Class A Power Rankings and Previews

Compiled by Gavin Raath

The easy favorite in class A is Arthur Hill. They return their three key starters from last season, including my pick for Mr. Basketball, Dar Tucker. However, Saginaw looks like they could be a deadly team. No one can match their size or talent, for that matter. I wouldn't be surprised if the Trojans came out on top in Saginaw. To the south Flint Carman-Ainsworth is quietly turning into a monster. They already had a good line-up coming in, but it got even stronger with two huge transfers in Dee Chapman and Reggie Stallings. Davison and Flint Northern will both be much improved as well. The CAAC has had representation in three straight state title games and came away with two of them. Is this the year they fall off? Sexton would have been a likely contender, but the coaching change is a reason for concern. All in all, I'm not sure anyone can touch the boys in Saginaw. Right now, this is how I see it:

1. Saginaw Arthur Hill

2. Saginaw

3. Flint Carman Ainsworth

4. Davison

5. Okemos

6. Flint Northern

7. Lansing Sexton

8. Holt

9. Grand Blanc

10. Lansing Waverly

Special Mention: Flushing, Swartz Creek, Jackson

Saginaw Arthur Hill

Key Losses: Greg Lawson 5’8” G, Jeff Jones 6’4” C, Demarkis Carroll 5’8” G, Emmanuel Sledge 6’4” F, Craig Meredith 5’9” G

Key Returns: Dar Tucker 6’5”[right] Sr. F [DePaul], Tommie Prater 6’2” Sr. F, Latreze Mushatt 6’4” Jr. F, Tyree Wooten 5’8” Jr. G

The key is the return of the 2, 3, and 4 positions with Mushatt, Prater, and Tucker. They were the keys this season defensively and offensively and will be again next year. Additionally, Antoine Lundy, a 6’6” junior and Mike Schaaf a 6’6” sophomore, could be a couple of big answers for this team in the paint – Arthur Hill’s weak link has been the interior and these young men could improve that situation. Wooten and 5’10” senior Jonathan Townsend will do fine running the show in the absence of the senior point guards. The addition of some quality players from a good JV team should provide them with a good bench.

As scary as it may sound, I think the Lumberjacks are upgrading at every position. There is no reason that they should not return to last year’s status, but back-to-back titles is no easy feat. They will have a bull’s eye on their backs every game.

Saginaw

Key Losses: Larry Wright 6’3” F [St. Johns], Kuddles Hopkins 6’1” G, Torrian Harris 6’0” G

Key Returns: Josh Southern [left] 6’10” Sr. C [Boston College], Draymond Green 6’7” Jr. F, Bobby Lewis 6’2” Sr. F, Demario Wilson 5’10” Sr. G, Deonte Wesley 6’8” Sr. C, Will Marlow 6’0” Jr. G, John Edwards 5’6” Jr. G, Tristian Calhoun 6’5” Sr. F, Daniel West 6’2” Jr. G [Bradley], Mike Powell 6’2” Sr. F

Saginaw returns a ridiculous amount of players from last year’s squad. They suffered some losses on the perimeter, but Lewis, Calhoun and some of the guards should be able to pick up the slack. Calhoun particularly could be an interesting prospect with his length and athleticism. Remember, the one time Saginaw defeated Arthur Hill was without Larry Wright. Southern should be one of the top big men in the state and Green could become an absolute force as a junior. With the way Wesley has been playing in the summer, they may want to consider starting all three of these guys and move Green to small forward. They never found a true solution at point guard. Dawkins has a number of quality guys capable of taking the reins – Edwards finished the season as the starter, Wilson has the most experience, West had the best summer and earned a division one scholarship and I’m little partial towards Marlow. Needless to say, Saginaw has a lot of attractive options and can give an opponent several different looks. The outlook is great, but they have to tweak their game plan to beat Arthur Hill.

Flint Carman Ainsworth

Key Losses: Aaron Odneal 5’9” G, Barry Fletcher 6’0” F, Robbie Lay 6’3” F

Key Returns: Ondra Stocker 6’2” Sr. F, Jarel Floyd 6’1” Sr. G, Jonathan Lee 6’0” Jr. G, Derrick Flowers 6’5” Sr. C, Marty Cardwell 6’0” Sr. G, Kieon Arkwright 5’10” Jr. G

Carman should be set to have a big year on the strength of their returning core from last season. Lee emerged as last season’s point guard, while Arkwright was their sharpshooter. Both are much improved and bigger [in Arkwright’s case] and give CA a nice one-two punch. Cardwell and 5’9” junior Ahmad Cheers [right] will be excellent in the rotation. Floyd might be the team’s best athlete. He’s tough on the boards and a great defender. Stocker is an emotional forward with a nice inside/outside game. They will be joined by 6’2” junior Reggie Stallings [right], a transfer from Beecher; another great athlete with some offensive polish. Flowers’ will be serviceable in the paint, while 6’3” 250-pound Michigan State football recruit George White will relieve him in spots. Another exciting possibility for the Cavaliers is the arrival of 6’5” freshman Demondre Chapman. He possesses athleticism and coordination uncharacteristic for players of his age. He could become a real force on both ends. This team has depth, toughness, athleticism, talent and one of the best head coaches in the state in Rory Mattar. This could be a big year for the Cavaliers.

