Boys Basketball Rankings - It's Crowded At The Top

OC Top 10

1 Birmingham Detroit Country Day (13-1) – Junior center Amir Williams looked dominating (16 points, 8 boards, seven blocks) in his return from injury on Saturday in a 20-point win over AA Pioneer on the road. At the rate this fundamentally sound and athletically-superior big fella is developing at, he could very easily be the best player in the state next year.

2 North Farmington (10-5) – Raiders "do anything and everything" playmaking guard, Kyle Vinales should really start getting some legit consideration for the 2010 Mr. Basketball Award. Yep, I said it. Vinales' season so far rates up there with McCallum, Appling, and Ziegler. Keep sticking it to 'em "K-Veezie" and doing Burney proud!

3 Clarkston (10-4) – Senior Jordan Clark is really starting to come into his own of late in the C-Town line-up after not seeing much time in his first season on varsity last year. Matt Kamieniecki does so much for Dan Fife's Wolves, he will be greatly missed when he departs for Ball State in the fall.  

4 Birmingham Seaholm (14-1) – Burney's hoping Shawn "The Punisher" Conway thinks about giving basketball a chance at the next level. Even though, right now it's more likely that Big Pun is leaning towards playing football, I just love this kid's explosive nature and raw ability on the hardwood. He plays with a love of the game that is genuine and a passion that is sometimes misunderstood for arrogance. I compare him to a more offensively-refined and a little smaller version of former Bad Boys Piston Dennis Rodman. That's the kind of player Conway could end up being in college. That said, he could be a dominating wide receiver/return specialist if he chooses football as his sport of choice starting in the fall of 2011. The Maples' "Big Pun" is truly a one of a kind!!!

5 Southfield (9-4) – Carlton Brundidge is just too good for words. This kid keeps getting better and better every game. And wow, what a clutch hoopster to boot! The Blue Jays's "Captain Amazing" is truly amazing. Plus, CB should receive extra-props for sacrificing his personal stats for the better of the team and for adding exceptional versatility to his game since his high- scoring sophomore campaign last season.

6 Southfield-Lathrup (8-7) – Bryan "B-Money" Coleman has been playing like, what else?, cold hard cash money lately. I love Coleman's up side and his potential as a high-tier mid-major D1 prospect. Coleman could be the most underrated recruit in the entire state. Take that to the bank!

7 Ferndale (12-3) – It's unbelievable what a great job new Eagles head coach, Tom Staton is doing in his first year on the job on the sidelines resurrecting a once-proud program that had fallen on hard times this past decade. Shawn Amiker and Jody Hill are a superstar, yet often overlooked, backcourt that can go head-to-head with any pair of guards in the Metro Detroit area and more than hold their own. Under Staton's expert guidance, Antonio Combs, Jerrell Gandy, and Rex Jenkins have all transformed into consummate "gel" guys whose play has been integral to the Eagles success this year (12-0 in the OAA Blue).

8 a Waterford Mott (13-3) – Question of the day: Who would win a 3-point shooting contest between recently-crowned NBA 3-point champ, Paul Pierce or the Corsairs John Schaeffer? I'm putting my money on Schaeffer. I'm quite certain my main man, Derek Wiley, Mott's head coach, would agree.

8 b RH Adams (11-3) – The Highlanders are playing great basketball right now. John Hall is doing an outstanding job "X&O-ing" the competition to a bloody pulp with an undersized line-up. Adams' three-headed monster of a backcourt in Joey Dillon, Connor Boyle, and Jordan Littleson are pesky pepper-pots on both offense and defense and junior forward Andrew Hammett has been playing more like NBA center Andrew Bynum over the past three weeks.

9 Holly (12-4) – Huge comeback win at Fenton (13-2) Friday night proves Lance Baylis' ball'in Bronchos are for real! Holly starting guard Thomas Lovachis' game is as cool as the other side of the pillow and Kyle Sherwin came up big on Friday with a career high 19 points. Don't forget about Josh Fugate – he'll knock down any open "3" you give him and will hurt you with the "shot fake-drive" combo if you overplay him or concentrate too much on Lovachis and senior sniper, Justin Fowler.

10 a Birmingham Brother Rice (9-7) – Kevonte Martin-Manley has officially reached SWAGGER LEVEL: ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND TRILLION.  Ace role player, Denzel Palm stepped up in the clutch for head coach Ed Shaffer in a major league win over UofD last week.  

10 b Pontiac (6-8) – The OAA Red is that good!