Michigan JAM 2026–Teams, Rosters, and History

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I am excited to announce the release of the 2026 "MICHIGAN JAM" series. This year, there will be team preview articles, an online bracket with a champion determined by voting, and for the first time, a live 3v3 championship tournament in person presented by [program_tooltip program_id='923712' first='Prepare' last='2 Win Basketball']!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">INSPIRATION</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>During my 2024 summer vacation, I visited an old-school arcade that happened to include an edition of "NBA JAM," the ultimate retro basketball video game. This game became famous during the 90s at the arcade and on numerous gaming consoles. The original game was released by Midway in 1993 and featured players from NBA rosters. Each NBA team featured two players who competed in 2-on-2 with no subs. Later additions to the game included 3-5 players, which gave gamers the ability to sub new players into the games. The game's exaggerated graphics, high-flying dunks, and lack of fouls made it wildly unique and popular amongst gamers. After playing the game, the lightbulb flashed in my brain, and Prep Girls Hoops Michigan JAM was born. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://videogamehistory.fandom.com/wiki/NBA_Jam">Read more about the history of NBA JAM</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MICHIGAN JAM! HS Article Series</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This article series, modeled after the original "NBA JAM", will include 2 players per team. There is an Eastern Conference and a Western Conference. Two high school players from the same team are included as a "Dynamic Duo". Each player is assigned a fictitious rating for physical and skill attributes based on the criteria of the original "NBA JAM". <strong>Rating</strong> <strong>Breakdown</strong>: Overall speed/6, Shooting skill from 3 pt/6, Skill at dunking/6, Overall defensive skill/6. The overall rating is out of 24 (rating criteria are modeled using the original "NBA JAM"). Some of the original ratings of players from "NBA JAM": Tim Hardaway-speed 5/6, 3 pts 4/6, dunks 1/6, defense 4/6, Final 14/24, Charles Barkley-speed 4/6, 3 pts 3/6, dunks 6/6, def 1/6, Final 14/24, Scottie Pippen-speed 5/6, 3 pts 4/6, dunks 6/6, def 5/6, Final 20/24. Best Rated Teams: New York Knicks (33 pts), Charlotte Hornets (32 pts), Chicago Bulls (32 pts no MJ), Sacramento Kings (30)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MICHIGAN JAM! Ratings Explained:</strong> 0=Not Observed, 1-2=Rare, 3=Average, 4=Above Average, 5=Advanced, 6=Elite</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Speed</strong> is ball handling, acceleration, and quickness; <strong>3 pts </strong>is shooting 3s efficiently more often than not; Dunks is leaping ability, elevation, and/or height; <strong>Defense</strong> is steals, deflections, shutting down your position, and <strong>Final Rating</strong> is the sum of all those categories out of 24 points. As you can see, legends of the NBA game, including Hall of Famers, don't rate over 20! My ratings will be less critical. This is meant to be a lighthearted and fun way of learning about some of the great duos in the state and not to be taken too seriously. There were 27 teams in the original "NBA JAM", but I have expanded the total to 20 teams per conference. Some great tandems were difficult to leave off the list.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/snes/588511-nba-jam/faqs/35861">Read more about NBA JAM RATINGS</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">PGH Michigan JAM! Online Championship Bracket</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On X, the teams below will be seeded into an elimination bracket. Trust me, I fully understand that these are not the only dynamic duos in the state and some teams have multiple prospects worthy of being included. In that case, I try to change up the combination each year to promote different players from the same high school program. I have selected teams from different regions to fill out the bracket, and the main purpose of this is to have FUN promoting great tandems from Michigan. YOU will decide which team advances in the tournament by voting in the polls on my X page. Each matchup poll will be posted for 24 hours, and whoever receives the most votes wins! Teams from each conference will go head-to-head until we have a winner of the Eastern and Western Conferences. The winners will then go head-to-head to determine the PGH Michigan JAM Champion! The winning team wins live PGH coverage at one of their high school games during the 2026-27 season. The bracket will be posted on X with updates following each round. Year one saw Rockford defeat Goodrich in the Finals, while year two saw Rochester Hills Stoney Creek defeat Howell to win ultimate bragging rights. Seeding for the tournament is determined by each Dynamic Duo's combined PGH Ranking.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Throughout August, new teams from both conferences will have their individualized ratings, graphics, and team evaluations posted in articles. You'll want to keep an eye out for these articles and the tournament updates on Twitter. I will also post graphics for high school teams that register for Michigan Jam Live 3v3. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are the high school teams competing in the tourney and their dynamic duos!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Western Conference</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Beaverton</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='897063' first='Myah' last='Hubble'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1186331' first='Taryn' last='Roberts']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Belding</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1246061' first='Emma' last='Ingles'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1246081' first='Olivia' last='Ingles']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Big Rapids</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='808343' first='Nalaya' last='Fricke'] and [player_tooltip player_id='933032' first='Nuray' last='Fricke']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Caledonia</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1249509' first='Brooklyn' last='McLeod'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1158087' first='Emily' last='Stauffer']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>East Kentwood</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1158037' first='Aries' last='Branch'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1002368' first='Nevaeh' last='Eubanks']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>East Lansing</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1820374' first='Olivia' last='Adarkwa'] and [player_tooltip player_id='751168' first='Sydney' last='Black']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Forest Hills Northern</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='848305' first='Molly' last='Sietsema'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1831050' first='Lucie' last='Morrison']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Freeland</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='749646' first='Jozelynn' last='Begick'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1667827' first='Julia' last='Kowalski']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Grandville</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1158074' first='Brynnly' last='Mann'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1256886' first='Zhoie' last='Thomas']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Grand Rapids South Christian</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1122943' first='Abby' last='Prins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1236900' first='Kinley' last='Regnery']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Grand