JASON WHITENS

HERMANSVILLE — The highly anticipated final weekend of the 86th Gold Medal Classic independent basketball tournament has arrived at the Frank Rodman Community Club in Hermansville.

Eight teams have entered Class A with many accomplished players filling out the rosters.

The noon contest today sees the defending champions R-Place of Spalding taking the court. Team captain Jason Whitens returns to the tournament for the third consecutive year.

Whitens — a former North Central, Western Michigan and Michigan State cager — has a talented group of players on his roster, including the last two U.P. Mr. Basketball recipients.

Mr. U.P. Basketball 2024 Jonny Ingalls of St. Ignace returns to the Gold Medals after a year on the Northern Michigan University team. Jacob McPhee of Marquette, the 2025 Mr. U.P. Basketball, is also slated to play with R-Place.

Kingsford senior and Lake Superior State University commit Gavin Grondin is on the R-Place roster as well. Grondin is a two-time All-U.P Dream Team selection and a 2025 Michigan Associated Press All-State Division 2 second team selection.

Former Central Michigan University football standout and St. Ignace multi-sport star Gage Kreski returns to play with R-Place this year. Also coming back from last year’s championship squad are the Johnson brothers, Marcus and Kyle, of Iron Mountain.

Former Ishpeming two-sport standout and NMU cager Hart Holmgren will also lace them up for R-Place.

The first round opponent for R-Place will be Wagner Casper Insurance of Marinette, Wis. Wagner Casper’s roster is headlined by former Menominee and Grand Valley State standout Jason Boucher.

Boucher played professionally overseas and in Canada and is a 2023 inductee into the Gold Medal Hall of Fame. The Wagner Casper roster also includes four former UW-Platteville players as well as former Bay College cager and Marinette alum Matt Wagner.

The 1 p.m. Class A contest will be between Dexter’s Bar of Menominee and Contemporary Builders of Perronville.

The tavern roster is all former Michigan Tech players, including North Central graduate Dawson Bilski, Negaunee alum Trent Bell and Ashwaubenon High School standout Kyle Monroe.

Madison, Wis., native and 2024 Niagara Lions Club Men’s Basketball Tournament MVP Austin Armga is also on the Dexter’s roster.

Contemporary Builders’ Marcus Krachinski, a North Central alum, returns with his squad of former NMU teammates, including Iron Mountain’s Carson Wonders and Mid Peninsula High School alum Brett Branstrom.

At 2 p.m., tournament stalwart McNeil Oilers of Crystal Falls will take the court against Class A newcomer Advantage Sports of Marquette.

The Oilers will have several players who have competed in prior Gold Medal tournaments as Oilers, including Crystal Falls native Bryan LaChapelle Jr. LaChapelle, who played football at Michigan Technological University, will be joined by MTU teammate Kurt Lehmann.

Bryce Bilski of Powers, an Oiler the past few years, is back as well. Bilski, a former Gogebic Community College player will be joined by two fellow Gogebic basketball alumni — Jeremy Johnson of West Iron County and Jordan LaPlant of Ewen-Trout Creek.

The Advantage Sports roster is filled mainly with current and former NMU players, including Aiden Bellisle of Menominee and Kam Karp of Marquette. Former Central Michigan University football player and Ishpeming two-sport athlete Alex Briones is also on the Advantage Sports squad.

Briones and Kreski of R-Place were teammates at CMU in 2017 and 2018.

Rounding out the field are Viau INC of Powers and Wendricks Truss of Hermansville.

Wendricks is captained by North Central alum Dylan Plunger and the roster includes former Florence Bobcats standout Will Kelley.

Viau INC has tournament mainstays Joey Pontbriand and his long-time teammates Jacob and Mike Polfus. The Polfus brothers were inducted into the Gold Medal Hall of Fame in 2024. Additional members of the Viau roster are former Bay College and current Lake Superior State cager Marcus Harris of Brimley, as well as former Finlandia and Forest Park player Austin Carlson.

Iron Mountain senior Oskar Kangas, a three-time All-U.P. Dream Team selection and the 2024 Division 1-3 Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Player of the Year is on the Viau roster as well.

There are Class A games at 5,6,7,8 and 9 p.m. today, with the latter three games being loser’s bracket contests.

The Class A semifinal — in the winners bracket — is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, with the championship game at 5 p.m. Sunday.