The 2011-12 prep hoops season officially gets underway today with the start of girls practice. That means we're only a few weeks from tipping things off for real. I CANT WAIT!!!

Until then, Burney can only dream of the hardwood heaven on the horizon.

Here are a few things I will be dreaming about for the rest of this month in eager anticipation of the upcoming season;

THE CHOSEN ONE aka Troy's James Young showing why he's the best player in the state….Yeah, I said it!!!!

Birmingham DCD's Aerial Powers, the OC's female James Young – aka the best female hoopstress in the state, bar none IMO – shaking and baking the comp as she leads the Lady Jackets back to the promise land aka that state championship they haven't been able to grab the last couple years

Raining 3-pointers from the likes of OC sharpshooters like Kellen McCormick (Pontiac NDP), Jodan Price (Birmingham DCD) and Nick Tatu (Clarkston)

Rim-rattling dunks by SUPERSONIC SLAM SPECIALISTS like Chuck Sanders (Lakeland), Sterling Sharp & Dorrell Foster (North Farmington), Justin Barrows (OL St. Mary's) and Aaron Primm (WL Western)

Pontiac's brand new SUPERSTAR backcourt of SOPHOMORE SENSATIONS Vezzie Carthane and Jared Jones, another in a long line of standout 'Yaktown guard tandems

Watching my girls hoop sleeper squad of the season aka TEAM MICKLASH aka the Farmington Hills Harrison Hawks turn some heads and challenge for the program's first district title in recent memory

OC resident SIR-GRIND-A-LOTS like Taylor Perry (Rochester), Jeff Holmes (Troy), Nic Stoll & Austin Hopkin (Holly) and Caleb McIntosh & Aaron Fox (Troy Athens), etc.

Seeing LITTLE NOGO (aka Todd Negoshian) step into the shoes of PAPA NOGO (Tom Negoshian) as the next sideline general at North Farmington in KNOCK IT OUT OF THE PARK

The CC Cage Crew aka Team Dyer aka TEAM COOP-A-LOOP.....NUFF SAID!!!

Troy Athens' Sinclair Russell (Oakland U) moving her game out to the perimeter and starting to drop triple-doubles like a female Magic Johnson

YEAR 2 of the BH Lahser youth movement aka the Knights KILLER TRIO of Armand Cartwright, Martez Jones and Yante Maten!!!!!

The emergence of a wide range of DIAPER DANDIES aka FAB FROSH across the county. I'm talking about BABY BALLERS like Bakari Evelyn (Southfield Christian), Jaron Rogers (North Farmington), Morgan Baylis (Holly), Jalen Gardner (WL Western), Timmy Shayoka (Troy Athens)

THE OC EURO INVASION led by WL Western junior PHENOM Miroslav Jaksik, who I have deciced to bestow upon TWO nicknames – that's how good this kid is. First, he's "Diamond Jack", for obvious reasons. But secondly and more importantly, he's also "The BLUEPRINT" because he has what basketball experts call "The game of the future"….aka 6-10 and is equally comfortably banging inside and bombing away from long distance.

The C-Town Wolfpack led by Mitch "Rock Steady" Baenziger, Matt Dellinger and Nick Tatu and their march towards the BRESLIN CENTER!!!!

OC SLEEPER ALERT – Clarkston junior Jordan Dasuqi, kid's about to BLOW UP

"The Big Diesel" himself Ron Thompson bringing his brusing brand of game from the gridiron to the hardwood for the Southfield Bluejays...Watch out OAA Red, the Diesel is about to be on the loose!!!