PHOTOS PROVIDED BY WILDFLOWER PHOTOGRAPHY AND MCINCHAK FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY
Every point Averie Zinn scored against visiting Clio on Jan. 14 sent the crowd at Genesee High School into more of a frenzy. They were about to witness history, after all.
Many were perfectly dressed for the occasion, wearing T-shirts with the words “In Zinn We Trust” and her picture on the front. The back read “2000 Points.”
Averie Zinn, a three-time first-team All-State guard whose name litters the Michigan high school girls basketball record book, entered the game 19 points shy of becoming just the third Genesee County girls player to reach 2,000 career points. During the second quarter, the senior achieved the milestone in a manner so typical of her fierce competitive nature. Anticipating Clio’s next move, she rushed forward, knocking down a pass attempt near the top of the three-point line and securing possession of the ball. Cheering seemed to grow ever louder as Averie, all alone, dribbled toward the basket. The crowd erupted when she left her feet for an easy layup.
Teammate Kaprice Miner was the first to embrace Averie when she came back down. Soon, the rest of Averie’s teammates were swarming her. Next, her father and Genesee head coach Mike Zinn met his daughter on the court for a heartwarming, congratulatory hug. The longest embrace, however, was reserved for her mother, Megan, also the Wolves’ assistant coach.
“Averie has always been one of those kids who wants to conquer everything she does, which led to the hard work and determination that are a big reason for everything she’s accomplished,” Mike Zinn said. “Averie’s other-level dribbling and court vision set her apart because she sees things other high school players don’t see on the floor, like little gaps and openings.”
The crowd erupted when she left her feet for an easy layup.
Genesee’s Averie Zinn splits a pair of defenders and eyes the basket during
a game this season. Photo courtesy of Wildflower Photography
The 5-foot-10 Averie, a four-year varsity starter, continued climbing the state’s career scoring list. On Feb. 3, the Genesee crowd again went berserk when she reached 2,308 points during a win over Flint Beecher, surpassing former Flint Northwestern standout, University of Tennessee All-American and WNBA All-Star Tonya Edwards as Genesee County’s all-time leading scorer.
Averie finished the season with 983 points and her career with 2,676. Only one girl in state history has scored more points in a season and just three have managed more career points.
When the Wolves captured their second straight district title with a win over International Academy of Flint, Averie surpassed former Burton Atherton standout Deborah Stevens to become the state’s all-time steals leader, finishing her career with 692. Averie’s 240 steals this season is the second-highest total ever and she ranks sixth for most steals in a game (18). She finished fifth in state history in career free throws (529) and tied for sixth in free throws made during a single season (192 in 2024-25). Along the way, she broke several school records previously held by older sister Ryleigh Zinn, a 2023 Genesee graduate who now plays for Mott Community College.
“Growing up watching my sister establish those records, I knew I had some shoes to fill when she graduated, but I was really motivated by wanting to break all of her records and I let her know that,” Averie said. “I just kept going once I did break them and worked toward setting all-time records for the Flint area. This has been about all my hard work showing up on the court, but to move past somebody like Tonya Edwards is pretty incredible.”
Among many other marks, Averie also boasts Genesee County records for points in a quarter (22 against International Academy of Flint in December) and a game (57 against Flint New Standard in January). Only one other girls player has scored more points in a quarter in state history. Averie’s 57 points is the seventh-highest single-game total ever.
“Obviously, I could not be prouder of Averie as a dad and coach because she has earned all the records and recognition,” Mike said.
That continuous drive for improvement made Averie more productive than ever this season. She averaged 39.3 points, nearly seven more than last season, 9.6 steals, 7.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game as Genesee finished with an 18-7 record and a Genesee Area Conference championship.
There is no denying all the factors responsible for Averie’s success, beginning with her teammates.
“None of this is going to happen without the great teammates, which I’m lucky to have,” she said.
The Genesee girls basketball team finished with an 18-7 record this season along with a second straight district championship and a Genesee Area Conference title. Averie Zinn (jersey number 0) and her team are joined by Averie’s parents, head coach Mike Zinn and assistant coach Megan Zinn. Photo courtesy of McInchak Family Photography
“They will steal and get the ball to me or we’ll trap together (on defense) and force turnovers which lead to scoring opportunities.”
