Memo: To the North Farmington boys basketball team

Your head coach Todd Negoshian used to be an assassin on the hardwood in his days as a prepster with the Walled Lake Central Vikings. Just a terrorizing presence in every way.

He was one of Metro Detroit's top point guards in the late 1990s (before winning a NAIA NATIONAL TITLE in college at Cornerstone) and made a living taking opposing backcourts to school. Averaging over 25 a night as a junior and senior (each All-State campaigns for Toddie the Terror), he was the definition of clutch.

EXHIBIT A; here is a link to one of LITTLE NOGOs signature games while he was torturing nets and defenses alike high school hooping. It's from his junior season and shows him GOING OFF, rallying WLC to an exciting win over Salem. If you fast forward to around the 25-minute mark, you'll see him (wearing #14) heating up and by the 38 minute mark he's engulfed in flames, burying several long-range bombs in a row to vault the Vikings to victory

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaFPa4sJqO0&list=PLcs_s8Ep3EnZUy-p6bgaEvhdIXomgKIs9

It's a shame that Bloomfield Hills was deprived of a full-go at it in its quest for an OAA Red boys basketball title in 2014. It would have been a three-peat for Coach Graves and his "Big 3" of Yante Maten, Armand Cartwright and Khalil Gracey (two with Lahser in 2012 & 2013 and the one they could have won this season). That didn't happen as the Black Hawks, minus Maten, lost to RH Adams Thursday night in the regular season finale, which gave total OAA Red bragging rights back to mighty Clarkston (a team BH beat both times handily this winter) for the eighth year in a row. Why didn't Maten, arguably the No. 1 big guy in the state, play on Thursday? Well, that's because some ref with an enlarged ego decided to 'T' him up at the end of Bloomfield Hill's victory over C-Town Tuesday for hanging on the rim after a dunk, an infraction if you look at the replay on-line is obviously wrong. In turn, Maten was tossed from that contest and Thursday's affair with Adams with a league-title hanging in the balance due to another suspect technical foul prior in the Clarkston game. I've seen way too many instances on the hardwood this year when the refs are making it more about them than the kids. And that's wrong. Not to say, the zebras should be letting real things slide. They shouldn't. But to act the way I've seen some this season doing, towards players, coaches and occasionally fans, is upsetting and makes me worry about the manner in which the MHSAA and the state's 'stripes' governing body oversee their officials. It appears to me that there is very little oversight. (I could be mistaken, but judging from what I hear that's what is happening). There's unequivocal consequences and accountability for everybody else, however, they receive a free pass? It doesn't seem right. Just ask Yante, Coach Graves and the entire BlackHawks nation that boasted by-far the top hoop crew in the OAA Red and the OAA overall for that matter, this year, yet never had the shot with a fully-loaded arsenal to cement it in the record books.

Here's a couple notes on how other states do their prep basketball tournaments.
Both Indiana and Illinois seed their March Madness draws (a concept Burney is highly in favor of). Kentucky is the only state left in the U.S. that still has a one-class, all-inclusive tourney. The Hoosier State used to, but discontinued its statewide Cage Battle Royal in the late 1990s (at the conclusion of its four class tourneys, though they have an additional final four of sorts where the four different state champs square off). Indiana also interestingly plays all of its post-district rounds in one-day increments (i.e. both regional rounds go off in the same 12 hours, with each regional semi being played in the morning and early afternoon and then the finale that evening...talk about exhausting!!). Illinois' equivalent to the final four at Breslin is called "Down State" and equates to the IHSAA's Elite 8 at Assembly Hall on the campus of the University of Ilinois. All eight teams that go "Down State" represent different regions and leagues in the state (i.e. the winner of the Catholic League Playoffs and PSL playoffs go to the quarterfinals, their league tourneys are also the state tourney). Food for thought. Burney has experienced March Madness in both Indiana and Illinois and I have to say they're each pretty awesome in their own right!!

OC TOP 10

1 Bloomfield Hills – All Aboard; The Black Hawk Breslin Express leaving from the station in just a few days!!

2 Clarkston – Senior center Mike Nicholson is so cash money in the post he should be practicing his game in a bank vault!!... MARK THAT DOWN!!

