For example, over the past three years, the overall U.P. Player of the Year — otherwise known as Mr. U.P. Basketball — went to Division 4 St. Ignace’s Jonny Ingalls in 2024, Division 4 Munising’s Kane Nebel in 2023, and Division 4 Ewen-Trout Creek’s Jaden Borseth in 2022.

But this year, some of the strongest U.P. teams came from Divisions 1, 2 and 3, specifically Marquette, Kingsford, Westwood and Iron Mountain.

In the end, Marquette 6-foot-6 senior forward Jacob MacPhee dominated in Divisions 1-3 balloting and carried that on for the title of Mr. U.P. Basketball.

A few days after the meeting, MacPhee also earned Second Team All-State honors, which doesn’t sound like enough, but considering he was going up against players from the biggest downstate schools in Division 1, that had to be considered quite an honor.

From left, Marquette’s Ford Richardson, Iron Mountain’s Oskar Kangas and the Sentinels’ Jacob MacPhee watch to see if they can go for a rebound on a free throw attempt during their high school boys basketball game played in Marquette on Dec. 20. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MacPhee won a four-way vote for U.P. Divisions 1-3 Player of the Year, earning 10 votes to five for Kingsford senior Gavin Grondin, two for IM senior Oskar Kangas and one for Westwood junior Ethan Marta.

After Forest Park sophomore Vic Giuliani won the Division 4 POTY vote by acclimation — no one was put up to oppose him — MacPhee also won the Mr. U.P. Basketball vote by acclimation.

What it also means, however, is that Marta and Giuliani enter next year as the POTY favorites to start the season.

Those five players also made up the All-U.P. Dream Team.

MacPhee sported a 20-10 double-double average — 20.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, along with four assists, three steals and three blocked shots per contest.

Marquette’s Jacob MacPhee, left, looks through Westwood defender Louis Salmi’s arms for a possible pass, which he would pass up for a shot during their high school boys basketball game played at the Barb Crill Gymnasium in Marquette on Jan. 28. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

And possibly lost in those numbers would be his amazing 67% field goal success rate as he also made 75% on free throws.

But maybe his best attribute, at least according to his head coach Rich Ledy, was what could be called his patience or simply lack of frustration for a player with a rather football-looking build on a 6-6 frame.

“Even more impressive is that he gets fouled probably 20 times a game, but they only call two or three of them,” the

third-year coach said. “And he just puts his head down and never complains to officials.

“He just works so hard — I’m really going to miss him.”

He added that MacPhee and some of his teammates were youthful sophomore projects brought up to rid his first team of any sense of entitlement.

“Three years ago when I was named boys head coach (in June 2022), we brought Jacob up from the JVs, along with a few other sophomores,” Ledy said. “And for three years, Jacob has by far been our hardest worker.

“He’s just a dream to coach and he leads by example. He’s just a great, great kid and deserves all the success he’s had and that he’s going to have.”

MacPhee will head to Michigan Tech to play basketball there.

Marta, a 6-3 guard, was actually a unanimous choice for the Dream Team after becoming the all-time leading scorer — as a junior — at Westwood, as he’s now reported to be at exactly 1,400 points.

He averaged an incredible 27.0 points per game while no other teammate was at higher than 10.6 ppg as Marta was named First Team All-State in Division 3.

And, of course, he led the Patriots to as far as they’ve ever been in the state tournament, to the semifinals in D-3 after winning two of three during the season against perennial West PAC and Mid-Peninsula Conference favorite Iron Mountain.

“We tied for first (place) in the West PAC this year with Iron Mountain, where (Marta) also shared our Player of the Year award (with Kangas),” WHS coach Luke Gray said about his player’s All-U.P. nomination.

“Ethan’s field goal percentage correlated to his points per game at the guard position is tremendous,” he added, basically saying he was a great shooter for a player often taking long-range shots. “He is also an exceptional defensive player.

“His IQ and love for the game makes him one of the toughest players I have been around.”

Marta also won a spot on the M-PC First Team, as in addition to his prolific scoring, he averaged 5.7 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 3.2 assists per game, making 57.6% overall from the floor, including 33.1% on 3-pointers, and 73.5% on free throws.

He topped out with two massive games against county rival Negaunee, scoring 43 points and making five steals in one game vs. the Miners, and scoring 36 points in the other.

He also had 38 points in a victory over winless Hancock, with 25 points and six rebounds against powerhouse Marquette. In two of the games against IM, he had 25 points and 10 rebounds, then 24 points and eight rebounds.

At 6-foot, Grondin was a Second Team All-State choice in Division 2 for Kingsford, where he averaged 24.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game.

Headed to Lake Superior State, he was selected as Great Northern Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Kangas, at 6-6, was the two-time defending U.P. Divisions 1-3 Player of the Year before MacPhee dethroned him this year.

He averaged 24.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 2.7 assists a game this season, making 55% from the field, including 35.1% on 3s, and 77% on free throws.

Headed to Wisconsin-Oshkosh, he shared West PAC Player of the Year with Marta and was selected as the sole M-PC Player of the Year.

Giuliani, at 6-3, was the only Division 4 player selected for the Dream Team from 25-3 Forest Park.

The Skyline Central Conference Player of the Year and a First Team All-State selection in D-4, he averaged 21.5 points, six rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 57% from the field.

Steve Brownlee can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 552. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.