Breslin Center: All State Tournament Teams

In its 31st year at the Breslin Center. The MHSAA State Championship weekend produced something completely new. A “truly” hometown champion as East Lansing took the trophy a mere 2.5 miles back to its home campus. I'll wrap up regular season coverage with all tournament teams.   Note: To the victors go the spoils. I'm populating the first and second teams with only players from the state championship winning teams. Third and fourth teams will cover performances from teams who did not raise a banner   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">First Team </h2>   PG- [player_tooltip player_id='2423654' first='Keaton' last='Blanker'] 5-10 Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian I wrote about Blanker on Thursday night. However his play on Saturday further cemented his spot. A state championship carries enough pressure on its own. Sending a legendary coach to retirement with the first back-to-back title of his storied career? Doing it against a squad that already defeated Tri-Unity early in the year? Did I mention that said team (Fowler) had a decided home court advantage? That's a lot. None of it seemed to faze Blanker at all. Not surprising for a player who seemingly spent his entire career at the Breslin Center. The Grace Christian commit does not have a lot of size. His opponents from Fowler had some size in the perimeter. That size was a factor in the aforementioned early season loss. Blanker seemed to find a new level of quickness to keep defenders off balance on Saturday. Finished a with a game high 12 points to go along five assists.   SG- [player_tooltip player_id='2140508' first='Kingston' last='Thomas'] 6-5 2027 East Lansing The only non-senior and underclassmen on the first and second teams. This speaks to both the experienced talent on hand this weekend, and to Thomas' long term upside. Got off to a slow start in Friday's semifinal. Got going late by hitting some clutch shots in the mid range. Did not get off to a slow start Saturday. Didn't wait for the game to him. Forced the issue offensively and had double double entering the fourth quarter. Finished the final with 19 point and 12 rebound stat line. Fully cementing a spot near the very top of Michigan's still emerging 2027 class.   SF- [player_tooltip player_id='1437985' first='Geon' last='Hutchins'] 6-5 2025 Warren Lincoln (pictured) The Northern Iowa commit played well in both the semifinals and finals. However his clutch play on Friday night earned this spot. Had an absolutely huge corner three late to give the Abe's a lead they would not relinquish. Also had “fingertip” save to keep a late Lincoln possession going. On Saturday dealt with two difficult offensive fouls to deliver his standard offensive performance. Had a game high 15 in the semifinal. Following it up with 12 in the final. The defensive contributions from the lanky wing do not show up on a stat sheet. A nice way to wrap up a circuitous career.   PF- [player_tooltip player_id='1437983' first='Cameron' last='Hutson'] 6-6 2025 East Lansing Sometimes a “storybook” ending can get in the way of the game. I'm not going to be a killjoy. It was really cool to see Hutson win a state championship on the court his dad starred on. All that being said, Hutson's play spoke for itself all weekend. The Saint Louis commit simply lived in transition. Ran the court with extreme speed and filled lanes with purpose. Knew what do when he got and was an emphatic finisher. After nine points on Friday came alive with a game high 20 in the final.   C- [player_tooltip player_id='1438270' first='Charles' last='Kage'] 6-8 2025 Riverview Gabriel Richard Hutson wasn't the only player winning a championship in a spot where his Dad raised a banner. While Kage's Dad did not play at Michigan St. He won a state championship with River Rogue in 1998. The Saginaw Valley St commit owned the paint against an ATAP squad that was very good, but featured a small and young frontline. Rolling to the basket for easy baskets early and often. Was also a huge presence at the rim defensively. Finished 18 points and 11 rebounds. Added two blocks for good measure.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Second Team </h2>   PG- [player_tooltip player_id='1437547' first='Moses' last='Blackwell'] 5-8 2025 Warren Lincoln As a high profile four year player. I feel like I could write this from muscle memory. Not the biggest player, but you can't measure his heart. A winning basketball player simply loaded with intangibles. I thought he struggled a little on Friday. As Grand Rapids Catholic Central featured a talented 6-2 point guard. In spite of this he was patient and didn't force things. As soon as he got an advantageous switch, he attacked like the veteran he is. Not sure of his spot at the next level. Wherever it is, I bet he wins some basketball games.   SG- [player_tooltip player_id='1266476' first='Luke' last='Westerdale'] 6-1 2025 Riverview Gabriel Richard A little bit of positional fraud here. The Wayne St commitment is most definitely a point guard. However with his extremely deep range and the presence of [player_tooltip player_id='1438256' first='Nick' last='Sobush'] (Siena Heights) We'll slide Westerdale down to the two spot. An excellent live dribble passer who set up [player_tooltip player_id='1438270' first='Charles' last='Kage'] (see above) for many of his open looks at the rim. Handled heavy pressure and ATAP's unique late game approach well. Finished the championship contest with 17 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.   SF-[player_tooltip player_id='1437541' first='Markus' last='Blackwell'] 6-2 2025 Warren Lincoln We'll go for three guard look on the second team. Like his familial backcourt partner. Just knows how to win games. I'm always struck by his patience and composure. The epitome of a player who plays at his own pace. The Eastern Illinois commit scored 11 and 13 points respectively. However those numbers only tell a part of the story. Enters the rarefied category of players who have led his team to back-to-back championships.   PF- Jayce Branson 6-4 2025 East Lansing Like longtime running mate Hutson (see above) Branson lived out in transition all weekend. Catching lob and accumulating highlight finishes. He also played a major role defensively in helping to slow down Wayne Memorial's quick starting backcourt. Also protected the rim after the Trojans lost one of their starters down low to injury in Friday's action. Didn't score in double figure in either game. However those are just numbers. Branson played a major role in one of the more emotional championships I have witnessed in a while.   C- Joey Mellon 6-7 2025 Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian You could copy and paste his teammates capsule from above. A lot of pressure going up against Fowler's big frontline. Mellon didn't flinch and played outstanding all weekend. Did it through foul trouble. Especially on Thursday night. Despite the foul trouble. Nearly put up a double double with nine points and eight rebounds. Went out in style on Saturday with 10.

In its 31st year at the Breslin Center. The MHSAA State Championship weekend produced something completely new. A “truly” hometown champion as East Lansing took the trophy a mere 2.5 miles back to its home campus. I'll wrap up regular season coverage with all tournament teams.