The range: limitless

The mindset: fearless

The lineage: elite

You guessed it, we're talking about Southfield Christian 2014 alum and former OC boys basketball star Lindsey Hunter IV, who spent 2015 at prep school (Ouakerdale).

Earlier this week, my main hooping homeboy "BIG SIN, LIL' LIN" inked with Delaware State for his college ball.

Hunter IV is the consummate combo guard – just like his pops (namesake & retired NBA vet), he is a natural scorer with a smooth stroke as well as an all-around playmaker and underrated dime dropper.

His BLING BLING & full arsenal of Mad Skillz were on full display between 2011 and 2014, when Hunter IV helped lead SCS to a THREE-PEAT in the Class D state title department (Can you say TEAM BAKER DYNASTY!!).

Delaware State is DI program that competes in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The DSU Hornets went 18-18 this year.

 

Bloomfield Hills HS will name a boys basketball coach soon.

Here's what Burney sees as the possible race for the job

Jeff Rubin – The clear frontrunner, Blackhawks girls coach, former Andover boys coach, smart, sharp, well-liked, disciplined, "character guy," excellent "x-and-o" man, has the kind of track record and familiarity with the terrain that you want when selecting somebody to head this ship

Sean Schroeder – Very successful sideline general from the westside of the state at Stevensville Lakeshore: he went 18-3 this season, just a couple years removed from a trip to the Class B final four and was a finalist for the job in 2013, incredibly respected out in his neck of the woods

Mike Maryanski – This gentle giant is one of those area assistant coaches that deserves a shot at a top spot after more than paying his dues in the shadows, has been a big reason for TEAM DENHA success at Berkley and West Bloomfield and before that was on the bench for his alma mater MH Bishop Foley and the Ventures '06 Elite 8 squad. Bodes well for him that he works in the BH district and is a vet of the area cage scene. In college, my man "Magic Mike" was a star locally at Madonna

Ben Kelso – The turnaround specialist and three-time state-championship coach could be interested in leveraging his surprisingly inspiring job at Pontiac this winter into a chance at a more stable, financially-solvent school district

Robert Rogers – Recently left Pontiac, where he was at the helm for over a dozen years and won repeat Class A state titles with the Northern Huskies (the only time its ever happened in the OC), "Rog" might want to get back in the mix in an area he knows, since he once held the reins at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook (1990s)

Sleeper: Ricky Palmer – No. 1 free agent in terms of pedigree (Kurt Keener protégé) and has been off the grid the past two years, he's sure to get back in the game soon, maybe the BlackHawks nest is the right place to resurface

 

The curtain has closed on the Eminem Show at Royal Oak High School. It was a fun and fruitful endeavor.

Mike Massucci has stepped down as the Ravens boys basketball coach, after several years at the helm where he was successful in bringing pride back to the Royal Oak public school cage scene.

"Sooch" is a class act and master motivator. He's been integral in helping retired NBA vet & Clarkston alum Tim McCormick get his fantastic Michigan Elite 25 program off the ground and recently authored a book, (An Elite Journey).

Before landing in the Ravens' Nest, Massucci was the head coach at Royal Oak Shrine through most of the late 1990s and 2000s and on the bench as an assistant with Kurt Keener at Birmingham Detroit Country Day for the 'Jackets' 1995 state championship campaign and the beginning of the Shane Battier era.

Hopefully, whoever grabs the reins at Royal Oak in the wake of Massucci's departure, will continue on the path he has set for the Ravens, which is upward bound on and off the floor.

OC "Elite 8"

1 Birmingham Brother Rice – Not even close to peaking, still sticking and moving like a champion prize-fighter, showing their grit in keeping their head above water with ace Karl Kauffmann out until May

2 West Bloomfield – LakeNation is NASTYLAND on the diamond these days, far from a shocker

3 (tie) Bloomfield Hills – The DEVITO EXPRESS is the pleasant surprise of the spring

3 (tie) OL St. Mary's – You can't stop Griffin Sheposh, you can only hope to contain him...and that's pretty darn difficult, too

4 Pontiac NDP – Little bit of a slow start for the Fighting Irish, ready to round into shape

5 Clarkston – This Wolfpack has some Thrill-and-Chill Specials, catch some more of that C-TOWN fever

6 Lake Orion – Dragons are styling and profiling, fire-breathing and fearless as ever

7 MH Bishop Foley – The Robinson Era is off and running, kinda got a similar feeling as the Sunde Era, which is a very, very good thing

8 Rochester – Turning heads early, Falcons flying like butterflies, stinging likes bees

Alma's backcourt just got better. You can thank Holly's senior boys basketball studs Josh Simms and Scott Maki personally for that. Both committed to play at the next level for the Alma College Scots this past week.

