Zero Stars Showcase: 16U Preview

Diving back into the preview for the Zero Stars Showcase this Friday in Marquette, let's take a look at what program director Dustin Brancheau and head coach of the 16U Erik Racine have in store for us.    Terrence Nolan (feature image) has been an excellent contributor for the Gremlins varsity squad since entering high school. He'll see much more time on varsity this year as Houghton is losing one of its big inside forces with Luke Hill moving on to the next level (Grand Valley State University on a T&F and XC scholarship). Terrence has seen a lot of success along the perimeter and should transition nicely to the wing/small forward position. The Houghton Gremlins also lost some solid play from graduating seniors Hemmer and Lawson, so Nolan and incoming senior Ben Hemmer will be getting ample minutes. We'll be watching this young man over the next few years as the program at ADVANTAGE and Zero Stars should hone in on agility and recovery management nicely for Terrence. I expect Mr. Nolan to work his way up the All-UP list after next season. Keep an eye on this young man on the track as well; his 400M time is very respectable for a freshman.     Another solid class coming up through the ranks at Marquette High, led by three-sport athlete Winston Leonard. A stand-out in Football and Basketball with his 3rd sport (and best one), being academia. Winston is one of the most unselfish players I have watched in a while and brings a lot in the category of hard work and teamwork. Winston has made solid contributions to this Zero Stars squad and will likely be in the starting rotation for the Sentinels next season. Winston is very versatile and can guard the 1 through the 5 on any given night. I predict another very solid season out of Marquette, as well as another solid shot at a repeated district crown.     I've been watching Finley play basketball for many years now, and I always enjoy evaluating someone in my own backyard. Finley comes from a background of hard work, dedication, and accountability. He has a high basketball IQ, and I've always thought he was the type of kid you could build a team around. Sault High basketball has been in a bit of a retool over the past 12 months, and Finley joining Zero Stars and learning some foundational basketball skills will pay huge dividends for him over the next few years. He can handle the ball well and can catch fire from beyond the arc. He is also a very coachable kid and a reliable defender. I would expect to see Fin enter our Watch List (WL) this fall and possibly even climb onto our rankings.     [player_tooltip player_id='2386625' first='Sam' last='Lee'] has come onto the scene in the Copper Mountain Conference and the L'Anse Purple Hornets in a big way. After some solid accolades during the 2024-2025 season, we placed him on the watch list in the spring, and I think we'll comfortably be moving him up the rankings this fall. After two mid-season dominant performances, he was recognized as Player of the Week for the Detroit Free Press for the week of the 25th of January. Sam can stack up offensive statistics very quickly, but one of the biggest things that stands out with his stats, they are very balanced. Sure, he can come in and score in bunches from the perimeter, but it's not uncommon to see him with half a dozen assists. Zero Stars workouts should see some excellent improvements in his footwork and agility. His basketball IQ is already there, so with some grind, Sam will see many more accolades in his future. Sam is in my top 5 freshmen in the UP, and as he progresses, he will have no problem stacking hardware.     Another excellent prodigy from the Sentinels. I feel Marquette's recent success can be directly attributed to the workout regimens these athletes have been doing with ADVANTEDGE and Dustin. I asked Dustin why he started his business and this program, and his response was, "We want to give back and put more emphasis on skill development". You can certainly see that with some of the verticals on a lot of these Marquette kids. Carter will be making solid contributions to the Sentinels' frontcourt, and as he continues to develop, he will see solid minutes in the rotation.

Diving back into the preview for the Zero Stars Showcase this Friday in Marquette, let's take a look at what program director Dustin Brancheau and head coach of the 16U Erik Racine have in store for us.