MBA Mother's Day Classic: 16U Full Throttle

The MBA Mother's Day Classic has quickly become one of my favorite annual tournaments to cover. The facility at MSA Woodland and format creates a great opportunity to evaluate many prospects throughout the day. I appreciated the structure of having a one-day event, with 2026 and 2027 teams competing at the same facility in different time slots. The gym was packed for the 2026 games with D2 (GLIAC) and D3 (MIAA) coaches, while JUCO D2 (MCCAA) and NAIA (Crossroads, WHAC) coaches were also well represented. MBA did a phenomenal job hosting. They anticipated the flood of coaches and had plenty of chairs spread out along the baselines. MBA also had bleachers available for spectators and families to use. The hot concessions allowed me to stay all day without leaving the facility! This tournament provided a unique opportunity to evaluate <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/program/zero-star-basketball/"> </a><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/program/zero-star-basketball/">[program_tooltip program_id='928192' first='Zero' last='Star Basketball']</a>  , an Upper Peninsula travel program based in Marquette, against some of Michigan's top prospects and teams.   As you can imagine, my coverage prioritized watching <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/program/zero-star-basketball/"> </a><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/program/zero-star-basketball/">[program_tooltip program_id='928192' first='Zero' last='Star Basketball']</a>  ‘s 17U and 16U teams, while still observing many additional games throughout the day. Here are several 16U guards who grabbed my attention on Saturday.    Aubrey was dominant on both ends for MBA GUAA 2027 at the Mother's Day Classic. She swished two straightaway triples off the hop and added another bomb off the bounce. Aubrey jumped up to deflect a pass, blocked a shot, and took the steal quickly the other way to score a layup off two. She drained a contested fadeaway jumper, and beat her defender baseline off the dribble to score a layup off two. Aubrey pushed the ball with pace to score several transition layups, finished well with both hands around the basket, and converted contested layups with a soft touch off the glass.     Piper plays basketball exactly how she races dirt bikes--full throttle. She's ranked #6 in the nation for Motocross, quite the stunt, and is also a gifted point guard prospect. At the MBA Mother's Day Classic, Piper went into turbo mode, harassing ball-handlers with an all-out blitz of pressure. She relentlessly chased the ball sideline to sideline. No matter the time or score, Piper defended with the same effort and that separated her from the pack. She stole passes and pushed the ball in top gear to score layups off two. Piper dished assists in transition and split defenders on an explosive drive to cause a foul. Piper had the ball on a string. One of her highlight reel moments happened when she sent her defender tumbling to the floor with a lightning quick hesitation double-crossover move. She knocked down a mid-range jumper off the bounce and swished a wing triple with a hand in her face. Piper scored an offensive rebound put back, sealed her defender down low to score a layup, and never stopped competing on the court for Zero Star 16U.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/bell_piper18292/status/1881409335961764201 </div></figure>     Makayla has length, strength, and versatility that give her a ton of upside. She had a solid day for Zero Star 16U at the Mother's Day Classic. Makayla drove hard downhill from the perimeter and used a sweet high pick-up move to score a left-handed layup off two feet. Makayla used a pro hop to avoid a defender then made a great dump off pass to her teammate. Makayla swiped the ball away on defense and outraced everyone the other way for two points. She dished out assists and scored many layups throughout the day.     Ellie is a long, skilled, and athletic guard from Houghton who stood out for Zero Star 16U at the Mother's Day Classic. She scored a drop-step layup off two feet and converted an impressive reverse layup. Ellie took a defensive rebound the length of the court, froze her defender with a hesi, then blew by for a layup. She sank a floater in the paint and scored many layups off of steals. Ellie created space from defenders with her crossover dribbles and made a great kick-out pass to the perimeter for an assist.     Addi was hitting her target from 3-point distance at the Mother's Day Classic. She buried a straightaway triple with a rhythmic 1-2 step and found nylon again from the wing. Addi swished a straight-on jumper from way downtown and added a full-speed layup in transition. She looked good with Zero Star 16U and I'm excited to see her again in the future.     Elliana looked good for MBA GUAA 2027 at the Mother's Day Classic. She crashed the boards to secure offensive rebounds and scored many put backs. Elliana exploded downhill, finished a left-handed layup through contact, then made her free throw. She caught a pass, used an effective high-rip move to avoid a defender, then finished her contested layup off two feet. Elliana used her quickness and length to harass ball-handlers and create turnovers. Her next-level upside continues to show on the court.     Lakelyn made a visible impact on both ends for MBA GUAA 2027 at the Mother's Day Classic. She closed out quickly to block multiple shots and attacked the basket without mercy. Lakelyn cut hard, caught a pass, transferred the ball quickly, and finished the layup off two feet. She ran through a pass up top and exploded down the lane with her dribble to score another layup. Lakelyn finished many layups with both hands off two feet, created steals with her constant pressure, and dished a lob pass on the money for an assist. Lakelyn was one of the best slashers and defenders on the court Saturday.     Ruby had a solid day for Zero Star 16U and showed her potential at the MBA Mother's Day Classic. She worked hard on defense and forced fouls with her hard drives to the basket. Ruby finished contested layups well off two feet, knocked down free throws, and blocked a shot in the paint. She's a scrappy player I'm eager to see more of in the future.

The MBA Mother's Day Classic has quickly become one of my favorite annual tournaments to cover. The facility at MSA Woodland and format creates a great opportunity to evaluate many prospects throughout the day. I appreciated the structure of having a one-day event, with 2026 and 2027 teams competing at the same facility in different time slots. The gym was packed for the 2026 games with D2 (GLIAC) and D3 (MIAA) coaches, while JUCO D2 (MCCAA) and NAIA (Crossroads, WHAC) coaches were also well represented. MBA did a phenomenal job hosting. They anticipated the flood of coaches and had plenty of chairs spread out along the baselines. MBA also had bleachers available for spectators and families to use. The hot concessions allowed me to stay all day without leaving the facility! This tournament provided a unique opportunity to evaluate Zero Star Basketball , an Upper Peninsula travel program based in Marquette, against some of Michigan's top prospects and teams.