These two compliment each other beautifully on the hardwood: Simms is a jumping-jack of a combo guard that is a terror streaking down the lane or finishing on the fast break. Maki is a sweet-shooting marksman at the two-guard spot with deep, Splash Brothers-type range, an itchy trigger finger and ice running through his veins in crunch time.

Last year, the pair helped spur a benchmark campaign for the Bronchos program – as in 22-3, district title, Sweet 16 appearance, repeat league crown, a team-best 19-game winning streak –, while Simms pumped in 12 points per game, threw down a number of rim-shaking slam dunks and was named first-team All-Flint Metro and Maki connected on 40 percent of his triple attempts.

Alma finished the 2015 season 12-14. The Scot's squad in '15 carried two OC hoop hounds in Ethan Woelke (OLSM) and Quinton Cook (Ortonville Brandon). Woelke is a junior, Cook a sophomore.  

OC recruiting news & notes

Football

Jayraymond Hall, Oak Park's sophomore offensive lineman is one of the fastest-rising prospects in the state – he got a Michigan offer last week.

Berkley linebacker-fullback Austen Wood is seeing his recruiting stock take flight and took a recent

OL St. Mary's (aka No. 1 team in the OC……Yeah I Said It) Eaglets' Nest Update:

Sophomore "stunner" and speedster in the slot, KJ Hamler continues to go HAM on his recruiting as Pitt and San Diego came in with offers No. 7 and 8 this week.

Junior 'Big Nasty' Cam Kolwich (OL) snagged a Pitt offer, too, while Josh Ross, the Eaglets' tenth-grade terror and sizzler of a linebacker prospect brought home an offer from Cincinnati

Some additional intriguing future Eaglets' playmakers swirling around the TEAM PORRITT grid emporium to keep an eye out for in '15 – This foursome anchored the program's JV last fall and are ready to blast off onto the varsity scene in just a few months…..Yeah, I'm talking about Richard Bowens (RB-WR-DB), Kenyon Elway (WR-S), Rashawn Allen (RB) & Ky'ren Cunningham (LB)

Speaking of youngsters, word out of Clarkston is that incoming fab frosh Jacob Wagner could be the next D.J. Zezula under center for the defending state champion Wolfpack

Soon-to-be Southfield sophomore Brandon Gray is a wide receiver prospect with what seems like immense upside and undoubtable natural skill at the position

Southfield Bradford senior 'Little Ra' Murray (linebacker) signed to play his college pigskin at Taylor University in Ohio. Murray began his prep career at WL Western and recorded a solid campaign with over 70 tackles in the small-school ranks as a senior for BULLDOGNATION.

Basketball

Birmingham Brother Rice's Dominic Downs, the consummate grit-master general in the backcourt, inked with Lake Forest College

Southfield high-flyer Khary Fanning, unquestionably the premier slam dunker in the area with a quickly-improving overall game, penned his letter of intent with UofM-Dearborn

Don't be shocked to see AH Avondale senior swingman Chris Barton, the hardest working superstar in the OC, land at the DI level – I've had more than one "in-the-know" source tell me a number of mid-majors are sniffing in the 6-foot-4 Barton's direction to possibly fill late slots in their recruiting classes

Bradford BALL-HOUNDS Cordell Kelly and Quantes Ruffin, a pair of athletic forwards, followed up their Charter-League title in the winter with trips to the college ranks in the spring, Kelly signed with Morehouse and Ruffin with Fort Valley (GA).

Five For Fighting – Best OC QBs on The Prep Gridiron For 2015

1 Trishton Jackson (West Bloomfield) – Yeah, him again!! If you could bottle what this kid has in the tank and sell it, you'd be a TRILLIONAIRE!!