3 Southfield Christian – Sophomore Jalen Bouldes is a pure point guard…..heady, tough, quick, mad handles…you're gonna be hearing a lot about this kid in the next couple years!!

4 Birmingham DCD – Junior wing Deshawn Lewis is upping his game to another level lately, giving the 'Jackets a superb 4-headed monster along with Edmond Sumner, Maceo Baston, Jr. & Nazir Wallace

5 (tie) RH Adams – Brandon Barrows might the most underrated SIR GRIND A LOT in the OC, simply NAILS!!

5 (tie) North Farmington – Going through the fire last week will only make TEAM NOGO more battle-tested for Tourney Time

6 Troy – Danny Wunderlich is as cool as the other side of my pillow, on the hardwood, on the gridiron and just generally in life (just like his big bro and former Colts two-sport stud BOBBY LICKS up at GVSU)

7 Troy Athens – Rock solid foundation being laid by Dave Scott for giving Athens a consistent postseason presence for the foreseeable future….RED HAWKS Raring for a Run!!!

8 Lakeland – Jake Menzel has been in BEAST MODE since December and he aint going to slow down until Graduation Day 2015

9 WL Central – Is PLAYOFF TIME going to translate into NAFSO TIME for the Central Cage Crew this year?......Burney SEZ: AFFIRMITIVE!!

10 Oak Park – Not sure what to think of last week for TEAM TIPTON

 

The girls basketball district at Birmingham Marian is grizzly bear of a draw.

The field is loaded. Just stacked.

Any of the five teams in this draw can win it.

Let's look at the field

Birmingham Marian – The favorites and hostesses of this DRAGONS DEN of a district……one of the most complete and CRAZY SICK GOOD clubs in the entire state….win this thing and they could be Breslin Ball'n by the end of next month

Farmington Hills Harrison – The No. 2 squad in this draw and one that might easily pull the upset and knockoff Marian in their district-opener Wednesday. TEAM MICKLASH will have the best post player on the floor in Kyla Roland and maybe the best backcourt in Kristin Nelson and Amber Stephens. This bodes well for the BIG GREEN MACHINE and their quest for that repeat district crown

North Farmington – Megan Carter and the CARRUTHERS EXPRESS is not to be overlooked!!

Birmingham Seaholm – The Cinderella Darlings of this dance, the OAA Blue champs came out of nowhere this winter and are kicking butts and taking names…..Mackenzie Harbort and Elise Tolbert alone give the Maples a shot at continuing this glorious campaign of theirs

Bloomfield Hills – The Black Hawks have the single most dominant player in this district in senior Shannon Wilson, a venomous versatile gem of a point guard that could put TEAM RUBIN on her back and lead them to the promise land...they'll get going Monday night vs upstart Seaholm

Burney Makes The Call; HARRISON HAWKS, roll, baby, roll!!!

 

Catholic League hoops has a rich history in Oakland County.

This is a boys cage breakdown of how teams from the OC have fared when it comes to the CSHL Tourney & raising the crown at Calihan;

Orchard Lakes Lourdes Academy was the first team to win it all in 1954 – Lourdes is obviously not around anymore but Royal Oak Shrine is and the Knights put up their inaugural league-title banner in 1955.

Catholic Central first won the whole enchilada in 1949, but didn't get to Oakland County until the 2000s.

Orchard Lake St. Mary's, set to square off with Detroit U-D Jesuit on Sunday for the 2014 A-B Championship, finally got on the board in 1971 and Birmingham Brother Rice in 1974, the season the Warriors took home the Class A state crown, too.

Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes, scheduled to meet Allen Park Cabrini Sunday in the C-D Finals, got in on the action in 1984 under LAKESNATION football and softball coaching legend Mike Boyd. Guess who was a starter on that WOLL club? Yeah, current EPIC girls sideline general Steve Robak. And what about the last Lakes CHSL crowning? That was back in 1992 when current boys coach Paul was anchoring the backcourt during an era where he led the school into the Class D final four the season that followed

MH Bishop Foley aka TEAM WEST didn't win one until 2011, however up until this year, the Ventures had reeled off a 3PEAT. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep got itself a pair in the late 1990s (1996 & 1998) with current Berkley boys head coach David McGlowan running the point for the Fighting Irish (he helped take NDP to the Elite 8 aka the state quarterfinals as a senior in the 1998 season)

