West Bloomfield Adds Two, Maybe Three transfers. Could have impact on the Dragons.

Written Tuesday June 24th, at 2:15 PM

After the end of Boys Basketball season in 2014, there was possible rumblings out of Detroit U-D Jesuit that three of its top players from their 2014 Final Four team could be on the way out of U-D Jesuit.

However problems arose when there was a court battle and also uncertainty arose as businessman Ron Thomas enrolled his two 6.9 Nigerian kids Eke Donatus Ikechukwu II and Greg Eboigbodin are now at West Bloomfield while Thomas own son Billy also transferred out of U-D Jesuit and will play in Virginia according to two sources but there are rumors that he could be a Laker as well.

This is a huge coup for West Bloomfield coach Jeremy Dehna in getting these two 6.9 Nigerian players especially that his team struggled last season in the tough White division. This season West Bloomfield will play in the Blue but that could be subject to change despite the schedule is already out.

The exit from U-D Jesuit was a messy one for the Thomas family.

Both Eboigbodin and Ikechukwu were expected to play for U-D Jesuit last season but were ruled ineligible by the MHSAA because they learned that the two players that Thomas brought in from Nigeria to the United States were solely there just to play Basketball.

Thomas lives in the West Bloomfield area and his boys are expected to be eligible immediately at West Bloomfield.

U-D Jesuit claimed that Thomas wasn’t the legal guardian of the two boys and there was a court battle over this but the claim was thrown out in Oakland County Family court last week. There is a hearing set in July related to one of the two boy’s case.

Questions Loom:

There are questions though that remains here with the addition of the two (maybe three) transfers. It is possible that West Bloomfield could try to move up a division from the Blue to the White for the season.

West Bloomfield hasn’t won a district title in a while and would be an overwhelming favorite if they stayed in the Blue and compete with Oxford, Stoney Creek, Seaholm, Groves, and Avondale but if they move up to the White then they would have to deal with teams like Oak Park, Troy Athens, Troy, Lake Orion, and Pontiac.

Another question all though a long shot is that the MHSAA could force the two to sit out another year because of the transfer but since Thomas is the legal guardian and lives in West Bloomfield that doesn’t seem likely.

Both big guys will give a huge post presence to the Lakers especially when you can move senior Anton Lukaj to the small forward and move junior Tristian Jackson to the shooting guard and point guard spot and also bring junior guard Michael King off the bench. West Bloomfield will be a dangerous team this season but the district will be tricky especially with Orchard Lake St. Marys and Walled Lake Western in it as well at Walled Lake Northern.

Also what stands out here is that West Bloomfield had a good Junior Varsity team last season that finished 19-1 and that most of their kids might not get an opportunity with the addition of these two (maybe three players) to play on the varsity level but that will be up to Lakers coach Jeremy Dehna and his staff to figure out.

Personal Thoughts:

Personally I think that these two transfers will play this season and that they have gone through enough grief and stress and also the elder Thomas as well. I think these two players will be given a fresh start.

With the schedules out in the league it would be interesting if West Bloomfield moves up to the White, it could be another James Young situation when it involved Troy and Rochester, the Colts stayed in the Red despite losing Young and Rochester won it’s first district title and was in  the White that season (went to the state quarterfinals.) Even with this situation still unfolding I think staying in the Blue maybe the Lakers best option right now for not only a league championship but a chance to gel as a team.

The Dragons Den will keep updates when more of this story unfolds.