2 Kyle Thomas (WL Western) – Complete game-changer under center, dynamite dual-threat, primetime player in every way possible

3 Brandon Tabone (OL St. Mary's) – Efficient flame-thrower and secondary surgeon, straight stud in the pocket with just so, so many weapons to play with

4 (tie) Kyle Wood (RH Adams) – Iron-willed, strong arm, quick feet, high grid IQ, we're talking a pretty special package, here!

4 (tie) Clay Senerius (Waterford Lakes) – No. 1 small-school field general in the state…...any questions?

5 Travis Janes (AH Avondale) – Just as cool as the other side of the pillow calling signals, will have a giant senior season leading the 'Jackets

2016 OC Boys Hoopster Power Index

1 Trishton Jackson (West Bloomfield Sr. G) – Look up electrifying in the dictionary and you'll see this kid's name

2 Foster Loyer (Clarkston Soph G) – Has the potential to be a "once in a generation" type and an all-time great in the OC

3 Billy Thomas (North Farmington Sr. G) – The best pure shooter in the state…..Yeah I said it!!

4 Spencer Littleson (RH Adams Sr. G/F) – Recruiting stock is soaring, dynamic talent, ace sniper and mega playmaker

5 Amuri Hardy (Southfield Jr. G) – DI-level floor general who will rebound in GINORMOUS fashion in 2016 after a knee injury took away most of his sophomore campaign, crafty speed-demon with a lightning-fast release and deadeye stroke from deep

6 Walter Kelser (WL Central Sr. G) – Baby Special K will shine again and even brighter next season….that's a Certified Burney Guarantee!!

7 (tie) Taylor McCaskill (Troy Athens Soph G) – MCAWESOME in everything he does on the hardwood, gearing up for a legendary prep career in the city of Troy  

7 (tie) Tariq Derrickson (Pontiac NDP Jr. G) – Could be a Top 5 player in the county by mid-2016, he's a scary "under-the-radar" prospect to keep a major eye on (believe me the college scouts are)

8 (tie) Kyle Woodruff-Ian Hodges (Holly Sr. G) – No. 1 backcourt in the OC, Woodruff will back from a shoulder injury with reckless abandon to challenge Billy Thomas & Spencer Littleson for bragging rights in the most dangerous outside shooter department in the area and Hodges will continue his ascent as a "southpaw snazzy" in the backcourt with the ability to do damage in multiple ways on the court   

9 Marlow Brown (Southfield Christian Sr. G/F) – No. 1 small-school player in the OC, straight killer on the hardwood and a first-class winner to boot

10 Tabin Throgmorton (Clarkston Sr. G/F) – Some ways to describe by main C-Town hooping homeboy T-Double aka T-RAW: Long, lanky, assassin from beyond the arc, smooth, savvy, cagey, clutch, tough-as-nails, terror on the wing

The University of Michigan is getting a Dunaway two-for-one special. When talking about value and pedigree, this pair's in a league all by itself.

With his big brother, senior Birmingham Brother Rice football star Jack Dunaway (defensive end) already headed to Ann Arbor next fall, sophomore Warriors' gridiron standout Carter Dunaway (tight end) came on board with the Maize and Blue this weekend.

The younger Dunaway (6-foot-6, ½ , 240 pounds) committed to become Jim Harbaugh's first recruit for his Class of 2017 on a visit to campus. He's glue-handed, a physical blocker and all-in-all ready to erupt this fall, not to mention set to anchor the transition for the program from the celebrated Alex Malzone era. Oh by the way, on the subject of Malzone, the OC Golden Quarterback God is at Michigan now, fighting it out for the starting nod under center in spring ball.

The Jack Attack was a quarterback's worst nightmare these past two years for the powerhouse Brother Rice pigskin brigade, establishing himself one of the state's top pass rushers. Last season, he racked up 10 sacks off the edge.

The Dunaways' pops, Craig, a righteous dude If I've ever met one, played at Michigan in the early 1980s and then had a cup of coffee in the NFL with his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers. Wow, shocker, right?  

