VOTE: Who was the top boys basketball player in the Gaylord area in 2024-25?

GAYLORD ― The up-and-down, winding road that was the Gaylord-area 2024-25 basketball season has officially come to a close.

Team's across Otsego County had their fair share of highlights and lowlights, including big rivalry wins, decimating injuries and everything in between. It also came with a relatively early conclusion as Gaylord-area boys basketball teams went quietly during the MHSAA district rounds. Still, it was a year to remember fot a few individuals that separated themselves from their peers on a nightly basis.

All-area teams and the Gaylord Herald Times Player of the Year will be announced later this week; this is your chance to make your voice heard for who you think had the best season in the Otsego County area.

Vote now:

Vote for the Gaylord Herald Times boys basketball player of the year/

Daniel Jacobson, Gaylord St. Mary

GSM's star athlete has been continuing to make his senior season a memorable one

Daniel Jacobson spent all fall as one of the top football players in Northern Michigan and, one season later, stepped up to become one of the most feared scorers in the Ski Valley Conference as a senior. He reached 1,000 career points in a February matchup an Onaway while leading the Snowbirds in scoring on almost a nightly basis.

Daniel Jacobson was the area's leading scorer in his final high school basketball season.

Cayden Keck, Gaylord

Gaylord's philosophy was a bit different than in year's past; rather than having a future Division I player to lean on to handle the scoring, GHS had to lean on multiple different players to keep their offense going during the 2024-25 season.

Still, no player had a bigger affect on the scoreboard than senior Cayden Keck.

The lone player to average double-digits in the scoring column for the Blue Devils, finishing the year as an 11.5 points per game scorer to lead the team. He also led the team in rebounds with 5.8 per game.

Cayden Keck led the Gaylord boys basketball team in scoring and rebounding in 2024-25.

Kyler Nowak, Johannesburg-Lewiston

Another tumultuous JoBurg boys basketball season came to a close in the first round of districts, wrapping up the Cards' season with a 2-20 overall record. Senior Kyler Nowak was one of few diamond's in a rough overall season, finding ways to score at an efficient rate while leading the team in rebounds for a Cardinals program that struggled against the Ski Valley's best.

Hogan McKinley, Gaylord St. Mary

Much like the football season, the GSM basketball team needed senior Hogan McKinley to step up during 2024-25 for the Snowbirds to be successful. He did just that.

The starting point guard for GSM, McKinley needed to play nearly all game beside fellow senior Daniel Jacobson and was a vital part of the team's success, helping the Snowbirds go 15-6 overall and finish third in the SVC.

Connor Fake, Gaylord

GHS's point guard, Connor Fake took control as the team's on-court coach this season and, with some impactful performances later in the season, made his way into the Player of the Year conversation.

Fake averaged 7.4 ppg on 42.5% shooting along with 2.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while his performance against Petoskey (17 points) helped Gaylord extend its regular-season winning streak over their rivals from Petoskey.

Connor Fake's 17-point performance lifted Gaylord over Petoskey for the third-straight game on Feb. 14.

Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: VOTE: Who was the top boys basketball player in the Gaylord area?