Over the past two decades, it's been a St. Mary's victory parade, as the Eaglets have staked claim to eight CHSL championships. Six for current OLSM bench baron George Porritt (including a state title with the 2000 squad and four crownings in five seasons between 2004 and 2008)and two for current Hartland coach and former Eaglets sideline wunderkind Denny Butcher (which included the '94 title on the way to the Class C state finals)

Overall, Catholic Central has the most Catholic League titles in OC history (16), although just one was captured when the school was at its current Novi campus. That hard-working 2012 championship club was also the last local Class A squad to walk away from Calihan victorious

What Timmy Micklash has been able to do on the sidelines with the FH Harrison girls basketball program is pretty darn impressive!!...Let's just start calling these gals The Firehouse Gang 'cause they're straight BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE w/ their performance on the hardwood

Micklash is on the verge of constructing a true SUPER POWER.

That's the kind of young, hungry and ULTRA TALENTED players he's developed the last couple years and has in the stable for the foreseeable future.

Remember, this is all being done at Harrison, the football school. That same HAWKSNATION which has sadly in the past been known as a place where hoops isn't supported or really cared about.

Talk about change.

These Harrison Lady Hawks HOOPERS are elite.

Just look at the resume; Back-to-back league championships and the raising of the ONLY basketball district title in school HISTORY last winter (a tourney run where TEAM MICKLASH lost an absolute heartbreaker in the Sweet 16 aka the regional finals).

Alright let's roll call it;

Kyla Roland – The straw that stirs the drink for the Hawks assault, the squad's heart&soul, and as dominant a post prowler as there comes in the OC....superior leader and competitor!

Kristen Nelson & Amber Stephens – Best duo of sophomores in the whole area, each sporting an upside that is in the cosmos......both are the definition of the term "Primetime Playmaker", with Nelson devouring the comp from the point and Stephens doing her destruction off the ball

Asia Campbell & Taylor Kelley – A pair of the OC's most consistent and clutch complimentary players....whether drilling the 3-ball, sinking critical free throws, finishing on the break or getting nasty on defense, this tandem is fundamentally-sound and tuff as nails in so many ways

Katie Conrad – The "Shadow Stopper" for the H-Town Cage Brigade, ace defender, solid all-around game, doing all the necc little things in the background and just plain bringing it EVERY NIGHT, while her teammates get most the pub...BURNEY SEZ-MAD PROPS!!

Southfield's football program has hit the college recruiting world with a staggering one-two punch.

Juniors Ray Buford and Dior Johnson were each named MVP of separate showcase camps this past week.

Buford (6-foot-1, 195 pounds), a pure playmaker of a deep-threat wide receiver and a lockdown corner, got the top nod at the Core 6 Showcase in Cincinnati. Whether on offense or 'D', Buford is equally explosive.

Johnson (6-foot-2, 200 pounds) plays wide out and in the secondary, too. He was named MVP of the defensive back group at the Best of the Midwest Combine in Indianapolis. In college, Johnson projects as a versatile safety.

They teamed to help lead Southfield to a league championship back in the fall.

Next season as a seniors the Bluejays baller duo will be central cogs in a high-powered, college-prospect laden offense (see RB Matt Falcon, QB Kanye Harris among others).

OC Top 10

1 Bloomfield Hills – Let's just start calling Black Hawks junior guard Cameron Dalton 'The Microwave' cuz this kid is instant heat when his number is called

2 Clarkston – Does DUB No. 600 come for Coach Fife this week; Burney Sez; COUNT ON IT!!

3 Southfield Christian – The Washington Monuments are going to GET CRAZY BUSY this week in honor of Presidents Day…..WAIT FOR IT…..

4 Birmingham DCD – Burney's thinking Breslin again for TEAM BRAY after all that talk about the 'Jackets being down earlier this season, really taking it up a notch right now

5 RH Adams – The Highlanders are in BALLER-SHOT CALLER MODE, please make a note

6 (tie) North Farmington – Buddha has been doing a lot of going all BUDDHA lately, can you say the best player at his position in the entire state's Class of 2015?

