By the coaches’ book: Led by Negaunee Miners’ Alyssa Hill, Westwood Patriots’ Zach Carlson, 8 from area earn Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan ’Best’ awards
The Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan presents the awards annually in what it calls the BCAM Best. At one time, the awards were known as the All-State Teams.
The organizations stresses that the players chosen are from schools whose coaches are members of the group and are nominated by those coaches.
There are three levels of awards — the Best of the “Best” lists just 11 boys and 12 girls as the top players regardless of division.
Only one Upper Peninsula player made that list for either boys or girls — senior Foster Wonders of Iron Mountain, who led the Mountaineers to the MHSAA Division 3 state championship game this year and broke the all-time U.P. boys scoring record.
Then about two dozen players from around the state in each division and each gender were named BCAM’s Best.
From the area, that included a pair in Division 3 — junior Alyssa Hill of Negaunee for the girls and junior Zach Carlson of Westwood for the boys.
Finally, there was the Honorable Mention category, with about 40 to 50 players listed in each division and for each gender.
Six more area players made those lists. Three were from Marquette in Division 1 — boys seniors Kameron Karp and Lincoln Sager and girls junior Maria Millado.
Three other area girls also were Honorable Mention. There was senior Tianna Taylor of Gwinn and junior Natalie Prophet of Westwood in Division 3, and junior Jenna Matson of Munising in Division 4.
In the BCAM Best category, there were a number of other U.P. players also honored.
For the boys, there was senior Erik Victorson of Escanaba in Division 2; senior Aidan Bellisle of Menominee in Division 3; and junior Jaden Borseth of Ewen-Trout Creek, senior Beau Koffman of Carney-Nadeau and junior E.J. Suggitt of Rudyard in Division 4.
Also for U.P. girls for the BCAM Best awards were senior Megan Crow of Gladstone, sophomore Claire Erickson of Sault Ste. Marie and senior Nicole Kamin of Escanaba in Division 2; senior Hallie Marshall and junior Ally Schultz of St. Ignace, senior Emma Anderson of Menominee and senior Elli Djerf of Calumet in Division 3; and seniors Elise Besonen and Abbie LeGault of E-TC, junior Kennedy Guild of Pickford and senior Chesney Molina of Rudyard in Division 4.
Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.