MHSAA Misses: Division I Misses
Despite what my penchant for missed personal deadlines might belie. I spend a lot of time on my preseason ranking rollouts. Accordingly, I feel pretty good about them and I’m not going update the lists until after the holidays.
That being said, there will invariably be mistakes and oversights. Do not consider these to be amendments or full-scale mea culpas. It’s still very early in the season. However, following are eight more teams that deserve early recognition. I will provide the links for the previous lists. If you put them all together you will have full watch list of 20 plus teams for the season in Division I
Final Preseason Top 10 here
Additional Group of Eight here
…and if you want the first group 10 from way back in the summer you can find that here
Ann Arbor Huron (8-0)
I can tell on myself, that’s kind of the purpose of this series. I thought graduation attrition would catch up to the River Rats this year. Early on I appear to be very wrong. The record is not only perfect, the margin of victory against a quality schedule has been eye opening. Good guard play is generally a key part of early season success. Huron has it with senior Kaiden Morning and junior Nate Sidney. I was impressed with junior shooter Jake Gernant this spring/summer with The Academy. If the frontcourt can develop and keep up with the backcourt production. The River Rats could make a return trip to the Breslin Center.
Auburn Hills Avondale (6-1)
Backcourt heavy group gets in at the wire after handing Grand Blanc (see below) their first loss of the season. They feature two explosive and dynamic 6-4 senior wings in Jakobe Liford and Noah Bonds. Bonds has the versatility to play near the basket. Liford is more perimeter oriented and had a huge spring/summer in grassroots basketball. They also feature an exciting young point guard in 5-10 sophomore Qualaeb Ross. If the Yellowjackets had a weakness coming into the season, it might have been outside shooting. That was addressed by senior Rochester transfer Maxwell Muhl. Muhl isn’t very big, but makes up for by beinng one the best shooters in the state.
Clarkston (6-1)
Death, taxes, and fundamentally sound Clarkston teams. Non withstanding a recent loss to a strong Saginaw Heritage squad I’ve mentioned on the links above. This year’s squad is off to a strong start with the familiar recipe. The skeleton key this year is not one, but two point guards who will play somewhere at the next level. Senior Cole Charter has the size (6-4) and versatility to play at the two. Junior Ace Walters is more of traditional point guard. Not the biggest team you will see. But there depth up and down the roster. Including some exciting underclassmen to watch.
Detroit Mumford (4-2)
Two losses isn’t ideal going into Christmas. However. this was against a tough early season schedule. Additionally, Mumford is working in some high profile transfers. They should be better at the end of the season. One of the aforementioned transfers is versatile 6-5 forward Chance Houser. Coming off strong grassroots campaign with The Family. Houser is a high flyer with plenty of experience from his time at Summit Academy North. Noah Holt is 6-5 junior with an equally impressive grassroots resume with out of state All Ohio Red. The backcourt is capably manned by junior Gavin Bobbitt and sophomore Kingston Hunt. If the pieces fit together, this will be one of the more talented teams in the vaunted PSL.
Grand Blanc (6-1)
The Bobcats appear to have stabilized as a program after a somewhat tumultuous period. Then enter their third year of coaching continuity and are seeing results from a young and talented core. Sophomores Emmanuel Cooley and Max O’Mara are at the forefront of this youth movement. Cooley is an excellent point guard who gets to the basket at will. O’Mara has the size and versatility to play on the perimeter and near the basket. However, you usually can’t win at the Division level without veterans. Georyan Cannon, a 6-3 senior wing fills that leadership void for the Bobcats. Gridiron standout Caseton Sendry and Jace Stinson, another talented 6-4 sophomore round out the starting rotation. There is plenty of depth coming off the bench as well.
Grand Haven (6-1)
Like Auburn Hills Avondale, the Buccaneers sneak in at the wire on the back of an overtime victory over Freeland. Freeland is one of the top Division II teams in the state and gives a glimpse of Grand Haven’s upside. Another perimeter oriented squad with plenty of scoring options. Chief among them is senior guard Will Plummer. The 6-1 guard scores efficiently and plays within the Buccaneers system. He has also the versatility to play the point. Junior Harper Huntington is a lefty with a similar high scoring but efficient profile. Athletic dynamism and further firepower come from the junior duo of Amani Frierson and Samer Konda. That is a lot of 6-1 guards. If the frontline can develop and keep pace with the high scoring backcourt. The Buccaneers could surprise and push to get out of the gauntlet that the Lakeshore region in Division I has become.
Grandville (6-0)
If you have been following along with this meandering ranking rollout series. You realize that OK Red might be the toughest Division I conference in the state. Coming into the season, I thought the Bulldogs might be too top heavy talent wise to compete with the depth of the conference. With an undefeated record against a difficult slate. I appear to be wrong. Grandville’s two big questions coming into the season have been answered emphatically. The first was if 6-6 senior wing Anthony Richardson’s grassroots blowup would carry over into the regular season— averaging double figures the answer is yes. The second is would highly lauded junior point guard Carter Wade return to full health after an extended injury absence? Wade is not only back, the power guard appears to have slimmed slightly, and is more athletically explosive. The x-factor has been the emergence of 6-5 freshman Heyden Jeremie. The versatile prospect was pushing a triple double in an early victory against Holland Christian. The Bulldogs won’t stay undefeated in the Red, but their play in the 2025 portion of their schedule deserves early recognition.
Hamtramck (5-1)
The Cosmos have evolved into the Eric Musselman of Michigan high school basketball. A program that develops tough defensive minded squads with use of transfers. What returns from last year is one of the largest frontlines in the state. At 6-8, senior CJ Flagg is an intimidating presence in the paint. Flagg is a long lean athlete who plays well above the rim. He is in the conversation for the best rim protector in the state. Flagg is joined by 6-10 junior Kenneth Towns. Towns is the opposite of Flagg, with a wide and bulky frame. He should be more comfortable and earn more time in his second year with the program. The newbie is sophomore Harper Woods transfer Andre Cast Jr (pictured) Cast isn’t very big (5-10) but has long been considered one of the top players in Michigan’s 2028 class. Alfonzo Harris Jr a transfer from Detroit Renaissance has added even more perimeter firepower to the Hamtramck attack.
