All-U.P. Guards Running it Back

Michigan's Upper Peninsula is famous for its outdoor recreation, snowfall, breathtaking natural scenery, mining history, pasties, and vast forests. Dozens of prospects above the Mackinac Bridge have the talent to make an impact at the next level. Increasing awareness about the U.P.'s prospects has been an emphasis of mine for the past two years, and I hope to see more Yoopers getting offers to play downstate in the future. Here are several guards who earned All-UP honors last year and are repeating that success again this season.    Piper placed herself firmly on our radar with explosive performances during the travel season and again at the Zero Star Showcase. Her elusive ball-handling, speedy downhill drives, athleticism, ability to finish acrobatic layups in traffic, and pinpoint accuracy from three-point range give defenders headaches. She pressures the ball and creates turnovers with her quick hands/feet. Piper received All-U.P. First Team honors as a sophomore and is off to the races again for Sault Ste. Marie as a junior. She erupted for 34 points in a win against Alpena and 28 points vs. Petoskey.     Makayla was a standout performer for [program_tooltip program_id='928192' first='Zero' last='Star Basketball'] at the Mother's Day Classic and turned in another solid outing at the Zero Star Showcase. Her length, mobility, strong frame, and skillful ball-handling create matchup problems for guards and forwards. Makayla penetrates gaps, drives hard to the basket, side-steps defenders, absorbs contact, and finishes effectively off two feet. She has a keen awareness of where defenders are and keeps her head up on drives to dish out assists when the help arrives. Makayla is having a productive junior season for Gwinn. She dropped 19 points, including two triples, in a win against Manistique. Makayla was an All-U.P. Special Mention selection as a sophomore.     After an All-U.P. Second Team sophomore season for Houghton, Ellie quickly built a reputation as one of the best Yooper prospects with strong performances on the travel circuit and at the [program_tooltip program_id='928192' first='Zero' last='Star Basketball'] Showcase. Ellie has length, athleticism, and skill that translate to the next level. Her footwork in the paint, crafty finishing abilities, defensive prowess, and passing vision stand out. Ellie has a bag full of combo dribbles at her disposal to create driving lanes, and she rips the nets from the perimeter. She's an aggressive defender and productive rebounder. Ellie's picking up right where she left off for the Gremlins. She buried four high-arcing triples and snagged five rebounds in a win against Westwood.     Aubrie is a dual-sport star who earned All-U.P. honors in basketball and tennis as a freshman. She was the Player of the Year in tennis and earned Second Team honors in basketball. She set a new school record with 39 points and tied the record for threes with seven in the win against Iron Mountain. Aubrie's having another stellar season at Kingford as a sophomore. She's a pure and balanced shooter with a rhythmic shot off the catch or the dribble. Aubrie has multiple games with four or more triples this season. Her quick hands and ruthless on-ball pressure turn steals into speedy layups in transition. She has a second gear driving to the basket.     Bailey left a lasting impression on me when she competed for the Copper Kings in the State Semifinals last year. Her athleticism, toughness, aggressive downhill drives, and accuracy from the perimeter stood out. At the Zero Star Showcase, Bailey had another strong outing. She created space with shifty crossover dribbles, penetrated gaps with a dribble burst, and made smooth transfers to score at the rim. Bailey generates steals with her scrappy defense and quick feet. She's coming off an All-U.P. Second Team sophomore season and is a prospect to follow at Calumet.     Emma earned All-U.P. Second Team honors as a sophomore, and she's turning in another stellar season for Bark River-Harris. Emma is a confident three-point shooter with a capital "C". She'll pull it if you give her a foot of space and shred the nets from well beyond the arc. Emma stuffed the stat sheet with a double-double against Escanaba, posting 18 points, 12 rebounds, and six steals in the effort. She buried four triples against Norway, scoring 20 points and grabbing eight boards. Her active hands, ball-pressure, and quick lateral feet create steals on the defensive end. Emma's a sharpshooter with next-level upside.

Michigan's Upper Peninsula is famous for its outdoor recreation, snowfall, breathtaking natural scenery, mining history, pasties, and vast forests. Dozens of prospects above the Mackinac Bridge have the talent to make an impact at the next level. Increasing awareness about the U.P.'s prospects has been an emphasis of mine for the past two years, and I hope to see more Yoopers getting offers to play downstate in the future. Here are several guards who earned All-UP honors last year and are repeating that success again this season.