Averie’s most productive teammates this season were Reginae Randle, who averaged a team-best 13.1 rebounds per game along with 6.2 points. Miner averaged 7.8 points. Averie was named first-team All-Genesee Area Conference for the third straight year while Randle and Miner also made the first team. Kiera Little and Rebekah Jones were named to the second team and Anijah Jones was honorable mention.
The Zinns have spent past springs and summers commuting to Fort Wayne, Indiana, so Averie could be part of the Always 100 AAU program. “Always 100 has really done so much for my game and helped build me into a stronger player,” she said. “It’s certainly a different kind of basketball down there. Working with the coaches and playing games against other AAU programs has really shaped me as a player.”
Mike Zinn especially credits Always 100 coach Chris Paul, also the former head coach at NCAA Division I Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne. “When Averie started at Always 100 she was a 15-year-old on a team of 17-year-olds trying to find her way,” he said. “Coach Paul had his established offensive players but pushed Averie to perfect her defense and that’s how she found her way to the court during games.”
Averie has also worked regularly with trainer and Beecher legend Malik Ellison since her sophomore year with a focus on utilizing her size and further elevating her game.
“As she grew older, Averie wanted to hear from different voices about how to become better and Malik is a big voice,” Mike said. “He works Averie hard, but you can see how much that is paying off for her.”
Averie, also a three-year varsity volleyball player, finds time to squeeze in sessions of putting up 500 shots as well.
Mike Zinn fondly recalls how Averie’s passion for the sport was ignited from the time she hit her first basket playing in a co-ed league while in second grade. Roughly a year later, he was almost in disbelief watching her execute a spider drill, a high-repetition ball-handling exercise involving dribbling the basketball in a front-front-back-back pattern.
“Averie became a basketball guru from that first game in the co-ed league, eagerly learning everything she could,” Mike said. “I posted a video of her doing the spider drill on social media and people responded about how crazy it was to see Averie doing that at such a young age. I knew right then how special she could be.”
High school sweethearts Mike and Megan Zinn both played for Genesee as well. Megan helped the Wolves capture a district title in 1996. They didn’t win another until Ryleigh’s junior season in 2022. Mallory (Zelley) McCreedy, Averie’s aunt, was an honorable mention All-Stater in 2003 and 2004.
“My family certainly gave me plenty of role models to look up to and see what level I wanted to be at and then exceed,” Averie said. “My family is competitive when it comes to, well, everything. I’ve always been impressed by Ryleigh, who is my best friend, and having two coaches at home with my parents has been big for me too.”
After earning second-team All-GAC honors as a freshman while teammates with Ryleigh, Averie blossomed as a sophomore, averaging 30.2 points, 8.1 steals, 7.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Last season, she averaged 32.7 points, 8.4 steals, 6.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists while leading the Wolves to a 17-9 record and a regional championship game berth.
Averie, who does not turn 18 until October, is taking her talents to NCAA Division II Wayne State University. She committed to the Warriors last summer but first caught the attention of head coach Carrie Lohr as an eighth grader while draining long 3-pointers during a team camp. Averie drew interest from several Division
I programs, especially Ball State University, before choosing Wayne State, which has made the Division II national tournament six times since 2013.
The Warriors will need to replace four of their top five scorers next season. “The potential to play right away and getting a full-ride scholarship offer made Wayne State the best fit for me,” she said. “Coach Lohr has always been so welcoming, and I already feel like Wayne State is my home away from home.”
Averie will begin working with assistant coach Andy Ayrault and her new teammates this summer.
“Wayne State is perfect for Averie because the ultimate goal when choosing a college is finding a place where you feel comfortable and not like a number,” Mike said. “Sometimes, at bigger schools, you commit and then don’t hear from the coaching staff for a long time, but coach Lohr has stayed in constant contact. It’s also a good situation playing-time wise and we love that it’s so close to home.”
