Ten talented freshmen to watch in West Michigan this season

From left, A.J. Lambers (Muskegon), Jace Opoku-Agyeman (Rockford) and Kellen Paul (Forest Hills Central), pose at the Bank Hoops Underclassman All-State Camp in August 2025. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Freshman year of high school is a big stepping stone from eighth grade. There’s usually one or two elite freshman in West Michigan that start their high school basketball career on varsity. 

But there’s an unusually large crop of talented freshman in the area who have a good shot of making the varsity roster.

Here are 10 freshmen to watch, in alphabetical order. All 10 have a good shot of making varsity or at least starting on JV while playing a fifth quarter on varsity. A longer list of Freshmen to Watch will come out just before the season starts and a Top 25 ranking will be after the 2025-26 season.

Miles Burgin, Grand Rapids Catholic Central

The 5-foot-10 guard is an unassuming kid. But when he went up for a dunk at the PrepHoops Freshman Showcase, he shocked the fans around the court. Then he did it again. He’s smooth and can shoot, but he’s sneaky athletic. His older brother Carter Burgin is a sophomore at Catholic Central and he was on the varsity roster for much of last season. 

Yamil “Melo” Jimenez, Northview

The biggest body on this list. The 6-foot-4 forward is lanky and is strong in the paint, but isn’t really a center. It will be interesting to see where he plays as he develops. Northview could use his height. He was on the Wildcats varsity roster in June for team camps. 

A.J. Lambers, Muskegon

So polished already. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he started for the Big Reds. He was often the best player on the court every time he played for Northcoast Premier this past AAU season. He can be an elite shooter or just be a floor general. Never seems to make a bad decision. He played a lot during the Big Reds team camps in June and played like a veteran. He also was one of the top players at the Bank Hoops Underclassman Camp.

Mbeny Makuag of East Kentwood at the PrepHoops Freshman Showcase on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2025. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

Mbeny Makuag, East Kentwood

Listed at 6-foot-3, but he easily could grow to be 6-7. He’s got a nose for the basketball. Still a little gangly, but he knows what he’s doing when he drives in the paint. Pretty strong, doesn’t get knocked off the blocks. His older brother Sammy Makuag is a talented junior at East Kentwood. 

Mason O’Connor, Grandville

If teams just focus on this kid’s height, they’ll pay for it once he speeds past ‘em and quickly pulls up for a 3-pointer. He’s an elite shooter. Just like his uncle Drew Neitzel. He’s listed at 5-foot-5, but might be shorter. He played on an elite Northcoast Premier travel team and more than held his own. He also was on the Grandville varsity roster for June team camps.

Garrett Olson, Fruitport

Olson is a tall, beanstalk of a kid at 6-foot-5. But he’s a really skilled shooting forward. Has a good feel around the basket and has a good mid-range jumper. His dad, Jared Olson, is Fruitport’s all-time leading scorer and Garrett said he’s got his eye on his dad’s record. Olson’s future might be on the baseball diamond, though. The big left-handed pitcher already touched 85 mph on the radar gun before he even played his first high school season. 

From left, Drew Cabana, Jake Lundberg (Rockford), Miles Burgin (Grand Rapids Catholic Central), Landen Lee (Wyoming) and Cortae Towns (Hudsonville) at the PrepHoops Freshman Showcase on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2025. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

Jace Opoku-Agyeman, Rockford

Pretty clear that JOA is the best player on this list and might be the best freshman in the state. The 5-foot-10 guard can score at will and does it pretty easily. He will be on Rockford’s varsity team, but might come off the bench like Eli Wolfe did last season as a freshman. It will be interesting to see how Wolfe and JOA play together in the backcourt. Opoku-Agyeman might already be more polished than his older brother Kyler VanderJagt was at this age.  

Kellen Paul, Forest Hills Central

Might be the best pure shooter in his class. Paul is a skinny kid but has no fear when it comes to pulling up for a shot. He’s got a quiet toughness to him. That might come from playing football. He’s the starting quarterback for the FH Central JV team. And playing with the Grand Rapids Storm has helped with competing against tough competition.

Cortae Towns, Hudsonville

So smooth. Everything he does seems to have a purpose. A really good shooter and a good ball handler. At one point he was playing in the Highland Premier Elite Runs with only college and pro players and he didn’t seem intimidated. He’s only 5-foot-9, but Hudsonville coach Eric Elliott doesn’t seem to mind smaller players. He had Jovaan Daniels on varsity as a freshman, too, when he was very small.

Crew Zichterman, South Christian

He’s a smooth player. Zichterman is not going to wow you on the court, but he’s capable of lighting it up. There are times he’ll go on a heater and score 25-30 points in a travel ball game with Northcoast Premier. He’s listed at 6-foot-1, but he’ll likely get much taller, like his older brother Max Zichterman - a junior at South Christian - did heading into this summer. Their dad, Mark Zichterman and mom Sarah (Haney) Zichterman both played basketball at Cornerstone University. Crew will become a good leader, too. He’s the quarterback on the South Christian freshman football team. 

Crew Zichterman (South Christian) hits a 3-pointer at the PrepHoops Freshman Showcase on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2025. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).