Northern Michigan Week 15 Must-See Contests

<p>Another week of upcoming excellent boy's basketball in Northern Michigan. We're getting down to the wire in the 2024-2025 season and a couple of these contests get us closer to deciding conference champions. The MHSAA uses the MPR ranking to seed district home games, so being a number 1 seed in your district is a huge advantage, as you would have a home game throughout district play unless you play the host school. Let's look at two contests with HUGE implications.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Harbor Springs (11-2) @ Elk Rapids (10-4) 01/30/25</h2>   <p>Winner sits atop the Northern Shores Conference and gets a much-needed boost heading into districts in a few weeks. Harbor Springs is a favorite to win District 67, but will definitely be tested against surging teams like Charlevoix and East Jordan. We covered Harbor's Flynn and Bartel in our week 13 article (https://prephoops.com/2025/01/tuesday-showdown-cheboygan-harbor-springs-kingsford-iron-mount/), so I want to take a deeper look at two stand-outs from Elk Rapids, Wyatt Bargy and Keagan Cotterman.</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Big and strong. Wyatt is a farm kid, and if any of you have been around farm kids, two things are almost always certain, they will work their butts off and they never complain. Well, on the research trail, I spoke to his coach and his trainer and this is Wyatt to a T. He has just recently entered the radar, which is a testament to his hard work and training regimen. Wyatt is on a trajectory to the next level, as next-level coaches are already noticing his potential and should easily feel comfortable pulling the trigger and extending an offer. Especially those coaches looking for a coachable kid who is willing to put in the time and become whatever the team needs him to be. Wyatt will need to be on point down the stretch of the season to help the Elks in what is sure to be a district showdown with the Glen Lake Lakers.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Keagan is athletic and versatile. He is the pivotal player in Coach Kevin Ball's offense. When Bargy needs relief on the block, Cotterman steps up and plays the role perfectly. When he needs to ride the wing, he can dribble/drive or sink a high-percentage shot with ease. He's also skilled at working off screen sets to help create positive situations on offense. Kaegan works very well from the top of the key, where he is an accurate passer and makes wise overall decisions. I looked over Elk Rapids' stats, and they are one of the most well-balanced teams in Northern Michigan. There are a multitude of players who can contribute on any given night, a testament to their excellent coaching.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Escanaba (7-8) @ Menominee (8-6) 01/28/25</h2>   <p>Both teams are becoming healthy. Both teams are in one of the toughest conferences in the UP, (Great Northern UP Conference). Both teams have the opportunity to stake a claim within their conference. Escanaba rolls into this game and then squares off against Kingsford, Munising, Norway, and Marquette...all VERY tough matchups. Menominee is hitting a huge part of their schedule as well; after this matchup, their next two games are Marquette and Iron Mountain. Both of these teams will need to pull a win or two out of this part of their schedule to remain in some contention within their conference.</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">We have Hayven on the watch list, but after his last few performances, we are ready to insert this sophomore into the rankings. Played on [program_tooltip program_id='2075498' first='Great' last='Northern Elite']'s 15U last spring as well as in their fall league, so we've been able to catch a lot of his game. He is a developing sophomore, but he has the handles of a seasoned senior. Over the next year or two, as he builds muscle and foot speed, he will no question be on the all-UP list and plenty of college radars. He is a superb ball handler and can get to the basket and score. He finishes well and can also heat up from beyond the arc.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Javon is very quick and very athletic. He was out for a lingering football injury earlier in the season but now seems to be back at full strength. He can cover the entire floor in just a few bounds and has lightning quickness. I see he has had a few football offers (with more likely coming), so it's safe to say he spends a lot of time in the weight room. Javon plays the 3 position well and is always hustling after loose balls and sacrificing himself for his team. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Durrent and the Maroons suffered a couple of key losses early in the season, but have seemed to get back on track over the last few weeks, going 6-2 over the past 8 games. Durrent does the yeoman's work at the point. Modern basketball puts a lot of emphasis on guards to stack rebounds, and I notice Durrent does this well, particularly on the offensive side. He's a nice one-two punch with multi-positional player [player_tooltip player_id='2561784' first='Tanner' last='Theurkauf']. Durrent and company will need to throw the kitchen sink at their remaining schedule, as it is one of the toughest in Northern Michigan. </p>

Another week of upcoming excellent boy's basketball in Northern Michigan. We're getting down to the wire in the 2024-2025 season and a couple of these contests get us closer to deciding conference champions. The MHSAA uses the MPR ranking to seed district home games, so being a number 1 seed in your district is a huge advantage, as you would have a home game throughout district play unless you play the host school. Let's look at two contests with HUGE implications.