Basketball, like most things in life, is constantly changing. Every season coaches and teams try to adapt to the latest and greatest — be it over-hyped trends or tried and true methods that are making their way into the mainstream. Basketball is in an eternal state of evolution. But for almost 20 years the St. Ignace Saints have been stuck...
Bryce and Eden discuss their impressions of St. Ignace dominating the No. 2 ranked team in Division 2, Kingsley. They also review the key happenings this past week in UP basketball along with previewing the upcoming matchups.
Emily Coveyou has watched St. Ignace play in plenty of semifinal games. She’s watched the Saints in state titles, too. But one thing is missing. She’s never played in either of those games herself. And she really, really, really wants to. “It is really important to me,” she said. “I’ve been one game away for the last three years. We...
The Negaunee Invitational Tournament has meant a lot to the people of Negaunee, and the entire UP for that matter. Starting in 1964, the tournament has had around 100 teams from all around the Midwest attend each year, providing a chance for everyone from the weekend warriors to the most polished basketball players to compete against one another. Now, after...
It was never going to be easy, and it was never going to be perfect. That was a given. But how do you follow up a 26-2 season with a run to the state championship game? Last season the Chassell Panthers opened their season by losing to L’Anse. Then, they rattled off 26 straight wins, beating the odds and...
This week's poll saw few changes, especially ones of importance. There were a few shifts at the bottom part of the polls, but the top teams remained the same. Here is the fifth poll of the season.
Despite the inclement weather, Upbeat's Bryce Derouin and Eden Laase discuss the dramatic week that was, including the firing of Baraga's Chris Loonsfoot, return of Marquette's Luke Ogea and Foster Wonders' tooth.
Chris Loonsfoot knew there would be challenges when he took over the Baraga boys basketball program following an 0-21 season. He envisioned a long-term turnaround for his alma mater — similar to what Dollar Bay has achieved — but after an 0-14 start in his second season, Loonsfoot was told he was fired from Baraga Athletic Director Amy Kraft-Lake after...
For a while, it felt like Luke Ogea might never play. First, it was a nasty ankle sprain. Then a concussion. Then, just when he was ready to get back on the court, mononucleosis took over. It’s been almost a year since he played in a varsity game, and he only started practicing for real a week ago — but...
Last week saw a shakeup in the UPSSA poll due to several upsets, but this week things stayed relatively the same. A few teams moved up or down a spot, but nothing major. Here is the fourth poll of the season:
In this episode, we touch on plenty of subjects, including: Tech-NMU thoughts, the Brimley-Engadine showdown that was, Marquette and Negaunee girls, Eden's favorite rivalries so far and more.
Even now in its tamer state, in order to understand Engadine’s system, you have to throw out all prior notions you had about basketball. The quick 3 that came within the first five seconds? That’s by design. The platoon substitutions are, too. So is the constant full-court pressure that can turn any game into straight mayhem and a nightmare for...
Bryce and Eden go over the 10 things that stood out so far on the boys and girls side. Jake Polfus joins the pod (37:28) to discuss his team's 8-3 start, what the No. 1 state ranking meant to his guys, things he'd like to change in high school basketball and more.
Madelyn Koski is perfect. At least she tries to be. And sometimes she tries not to be. Koski has a complicated relationship with perfection. Take today for example. It’s the Saturday before finals week and Koski is at home with her family, college basketball plays on the TV in the background. She likes to get up early, so as not...
There are numerous anecdotes that go into Foster Wonders being the most interesting UP recruit in recent history. There’s the one about him scrimmaging against the Michigan Tech men as an eighth-grader, pitting him against college athletes before he played his first high school game — and holding his own, at that. There’s the full scholarship offer he received from...
Marcus Harris has a lot going on. First, there’s his look. Carmel-hued curls bouncing atop his head, mid-calf socks covered in different colored stars, and purple and yellow Kobes on his feet. If that’s not enough to get your attention, the way Harris plays will. When it comes to the 8-0 Bays, it’s hard to nail down Harris’ role on...
It’s a hypothetical that typically doesn’t need to be asked when discussing successful Carney-Nadeau teams: How good can this group be when it’s on from outside? And yet, it’s perhaps one of the biggest glaring issues for a Wolves team that’s 4-0.
Recently Young Coggs Prep, a small Christian school in Milwaukee, added a new 3D art program to its list of classes. While that has been an innovative and exciting course for the students, it doesn’t seem like something that would affect UP basketball — but it does.
The Menominee Maroons have had a tough start to their season, but coach Sam Larson is not concerned, or at least he does not show it. Larson, in his second year as the head coach of the Maroons, has a young team — one that relies on its underclassmen to handle most of the workload due to only having two...
For the Escanaba Eskymos to win the Carney-Nadeau Holiday Tournament, first they'll have to face their demons. Young Coggs Prep appears to be everything Escanaba isn't, and that will pose plenty of challenges for head coach Tracy Hudson and the Eskymos when they face off at 5:15 p.m. CST, Thursday. The host team will play Menominee at approximately 7 p.m.
