Team Profile: Petoskey Northmen

Last night, we headed down snowy US-31 to catch the Petoskey Northmen in action against the Sault High Blue Devils. I like the setup at Petoskey. With the close proximity of both gyms, you can bounce back and forth and catch good action from all three contests—the Freshman, the Junior Varsity, and the Varsity. Petoskey moved back up to Division 1 this year and seemingly bounces back and forth between Division 1 and 2 pretty regularly. This year with an enrollment of 834, they were right at the threshold of 833. That puts them in District 1, with pretty heavy hitters like TC West, TC Central, and Marquette. As the season wears on, they will need to rely on their speed, quickness, and accurate shooting to bring them success. Let's take a look at some of the key players from all three contests last night.      Mason Fralick is the Veteran of the Varsity squad and there is a weight that is placed on his shoulders to be the team's floor general...which he does well. He's quick and a great defender; created a lot of turnovers last night, which turned into a great night in transition for the Northmen backcourt. Shot well from beyond the arc and was lethal on a few 15-footers from the elbow off of a tight ball screen. Mason should transition well to the next level and would shine in a JUCO PG role.     The younger brother of Mason, [player_tooltip player_id='2759317' first='Braden' last='Fralick'], is ready for the Varsity show. Been following him for a few years now and knew he'd be an impact player on Varsity at day one. ZERO tension between brothers and they complement each other well. Braden is a pesky defender and plays downhill all night. Creates lots of turnovers and turns them into transition points well. Foot speed and vertical are two strong points.     Korbin is a beast in the paint. Has already inked a deal with Northwood to play football next year, and this kid is a MONSTER down low. The intimidation factor is a 10 as anyone who tries to position the ball down low must go through him. On offense, if he puts his paw up and his guards hit him in stride, there's not much that can derail him. With a shorter roster this year, the Northmen will need his size to body up anyone with a bigger lineup.     Want to incorporate some ballers from the JV and Freshman squads who will undoubtedly be tapped to move up. First up, Tate Russell. Tate had a superb night last night owning the block during the JV contest. He dominated the post on both ends of the floor. He did get in a bit of foul trouble but worked through that well as the game went on. Widened the gap for the Northmen JV team in the 4th quarter by stepping up and hammering in 3 straight power dribble post moves, which put the game completely out of reach for the Blue Devils. Like his composure and willingness to sacrifice for his team.     Colin O'Donnell put the game on his shoulders for the Freshman Team. Had a balanced 19-point performance with a nice blend of triples, mashed in with some aggressive layups and nice jumpers. He's quick and defended the Soo's better ball handlers well, creating turnovers that led to nice contributions. Colin gets solid looks on the JV from time to time, but I like his freshmen role as it will further develop his ability to be a team leader as he moves up. I see a bright future for this young guard and will surely be providing more scouting coverage on him in years to come.

Last night, we headed down snowy US-31 to catch the Petoskey Northmen in action against the Sault High Blue Devils. I like the setup at Petoskey. With the close proximity of both gyms, you can bounce back and forth and catch good action from all three contests—the Freshman, the Junior Varsity, and the Varsity. Petoskey moved back up to Division 1 this year and seemingly bounces back and forth between Division 1 and 2 pretty regularly. This year with an enrollment of 834, they were right at the threshold of 833. That puts them in District 1, with pretty heavy hitters like TC West, TC Central, and Marquette. As the season wears on, they will need to rely on their speed, quickness, and accurate shooting to bring them success. Let's take a look at some of the key players from all three contests last night.