6 (tie) Oak Park – Sizzling sophomore power forward Kelvon Fuller and bruiser southpaw junior center Rodney Scales make up the top frontcourt in the whole OC….TAKE IT 2 THA BANK!!

7 Walled Lake Central – The 'V' in Vikings at WLC this winter stands for VICTORY LANE

8 (tie) Troy Athens – Red Hawks super scrappy junior combo guard Timmy Shayoka has exceeded SWAGGER LEVEL FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND TRILLION and THAT'S A FACT!!

8 (tie) Troy – Gary Fralick = Coach of the Year in the OC for 2014?

9 (tie) OL St. Mary's-Birmingham Brother Rice-Novi Detroit CC – CHSL Pride in the OC is still alive and well, don't worry folks

10 Lakeland – The Lake is living LARGE and Burney is LOVING it!!

I need another dose.

That's would be Round 4 of Farmington Hills Mercy and Birmingham Marian on the girls hardwood.

These two squads are as evenly matched as evenly matched can possibly be.

They're two of the most complete and cohesive girls hoops crews I've seen in the OC in quite a while.

They're fun to watch and they play the right way.

Sunday at Calihan Hall for the Catholic League crown was EPIC. "The Mercy Miracle" for the ages.

In a trifecta of nip-and-tuck dandies, the Marlins lead the seasons series 2-1.

Burney wants more!!!

If both club take care of business, that means one thing: Does the word BRESLIN mean anything to you people. Yeah, that's right, the final four, for the right to play for all the marbles in SPARTYLAND.

Hoop Gods, do your boy Burney a favor and help a brother out, he's needs some more MERCY-MARIAN MADNESS

The Michigan State football program just got itself a steal in the world of preferred walk-ons when the Spartans nabbed a commitment from Orchard Lake St. Mary's senior tight end Nate Conrad.

A sturdily built 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, Conrad is sure-handed and the definition of a "character kid" on and off the field.

Last week he made it official: He'll be wearing the Green & White for his college pigskin, passing up a slam dunk at the D2 or D3 level at the last minute for a shot at the brass ring....or is that a Rose Bowl ring, I'm not certain?.

Talk about great value!

Burney honestly thinks this is the type of guy that comes in the back door and leaves through the front….i.e. eventually earns a scholarship and playing time with TEAM DANTONIO.

Conrad was hurt last fall and missed the entire season (he did start on the Eaglets 2012 Catholic League-title squad and D3 state-finalist as a junior). Now, he's healthy and ready to bring his tireless work ethic and endless engine to the Big Ten. Something tells me this the beginning of a beautiful relationship!! Congrats to my main man Nate the Great from your boy, Burney!

The Catholic League girls hoops scene is mighty packed with high-level talent this year.

Here's a look at a few of those star-studded Lady CHSL Cage Crazies that Burney thinks deserves a shout-out;

Candace Leatherwood-Sam Bauer-Sierra La Grande (FH Mercy) – This three-headed monster out of the backcourt is as consistent and deadly as any trifecta in the state

Allie Gorcyca (FH Mercy) – The ultimate "Glue Gal", does all the little things on the court to makes all the big things happen…..aka AG=A1

Taylor Jones (FH Mercy) – Flourishing presence on the wing that could easily be putting up 20 a night if her team wasn't already so balanced in the firepower department, only a junior, will be one of the Catholic League's most dangerous weapons next season

Sarah LewAllen (Pontiac NDP) – Pound-for-pound could be the CHSL most complete all-around player, has very few if any flaws in her game, can shoot, handle, board, slash, lead and finish with the best her league has to offer……TAKE IT 2 THA BANK!!

Nicole DiFore & Lindsay Klei (Pontiac NDP) – "Dynamite D" and "Special K" are to be approached with caution……that's how flammable their respective games are right now in the Fighting Irish backcourt

Kara Holinski & Laura Bruton (Birmingham Marian) – Just so steady, so gritty, so gutty, so dependable, so fearless, so hard-working, shall I continue?

The Thomas Sisters (Birmingham Marian) – These girls are the THRILL AND CHILL twosome, big sis Bailey thrills 'em at the point and little sis Samantha chills them in the post…..MARK THAT DOWN!!