OC Top 20

1 Nick Plummer (Birmingham Brother Rice Sr. OF) - Too hot to handle, Too cold to hold, No. 1-rated player in the state for reasons that are quite evident signed w/ Kentucky

2 Chandler Sedat (West Bloomfield Sr. P) - One of the best and most clutch to ever don the WB Green&White in any sport signed w/ Indiana

3 Karl Kauffmann (Birmingham Brother Rice Jr. P) - Tireless hurler on the hill, MLB Draft prospect 2016....'Nuff said!! committed to Michigan

4 Eric Gilgenbach (Stoney Creek Sr. IF) - G-Funk Era splendid in Cougartown for one more spring signed with Notre Dame

5 Robbie Jones (West Bloomfield Sr. OF) - Possibly the most under-the-radar SUPERSTAR prospect in the MHSAA right now signed w/ Michigan State

6 Alex Darden (North Farmington Jr. P) - Nifty southpaw chucker w/ a bolt of lighting as an arm committed to Cincinnati

7 Luke Shilling (Pontiac NDP Sr. P) - Maybe the biggest upside of any prospect in the area, should probably be higher on this list committed to Illinois

8 Nate Grys (MH Bishop Foley Sr. OF) - Nate the Great: Episode 4 2015 will be the most exciting installment yet signed with Western Michigan

9 Harrison Salter (OL St. Mary's Jr. C) - He's a Salter-Freehan behind the plate.....any more questions? committed to Michigan

10 D.J. Zezula (Clarkston Sr. IF) - This is THE D.J. Zezula we're talking about here, he's awesome at everything signed with Wayne State on the diamond & gridiron

11 Will Mullen (Pontiac NDP Sr. P) signed with Wester Michigan

12 Jake Vyskocil (Pontiac NDP Sr. IF) signed with UW-Milwaukee

13 (tie) Joey Prechtel (RH Adams Jr. P) committed to Toledo

13 (tie) Jake Stout (Rochester Sr. P) singed w/ Toledo

14 John Van Hoef (Troy Athens Sr. P/IF)

15 Joe Popp (Clarkston Sr. OF/C)

16 Greg Loukinen (OL St. Mary's Sr. P)

17 Travis Janes (AH Avondale Jr. IF)

18 Trevor Friday (FH Harrison Sr. P) signed with Saginaw Valley State University

19 Weylin Frisbie (RH Adams Sr. P)

20 Perry Klemanski (Bloomfield Hills Sr. IF/P)

OC Top 10

1 Birmingham Brother Rice – Is there ever any question?

2 West Bloomfield – Encore, encore!!! Stacked, packed and on the prowl!

3 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep – Will put the FIGHT into Fighting Irish in '15….& that's a fact!

4 Clarkston – The Zezula&Pop two-sport superstar era in C-Town will take one last victory lap in their Wolfpack digs, drink it in, people, these two define the term Blue Plate Special

5 Lake Orion – Breathing fire to a baseball field near you, per usual in the STRAM-RAM REGIME

6 Stoney Creek – The Cougar Diamond Den will be a very, very dangerous place once again, I smell district title No. 4 in a row

7 MH Bishop Foley – Another batch, another skip, same stellar results…..Mark that down!

8 RH Adams – Highlanders Nation presents: TEAM HALL, the annual spring version, Catch the fever!!

9 Bloomfield Hills – The BlackHawks will feast on their prey in Frank DeVito's return to the skipper role in BH dugout…that's a Burney-Certified Fact!!

10 OL St. Mary's – Greg Loukinen might be the most underrated ace hurler in the entire area….Yeah, I said it!!

 

Clarkston senior basketball star Drew Myers finished out his days as a prepster with another superior effort – walking home with MVP honors at the annual Inside Prep Sports All-Star Game Sunday and leading his squad to a 107-75 dub.

Pretty fitting right, considering that my man Steady Rock D was IN THE ZONE for most of the entire 2015 campaign, being a leader, a gunner and a glue guy all rolled into one while helping the Wolfpack run the table on the regular season and making the program's first appearance in the Elite 8 in six years - the masterful 28-spot he dropped on final-four bound UD-Jesuit and it's almost surefire All-American floor general Cassius Winston in the quarterfinals was an all-time classic C-Town effort.

Man, this Myers kid is a PRIMETIME PLAYA with a certified License to Thrill in the backcourt POINT BLANK. Madonna will be set at one of its guard spots in the rotation for the next four years. This kid's consistency, caginess and character, as well as his all-out warrior of a work ethic and fearless attitude will set him apart, per usual. Like there would be any doubt? I see you Steady Rock D, doing your thing, quiet swag and all...

