CAAC Blue Power Rankings
The CAAC Blue basketball season is underway and some familiar faces have jumped to the top. Who has what it takes to move by them down the road? Check out the CAAC Blue Power Rankings. These will be updated throughout the season!
No. 1: East Lansing
This has to come as no surprise considering the amount of talent this team has. They are the defending champs, and until they lose, they will retain the top spot. The Trojans beat DeWitt and Jackson last week. Brandon Johns scored 33 points, grabbed nine rebounds and came away with seven steals against DeWitt and then dropped 30 a few nights later against Jackson. East Lansing is a legit state title contender and should win the CAAC Blue again.
No. 2: Holt
The Rams could be the biggest competition for East Lansing this year. Holt has a lot of talent, after finishing second in the conference last season. Last week, Holt had wins over Lansing Sexton and Lansing Waverly. Troy Jordan has put together two great outings and is averaging 14.5 points per game. Holt has the talent, but defeating East Lansing will be challenging.
No. 3: Okemos
The Chieftains are a sleeper team to watch this season. They are led by star senior guard Jordan Henry, who has dominated early this year. He scored 36 in the season opening win against Lansing Catholic and followed that up with 23 points in a win over Eastern. He’s one of the most underrated scorers in the state, and Okemos has a legit shot to make some noise in the conference this year.
No. 4: Everett
Everett is one of four undefeated teams in the CAAC Blue after defeating Grand Ledge and Bridgeport last week. The games were close, but the Vikings lost a lot of key players from last years team and will get better as the season rolls along. It’ll be tough to win the conference, but they have enough talent to make some noise.
No. 5: Grand Ledge
Grand Ledge could easily be 2-0, but they lost to Everett by four points. The game was close, and Grand Ledge is a good team. Luke Smith was Class A Honorable Mention All-Area last season and Javel Lewis is a big that plays really well on the defensive end. Grand Ledge will go as far as its stars take them. Grand Ledge can rise in the power rankings, but for now, they sit at No. 5.
No. 6: Sexton
Sexton struggled last season, finishing 9-11 overall and they are 0-1 to start the 2017-18 campaign. However, the Big Reds’ loss is to Holt, who happens to be one of the better teams in the conference. Sexton lost by 11, but the score doesn’t indicate how close the game actually was. The Big Reds were down five heading into the fourth quarter. Going forward, I expect Sexton to upset some top teams.
No. 7: Jackson
Jackson beat Battle Creek Central and lost to East Lansing last week and is sitting at 1-1 through one week of basketball. Most teams aren’t going to beat East Lansing this year so this team can realistically be considered 1-0. They weren’t great last season, finishing 9-12 overall, but they have some talent and could surprise people.
No. 8 Eastern
Eastern finished last season 5-16 overall and is now off to an 0-2 start after losing to Okemos and Williamston last week. To be fair, those two teams are two of the better teams in the Lansing area. Okemos is a dark horse title contender in the CAAC Blue and Williamston is my favorite to win the CAAC White. Eastern played well against both teams, but ultimately didn’t have the star power the other teams had. Eastern isn’t a bad team, but they could struggle to find wins in this tough conference.