Basketball, like most things in life, is constantly changing. Every season coaches and teams try to adapt to the latest and greatest — be it over-hyped trends or tried and true methods that are making their way into the mainstream. Basketball is in an eternal state of evolution. But for almost 20 years the St. Ignace Saints have been stuck...
It’s nearly a month before Carney-Nadeau’s season opener against Rapid River and Jake Polfus is ready to reflect as he prepares for his 11th season as C-N’s head coach. He comfortably leans back in his chair inside an office, just steps away from the entrance to the hallowed gym as balls bounce and shots are thrown up by those still...
There was a lot going on in Iron Mountain’s 78-71 win over Calumet on Friday. From Foster Wonder’s game-tying buzzer beater to Brevin Antilla’s 3-point shooting, to Iron Mountain’s 3-2 defense and Calumet’s end-of-regulation run, it was insanity all around. But in the midst of all that drama were two of the best point guards in the UP: Matt Ojala...
For what seems like forever, the Escanaba and Gladstone girls basketball teams have seemed to fit an archetype. Escanaba would have the six-footers. The score in the paint and post-up team, the win the battle of the boards team. Gladstone would bring a guard-heavy lineup and seek to muddle things up, create turnovers and generally make life miserable for the...
Eight months later, one of the worst defeats in Brandon Sager’s coaching career still hangs over his head. Literally. Banners are meant to honor teams and players for their extraordinary feats so they may be remembered by the community for years to come. And perhaps someday Sager and the Negaunee Miners who went 20-0 will be able to look back...
If you’ve played basketball at any level, be it peewee or college, you’ve heard it: “Pass up a good shot to get a great shot.” It’s a motto coaches love. Well, not all coaches. Marquette’s Ben Smith doesn’t necessarily agree with that notion, at least when it comes to his team this season. The Redettes are equipped with plenty of...
The disappointed manifested itself with each 3 that clanked off the rim. Over and over, the Bark River-Harris coaches and players on the bench anxiously stood up each time a high-arching 3 floated in the air as if they were trying to will it in. But no amount of willpower could compensate for BR-H’s major weakness in a 55-53 regional...
Madison Pruett finds herself in a tough spot. The senior is trapped in the corner with a defender on each side. But she doesn’t panic. Instead, Pruett flips a pass to a teammate, waiting wide open under the hoop for an easy bucket. “Pruett!” Coach Ryan Reichel calls out. She turns with a concerned look on her face. “That was...
For the first time, a preseason player rankings poll was conducted to rate the top 25 boys and girls basketball players in the UP. Five coaches and Bryce Derouin of Upbeat ranked the girls on a 25-point scale. A first-place vote warranted 25 points, while second-place was worth 24 and so on. The coaches included one from the Copper Country,...
There’s a loose ball rolling toward the baseline. It bounces gently out of bounds, approaching the padded wall, but the Wykons don’t stop. Instead, players fight for the ball and continue to play. In the West Iron County gym, there are no out of bounds — in practice that is. It’s one of the many strategies head coach Eric Shamion...
The Escanaba Eskymos are pressed for time. "Push it," shouts veteran head coach Tracy Hudson from across the gym floor. The Eskymos have a short window to prepare for the season due to a lengthy postseason football run, and Hudson begins to shout another command, but from a certain vantage point, it's hard to tell what it is. Hudson is...
When Eden Golliher talks, she seems nervous. The junior speaks in rapid bursts, the words falling out of her mouth so quickly that she occasionally stumbles over them. Her spoken thoughts are punctuated by deep breaths and wide smiles, while the hands she’s been waving around to emphasize her points settle once again by her sides. But Golliher isn’t nervous,...
Matt Laho does not raise his voice very often, if at all. During one of his practices, you can hardly distinguish his voice from the others on the floor. There is a calmness about him, but when he speaks his players listen. Such calmness is surprising, considering that Laho is a first-year varsity head coach, and a coach with big...
The Houghton Gremlins girls basketball program is steeped in tradition. It seems every season, there is another Gremlin team winning a conference or district championship. The last year without a district title occurred in the 2013-2014 season. Such dominance is not typical in high school sports, especially in the UP, where exceptional players can be few and far between. Some...
When Dane Quigly was tabbed as the Gladstone varsity coach last season there weren’t any nerves or fears. After all, he had made the jump from JV to varsity before, and this time, he was much more prepared.
There is a feeling of optimism surrounding the Lake Linden-Hubbell boys basketball team. That may be surprising, considering the Lakes are coming off their worst season since 2010-11. “We didn’t have success last year, and that’s my concern,” head coach Jack Kumpula said. “We need to get started fast and get things going on and put last year behind us.”
Ontonagon has a rich history of boys basketball players, especially players of great size and strength. Growing up in the Copper Country, you are bound to hear stories about the incredible size that the teams from Ontonagon invariably had year to year — kids who were just bigger and stronger than everyone else. This season, after graduating six seniors, the...
