UP Top 25: 10-6

We've made it to the top 10. With football season officially kicking off on Monday, it's time to get the top 10 out on the waves. These next five young men have made a lot of waves on the grassroots circuit as well as attending a lot of elite camps. Let's dive right into the top 10:      #10   Gerald Sampoll-Torres is the definition of a hard-working floor general. He confidently directs the Iron Mountain offense like a skilled maestro. He consistently and patiently puts himself in the correct place at the proper time along with his quick hands, and will rack up steals. His stat sheet last year showed a couple of double-doubles in the points and steal category, a feat not typically achieved. And while a typical night may not involve a pile of points for this young man, you can bet when he is tapped to perform, he gives a 'yes sir' answer and does just that, undoubtedly due to his strong basketball upbringing from his father and grandfather.     #9   These are the scouting reports that I really enjoy, underclassmen making BIG waves on varsity. I watched Owen quite a bit this past season, both in MHSAA tournament play and in Appleton on his club team, [program_tooltip program_id='2075498' first='Great' last='Northern Elite']. This kid has next-level talent written all over him. He can be a strong down-low presence if needed, or his soft touch and smooth stroke can produce from beyond the arc. I can assume by his ever-improved jump shot, that Owen's father/coach has had him at the gym since he could walk. The Flivvers look to make a really strong D2 tournament run this upcoming season and Olkkonen and the supporting cast will be a huge part of that.     #8   [player_tooltip player_id='2353054' first='Trevor' last='Nolan'] makes my list at number 8 and is the only player on my list with a state championship ring. The 2023 journey for the Munising Mustangs through the tournament was nothing short of UP legend--they held offensive powerhouse Tri-Unity to 37 points. Trevor, who at that time was a sophomore, punched well above his weight that year. And since then, he has honed his guard skills 10 fold. He can handle the ball with ease, score from anywhere on the court, and just plain outwork his opponents. I rate him as an A+ on the defensive side of the basketball and almost the same on the offensive side. Munising has moved up from Division 4 to Division 3 and they are now in District 66 with Iron Mountain and Menominee (the toughest district in the UP, IMO), so Trevor and his Mustangs will need to be hitting on all cylinders...and I have complete confidence that he will undoubtedly bring his A-game late next season. Next-level coaches in need of a smooth ball handler should definitely take a look at Nolan.     #7   [player_tooltip player_id='1504837' first='Morgan' last='Sleik'] makes our list as another Kingsford big, who is an excellent well-rounded player--no doubt due to his great coaching tree. Morgan is an absolute beast down on the block and keeps the floors clean every night. He obviously spends a lot of time under the shooting gun, as his soft touch makes him a scoring threat from any distance. Sleik's work ethic and dedication should check a lot of boxes for college coaches, and he is an excellent ball handler if he makes the transition to SF at the next level. Kingsford made a deep run last year making it all the way to the D2 quarterfinals, losing a close one to Flint Powers Catholic. Returning almost everyone, I would expect another deep run by the Flivvers.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/BQ7jn_9Q2dA </div></figure>     #6   Bob Cousy was often referred to as a plumber point guard, because of his basketball wizardry and his hard-working blue-collar style of play. That is exactly how I see [player_tooltip player_id='2262437' first='Jaxon' last='Jurmu']'s contributions to the Marquette Sentinels. The kid can flat-out thread a passing needle and can peripherally see the court in ways that others can't. But that's not where it ends, he can attack the basket and score with either hand with ease. Jaxon can also sit down and play tenacious defense. He plays hard-nosed basketball with all-out intensity, and when his youth coach told him to "move without the basketball", he listened, as he is ALWAYS on the move. He plays with a level of intensity that any coach would love to have on their team. With his first (of many) college offers under his belt, Jaxon should make a solid guard at the next level.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/48Zrz6APK9w </div></figure>

We've made it to the top 10. With football season officially kicking off on Monday, it's time to get the top 10 out on the waves. These next five young men have made a lot of waves on the grassroots circuit as well as attending a lot of elite camps. Let's dive right into the top 10: