MBA Mother's Day Classic: The REAL DEAL

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/">[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/">[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 17U guards who were among the best prospects on the court during the games I observed Saturday.    Christina looked confident with the ball in her hands at the Mother's Day Classic. She stepped into a smooth wing three and drove hard to the rack, finishing with a strong and-one layup. Christina had a highlight reel moment when she accelerated by her defender using an explosive hesitation crossover dribble, transferred the ball to her left with a graceful high-pick up move, and finished the layup. Christina fits right in with MBA GUAA 2026 and is an athletic guard to have on your radar.     Jenessa made the<a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/03/d4-all-breslin-team/"> All-Breslin Team</a> two years ago when she helped Ishpeming win the D4 state championship. Her length, athleticism, relentless effort, and playmaking abilities fit the mold of a college guard. Jenessa impressed me greatly with her 'never say die' attitude on the court--she doesn't quit on plays. Jenessa chased down multiple breakaways to block shots and deflect the ball out of bounds. She made a smart backdoor cut to score a layup and initiated contact with a defender before hitting a contested step-back jumper off the dribble. Jenessa swished multiple threes off the hop, scored a jump stop step-through with her left hand, and hit her teammate in stride with a perfect no-look bounce pass in transition. Jenessa created steals with her quick hands on defense, walled up to block a shot in the paint, grabbed offensive rebounds, and split defenders with her crossovers.     Victoria demonstrated grit and commitment with [program_tooltip program_id='713450' first='REAL' last=''] at the MBA Mother's Day Classic. Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling pitched Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS with a severe ankle injury in what would be known as the legendary 'bloody sock game". Victoria had her own red-stained sock and shoe adversity on Saturday, but she kept battling through it. Victoria outworked her opponent to secure many offensive rebounds and scored put-backs. She converted shots from the charity stripe and is a deadly perimeter shooter. Victoria drove with a burst to score a left-handed layup and made a highlight reel play with a sweet fake-pass and one layup with her left, plus the free throw. Great competitors sacrifice for their team and the physical/mental toughness Victoria showed on Saturday is exactly what college coaches need on their team.     [player_tooltip player_id='1204144' first='Olivia-Jo' last='Rytlewski'] is a name everyone will know next winter. She's an 8th grader who played up with Mystics 2026-Ruh-P24 at the MBA Mother's Day Classic, and was one of the best players on the court. Needless to say, O.J. is clearly one of Michigan's best 2029 prospects and currently the front runner at her position. She showed no fear or timidness against the older group. O.J. barrelled into the chest of a defender on a strong drive and finished the layup. She blocked shots and converted free throws. O.J. drove baseline to score a floater and blew by a defender to score a layup off two feet. She caught a pass in the paint, froze the defender with a fake, and finished off two. O.J. showed her confidence handling the ball with a double crossover between-the-legs dribble and is a threat from the perimeter, drilling a straightaway triple. O.J. is a prospect we hope to see at our Freshman Showcase in August.     Karis was lightning in a bottle for [program_tooltip program_id='713450' first='REAL' last=''] at the MBA Mother's Day Classic. She competed like a scholarship was on the line all day, and I couldn't look away when she stepped onto the court. Karis snagged a defensive rebound and pushed the ball quickly the length of the floor to score a contested layup. Karis buried straightaway threes and drove to the basket with fearless determination to score layups and get to the free throw line. She knocked down many shots from the charity stripe. I wrote down "hard work on defense" and "relentless" multiple times while watching Karis compete. Her lockdown defense and effort resulted in several steals and blocks. Karis scored a staggering 25 points in her first game, and her complete impact was noticed on Saturday.     Emma was a guard who contributed in every way for [program_tooltip program_id='713450' first='REAL' last=''] at the MBA Mother's Day Classic. She crashed the boards to score an offensive rebound put back with her left and pushed the ball with both hands in transition after securing defensive rebounds. Emma chased down a 50/50 ball and dished an assist after grabbing a steal. She buried a wing three, finished well around the basket off two feet, and communicated with teammates. Emma attacked downhill with explosive bursts off the dribble. She shifted gears with a speedy crossover dribble and blew by her defender to score an impressive left-handed layup through contact with soft touch off the glass.

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.