A Look Inside Our 2020 Player Ranking Update

Why Our Top 10 Players Are Our Top 10 Players 1. Paige Bueckers, 5-10, combo guard, Hopkins and North Tartan (remains at #1) Whatever it takes, that’s what Paige contributes. That’s what she does. She can score, of course, but more than that she gets the ball to her teammates, she grabs rebounds and loose balls, she does it all. Coach Brian Cosgriff always says, “She’s so natural.” Doing the right thing at the right time just comes naturally. Add to that the fact that on top of that she works just as hard as anybody, so that instinct gives her a big head start over everybody else. So, she’s not only Northstar Girls Hoops summer “player of the year” among the 2020s, she’s our summer “player of the year” for all age groups. She’s sure not going to drop down from #1 that way. Her summer coach for 5 years now, Tara Starks, said, "She is a wizard with the basketball, just the purest of point guards that you will ever find. She talks about wanting to play off the ball, but she doesn't understand that her greatness lies within having the ball in her hands." 2. Liza Karlen, 6-3, post, St. Paul Central and North Tartan (moves from #3 to #2) Karlen is big, and plays bigger, and she’s strong for her age, and as a result she not only played up a year for North Tartan this summer—something that not even Paige Bueckers did--but she played up a year and was consistently one of the top 2 or 3 players on that Tartan 2019 team. She scored 26 ppg for St. Paul Central last winter which I believe made her the #1 scorer in the state in her class. Along with her God-given strengths, she also plays hard and plays relentlessly. Sky’s the limit. 3. Mackenzie Kramer, 5-8, point guard, St. Michael-Albertville and North Tartan (moves from #2 to #3) OK, don’t read too much into Kramer dropping a spot. It’s more a case of Karlen moving up a spot. It’s hard not to like 6-3, a full 7 inches taller than Kramer. But if Kramer weren’t in the same class as Paige Bueckers, she’d have the best handles and the best basketball IQ of any guard in her class, and most years she would be the most exciting player in her class. She’s a great passer, maybe even better than Bueckers pushing the pace, and she’s also quick enough to score against the tall trees inside. 4. Lauren Jensen, 5-9, shooting guard, Lakeville North and North Tartan (moves from #7 to #4) Hey, these 2020s are shaping up to be a pretty good class. Lauren Jensen #4??? Probably the best pure shooter in the class. Like Bueckers she is just a natural on the basketball court with an instinct for what needs to be done. Replaces Temi Carda as Lakeville North’s #1 option and with her extra size and her amazing shooting eye, I’m not sure the Panthers won’t be better in the tradeoff. 5. Emily Russo, 5-11, post, New Prague and Stars (moves from #6 to #5) Probably the most fundamentally sound post in her class. She’s a full 3-4 inches shorter than Karlen and doesn’t overpower people like Liza does, but she is strong and nobody overpowers her. But she relies more on finesse, great hands, great footwork. Plenty mobile to move out to the 4 when the time comes. 6. Mallory Brake, 6-0, wing, Hastings and North Tartan (moves from #5 to #6) The only question is what’s her position. She has played the point, she has played inside. She averaged 13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 1.1 blocks last year. Great hands, great fundamentals, phenomenal skills. She’s working on extending her shooting range out to the arc and beyond, and I don’t doubt she’ll be successful there, too. 7. Alyssa Ustby, 5-9, wing, Rochester Lourdes and Fury (moves up from #9) Great athletic, one question is whether she’s a basketball player or a soccer player or a softball player, long term. Right now she’s the 2nd or 3rd best athlete in her class, and just makes plays over and over again and on both ends of the court. The only way she doesn’t dominate is scoring. If she cultivates a go-to offensive move, then, look out. 8. T.T. Danso, 5-11, power forward, Simley and North Tartan (moves up from #10) A relative newcomer to the game of basketball, she totally dominates games inside—blocking shots, rebounding…. Her offensive game is a work in progress, but she’s too good of an athlete not to get it together. 