CHSL Central 2024-25 Basketball Preview (full story below:):

The Catholic High School League’s (CHSL) Central division has cemented itself as one of the top, if not the top, conferences in Michigan HS basketball, every year. We’ll be taking a look at how the 5 Michigan teams in the CHSL’s Central stack up this year.

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s

After winning the D1 state title this past season, the Eaglets are favorites to go back-to-back, for the first time in the top classification since the late Dan Fife did it with Clarkston in 2017 and 2018. St. Mary’s returns the top player in the state in senior Trey McKenney. McKenney was the Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year last year, and is the heavy favorite to win Mr. Basketball this season. He brings versatility to the lineup with the ability to play the 1-4. Sharod Barnes and Isaiah Hines will make up the starting backcourt for OLSM. Barnes is a Western Michigan commit, who is arguably the best perimeter defender in the state. Hines currently holds a D1 offer from Toledo, and more could come as he’ll see an increased role this year. Senior forward Jayden Savoury is the deciding-factor for this team, as it’s unclear whether the Michigan State football commit will play basketball this winter. If he does, the Eaglets will add one of the best bigs in the state to their backcourt trio. There is also some solid young depth on this St. Mary’s squad, in the sophomore trio of Peyton Kemp, Quincy Wright, and Marcel Brown El, plus freshman Mateen Cleaves Jr., son of former Michigan State legend.

U of D Jesuit

Last season, U of D Jesuit was the only school to defeat Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, and they also hope to be the school to play spoiler to their back-to-back state champions campaign. U-D returns a super senior of their own in guard Leroy Blyden Jr., a Toledo commit. Blyden, who averaged 20 PPG last year for the Cubs, was one of the hottest players in the country this past summer, due to his head-turning performances with The Family on the EYBL Circuit. Blyden has a very strong supporting cast of his own, as well, led by senior Xavier Johnson. The combo guard had a great June at team camps, and has made his presence felt again so far this fall. He’ll be big for the Cubs this year, as he was the leading scorer last season in their win against St. Mary’s, scoring 22 points. Two other seniors who will be contributors this year are David Herron III and Sebastian Randolph. Herron had a great AAU summer playing on the NY2LA Circuit with the Michigan Playmakers, and will factor as a strong scorer. Randolph is a 6’8” big, who’ll be playing in an increased role this year. Junior Jaden Garwood is a versatile wing who has generated some D2 interest, who’ll also have a role for the Cubs this year. U-D also added an AAU AAU teammate of Garwood’s from DTO Elite, in junior Solomon Spann IV, transferring over from Brother Rice.

Brother Rice

Head coach Rick Palmer’s squad took a hit when 5-star junior Elijah Williams transferred out of state, but that doesn’t mean this balanced team won’t be one of the best in the state. While they don’t have a star, BR definitely does have a leader, with that being senior guard David Williams. Williams stepped in last year to run the point for the Warriors and he never looked back, finishing the year with All-League honors. One of the most efficient players in the entire state, he is sure to get more college looks once the
season begins. Junior forward Trevor Smith is working to make his way towards that “pletheora of D1 offers” title this season, currently holding O’s from Detroit Mercy, Central Michigan, and Grand Valley State. The 6’8” big transferred to Brother Rice last summer from Okemos and was solid, this year there is an expectation that he’ll take that next step. The Warriors also picked up a huge transfer this summer in Greg Grays Jr., one of the top juniors in the state. Grays, coming over from Farmington, will be one of the top scorers in the CHSL this year, but he isn’t the only transfer. They also picked up junior guard Sebastian Thrower, from Louisiana, who has D1 upside. Junior Jeremiah Caffey and senior Logan Hamma are two other names you must know from this Brother Rice squad.

Warren De La Salle

The era of Denarryl Rice will begin this season at Warren De La Salle, and Rice certainly has big shoes to fill from Gjon Djokaj, who won a state title with the Pilots in 2022, but it isn’t undoable. Luckily, Rice will be able to lean on one of the top players in the state, in senior guard Phoenix Glassnor. Glassnor, a Toledo commit, has been a strong contributor for the Pilots since his freshman season, and this past year took the reins to lead this team. I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see him as a Mr. Basketball finalist this season. Glassnor won’t have to do it all by himself, though, as fellow senior guards Armoni Portis and Braedon Holder help form one of the best 3-man backcourts in the entire state. Portis, who currently holds a pair of D2 offers, is a high energy, versatile guard, who’ll give you a bit of everything. Holder, who has played on the UA Rise Circuit with GR Storm the past few years, is a good outside shooter with a quick release, who is also very smart when playing off-the-ball. Julius Wilson brings a 4th dimension to this De La Salle team, as he’s expected to take a huge jump this year, after being a solid role guy last year for the Pilots. The Pilots will need some guys to step up to be depthy pieces beyond those 4, but if they do find those guys, this De La Salle team could be scary.

Detroit Catholic Central

Tory Jackson’s Detroit Catholic Central team is certainly the underdog in the loaded CHSL, but that’s not to say they don’t have the potential to be one of the best teams out of these 5, they just have a lot to still prove. Coming off of an All-League season, senior Devin Lee will have the keys to lead this DCC team to glory. Lee is one of the smoothest offensive players in the entire state, and has an elite mid-range jumper, with great touch. I expect the combo guard to turn a number of heads this season. Asher Suardini, a junior guard, is another guy who could end the season with All-Catholic honors. He had a big sophomore season, and was great for REACH Legends this past summer in The Prelude League. He’s garnered some D1 interest, from schools such as Bowling Green. As it sits right now, most people would consider this DCC team to be led by the aforementioned duo, but senior wing Beckett St. Clair is looking to make that a trio. He’s athletic, and is great when running a lane in the open floor, he has an extremely high motor, as well. The Shamrocks also picked up 6’4” junior guard Jackson Bowden this off-season, as a transfer
from Davison. Bowden is also very good in the open floor, and can play off of his teammates well. Sophomores Wycell Davis and Andrew Walker are two solid underclassmen in the fold for DCC.

It’s inarguable that the CHSL Central will again be one of the best conferences in the state, with both familiar faces coming back, and new names coming in. We’re in for an entertaining season between these 5 private programs.

Mikey Wolford is an 11th grade student at East Kentwood HS, who’s contributing stories to The D Zone.