The Fab Five 2023s of Northern Michigan

It doesn’t seem like that long ago, but this writer’s basketball obsession was fermented by five Freshmen who waltzed into this state and took the basketball world by storm. As we approach the thirty year anniversary of that seismic event. It’s comforting to know there is a group of 2023’s with the potential to carry that underclassmen torch for this rural region. 1. Wyatt Nausadis 6-1 2023 Traverse City St Francis Trying to avoid hyperbole, but quite possibly had one of the best debuts for a freshmen guard in this region in a long time. Already posses excellent height and build to along with a well developed skill set. Not afraid of the moment. I saw this very early as he went toe-to-toe with a large group of much older prospects at the Ferris St Exposure camp. Continued by leading the Gladiators to a 18-3 record and outright title in a deep Lake Michigan Conference. Showed composure and late game moxie with a buzzer beater in a big road win against Boyne City. Averaged 11.5 points per game to go along with 2.2 assists. Positional fit and continued physical development are going to be key. Right now he is just a basketball player—and that is a good thing. Already has the winning intangibles as evidenced by notching nearly two steals a game defensively. What does he want to be? Does he want to be a physically overpowering lead guard? Or does he keep growing and expanding to become a dynamic scoring swingman? These are good “problems” to have. Also will help that he’s not alone as fellow 2023 Joey Donahue is going to be a big part of this resurgent program as well. 2. Luke Hazelton 6-7 2023 Glen Lake Don’t just glance at the last name and make assumptions. Much different player than his brother (Ferris commit Reece) and that’s not a bad thing. A post all the way, Luke proved he was ready for prime time with an early baptism at the Lake Michigan Cup in Grand Haven. He stepped up big for his football playoff weary teammates in a victory over Spring Lake and their standout big man [player_tooltip player_id="789783" first="Lucas" last="Lyyski"]. (Indiana Tech) He followed that up by playing well in a loss against Traverse City West and their senior big man [player_tooltip player_id="789866" first="Parker" last="Neu"]. Man talk about getting thrown to the wolves. Unfortunately a January injury (collarbone) kept Luke from building on this early season momentum. Averaged 10 points per game and five rebounds in his truncated season. As far as his game, Luke has plenty of size already with broad shoulders and a sturdy build. The rare prospect who does not need much projection. If he is done growing he will be fine. He possesses a soft touch around the basket with some range. Not enough range to be a stretch five yet, but plenty of time to get there. As an added bonus Hazelton is left handed making him that much more difficult to defend in the post. Is a good passer and has the basketball IQ of a player who grew up in a gym. While he could stand to get a little lighter on his feet, he posses excellent footwork and does not come off as uncoordinated in any sense. A lot to like here. 3. Shawn Bramer 6-2 2023 Lake Leelanau St Mary It sure seems like a lifetime and different world ago; but back in the fall three underclassmen from this tiny parochial school ventured down to Grand Rapids for the Prep Hoops 250 Expo. A sophomore and two freshmen. As I was flipping through my directory trying identify them in a group, I eliminated one candidate because surely he was not a freshman. How wrong I was. This young man played well that day and continued to produce throughout a big debut season. Averaged nearly 19 points per game to go along 6.5 rebounds. Started his career off with a bang scoring 23 points in a road loss against a good Gaylord St Mary team. Also scored 16 points in a big win over a Leland team the Eagles would have played for a district title. As I noted earlier he is quite advanced physically, so it will fun to see how his game develops. Like Nausadis, he will be pushed in this development by fellow 2023 prospect Dylan Barnowski. Would have benefited greatly from a full spring/summer basketball season. Hopefully he gets some of these opportunities to show off his game to a wider audience in the coming months. 4. Luke Gorzinski 5-7 2023 Powers North Central With three state championship in the past decade its good to know the cupboard is not bare at this UP power. Pint sized point guard had a standout debut for the Jets. Averaged 17.1 points per game, but might have been more impressive on the other end of the court. Earned the Skyline Central Conference Defensive POY. Earning a defensive award as a freshmen is something that not many players have on their mantle. As with any player this size, future physical growth is going to be key in his development. As those banners show, he is fortunately in a good environment to grow as a player 5. Miles Smith 6-3 2023 Traverse City Central We will begin where we started, back in Traverse City. This time at the much bigger public school. The Trojans shared the Big North conference title with Cadillac and are flush with young talent. Consequently Smith began the season playing on the Freshmen team. After averaging 20 points per game Smith was brought up to the JV squad. He did not miss a beat and maintained a double figure average throughout the duration of the season. Being able fit in and contribute with two separate teams speaks not only to talent but versatility. Smith, fellow freshmen guard Brayden Halliday, and 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="814684" first="Joshua" last="Burnham"] make the future very bright for the Trojans.