It was all smiles Sunday as Jasmine led Wayzata to two wins

Jasmine Smiley has been making a name for herself in 2017, participating in countless showcase events here, there and everywhere, and leading her E1T1 AAU squad to a podium finish at the state championship. Smiley has risen to a top-15 ranking in the class and is now a vital cog in Wayzata. Oh yeah, she has also been hand-picked by Tara Starks to join her nationally-ranked North Tartan 2020 squad next summer. “I'm just trying to work on getting better at the things I am not very good at,” Smiley said. “I think working with other girls that I don't normally work out with is good because I can learn from other people and the things they do well and try to better myself from that. It's also good for exposure. People see me at each event and maybe they will remember me.” That's for sure.

Smiley was very good Sunday on opening day of the Breakdown Fall League. The Trojans' first game against a strong Lakeville North squad was tied with less than 10 seconds remaining when the 5'8″ combo guard went hard to the basket through traffic, drawing a foul. That stopped the clock at 6.7 seconds, at which point Smiley calmly deposited a pair of free throws to give Wayzata a 32-30 victory. “I think I have improved so much over the summer,” Smiley said. “My shot has gotten way better. I have tried to work on being more aggressive and I think I have gotten better at that over the past couple of months… When I look at the best girls, I think I need to work on some of the extra stuff, the different kinds of layups and so on, because that's what these girls have that I need to get better at.”

With guard Sydney Franks graduating, Smiley is going to be relied upon for much, much more this year. Jasmine has definitely gotten quicker, and she looks much more poised on the floor. Her decision-making has improved as well as her shot selection. Entering her sophomore season, Smiley has become a legitimate Division I prospect. She admits that the invitation to join North Tartan was a bit of a surprise. “I'm still kind of shocked by it but I am very excited. It means a lot to me, and I feel like I'm getting a little closer to what I want,” said Smiley, who hopes to attend a historically-black college such as Hampton University where Hopkins grad Ashley Bates plays. “I just want to get better and get that scholarship.”

Freshman forward Jenna Johnson impresses vs. Hopkins

On Sunday, Smiley wasn't the only Trojan who looked good. After slipping past the Panthers, Wayzata turned in another impressive performance to defeat Hopkins 41-36. Juniors Mimi Schrader and Kallie Theisen were good as always. Annika Stewart, the 6'3″ newcomer from North Dakota, did her part. But the player who really stood out was 6'1″ freshman forward Jenna Johnson. The #6-rated player in the class of 2021 rebounded hard, and went to the basket with ease. She is a mobile, athletic big who can score in a variety of different ways. It appears as though Trojans' coach Mike Schumacher will have trouble keeping Johnson off the floor.

In fairness, Hopkins was somewhat short-handed on this day. All-everything guard Paige Bueckers went down with a sprained ankle against Shakopee and was unavailable. It didn't look real serious, although the state's best player did leave the gym on crutches. Starting post Angie Hammond and Eden Prairie transfer Kira Mosley are still recovering from surgery so the youngsters – 8th-graders Amaya Battle and Maya Nnaji, plus 7th grader Taylor Woodson – played big minutes. Hopkins was behind throughout, and it's difficult to make up ground in a running time format, but there were no excuses: Wayzata was the better team on this day and the Trojans vs. Royals rivalry promises to be a good one. Last year's Section 6 finalists meet Dec. 12 at Wayzata and Feb. 16 at Hopkins.

Katey Brattland and the Skippers can't be overlooked

Minnetonka is one of the more intriguing squads this year. The 2016 AAAA state champs reminded us Sunday just how many nice pieces there are in the Skippers' puzzle, including senior guard Katey Brattland. One of the state's premiere shooters since she made her debut as an 8th grader at St. Paul Academy, Brattland made 58 threes last winter despite playing only 17 games due to injury. In my story a couple of weeks back about some of the state's best three-point shooters, I neglected to mention Brattland, mostly because her stats were not readily available. That's regrettable on my part considering Brattland will go down as one of the most prolific shooters in state history. Katey now has over 300 triples, and more than 1,300 points (16.5 ppg average), even though she lost a season by transferring. Despite her success, Brattland isn't going to play college basketball. Instead, she will attend High Point University in North Carolina on an academic scholarship where she plans to major in Pre-Med.

Brattland resides in the Minnetonka backcourt with senior Megan Walker (Lehigh), the #6-ranked player in the 2018 class. Nebraska recruit Kayla Mershon, a 6'3″ post, is a handful for defenders. Junior Blake Greer is much improved, as is punishing defender Zoe Hardwick (Northern State). Toss in likely contributions from freshmen Sophie Haydon, Katie Leisen and perhaps Piper Terry and the Skippers cannot be taken lightly.

Others who impressed

Shakopee had nice performances from senior guard Rachel Garvey, and juniors Ashley Herold and Isabelle West. Garvey is headed to Division I North Dakota next year and needs to have a big senior season if the Sabers are going to be successful.

Eden Prairie, which won just five games a year ago, has improved. Freshman point guard Grace Ellis looked the part. Sophomores Valerie Higgins, Jaliya Davis, Natalie Mazurek and Nneka Obiazor played well, as did junior Abby Johnson. The Eagles lost a number of transfers over the past couple of years, including the aforementioned Hardwick and Mosley, and will be young.

Cherish Henderson of Minneapolis Southwest certainly has a flair for the dramatic, and she did it again Sunday. With the final seconds winding down in the Lakers' game against Sibley East, the shifty little point guard dribbled through a phalanx of defenders before putting up an off-balance jumper from just outside the three-point line as time expired. Swish! Lakers win 28-26.