Most of the awards listed on its website, www.bcam.org, so far are academic awards as the coaches’ group splits its awards fairly equally between performance and academics. More awards are expected to be announced in the coming weeks on its website.

The group emphasizes that these awards don’t represent the full set of basketball players from the Michigan High School Athletic Association, as coaches have to be members of the BCAM group for their players, teams and themselves to be eligible for awards.

But players and teams from numerous local schools, namely Marquette, Negaunee, Ishpeming, Westwood, Gwinn, Munising and Baraga, were found on the lists.

Two area players appeared multiple times — Marquette’s Julia Ott and Gwinn’s Lena Pleaugh were on both the Outstanding Senior Student-Athlete honors and the Team First Award plaudits.

The Outstanding Senior Student-Athlete is for seniors who have played four years of high school basketball and have at least a 3.80 grade-point average.

Ott was also listed with a 3.95 GPA and Pleaugh at 4.20.

The Team First Award is given, in the words of the BCAM, “to one member per varsity team who is chosen by their BCAM-member coach … who most exemplifies putting team before self, teamwork, commitment, service and sacrifice.”

Seven other area seniors also earned the Outstanding Senior Student-Athlete Award, which wasn’t limited to one player per school.

That showed as the Marquette girls had three recipients, with Ott joined by Lexi Smith with a 3.96 GPA and Eliina Brazeau at 3.94.

Munising included Monique Brisson at 4.00 GPA and Cassidy Britton at 3.927, while Baraga had MaKayla Smith at 3.8436.

The two area boys recipients both had 4.00 GPAs — Kane Nebel of Munising and Gavin Downey of Negaunee.

Nebel, in separate voting by the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association, was voted Mr. U.P. Basketball in late March.

Joining Ott and Pleaugh as area recipients of Team First awards for the girls were Callie Rajala of Negaunee, Paige Palomaki of Ishpeming, Mackenzie Tourney of Westwood, Ireland Anderson of Munising and Carmen Larson of Baraga.

Boys Team First winners from the area were Jack Quinnell of Marquette, Curtis Salisbury of Ishpeming and Gavin Jacobson of Negaunee.

Two coaches of teams that reached state championship games in March earned double coaching awards — Terry Kienitz of the Munising boys team and Tyler Larson of the Baraga girls squad.

Each was named Region 15 Coach of the Year, an area roughly made up of the U.P., then both subsequently were named the statewide Division 4 Coach of the Year.

Kienitz’s Mustangs won Munising’s first state basketball championship for D-4 boys, while Larson’s Vikings were runners-up in that same girls division.

In addition, regional voting breakdowns — voting was done by BCAM-member coaches — also showed that Negaunee’s Mike O’Donnell finished second in the Region 15 girls balloting.

There were also some team academic awards handed out based on GPAs — the boys and girls All-State Academic Teams gave that status to units with overall GPAs of at least 3.30, while Honorable Mention went to those at 3.00 and above.

Earning boys awards were Marquette in Division 1 and Negaunee in Division 2. The Redmen had a 3.6418 GPA, which the lists show was 20th highest in the state in the division, while the Miners had a 3.4879 GPA, ranking them 22nd in D-2.

Also making the lists from the Upper Peninsula were St. Ignace in Division 3 and Rudyard in Division 4, with Bessemer an Honorable Mention in Division 4.

The girls had a lengthier list, with Marquette coming in with a 3.7402 GPA in D-1, ranking 33rd.

Four area schools made the Division 3 girls list, led by Westwood at a 3.8082 GPA and ranked 21st.

Negaunee was next at 3.7684 and tied for 29th, Ishpeming at 3.4994 and Gwinn at 3.4778.

In Division 4, Munising was at 3.6767 and 30th, while Baraga was at 3.4842.

Also from the U.P. for the girls was Sault Ste. Marie in Division 1; Escanaba in Division 2; Iron Mountain, Gladstone and Menominee in Division 3; and St. Ignace, Carney-Nadeau, Mid Peninsula, Ontonagon, Pickford and Lake Linden-Hubbell in Division 4.

The BCAM also awarded its Top Shooters awards for the top 10 free throw and 3-point shooters from around the state.

Though no area player or team received an award, Engadine’s Leah French ranked fourth for girls in free throws at 84.44%, making 152 of 180.

Team-wise, again in free throws, were two more girls teams — Houghton in seventh at 69.93% (200 of 286) and Ewen-Trout Creek in eighth at 68.97% (200 of 290).

Steve Brownlee can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.