It was another state championship for Birmingham Detroit Country Day this past weekend, and of course, as is usually the case, many will be giving credit to anyone other than head coach Kurt Keener. "He had all the talent," people will. "A mannequin could've coached all that talent to title," others will chime in. In years past, that has been true with McDonald's All-Americans Shane Battier, Chris Webber and Ray McCallum leading the way. But at least for this run, Keener deserves a lot of credit. Country Day didn't have a dominant post player and no McDonald's All-American. Yet the Yellowjackets did have a strong collection of shooters and playmakers on the perimeter, and Keener helped enhance those strengths by creating a more up-tempo style. Country Day was a fine-tuned offensive machine and ended up winning another crown. Others may not give the man credit, but Kosmo says kudos, Kurt Keener. - Looks like this will be an annual tradition for Southfield Christian getting back to Breslin with all the young talent it has coming back next year. It's unusual for a program to go from two wins to back-to-back state titles in Class D, especially one that hadn't really produced basketball players in the past. But Southfield Christian has done so and definitely are in its glory days for basketball, so to speak.

Tuesday sadly not only marked the end of a great run for Rochester during the boys basketball tournament, but also the high school career of James Young, one of the more acclaimed players to play in Oakland County. First of all, Young is a great kid and a talented player and Kosmo wishes him nothing but the best at Kentucky. A few other observations about Young though: - He's not Shane Battier or Chris Webber. Kosmo remembers those players well. To say Young is destined for the NBA right now is premature. Webber and Battier were way ahead of where Young is at the same age, and that speaks more for how special Webber and Battier were and not a slight on Young at all. Kosmo isn't fully convinced Young is better than Paul Davis, Dane Fife or Kalin Lucas, and only Davis ended up playing in the NBA at some point. It doesn't mean Young won't be as good one day, but it's hard to tell now. - Hopefully Young doesn't get caught in the shuffle at Kentucky, so to speak. The Wildcats have five McDonald's All-Americans coming into the fold next year. How will Young respond to a situation where he won't by far and away be the most talented player on the court all the time? - If Young had signed with Michigan State and not Kentucky, he would've won Mr. Basketball. Kosmo is convinced of that. - Kosmo is a little concerned that Young wasn't able to take over in games when he needed to. The fourth quarter against Southeastern on Tuesday sounded like it should've been a time where he put the Falcons on his back and said "We're not losing," but he couldn't do it. Give credit to Southeastern's defense, but if Young is that unstoppable, great defense wouldn't have mattered. - Kosmo is also a little worried about the hoopla surrounding Young, which might not be any fault of his, Kosmo really doesn't know. What he does know according to his spies is that people have been wearing James Young Kentucky bound t-shirts with his autograph on it and treating him like he's some sort of Messiah. He's a high school senior and a young adult, not the savior of the basketball world who'll solve world hunger as a result. It's simply not fair for people to treat him as anything but a human being who has a lot of potential as a basketball player and man. - The sky is the limit for Young at Kentucky if he wants it bad enough. If he works on his jumper relentlessly and improves his defense, he could be one of the better players on the Wildcats despite all the talent.

Last season, there was three Oakland County boys basketball teams that advanced to the quarterfinals, Birmingham Detroit Country Day, Southfield Christian and a team that hadn't advanced to the quarterfinals in eons, Lake Orion. After Wednesday, the same exact scenario exists, except replace Lake Orion with Rochester, which won a regional for the first time since 1950 with a dismantling of Rochester. Good luck to all in the quarters, but before worrying about that, Kosmo is here to offer his 3 stars for Wednesday's regional final games. Jason Lee, Rochester - This kid might not get much recognition, but he's really starting to establish himself as an underrated but important point guard. He had gave the Falcons a little of everything against Lahser, dishing out eight assists, scoring six points and pulling down five rebounds despite his small stature. He sure played big though. Edward Sumner, Country Day - Sumner may not look physically imposing, but boy is he impossible to stop. One of the state's top juniors was at it again in a win over Detroit Douglass, scoring 22 points for the Yellowjackets. Kosmo sure feels sorry for Flint Powers having to game plan for Sumner over the next few days. James Young, Rochester - Kosmo has hesitated all year to make Young a first star because of his star stature, but he rose up in Rochester's biggest game of the season to date, scoring 27 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. This is usually the time of year where star players put teams on their back, and we'll see if Young does that next week.

