
6. Cooper Craggs (Novi Detroit Catholic Central 6-7 Jr. F) – One of the Catholic League’s top playmakers and hardest workers out of the frontcourt, Craggs is being recruited at the Division I level and is a prototypical “pick your poison” pop-out specialist, able to burn opponents in the post or on the perimeter at his will.
7. Caleb Banks (Southfield A&T 6-6 Sr. F/C) – Signed with Louisville for football on the defensive line, Banks is a beast on the basketball floor, displaying a high-motor, a rugged attitude and a soft touch around the rim. Became a double-double machine last year and could play Division I hoops if he was so inclined.
8. Kareem Rozier (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 5-9 Jr. G) – The best pure point guard in Metro Detroit, Rozier is a natural leader and distributor and last season became one of the area’s most dangerous long-range bombers. Will quarterback the No. 1 team in the state for the second year in a row.
9. Ryan Hurst (West Bloomfield 6-2 Soph. G) – Pitbull-style guard with finesse from the perimeter, Hurst might challenge Troy’s Brody Parker and Ferndale’s Treyvon Lewis for the OAA scoring crown in 2021. Gave up football to work on trimming some of his baby fat in the offseason and right now is as sleek as ever going baseline-to-baseline on the hardwood.
10. John Blackwell (Birmingham Brother Rice 6-4 Soph. G) – Made the move from Division 4 Novi Christian to Brother Rice over the summer and is ready to take the Catholic League by storm. Blackwell is a big-time talent at the point and already has offers from Eastern Michigan and University of Detroit-Mercy.
11. Jason “Deuce” Drake (Ferndale 6-1 Jr. G) – Transferred to Ferndale over Christmas break from defending Catholic League Central champion, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, and should set the OAA on fire with his hot shooting.
12. Ethan Emerzian (Troy 6-0 Sr. G) – Signed with Madonna, Emerzian is the definition of a gamer and a nails-tough competitor. Knows how to get buckets and set up his teammates for easy scores.
13. Deon Hayes (North Farmington 6-3 Sr. G) – Maybe the most underrated player in the county, Hayes can score the ball in multiple ways and effects the game on both ends of the court. He’s crafty, athletic and plays bigger than his size.
14. Mason Canfield (Bloomfield Hills 6-0 Sr. G) – Signed with Concordia, Canfield is everything you could ever want in a fearless floor general. The perfect pacesetter at the point.
15. Kevyn Robertson (Walled Lake Northern 6-5 Sr. F) – Signed with Spring Arbor, Robertson is the best player in the LVC and one of the most versatile frontcourt talents in the area.
16. Bennie Crenshaw (Waterford Kettering 6-0 Sr. G) – Signed with Ferris State, Crenshaw is probably the best kept secret in Oakland County. A plucky point guard with primetime tools, Crenshaw has played in the shadow of the recent Waterford Mott Corsairs LVC dynasty.
17. Peter Nwoke (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 6-8 Sr. C) – The best big man in the Catholic League, Nwoke will be a steal at the next level recruiting-wise. He’s powerful in the paint – hitting the glass, blocking shots, doing the Eaglets dirty work – and he can get out in transition, fill the lane and throw down on the fast break for the highlightreel slam.
18. Keon Henderson (Oak Park 6-1 Sr. G) – A transfer from Ypsilanti Lincoln, Henderson ran the point for the Railsplitters and dished out to schoolboy phenom Emoni Bates, now at Ypsi Prep, last winter. He has an offer from the University of Denver.
19. Keegan Wasilk (Clarkston 6-1 Jr. G) – Cool, calm and collected floor general who
plays with a chip on his shoulder and can get heated from long distance in hurry.
20. Blake Goodman (North Farmington 6-4 Sr. G/F) – Signed with Sienna Heights, Goodman transferred to North Farmington from Novi Christian where he was a D4 First Team all-state selection and pumped in 25 points per outing.
21. Trevor Smith (Stoney Creek 6-2 Sr. G) – Dandy of diamond in the ruff out of Rochester, Smith is a silent assassin, who slays defenders with a high basketball IQ and a closer’s mentality in the clutch.
22. Robert Davis (Farmington 6-5 Jr. G/F) – Just a straight sniper with a lightning quick trigger and ice running through his veins.
23. Will Smythe (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 6-4 Sr. G) – Transferred from Warren De La Salle in the offseason, Smyth is probably the best pure shooter in the Catholic League Central.
24. Bryce Bird (South Lyon East 6-0 Sr. G) – The best player on the county’s westside that you don’t know about yet but need to as soon as possible. Bird is a gym rat and a gamer to the highest degree.
25 (tie). Jake Emerzian (Troy 6-0 Sr. G) – Signed with Madonna to play with his twin brother, Emerzian is the area’s top defensive stopper out of the backcourt and can bury the open jumper if you leave him open.
25 (tie). Cole Pardon (Ortonville Brandon 6-5 Sr. G/F) – Signed with Lawrence Tech, Pardon is vastly improved and poised for a big senior season on the wing.
The Next 25
(Alphabetical order)
Kip Blazevicious (West Bloomfield 6-5
Sr. F)
Juan Claudio (Waterford Mott 6-0 Jr. G) A.J. Davis (Southfield A&T 6-2 Sr. G)
Luke Doty (South Lyon 6-3 Sr. G)
Bryce Eaton (Troy Athens 6-0 Soph. G) Henry Garrity (Birmingham Brother Rice 6-4 Soph. G)
Cameron Garner (Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook 6-3 Sr. G)
D’Anthony Hamilton (Troy 6-5 Sr. F) Ashton Henderson (Oak Park 6-1 Jr. G) Prince Jackson (Farmington 6-0 Soph. G) Joe Kennedy (Madison Heights Bishop Foley 6-2 Sr. G) – Signed with Ohio Northern
Jesse Lawson (Walled Lake Northern
6-4 Sr. G)
Daniel Lee (Birmingham Groves 6-4 Sr. G/F)
Brad Mitchell (Ortonville Brandon 6-2
Jr. G)
Harrison Ogochukwu (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 6-7 Sr. F)
Zeke Price (Waterford Mott 6-4 Sr. F) Aaron Rice (North Farmington 6-5 Jr. F) Alden Ritt (Lake Orion 6-6 Jr. F)
Mitchell Seay (West Bloomfield 6-2
Soph. G)
Tray Solomon (Waterford Mott 6-0 Sr. G) Nate Steinman (Clarkston 6-0 Jr. G)
D.C. Temple (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s
6-7 Jr. F)
Xavier Thomas (Birmingham Brother Rice 6-5 Soph. F)
Andrew Turnquist (Lakeland 6-8 Soph. F) Arshad Walker (Berkley 6-0 Sr. G)