Northern Michigan Notebook: 2021 Wrap Up

The New Years is not even halfway close to the midway point of the season. But the holiday break does provide an inflection point that other sports don’t have. As the new year starts a brief look at some of the top performances in Northern Michigan thus far. Best Team Performance: At 4-0 with some impressive wins I’m going to go with the Benzie Central Huskies. Since the primary focus of this site is recruiting I am going to single out one player for specific mention. The Huskies point guard [player_tooltip player_id="864009" first="Nate" last="Childers"] (pictured at top of article) has had a blistering start to his senior season. Standout contest was a 24 point performance in their season opening road victory over a good Ludington squad. The stellar play has included a dunk for this much improved athlete. Improved athleticism and a deep shooting touch have been the added parts to his game. Has always been an intelligent and highly competitive point guard. However he might not even be the best shooter on his team. [player_tooltip player_id="864021" first="Quinn" last="Zickert"] shot the lights out in a victory over Ravenna at the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament. Nate’s little brother [player_tooltip player_id="1112371" first="Jaxon" last="Childers"] is coming off a foot injury and is one of the top 2024’s in the region. Best Individual Performance: [player_tooltip player_id="985667" first="Wyatt" last="Nausadis"] 6-4 2023 Traverse City St Francis Cheating a bit on this one. Technically this performance took place in 2022. But it was simply too impressive to ignore. Nausadis did it all for the Gladiators Tuesday night. Scoring 31 points in a double overtime road victory over crosstown rival Traverse City Central. As a junior seems to be finding the balance of using his scoring instincts along with improved playmaking. Continues to be a top shelf athlete and possibly even stronger this year. The scoring output would have been even more impressive on Tuesday night except he was dreadful from the free throw line. He is a good shooter so that was a bit of an aberration. Coming off a good summer on a national circuit with the Grand Rapids Storm. Trending towards being a potentially special prospect from the region. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/F5406E2A-F2F0-495D-AF63-CD165EA59F45-rotated.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1238750" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/F5406E2A-F2F0-495D-AF63-CD165EA59F45-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a> Best Duo: [player_tooltip player_id="1211317" first="Trevin" last="Winkle"] 6-3 2022 (pictured) and Blake DeZeeuw 6-5 2023 McBain Northern Michigan Christian If you have been reading me for a while you know I am very high on Winkle. I’ve been holding the stock since the Comets 5-15 regular season in Winkle’s sophomore year. What has allowed NMC to take the step as a program is the development 2023 Blake DeZeeuw. DeZeeuw is a much different player than Winkle but complements him well. Long and very lanky but much improved as both a playmaker and defensively. Is predominately left handed but has shown improvement with his off hand in the past year. Also appears to be more focused in his approach and competitiveness. Winkle continues to be a mid range monster. Scores so easily in multiple ways from this forgotten region of the court. Has advanced court vision and seems to always make the right play. Has an unusual release on his perimeter shot but it is pure. Proved he could play with anyone this summer. This dynamic duo could make the Comets the top Division 4 team in the entire region. Best Post: [player_tooltip player_id="985668" first="Luke" last="Hazelton"] 6-7 2023 Maple City Glen Lake Like the rest of the state there is a dearth of old school post in the region. That’s what makes Hazelton’s throwback style of play such an anomaly. Athletic and county strong frame makes him a walking double double. Has proved it by notching one is all three of the Lakers victories. Standout performance was a 32 point 14 rebound outing in a matchup with a very good Lake Leelanau St Mary’s squad. Is left handed by finishes nicely with both hands around the basket. The soft touch extends all over the court. Even out to three point range. Has good court awareness and is a good passer for a big man. Comes from a basketball family and plays like a player who grew up around gyms. Should easily be one of the top of overall players in the region next year. If he isn’t already. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/155-Cole-Jenema.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1301285" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/155-Cole-Jenema-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a> New Role: [player_tooltip player_id="1068145" first="Cole" last="Jenema"] 6-9 2022 Cadillac You don’t need have a wealth of basketball knowledge to identify what makes Jenema special. Immense physical gifts are eye catching. A legit 6-9. But also very mobile with extreme length. Now as a senior starting to show a level of leadership and aggression that is commiserate with the physical gifts. The Vikings are a talented and deep squad. But they traveled down to take on Midland minus a few of their main rotation players. Jenema stepped into this void, showed some assertiveness and finished with 21 points in the close loss. Followed that 26 point 12 rebound stat stuffing game in a victory over Alpena. Like Nausadis played nationally with the Grand Rapids Storm this summer. A big senior season could vault him up recruiting boards. The physical gifts are already there in plenty. Is off to a good start so far.