Season Preview: UP North Fab 44 Part 2
In this article:
As a much delayed start to high school begins to come into focus. It is also readily apparent that much of the recruiting process is going to be done via Zoom meetings and Hudl highlights. Consequently, I thought it would appropriate to do a more comprehensive list of Northern Michigan recruits to hopefully aid this process.
It is a vast region geographically so it’s a challenge. I have included the UP and the Lakeshore/Interstate 10 corridor. That’s a lot land and a lot of players. I’ve decided to do four equal installments of 11 to get to the Fab 44. Other editorial notes. Due to the recruiting focus I’ve decided to exclude some good players who are going to focus on other sports at the next level. Examples would be players like Traverse City Central’s Joshua Burnham and Carson Briggs (Western Michigan FB) Players will also go in reverse order, but the tiers are more important for college fit.
33. Cam Ballard 6-1 2021 Gladstone One half of a dynamic duo for the Braves. Good all around athlete who is coming off a strong effort in a truncated football season. Averaged 18 points and 4 assists per game.
32. Jude Proctor 6-3 2022 Harbor Springs Tall two guard who leads a standout 2022 class for the Rams. Poised for a breakout campaign in second year on the varsity level. Upside and long term potential abound in this prospect.
31. Rane Castor 6-2 2021 Gladstone Second part of the Braves duo. Castor sports a inside out game. Like Ballard averaged 18 points and 4 assists per game. Good bloodlines as his brother plays at Northern Michigan.
30. Quinn Zickert Quinn Zickert 6'2" | CG Benzie Central | 2022 State MI 6-2 2022 Benzie Central The up and coming Huskies program sports an old school backcourt. Zickert is a stocky two guard with an extremely soft touch from the perimeter. Type of prospect with room grow as he is very dedicated in the gym.
29. Carmelo Lindsey 5-8 2023 Baldwin Put up some eye popping statistics as a ninth grader for the Panthers, including the rare high school triple double. Like most players his age the next step will be consistency. Seemed to be peaking at the end of the season with 27 points in a district tournament game.
28. Carson Bourdo 5-11 2022 Traverse City Central Like his teammates in the intro Bourdo is also an excellent football player. However could have a future on the hardwood. Earned time as a ninth grader on the Trojans varsity which you don’t often see at such a large school. Could have a slow start as Central’s football squad is still alive in the much delayed football playoffs.
27. Mason Travis 6-0 2022 Elk Rapids Doesn’t have a huge statistical profile as he plays in a deep and talented backcourt. Has good size for a point guard. Plays under control and is an excellent distributor. Might prefer soccer at the next level.
26. Aidan Brehm 6-4 2021 Boyne City From the Redmen brothers, to Mason Gardner (Alma), to Pete Calcaterra (Michigan Tech) the Ramblers seem to have an assembly line for these long powerful athletes. Brehm fits that mold. Definitely has the athleticism to compete at the next level. Will be interesting to see how his all around game has developed.
25. JJ Marshall 5-11 2022 Petoskey Aggressive and quick lead guard prospect. Saw plenty of action as a sophomore for the Northmen. Will be well schooled for the position playing for head coach John Flynn (Grand Valley St) Good all around athlete who also excels in soccer.
24. Nate Childers Nate Childers 6'2" | CG Benzie Central | 2022 State MI 6-1 2022 Benzie Central (pictured above) Like his partner Quinn Zickert Quinn Zickert 6'2" | CG Benzie Central | 2022 State MI doesn’t sport the typical backcourt build. Might play the point out of necessity but is more of a two guard long term. Has shown a lot of improvement on his outside shot in a short period of time. Uses his sturdy frame to cause problems on the defensive end as well.
23. Zach Carlson 5-11 2022 Ishpeming Westwood Scoring point guard coming off a huge sophomore season. More than just a scorer as he also averaged 6 assists to go along with 18 points. Perhaps most impressive is 5 rebounds a game for a player his size. Highly competitive and not afraid of the moment as he came up big in the clutch last year for the Patriots.