Brittany Gray & Jaeda Robinson (Birmingham Marian) – A pair of "Sleeper Specials" on the wing for the Mustangs that sum up the term LADY GRIND-A-LOTS with everything they do for their teams on the floor

Anna Robb (Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes) – There's a reason she's got that BLING BLING (2 state title rings)…..A-RIZZLE is a BALLER & A SHOT CALLER whether she's hooping it up in her WOLL Blues on the court or just kicking it in the halls

Mary Joe Allen (Clarkston Everest Academy) – Mary Joe AWESOME is more like it!!

Jenna Rogers (Wixom St. Catherine) – Pure GUNNER!!! Preeminent Playmaker!!! Can you say Division title?

Renee Fisher (Madison Heights Bishop Foley) – Four words; BEAST ON THE BLOCKS!!!

 

What's happening on the hardwood in the City of Pontiac is downright tragic.

Both the Phoenix girls and boys hoop squads are just getting pummeled every time out, sometimes struggling to even put up remotely respectable efforts (the girls lost 71-3 recently, the boys only managed 25 points versus Clarkston in a 70-25 shellacking late last week).

This is a slow death, the painful demise of one of the state's great basketball meccas for decades and decades.

The district will most likely close at the end of the year or at the very least the high school will be turned into a charter school.

The rich legacy, the storied tradition of 'Yaktown B-Ball'in is over. The rest of the winter is merely academic. There will be no miraculous resurrection. The Pontiac Hoop Kingdom has crumbled to the ground, shattered into a million pieces before our very eyes in a mere two years.

I hope the young ballers from the area these days understand the significance of their breeding ground, even if they end up playing in neighboring towns likes Waterford, West Bloomfield, Auburn Hills, Bloomfield Hills and Walled Lake (the school districts that will probably be the destination for Pontiac students if the district does indeed shutter).

It was THE spot in the OC for excellent basketball, the most competitive and intense atmosphere you could find outside of the PSL (a demise of which is a whole other story, though not nearly as sad or dire as what is going down in Pontiac right now).

Those days have passed.  While it wasn't that long ago that TEAM ROGERS was winning back-to-back Class A state tiles, it seems like it was 100 years ago.

The memories are all that we have left.

RIP!!

 

This winter the OC has a four-pack of super elite FAB FROSH in its midst on the girls basketball court

I'm talking about a group of lady cage phenoms that have a chance to be ALL-TIME GREATS.

Let's break it down:

Samantha Thomas (Birmingham Marian) – THE TRUTH plain and simple, can do a little bit of everything, considered one of the best ninth-graders in the nation

Destiny Pitts (Birmingham DCD) – SUPERSTAR IN THE MAKING, very complete game, superior instinct and work ethic, coachable and the picture of cool, calm and collected in the heat of battle

Deja Church (Southfield-Lathrup) – STRAIGHT KILLER in the open floor, upside that is through the roof and a natural feel for the big play that's uncanny  

Mackenzie Harbort (Birmingham Seaholm) – The quintessential point guard, playmaker and leader

The Oakland County prep boys hoops landscape has a new star blossoming into the stratosphere these last couple weeks.

His Name: Waterford Mott's Tim "Grind-to-Shine" Williams.

What a ball player!

T-Dub earned himself a starting spot in the Corsairs backcourt at the end of January and has been going absolute BONKERS!!

On Monday night, he swished a game-winning 10-foot baseline jumper in the waning seconds to send Mott to an improbable 46-45 win over arch-rival Waterford Kettering, which saw the Corsairs roared back from 9 down in the final minute.

He's gone for double-figures in the scoring column in the past four straight games.

His first three double-digit drops were of 18, 21 and 19 points respectively.

Against Kettering he pumped in 10 to go along with his game-winner.

If you see this kid walking down the street, please refrain from pouring buckets of ice water on his heads if he looks too scorching hot, flames flaring out of his pores, its just the HUMUNGOUS HOOPING AURA surrounding my man T-GRIZZLE's every move these days!

OC Top 10

1 Bloomfield Hills – The best way to describe this Black Hawk Baller Brigade is LEGEN…..wait for it, I hope the BH Big 3 isn't lactose intolerant…DARY!!!!