We're down to just six Oakland County boys basketball teams left in the state tournament after another eventful night on Monday, which was the regional semifinal stage of the state tournament. There were a couple of surprises to Kosmo, but then again, Kosmo shouldn't be surprise because he even says to expect the unexpected. There were also more great individual efforts, and Kosmo will highlight his top-3 right now in his 3 star selections. Third star Austin Price/Edward Sumner, Birmingham Detroit Country Day - Yes these are two players, but they were a two headed monster in a win over Harper Woods Chandler Academy, combining to drain seven 3-pointers and score 41 points (21 for Price, 20 for Sumner) in a convincing Country Day win in what might have been its hardest roadblock to East Lansing. Second star James Young, Rochester — With college coach John Calipari in attendance, Young showed that it's easier to beat a team that has pulled off multiple upsets when you have a star player. Young played like one, scoring 24 points and 10 rebounds in a 59-43 win over Romeo. First star Luke Short, South Lyon - Well, so much for underestimating the Lions. Underdogs going in against North Farmington, Short was once again a force like he has been all season, scoring 20 points for South Lyon in a surprising 52-32 rout of the favored Raiders.

Well, in their high school basketball tournament pools (Kosmo is kidding of course, but let's have some fun), how many had Groves, Athens, Roeper and Romeo winning district titles? Kosmo sure didn't. Yikes what a bad week for your seer's predictions, but then again, that's what makes March so maddening (is that why they call it March Madness, because it drives seers mad?). But don't take anything away from those teams. They earned it and Kosmo is happy to see they are in regionals. But before worrying about regionals, Kosmo is here to offer his 3 stars for Friday's district finals. Third star Garrett House, Birmingham Roeper House was in the house, ha-ha. Sorry, Kosmo couldn't resist, but he also can't resist paying tribute to a wonderful performance. House scored 22 points in an upset of Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes. What a time indeed to play what House called was his best ever game. Second star Kyle Ervin, Birmingham Groves The best-kept secret in Oakland County isn't much of a secret anymore. How about Groves representing the OAA Gold this week with wins over Lathrup and Southfield? Ervin was a big reason why, including a 26-point, 8-rebound performance on Friday against the Bluejays. This kid will be playing big-time college basketball in two years. You just watch. First star Yante Maten, Bloomfield Hills Lahser Speaking of players who will be playing big-time college basketball, there's Maten. However, Kosmo didn't think a rare lapse of judgement would be rewarded, but it was when Maten banked in a 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining to A) give Lahser a dramatic 55-52 win over St. Mary's and B) Make Kosmo look like a fool for picking St. Mary's. Not a bad time for one of the state's premier big men to hit the first 3-point basket of his career

It was another whirlwind night of boys basketball games on Wednesday, with the most noteworthy development being Romeo's surprising upset of Clarkston. Then again, Kosmo said at the beginning of the week that someone was goin' down, and the Wolves obviously didn't pay any attention to that warning. The good news for Clarkston is that it has a lot of good returning players and will once again be one of the county's best next year. Unfortunately, it does ruin Friday's dream matchup with Rochester Adams. Besides that game, it was another night filled with great individual performances and Kosmo is here to offer his 3 stars for Wednesday's regional semifinal games. Third star Armand Cartwright, Bloomfield Hills Lahser - Cartwright sure made Brother Rice pay for leaving him open, didn't he? He was money in a rout of Brother Rice, hitting five 3-pointers and scoring 27 points to lead the attack for the Knights. Bring on St. Mary's. Second star Anthony Martin, Ferndale University - Kosmo isn't sure if he's ever recognized someone from Ferndale University, but he's happy that Martin is the first. It's certainly deserved after Martin scored 26 points in a double-overtime win over Warren Fitzgerald, Kosmo's pick to win that district. First star Andrew Forbes, Birmingham Groves - For the second straight night of districts, a buzzer-beater highlighted the night. This time it was the heroics of Forbes, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds to lift Groves to a 59-56 over Southfield-Lathrup. Yes, the OAA Gold beating the OAA Red. How about that.

