- Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, who was considered by many to be the top team in the state last year. Senior guard and Northwestern recruit Julian Roper will have lots of help from a pair of 6’8” seniors in Peter Nwoke and Harrison Oguchukwu, and two of the top juniors in the state in guards Kareem Rozier & Jason Drake.
- Detroit Douglass, led by Michigan State
recruit Pierre Brooks and 6’10” senior forward Javontae Randle. Last year's season-opening battle between these two teams was a thriller, and this year's promises to be just as exciting.
- Beecher is always tough and no doubt will be tough again, led by one of the top uncommitted seniors in the state, guard Keyon Mennifield. Many people thought Beecher was the top team in the state last year coming into their season-ending battle with Grand Blanc at the Dort Event Center with an 18-1 record. The Bobcats came out on top, snapping an 18-game Bucs win streak. You can bet they'll be looking for revenge!
- Ypsilanti Lincoln of course lost Emoni
Bates, but without one being crowned last year, they could lay claim to still being
the reigning state champion. The Bobcats will open up against the Railsplitters
at the Homer Williams Showcase.
- U of D-Jesuit came on strong in the second half of the season, winning 9 of their last 11, with their only losses coming in close games with top-ranked OLSM. Guard Sonny Wilson is one of the top sophomores in the state, and he will lead a talented roster.
- Muskegon went 20-2 last year (with one of those losses coming against the Bobcats) and will bring a talented, athletic squad to Grand Blanc for a late-season matchup on February 20th.
- Birmingham Brother Rice has a trio of super sophomores in Xavier Thomas, Henry Garity, and Curtis Williams, who just might be the top sophomore in the state. Plus the Warriors will not be intimidated by the Bobcats, as they were one of just three teams to defeat Grand Blanc last year.
- Detroit Edison will visit Grand Blanc for the third annual Gottagetit Hoop Classic. Last year, Edison went 17-4 with impressive wins over UDJ, Detroit Douglass, Waterford Mott & Ferndale, and two of their losses came in close contests with Ypsilanti Lincoln and Clarkston, who were among the top teams in the state.
The Saginaw Valley League is going to a round-robin format without divisions, where all teams in the league will play each other once. This means that there will be a number of very intriguing matchups:
- A Mt. Pleasant team, whose only loss was to us in the SVL Championship Game.
- Coach Williams’ alma mater, the always tough Saginaw High, will be led by explosive 6’5” senior wing Lavell Brodnex, who turned a lot of heads this summer.
- Saginaw Arthur-Hill, who was led last year by a pair of very talented underclassmen Tim Jordan and Christian Smith.
- Saginaw Heritage, led by one of the top seniors in the state, Parker Day, who has already committed to Grand Valley State.
We will also of course renew annual rivalries with teams like:
- Carman-Ainsworth, who last year went 17-3 against teams other than Grand Blanc.
- Powers Catholic, who is led by senior Western Michigan recruit, Owen Lobsinger.
- Davison, led by Northwestern football recruit, senior Brendan Sullivan.
See the full schedule here:
