Boys Basketball Top 20 - After Week 6 (January 12)

My Boys Basketball Rankings After Week 5 - (+/- from last week's ranking)

1) Hudsonville 6-0 (Same)

The Eagles improved to 6-0 this week with a 54-44 win over Caledonia in the OK red opener. Yet, the Eagles are going to remain at No. 1 in my rankings, simply because of the difficulty of the conference. Caledonia may be better than expected this season and it was still the same players helping to lead the Eagles to the victory as Jack Joldersma scored 18 points, Justin DeGraaf added 13 and senior point guard Max Perez dropped 12. Hudsonville will have an extremely tough week, as most weeks are in the Red, with Grand Haven at home on Tuesday and East Kentwood on the road on Friday.

2) Grand Rapids Christian 6-0 (Same)

Grand Rapids Christian was off this past week and remains at 6-0 with Middleville TK on Tuesday on the road and a huge OK Gold matchup with fellow unbeaten Wyoming at home on Friday. The Eagles have been led by junior superstar Kobe Bufkin but despite being held to 12 points against Rockford in Christian's last win on January 3rd, the Eagles still won by 13 points as the supporting cast continues to step up. Grand Rapids Christian has marked impressive wins against Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Holland Christian this season.

3) Grand Rapids Catholic Central 5-1 (Same)

Grand Rapids Catholic Central is one of the most talented teams in the entire state. The Cougars lone blemish came to Grand Rapids Christian back on December 17 but they haven't looked back since. TJ Meerman's group turned right around and beat an unbelievable River Rouge team in overtime before dominating wins over Northview (84-52), East Grand Rapids (76-49) and now West Catholic (67-30) in the conference opener. Mykel Bingham and Jack Karasinski are dominant in the front court while Devon Boyd and Jace Williams continue to shoot the ball really well to start the season. The Cougars will face Allendale and Coopersville this week, both at home.

4) Muskegon 3-1 (Same)

The Big Reds suffered a tough loss to Midwest power Chicago Curie on January 4th but bounced back nicely with a victory over Grand Rapids Union on Friday night to begin OK Black play. Jarvis Walker and Vernon Nash continue to make up the best backcourt in the area as the Big Reds continue a slow schedule in terms of games played with Reeths-Puffer on the road on Friday and then Ferndale on the road this Saturday.

5) Kalamazoo Central 4-2 (Same)

Kalamazoo Central remains one of the best teams in West Michigan despite the two losses which both came to powerhouse programs Benton Harbor and South Bend Riley. The Maroon Giants have rebounded with an eleven point victory over Battle Creek Lakeview to start conference play on Friday and a 44 point win over Loy Norrix on Saturday. Trevon Gunter and Justin Hunter are one of the best duos in the state and will continue to carry the team throughout the conference. They'll take on Portage Northern on Tuesday and Gull Lake on Friday, both at home.

6) Unity Christian 5-1 (Same)

Unity Christian's lone loss came to my No. 1 team Hudsonville back on December 20. Since then, the Crusaders have battled back with two tough victories over West Ottawa, 50-48 and Holland Christian by three. Evan Nieuwenhuis and Grant Balcer continue to play really well as does Luke Snoeyink. Scott Soodsma has a powerful sophomore combination as well in twins Cam and Drew Chandler who have both added major minutes this season. The Crusaders have a 42-game OK Green winning streak which they'll put back on the line this Tuesday against Holland before hosting South Christian on Friday in an OK Conference crossover.

7) Otsego 6-1 (Same)

Charlie Woodhams continues to lead Matt Dennis' group that is 6-1 this season. Forget our area, Woodhams is one of the most impressive scorers in the state but yet has done it virtually unnoticed by many. Otsego's lone loss came to Grand Rapids Catholic Central by 17 which isn't much of a blemish considering only a few teams in the state can hang with them. Otsego will take on Edwardsburg on the road and host Plainwell this week.

8) Portage Central 5-0 (Same)

Portage Central notched another victory on Friday night against Niles, 66-39. Sophomore Grant Pikkaart has been unbelievable this season and has helped the Mustangs notch some impressive wins. Coach Robinson's group beat Edwardsburg by ten to begin the season and also picked up another big win against Hopkins on the road, 64-50. The Mustangs will take on Battle Creek Lakeview on Tuesday and will host the crosstown rivalry against Portage Northern on Friday.

9) Wyoming 6-0 (+4)

Wyoming continues to impress this season. To be honest, Friday night was my first time seeing the Wolves and I see what the buzz is all about. The Wolves beat South Christian, 80-72 and they play fast. Menalito McGee leads Wyoming while Diego Ledesma as well as Marion and Monte Parks make up a really solid supporting cast. Wyoming is one of the best shooting teams in West Michigan and will have a monster matchup on Friday night in OK Gold play on Friday at Grand Rapids Christian after playing Wayland on Tuesday.

10) West Ottawa 6-1 (+6)

West Ottawa continues to show why they'll be tough in the OK Red. The Panthers lone loss came to Unity Christian by two on Tuesday before rebounding to beat Grand Haven by 13. Tanner Wiegerink is an exciting player to watch and will need to play big for the Panthers to continue to the hot start in the OK Red. Steve Windemuller's team will take on East Kentwood at home on Tuesday and Grandville on the road on Friday.