Other OC Hoopster Extraordinaires to dot IPS All-Star roster Sunday was: North Farmington's Buddha Rogers (Cleveland St), AH Avondale's Chris Barton, West Bloomfield's Zach Allread (Northwood), Southfield's Isaiah Green, Southfield-Lathrup's Freddy John (Toledo), Oak Park's Rodney Scales, MH Bishop Foley's Antonio Capaldi & Birmingham DCD's Deshawn Lewis

As if Birmingham Brother Rice didn't have enough super studs on the baseball diamond already, here comes another one.

Senior catcher Robert Iacobelli is coming on strong early, thrashing and mashing at the dish and holding things down behind the plate, helping TEAM RIKER overcome the loss to graduation of three-year starter Sammy Stevens (currently catching in college in our nation's capital at Georgetown).

Earlier this week, Iacobelli had a world-beater of an outing, going 3-for-3 with a homer and a pair of RIBBIES in the Warriors 6-0 blanking of GP South.

Brother Rice is 9-1 so far in 2015.

Ok, so let's recap:

Looking to go out in style with a senior year to remember, Bobby I aka "Bobby ICE PICK" Iacbobelli is doing damage for the Orange&Black, making a quick reputation for himself as a "TRUE PLAYA 4 Real on the rise" in Warriorland.

Top 10 OC Softball Players

1 Alex Sobczak (FH Mercy Sr. INF) – Maybe the best power hitter this area has seen since the dawning of the New Millennium, jaw-dropping-type swing that is so sweet she should think about dipping her bat in powdered sugar before each trip to the plate  (signed w/ Michigan)

2 (tie)  Abby Skvarce (Clarkston Jr C) – At the top of the heap in the area when it comes to the OC's excellent crop of catchers, totally tenacious in everything she does (committed to Michigan)

2 (tie) Rachel Vierra (Clarkston Sr. INF) - Superior shortstop and team captain, classic playmaker and prototypical primetime performer (signed w/ CMU)

3 Abby Kryzwiecki (FH Mercy Jr P) – Tantalizing two-way talent that can spin and swing equally lethally, will be a Mercy all-time great when its all said & done this elite-level LADY Sir-Grind-A-Lot is through w/ her HS career....Yeah I said It!!

4 Alex Carpenter (Lake Orion Sr. INF-OF ) – Possibly the most diverse player in the local prep softball ranks, lightning in a bottle on the diamond

5 Kaetlyn Hendershot (Ortonville Brandon Sr. P) – A pure heavyweight in all facets of the game, from the circle and at the dish....just a killer!

6 Haley Lenderman (Rochester)

7 Mikaya Blaska (Clarkston)

8 Alexa Cherney (North Farmington)

9 Sera Stevens (Birmingham Marian)

10 Ashley Messina (Troy)

Top 5 OC Softball Teams

1 Clarkston

2 Lake Orion

3 FH Mercy

4 Troy

5 Lakeland

Bloomfield Hills baseball ROLL CALL: Some names to watch out for this season in BlackHawkLand

Perry Klemanski (IF-OF-P) – Does it all, does it great, does with class, leadership and savvy...one of the top talents in the OAA, threat to do damage every second he's on the diamond

Matt Biermann (C) – The B is for BALLER!!.....Blast-off time at the plate with his stick and one of the best behind the plate in the OC running a pitching staff and keeping base-runners at bay, fundamentally sound is an understatement

Cameron Greer & Nick Schnieder – Under-the-radar "sleeper studs" with their gloves and at the dish....please make a note!!

Christian Jaworski (OF) – "Jaws" is ready to devour the comp this spring, off, def and in the dugout as a team sparkplug

Max Rosenfeld (IF-P) – "Mad Max" in the house, kicking tail and taking names......YEAH, I SAID IT!!

Troy Saruna (Of) – Coldblooded, cagey centerfielder with a thunderous swing and gun from the outfield

That all-time classic C-Town connection on the prep gridiron will reunite at the college level.

Clarkston star senior wide receiver Shane Holler recently committed to Wayne State University, following the lead of his favorite, pitch-catch partner, all-state quarterback D.J. Zezula, who committed and signed with the Warriors back in February.