And then there were eight. Following Tuesday's girls basketball regional semifinal games, there are now just eight teams from Oakland County still alive in the state tournament. At least two teams from the area will advance to Tuesday's quarterfinals since there will be two all-area games on Thursday, but will see if there will be more beyond that. But Kosmo isn't focused on that at the moment. He just wants to give out some love and hand out his 3 stars for Tuesday's games. Third star Delaney Kenny, Clarkston — Just like Jordan Dasuqi did on Monday for the boys team, Kenny perfectly displayed senior leadership in Tuesday's win over Utica Ford, scoring 20 points in a 48-30 win over Clarkston. She'll be a very key player on Thursday in the game against Marian. Second star Ava Doetsch, Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes - Well, Doetsch is playing like someone who wants to get to Breslin for a fourth straight year. She scored 21 points to lead the Lakes to yet another win over Cardinal Mooney. A huge test awaits on Thursday at Lansing Christian, but Kosmo will never bet against the Lakers with Doetsch around. First star Taylor Jones, Farmington Hills Mercy — Talk about a coming out party. There's no other way to describe the performance of Jones, a sophomore who scored 31 points in a 69-40 destruction of Southfield-Lathrup. Was that score really accurate? Kosmo thought for sure this would be a close game, but thanks to Jones, the Marlins simply romped and will be ready for state power Detroit Martin Luther King on Thursday.

If this first night is any indication, then this is going to be a fun few weeks for the boys basketball state tournament. There were thrilling finishes, unexpected results and of course fantastic individual performances that'll be hard to top in Wednesday's second round. But since Kosmo is here to pick only 3, here are his best of the best performances. Third star Cam Cavazos, Royal Oak Shrine - Believe it or not, Kosmo thought Shrine's playoff opener against Pontiac Academy For Excellence was a dangerous one. But Cavazos made sure that wasn't the case, scoring 26 points for the Knights in a 66-48 win. Second star Jordan Dasuqi, Clarkston - Boy is it nice to have veteran leadership in a tight spot, isn't it? With a young Clarkston team struggling against Lake Orion, Dasuqi went on a scoring binge in the third and fourth quarters to help Clarkston survive. He finished with 21 points. First star Chris Cliff, Walled Lake Northern - A game-winning 3-pointer from just in front of the half-court line at the buzzer to give his team a one-point upset win. Need Kosmo say any more? What a great moment for Cliff in Northern's 48-47 win over Harrison. Kosmo said someone was going down, and thanks to Cliff, that team on Monday turned out to be Harrison. To view Cliff's game-winner, Click Here

District week for girls basketball teams have come and gone, so congratulations to the few that have advanced to regionals and even to those who didn't, but enjoyed good seasons and are already gearing up for next year. As for Kosmo, he's simply gearing up for another installment of his 3 star selections. Here are his 3 stars for Friday night's girls basketball district games. Third star Parys Fuller, Madison Heights Madison - What a great night this one for a program that has fallen on hard times in recent years. Just a freshman, Fuller scored 17 points to help Madison win its first district title in 21 years. Both the present and future with Fuller is bright. Second star Ava Doetsch, Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes - Come on, Ava. Kosmo knows you couldn't have been that nervous in the final minute shooting free throws against Roeper. You've achieved too much and been through too many pressure situations to be nervous. OK, Kosmo is being a little facetious because he agrees with Doetsch that no matter how often you have been in those situations, it's still nerve-wracking. No matter, she came through again, hitting big free throws to help WOLL hold off Roeper's upset bid. Oh, and she also eclipsed 1,000 career points last week. It's going to be sad to see her move on to college after this year. First star Christina Green, Southfield-Lathrup - Kosmo didn't think the Chargers would have much trouble with Royal Oak, but give the Ravens credit. However, Lathrup advanced thanks to the monster game from Green, who had 24 points and 16 rebounds.