Labeling anyone the best at anything is tricky business. You assuredly will be met with some sort of counter-argument when using terms such as “greatest” or any other phrase marking someone as the finest at their craft. But, there are exceptions. Those are the individuals who warrant the discussion based on their impressive resumes that can stand up against others’...
Tyler Sundling is riding high these days. Just over a week ago, he was the hero for the Rapid River Rockets' first eight-person football state title. Sundling scored two touchdowns and rushed for over 100 yards in the championship game against Onekama. Now in his junior season, Sundling will officially take command of the Rockets basketball team. Sundling has enjoyed...
We all feel emotional pain differently. Some get over the feeling quickly, some take a slow and steady approach, and others allow that pain to make a home inside them; motivating, influencing and dictating everything they do. When Marcus Johnson was 14 he watched his older brother Kyle lose his last high school game — a devastating 51-46 defeat at...
After 29 years of coaching at Iron Mountain, and 19 as a head coach, Bucky Johnson can be considered an authority on Mountaineers basketball. He’s seen good teams, bad teams, great teams and everything in between, but he’s never seen anything like this. “I would have to say that the last time I saw a team with this much talent...
For the first time, a preseason player rankings poll was conducted to rate the top 25 boys and girls basketball players in the UP. Six coaches and Bryce Derouin of Upbeat ranked the boys on a 25-point scale. A first-place vote warranted 25 points, while second-place was worth 24 and so on. The coaches included two from the Copper Country,...
Almost everything is new for the Bark River-Harris Broncos this season: A new coach, a new cast of players and a new division. The coach is BR-H grad and long-time resident Marc Zawacki. The players are six seniors that didn’t see significant varsity time last season, and the division is Division 3 — a change for a team that has...
Tessa Leece and Madelyn Koski don’t have to talk or even look at each other to know what the other is thinking. Their bond is so strong, Leece says, that the two have telepathy. The phenomena of assessing someone’s thoughts and feelings without needing any cues is commonly associated with twins, but Leece and Koski aren’t twins. They aren’t even...
The Chassell Panthers have one thing on the mind these days: a district championship. With a roster mostly made up of returning players from last year’s 12-8 team and a few potential contributors coming up from the junior varsity team, the question asked was a simple one: Why not? With many teams in the conference graduating talented players, the Panthers...
Reece Castor’s indoctrination to basketball occurred before he could learn proper shooting technique or how to dribble with his opposite hand. It happened at a time when most toddlers his age could be entertained with cartoons and toys. But for Reece, he found his joy in basketball. It started with his dad, Clayton, bringing little Reece to his men’s league...
Bill Rivest is a quiet man. If you walked into the Lake Linden-Hubbell girls practice, you would not hear the sound of a typical coach yelling out instructions. Rather, you would hear the squeaking of the shoes, the balls hitting the floor and the team communicating amongst themselves. No yelling. No wild gestures. No gimmicks. Just basketball. Rivest brings a...
At 2:20 p.m., the Marquette high school bell rings and students flood the halls, ready to head home after a long day of learning. Mere moments after the sound echoes through the school, Marius Grazulis is already dressed for basketball practice. He’s ready so early, in fact, that coach Brad Nelson hasn’t even arrived, so there isn’t a basketball in...
You notice Tucker Taylor when he steps onto a basketball court. His chiseled 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame is akin to a college middle linebacker. Then you see him move — there’s an explosive first step and a quick-twitch spring when he elevates into the air. It’s not hyperbole to suggest that no other player this season will possess the equivalence...
The quick handle, the explosive drives to the lane, the impeccable court vision — it all looks a little too familiar to Dan Waterman. It takes him back to a different time, a different court, a different uniform. Then, he hated that lethal combination of skills. Now, he loves it. It’s a cold evening in early November. A light dusting...
Dan Waterman doesn’t like what he sees, but it’s what he can’t hear that bothers him most. He stops the intrasquad scrimmage and his deep voice bellows out across the Negaunee middle school gym. “The biggest difference between college basketball and high school is the communication on defense,” he says. “If you don’t talk at the college level, you don’t...
Prototypical basketball teams fit the standard archetype. An adept distributor at point guard, a hot shooting wing, a lane-clogging rebounder, and a couple posts down low. Many coaches would ideally pick a team that fits those molds. But high school athletics have always had a luck of the draw component. A technique can be taught, but genetics? You get what you...
The feet move quickly. In, out, in, out: barely touching the ground as they complete a ladder drill designed to improve athletes’ quickness. Then the feet shuffle along the 3-point line and curl around a metal chair. They plant at the free throw line, creating a base for the perfect jump shot. The ball falls through the hoop and a line of North...
Tandlund Lake Road looks like it could go on forever. It’s covered in gravel and marked with gentle bumps and divots, lined with storybook-style trees — tall and full and perfectly green. But before one can explore the potential infinity of the road, there’s a little turnoff. After a few soft corners, the road opens up to reveal Tandlund Lake...
