Upper Peninsula Top 25: 21-25

The Upper Peninsula is home to about 3% of the state's population, however, every year the UP represents very well at the MHSAA state finals. We continue our journey through the top 25 boys basketball players in the UP for the upcoming high school season. A few days ago, we listed the honorable mentions, and now we will crack into the top 25 with players 21-25.    #25   [player_tooltip player_id='1806436' first='Liam' last='Tourtillott'] enters my scouting report as a 6'0" combo guard. I can see why the previous report has him listed as a shooting guard because he has a soft touch around the basket. He can also pull up and shoot at any given moment with pinpoint accuracy. His excellent ball-handling and passing skills make him a solid threat to any style of defense. This young man should have a great upcoming junior season for the Blue Bolts.     #24   Gunner Bennin enters our list at #24. We watched Gunner compete at the Lake Superior State University team camp and he really impressed with his patience at the top of the key. He is an excellent ball handler and he handled with his opposite hand nearly as much as his dominant as he attacked the basket. He will likely take the role of floor general this season, but with plenty of varsity experience under his belt, this should be an easy task for him. Last year Pickford was knocked out of the districts early, but this year they start the season with a new coach and a new willingness to drive deep into the Division 4 tournament.       #23   Darrent Bulter sits in position #23 on our list. He is another upcoming junior who will look to have a breakout season as the Maroons graduated a lot in the skilled positions. Darrent impressed us in his highlight films with his ability to anticipate an opponents telegraphed passes and stack up steals. He also has a keen eye to notice when a teammate creates a turnover and uses his foot speed to get up the floor and score on an odd-man fast break. Darrent had some huge scoring games on day 1 of the PrepHoops Wisconsin State Tournament back in June. Darrent should be a key factor for the Maroons as they look to make it out of a VERY tough district #66 in Division 3, and I would look to easily see him on an all-UP team by the end of the upcoming high school season.     #22   We placed Axton Ruotsala in the number 22 slot. Axton is a quick guard who sees the entire floor very well. He has a smooth stroke and even maintains solid form from 22' and out. He creates great space beyond the arc and with a fast release, can get a shot off with ease. His scouting clips are also stacked with steals and fast break points. Last year he was selected for first-team all-conference in the Copper Mountain Conference, but his senior year should see him make his way to the all-UP list for division 1-3.       #21   It is quite the honor to be typing up a scouting report on a Besonen from ETC. Bruce Crossing, MI, is right up there with Hermansville, MI, when it comes to producing some of the best basketball players the UP has to offer. Caden Besonen comes from a humongous basketball legacy, and his kin has definitely passed those skills on to him. He is an extremely athletic guard who can quickly make work of getting to the hoop. He's tricky with his ball handling skills when a defender is trying to keep up with him, which leads to multiple points on a tough drive to the basket. The Panther's are somewhat reloading this upcoming year and look to improve on their 9-3 conference record from last year (the Copper Mountain Conference is one of the toughest and most competitive in the state), and Caden will be a very important part of that.

The Upper Peninsula is home to about 3% of the state's population, however, every year the UP represents very well at the MHSAA state finals. We continue our journey through the top 25 boys basketball players in the UP for the upcoming high school season. A few days ago, we listed the honorable mentions, and now we will crack into the top 25 with players 21-25.