11) Schoolcraft 7-0 (Same)

Schoolcraft is one of the best, yet quiet teams, in West Michigan. The Eagles beat Hopkins, 58-56 in overtime to begin the season but since then have beaten every opponent by at least 14 points which came on Friday night against a talented Kalamazoo Christian team. Kobe Clark runs the point with shooters all around him in a drive and kick offense. Not to mention, Schoolcraft plays really impressive defense, holding three opponents to under 40 points this season. The Eagles will take on Galesburg-Augusta on Friday night.

12) Forest Hills Central 4-1 (+2)

Jimmy Scholler and Mitchell Wilkerson make up a really nice duo for Forest Hills Central. The 4-1 Rangers picked up a 40 point victory over Greenville on Friday night and will take on Cedar Springs and Lowell this week to continue OK White play. Kyle Carhart's group fell to Forest Hills Eastern in overtime to begin the season but have notched really good wins since then including East Kentwood by 12, Allendale by 15 and a revenge win over Forest Hills Eastern, 66-34 at Cornerstone.

13) Grand Rapids Union 5-1 (-3)

Grand Rapids Union suffered their first loss of the season on Friday night at Muskegon, 51-44. The Red Hawks, however, have picked up good wins over Rockford and Hanover-Horton and will compete really well in the OK Black with the senior trio of Jeremiah Pittman, Ray'Vaughn Anderson and Danyel Bibbs. Brandoen Guyton's group will take on Fruitport and Jenison this week as conference play continues.

14) Grand Haven 5-1 (-2)

Grand Haven fell in the rankings because of the 13 point loss to West Ottawa on Friday night but the Buccaneers are impressive this season. Owen Ross and his Bucs picked up a statement win over Holland Christian on December 28 in overtime but other than that haven't been as tested as some other teams so far. However, that'll change this week as OK Red play continues at Hudsonville on Tuesday and home against Rockford on Friday.

15) Covenant Christian 6-1 (+2)

Ty and Trent Mulder have helped lead Covenant Christian to a 6-1 start to the season. The Chargers have played a tough schedule, as well, falling to Unity Christian by eight in the season opener before wins against Allendale, Caledonia, Zeeland West, Godwin Heights, Calvin Christian in overtime and now Potter's House. Tyler Schimmel's group can shoot the ball really well and have not been afraid to stack the schedule with much bigger programs with Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Mona Shores, South Christian and Zeeland East all up ahead on the schedule. The Chargers will take on Comstock Park on Tuesday.

16) East Grand Rapids 5-2 (No Ranking)

East Grand Rapids has suffered two losses to really good programs this season including an overtime loss to East Kentwood to begin the season. The second was to Grand Rapids Catholic Central in the Legends Invitational at Aquinas College. On the bright side, the Pioneers have picked up solid victories over Forest Hills Northern, Rockford by holding the Rams to just 25 points and Forest Hills Eastern on Friday night, 46-45. East Grand Rapids will take on South Christian on the road on Tuesday and Wayland on the road on Friday to continue OK Gold play.

17) Forest Hills Northern 4-3 (-8)

Forest Hills Northern is playing inconsistently this season but the talent is there. The Huskies have notched really good wins against East Kentwood, Flint Powers Catholic and Coldwater but have fallen to East Grand Rapids by 14 and now Forest Hills Eastern by seven. Joe Soules' group is young, led by two juniors in Ethan Erickson and Trinidad Chambliss and have been getting solid play from the front court of Cole Rynbrandt, Dan Gutierrez and Ethan Morello. The Huskies will look to get back on a winning streak after Friday's 59-42 win against Cedar Springs as they take on Lowell and Ottawa Hills this week.

18) East Kentwood 2-3 (+1)

East Kentwood is still talented enough to be a top ten team in these rankings but the results don't prove that right now. The Falcons have suffered losses to Forest Hills Northern, Forest Hills Central and Muskegon, all very good programs. East Kentwood will continue to gain chemistry as the supporting cast gets familiar with one another, including a few transfers. Ja'Moni Jones is still one of the most talented players in our area and can dominate a game by himself. The Falcons will take on West Ottawa on the road on Tuesday and host Hudsonville on Friday in OK Red play.

19) Holland Christian 3-3 (-1)

Holland Christian is really good, despite the three losses which have come to Grand Rapids Christian, Grand Haven by four in overtime and Unity Christian by three on Friday night. David Kool's group is led by senior Ethan Alderink, who recently committed to Grand Valley and is a great defender who can also penetrate, create his own shot and shoot the three well. The Maroons will take on Zeeland West at home on Tuesday and travel to Byron Center on Friday.

20) South Christian 3-2 (-5)

South Christian has talent but the Sailors are fairly young and inexperienced on the varsity level. South fell to Wyoming, 80-72 on the road on Friday night and fell to Holland Christian back on December 13 by three. The Sailors will continue to improve as the season progresses and as the young players get more comfortable. Elliott Grashuis and Connor Dykema are two players to keep your eye on. The Sailors will take on East Grand Rapids and Unity Christian this week in two big tests.

Teams to watch:

• Forest Hills Eastern 4-2

• Fremont 6-0

• Hopkins 4-3