It's not like these two aren't coming off sparking the Wolfpack to back-to-back Division 1 state championships or anything…..Oh, wait, they are. My bad, boyz!

Man, does that get Burney jacked for the future of Wayne St. football or what?

Zezula to Holler for 6…… aka touchdowns upon touchdowns are on the horizon at Adams Field.

Personally, I can hardly wait.

Justin Robinson is now at the helm of the powerhouse Madison Heights Bishop Foley baseball team. He replaces three-time state-champion skipper Buster Sunde, who stepped down following the 2014 campaign.

Robinson's club will remain formidable in the wake of Sunde's absence - do I smell another in a recent long line of Catholic League titles in the making in Robinsonville?

Here are some names to know entering the 2015 campaign on the diamond for the Ventures

Nate Grys – Sultan of Swat, exceptional arm and range from the outfield, killer of an overall athlete, a power-hitting prodigy aka master blaster at the dish

Cam Horwath – One of the best all-around "glue guys" in the area, spunky webgem in the middle of the infield, aka a SIR-GRIND-A-LOT Special if I've ever seen one 

Griffin Green – Gutty, fundamentally-sound catching prospect, unlike his name, not so green at the plate either

Mike Ryan – Ripper of a junior, love this kid's swing

Tommy Brumfield & Jake Pittman – Lefty & righty hurlers repsectively with enough weapons in their bag of tricks to become a pair of twin aces

Justin Campbell, Santos Guzman & Payton Schuster - Tasty trio of sensational sophomores ready to take the CHSL by storm this spring.....that's a Burney-Certified Guarantee!!

Watch out for Stoney Creek on the local prep baseball diamond in 2015. These Cougars are sharpening their fangs for another banner campaign and a possible fourth-straight Division 1 district crown. Yeah, that's what we're dealing with in TEAM RODGERLAND this spring.

So here are four names to keep tabs on : 

   Eric Gilgenbach - Clutch playmaker, hot stick, fast glove, the total package...headed to Notre Dame for a reason

Joe Hamrick - Hillsdale-signee with a workhorse attitude and demeanor on the mound

Scott Reader - One cool customer in center, dangerous at the plate and on the base paths

Jordan Skidmore - Junior hurler and third baseman with power and poise....could develop into a star this season

No more Roop, Human Highlight Zone, Hot Sauce, Righteous Randy, Slick-Glove Freddy, Swinging Sammy, etc..

The three-time defending Catholic League baseball-champion Birmingham Brother Rice Warriors have some new names at the front of the marquee for the 2015 campaign.

Alright, let's ROLL CALL IT:

The names to know

Nick Plummer – Five–Tool Terror….. best player in the state…….Yeah I said it…..Next stop:MLB

Karl Kauffmann – Plain NASTY on the hill, a pure technician chucking the pill ….'NUFF SAID!

Davis Feldman – Anchor in the infield at short, quick, effective bat, ace reliever, character guy, leader, SUPER underrated two-sport dynamo…..did I forget anything?  

Johnny Garry – Had a HUGE football season, will have an even bigger impact on the diamond in '15, Does the term 'Primetime Performer' mean anything to you?

Dominic Downs – DD is DA' BOMB…..a SIR-GRIND-A-LOT Special if I've ever seen one no matter what endeavor

Jeff Timko – Breakout spring in store for my main Orange&Black homeboy JT, will emerge as a star

Preston Pilat – Ready to pilot into the stratosphere…..Please make a note!

Reese Trahey & John Malcom – A piping-hot pair of Fab Frosh with tantalizing skill-sets & a diamond swag & IQ that far exceeds their young age

Birmingham Groves senior football star Zach Van Faussien aka Zach Van AWESOME is an animal under center on the gridiron, so it's appropriate that he's headed to the Zoo – as in Kalamazoo College to play his pigskin at the next level.

Van Faussien, Groves' starting quarterback the past two years on back-to-back playoff squads, will be a Hornet in college. Great fit, my man. KZOO is a premier academic institution and a super place to put in work on the college football field. Van Faussien will do…..wait for it….you guessed it….AWESOME. Last fall, the NOTORIOUS ZVF amassed 1,220 yards and 16 touchdowns through the air.