Rapids West Catholic</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='865141' first='Alexis' last='Asekomeh'] and [player_tooltip player_id='800599' first='Kenley' last='Slanger']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Howell</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='927978' first='Gabrielle' last='Fischhaber'] and [player_tooltip player_id='938438' first='Lyla' last='Valentine']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Midland</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='933020' first='Ella' last='McLaughlin'] and [player_tooltip player_id='933025' first='Emma' last='McLaughlin']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Negaunee</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='903059' first='Gretel' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='903142' first='Paige' last='O'Donnell']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Niles Brandywine</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1219961' first='Mackenna' last='Price'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1231784' first='Zaya' last='Price']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Portland</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1353152' first='Gwen' last='Fullet'] and [player_tooltip player_id='807309' first='Leigha' last='Roberson']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rockford</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='890718' first='Addison' last='Wypych'] and [player_tooltip player_id='939083' first='Kendall' last='Bires']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Saginaw Heritage</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='933016' first='Zariya' last='McCrary'] and [player_tooltip player_id='933013' first='Josie' last='Ode']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Thornapple Kellogg</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1036775' first='Taylor' last='Lloyd'] and [player_tooltip player_id='898814' first='Reece' last='Ritsema']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Traverse City Central</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1814091' first='Christie' last='McCrumb'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1255212' first='Sienna' last='Slack']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Eastern Conference</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Avondale:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='751151' first='Jordynn' last='Ratliff'] and [player_tooltip player_id='824142' first='Sasha' last='McClellan']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Belleville</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='807281' first='Layla' last='Stewart'] and [player_tooltip player_id='807274' first='Sydney' last='Savoury']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Birmingham Groves</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='751145' first='Harlem' last='Simpson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1623343' first='Mallory' last='Killian']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Canton</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='887380' first='Devyn' last='Reiger'] and [player_tooltip player_id='807917' first='McKinsey' last='Berlin']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Carleton Airport</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='935215' first='Mya' last='Stahr'] and [player_tooltip player_id='751167' first='Sophia' last='Mator']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Clarkston</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='807284' first='Brooklyn' last='Covert'] and [player_tooltip player_id='980264' first='Bella' last='Flavin']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Detroit Country Day</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1190317' first='Evelyn' last='Hoener'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1309897' first='Makayla' last='Sykes']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Detroit Edison</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='751162' first='Nichole' last='James'] and [player_tooltip player_id='751164' first='Rihanna' last='Young']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Detroit Renaissance</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='933041' first='Jayla' last='Adams'] and [player_tooltip player_id='982912' first='Maria' last='Walker']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dearborn</strong> <strong>Divine Child</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1866163' first='Alexandra' last='Fuhs'] and [player_tooltip player_id='665472' first='Samantha' last='Fuhs']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Farmington Hills Mercy</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='808348' first='Caroline' last='Paluk'] and [player_tooltip player_id='807922' first='Naimah' last='Kellum']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Goodrich</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='807312' first='Baylor' last='Lauinger'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1254628' first='Sydney' last='Place']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Grass Lake</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='751138' first='Elise' last='Bullock'] and [player_tooltip player_id='912516' first='Reese' last='Lape']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jackson Lumen Christi</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='932733' first='Kenna' last='Hunt'] and [player_tooltip player_id='928228' first='Lucy' last='Wrozek']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Michigan Center</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='808352' first='Mayrese' last='Vieau'] and [player_tooltip player_id='751161' first='McKynley' last='Gaddy']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Orchard Lake St. Mary's Prep</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='751130' first='Allie' last='Crighton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='927982' first='Laney' last='Larsen']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Powers Catholic</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='932758' first='Evah' last='Smith'] and [player_tooltip player_id='750202' first='Madisyn' last='Aldridge']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Saline</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='933469' first='Halle' last='Powell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='751146' first='Harper' last='Backus']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tecumseh</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='807288' first='Addi' last='Zajac'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1257667' first='Avery' last='Zajac']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Utica Eisenhower</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1227380' first='Leah' last='Poggiolo'] and [player_tooltip player_id='933005' first='Madison' last='Repicky']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Upcoming Events</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Michigan Freshman Showcase</strong> (2030s): August 22<br><a href="https://t.co/IebByXFbUG">Registration Link</a>: Use EvanBell10 for discount</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Michigan Jam Live 3v3</strong> Presented by [program_tooltip program_id='923712' first='Prepare' last='2 Win Basketball']: August 30</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://register.ryzer.com/camp.cfm?id=339376&amp;teamcamp=team">Register Your Team Here</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Michigan Expo</strong> (2027-2029s): September 26<br><a href="https://t.co/RwR2AZD95X" data-type="link" data-id="https://t.co/RwR2AZD95X">Registration Link</a>: Use EvanBell10 for discount</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->