9. Molly Mogenson, 5-10, point guard, Farmington and Fury (moves up from #13) An incredible combination of speed and strength and energy. She is an intimidating ball defender and she really pushes the pace on offense. Goes all out. 10. Ysareia Chevre, 6-0, power forward, Tartan and Fury (moves down from #4) Again, you know, not everybody can move up. This is a very dynamic class with the potential to send a lot of girls to high D1 and D1 opportunities. Chevre has the strength and physicality to play at a very high level. The difference between Chevre and Danso (and Russo), for example, is a hair’s breadth. Just needs to crank up the motor a little bit, like Karlen and Danso. Dropped Out of the Top 10 11. Mia Curtis, 5-8, combo guard, Minnehaha and North Tartan (moves down from #8). Athletic with nice skills, just needs to stay in the flow and make good decisions. Big Movers 18. Abby Schulte, 5-10, point guard, Maple Grove and Crossfire (not rated previously). Took over the point for the Crimson midway through last season and impressed, then did more of the same with the Crossfire this summer. Good size for her skill set, great skills for her size. The next Mimi Schrader? 49. Lily Tennyson, 5-9, wing, St. Michael-Albertville and North Tartan (moves up from #59) The highest rated player in her class to move up at least 10 slots. Sometimes plays a little tentatively but had a breakout scoring games with 27 against Wayzata at the Sweet 16. She’s an athletic wing who can run the floor. 50. KaeLynn Kudis, 5-8, combo guard, Cherry and High Impact (moves up from #60) After last March’s state championship loss in Mya Buffetta and Chelsea Mason’s final game, MIB coach Jeff Buffetta said his team would be OK because MIB was filled with little girls who want to be like Buffetta and Mason. I don’t doubt that, but the truth is the entire Iron Range is filled with girls who want to be like Buffetta and Mason. Kudis is Exhibit A. In fact, it was Buffetta who said we should take a look at her, which we did this summer. She’s a long, lean, strong, aggressive guard, a 1 for now who might be better off the ball. 51. Aailyah Ragulen, 5-3, point guard, Park Center and Stars (moves up from #81) Ragulen has terrific handles who rarely turns the ball over, and she is a great shooter. Ragulen sees the court really well and is the Stars’ fearless leader. Before he departed for the college ranks, Park Center coach Chris VanderHyde said he had big plans for Ragulen. Had a very productive summer with Stars Antl. 62. Grace Elander, 5-8, combo guard, Holy Family and E1T1 (moves up from #78) Terrific ball handler and an exceptional shooter with a knack for getting to the rim. She’s smooth and confident and is equally good at both ends of the floor. Poised for a breakout season in high school. 66. Amari Piepkorn, 5-9, point guard, CHOF and Force (moves up from #95) 71. Emma Kniefel, 5-9, wing, Medford and So Minn Fury (new at #71) Played up 2 full years and was one of the top players and top scorers on SMF 2018 Gold. 75. Mya Roberts, 5-9, combo guard, Grand Rapids and Comets (up from #107) A scrappy guard who creates havoc on defense, Roberts isn’t particularly smooth but handles the ball well enough and makes things happen with great frequency. Roberts is a member of the Minnesota Comets 9 Elite team this summer and Grand Rapids coach Kris Hamling says Mya will play a key role this winter. 79. Saley Underwood, 5-9, shooting guard, Mahtomedi and Heat (up from #111) A long, lean wing who will probably be asked to replace Marissa Gustafson in the Zephyrs lineup this fall. Athletic and mobile, scrappy on defense. Overcame a concussion this summer and had to play the 4 spot part of the way due to her team’s lack of size and injuries. She persevered and had a productive summer. 85. Skylar Germann, 5-10, wing, Minnetonka and Stars (new at #85) Skylar played some productive minutes for Minnetonka last winter but wasn’t listed on the Tonka roster, so she was tough to pin down. But when we saw her she played hard and played aggressively. Good athlete with evolving skills. Lots of upside. Other Newcomers Along with Schulte and Kniefel and Germann, here are some other girls who are new to this list. 82. Jasmine Choi, 5-8, point guard, Maple Grove and PREP. Can she get out of Schulte’s shadow? 93. Grace Kirk, 5-5, combo guard, Duluth Marshall and North Tartan. Not invited back with Tartan for next summer. 100. Abi Barschdorf, 5-8, wing, Elk River and Crossfire. Reminds me of Kelsie Cox. 106. Madison Linbo, 5-8, combo guard, Willmar. 107 and 108. Abby Gilleland (5-9) and Sydney Gilleland (5-6), guards, Triton and So Minn Fury. Played up 2 years. 109. Brynn Schwanz, 6-0, post/power forward, Apple Valley and Fury. This is probably too low. 115. Kaelah Simmons, 5-7, point guard, Winona and Nice. 116. Alex Dorr, 5-8, guard, Lakeville North and Stars. 119. Lydia Hay, 5-11, power forward, Wayzata and Crossfire. 120. Lauryn Renier, Rochester Lourdes and So Minn Fury.