2 Clarkston – Not really worried about C-Town grabbing that unreal 8^th straight OAA Red crown; despite the loss to BH, Burney's thinking they're still in the driver's seat since Team Fife controls its own destiny....i.e. has Bloomfield Hills and Adams in the Wolfden for their next meetings)

3 (tie) Birmingham DCD – Really rounding into shape….Maceo Baston reached SWAGGER LEVEL FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND TRILLION last week….make a note of it please!

3 (tie) Southfield Christian – The Eagles have a couple of sophomore sensations in Jalen Bouldes aka The Butta Baller and Richard Feagin, Mr. Faygo Pop it in your eye!!

4 RH Adams – Picking up steam at the exact right time!!!!

5 Oak Park – Super Soph Kelvon Fuller is about to UNLEASH THE FURY on the OAA.

6 (tie) North Farmington – Looking much better since getting upset 10 days ago on the road at against a feisty Lathrup squad, a very encouraging sign heading down the stretch

6 (tie) WL Central – This Vikings team and their coaching staff is ALL HEART, the most persistent, pesky, determined and downright dogged squad in the OC…YEAH, I SAID IT!!

7 Troy Athens – Corbin Vrinj is taking his game to the next level….Two words: WATCH OUT!!!

8 (tie) OSLM-Brother Rice-Novi CC – Not sure really what to think of these guys in terms of legit chances at advancing to Calihan, I'll know more this time next week and report back

9 Troy – TEAM FRALICK is as sharp as a razor blade right now, beware OAA White

10 (tie) Lakeland – Nails tough, needs to find ways to generate more 'O'

10 (tie) Holly – Burney's back on board with the Bronchos!!!

 

Quick OC history lesson:

Longtime Clarkston boys basketball coach and AD Dan Fife is one of the University of Michigan's all-time best point guards and leaders, not to mention logging time as a pro on the diamond.

A three-year starting floor general for the Wolverines in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Fife was the definition of a complete player on the basketball court.

For his hooping career wearing the Maize&Blue, he averaged 13 points, five rebounds and over five assists per game (a school record at the time). He was team captain of Michigan's 1970-1971 club.

Man, was he efficient as well! His career field-goal percentage was an immaculate 57.5 percent, a crazy-good stat for playing out of the backcourt.

While a prepster at C-TOWN in the 60s, Fife was a gleaming three-sport gem, starting at point guard on the hardwood, quarterback on the gridiron and on the mound as an ace hurler for the Wolfpack diamond cutters in the spring.

Pitching at Michigan, too, he was drafted into the pros by both the NBA (10^th rd to the Milwaukee Brewers) and MLB (2^nd rd to the Detroit Tigers).

Before returning to Ann Arbor to coach alongside Johnny Orr back on the Wolverines cage crew, helping them advance into the NCAA Championship Game (1976), and then landing at Clarkston in the early 1980s, Fife pitched in the Big Leagues with the Minnesota Twins. In seven starts, he was a respectable 3-2.

Lots of moving and shaking on the local high school sports scene these past few days;

Walled Lake Western football star Torrez Nesbit has departed to Florida and Southfield boys basketball star Isaiah Green has arrived back on the hardwood and re-joined the Bluejays line-up.

Both athletes are juniors.

Nesbit, a big, fast and strong tailback on the gridirion, who helped lead Western to a league championship back in the fall, left recently with his family to go down South where he'll be finishing up his prep career toting the rock in the Tampa area.

If he had returned to Western for his senior season, Nesbit would have been one of Oakland County's top threats out of the backfield. This is the second year in a row that the OC has lost an elite grid stud to a family relocation out of state (last January OLSM star wide receiver Van Jefferson left for Tennessee when his dad Shawn, the former NFL veteran wide out and Detroit Lions assistant coach, took a job with the Titans).

As reported on this blog, Green, a premiere college prospect in the post on the hardwood, left and then came back to Southfield (the team at least).

Up until Friday, it was unknown when or if Green would be allowed to return to the floor this winter, pending a school investigation into the situation.

It obviously got sorted out pretty quick, because Green was in uniform and played against Clarkston Friday night.