Davison

Key Losses: Phil Smith 6’4” C

Key Returns: David Swain 6’4” Sr. F, Garret Stephens 6’5” Sr. F, Michael Zeller 6’0” Sr. G

Davison returns almost everyone from last season’s roster. Their success will hinge on perimeter players Swain and Zeller, two guys who will be relied upon to do the bulk of the team’s scoring. Another likely contributor is 6’1” junior Tyler Sauer [left]. Stephens and 6’5” junior Trevor Cousineau are tough and athletic inside. Point guard is a bit of a question mark at this point, but the talent is there. With a great coach, system and core of players, the Cardinals should be tough.

Okemos

Key Losses: Jonathon Jones 6’0” G [Oakland], Ivan Parker 6’1” G, Dan Hess 6’1” G Bobby Albers 6’3” F, Mike Emerson 6’1” F

Key Returns: Anthony Ianni [right] 6’10” Sr. C [Grand Valley State], Michael Kebler 6’4” Sr. G Dennis Means 6’6” Sr. F,

The cupboard is pretty bare with the loss of a senior-laden team. Ianni had a breakout game against Arthur Hill – hopefully that translates into a breakout season. Means, 6’3” senior Tyler Stewart and 6’4” senior Kyle Miller have to develop in commensurate fashion.  Kebler may actually be Coach Stolz's best option on offense. He seems poised to have a big year. However, this team may be in trouble on the perimeter with two inexperienced guards in 5’9” senior Anthony Schiro and 5’10” senior Scott Stolz. Eric Smith, a 5’11” sophomore, may figure into the picture. Coach Stolz, however, is one of the best in the state so while they may not have another shot at the Breslin, they should still be a tough team to beat.

Flint Northern

Key Losses: Eugene Blue 6’6” C, Anthony Patrick 6’3” F

Key Returns: Stanley Beard 6’5” Sr. F, Da’Chawn Glover [left] 5’10” So. G, Carlos Benton 5’8” So. G, Alan Sharp 6’0” Jr. G, Demarcus Polite 6’5” Sr. F, Darrius Brady 6’1” Jr. G, Michael Park 6'0" Jr. F

They are an extremely young team that will return a lot at every position. Could Northern be back? Beard and Polite will be a tough frontcourt and will allow their young but talented backcourt to make some mistakes.

Lansing Sexton

Key Losses: Lendyn Davis 5’11” G [Wayne State], DJ Young 6’5” C, Aarien Johnson 6’3” F

Key Returns: James Denning 6’3” Sr. F, Cameron Merchant 6'4" Sr. C, Ervin Milton 5'9" Sr. G

The big stories with Sexton are the late coaching change and the arrival of a host of quality players. Denning, Merchant and Milton were solid last season and made for a great outlook along with guards Cole Lipka and Chris Cole. Now with the arrival of five key transfers that outlook is even better. The best transfer right away will most likely be 6’0” junior G Deleon Dearing. He’s a defensive stalwart and a solid point guard. Equally adept defensively is 6’1” junior F Dunell Murchison [right]. DeShaun Jones, a 6’4” senior F, was a double digit scorer for Eastern last year. Finally, 6’4” sophomore F Drew Valentine is a guy who may become a high division one player and command a large amount of playing time right away. The transfers added to the current players make for an extremely deep and talented team. However, the last minute coaching change could be a stumbling block.

Holt

Key Losses: John Lierman 6’4” F [Aquinas], Tyler Reed 5’11” G, Dunell Murchison 6’1” F [Lansing Sexton]

Key Returns: Paul Crosby [right] 6’7” Sr. C [Toledo], Joe Powers 6’1” Jr. G

This was a three-man team last season and now they only return one of those three. Crosby will again be the most dominant big man in the area and probably the state. Guys his size should not move that quickly. Powers is a steady player and 5’10” sharp-shooting senior Matt Naeyaert may be able to prevent teams from doubling the big man. Their forwards will most likely be 6’2” senior Phil Vandenberg and 6’3” senior Brian Perski, however, neither stood out last season. Austin Holtz, a 6’5” junior big-body, would have been a good one, but he’s out for the year with a shoulder injury. Tom Brandenburg, a 6’3” junior, will be able to provide some relief inside as should another junior in 6’6” Danny Neff. Also, don’t be too surprised to see 5’10” freshman Delanto Jackson crack the line-up. The Rams return seven varsity players from last season’s squad so coach Essell is inheriting a good situation from Larner.

Grand Blanc

Key Losses: K’len Morris 6’5” F [Michigan], Erik Tucker 5’9” G, Lance Smith 5’11” G

Key Returns: Aaron Hans 6’6” Sr. C, Joe Tiller 6’4” Sr. F, Sean Dyer 6’2” Sr. G, Adrian Hunter [left] 5’11” Jr. G, Danny Birch 6’5” Sr. F

The outlook should be good with experienced seniors and a tough point guard. Hans in particular could make a big splash – he showed his usual toughness this summer, but with some offensive ability. Hunter had a big summer on the Michigan Mustangs and is beginning to look like the next division one Bobcat following Gibson and Morris. Tiller and Dyer give the Bobcats some athleticism, although Dyer may be out with an injury, and Birch gives them some length and touch. An exciting addition is 5’9” junior running back Mark Ingram who is a tough defensive match-up with his strength, speed and ability. Coach Shanafelt has a deceptively good roster and a good opportunity to show that Grand Blanc was more than a one-man-team last year.

Lansing Waverly

Key Losses: Shane Ross 6’7” F [Toledo], Cameron Duncan 6’0” G [Lansing CC], Drew Valentine 6’3” F [Lansing Sexton]

Key Returns: Tyler Bennett [right] 5’10” Sr. G, Courtney Stephens 6’6” Sr. C, Bryan Horn 5’9” Jr. G