A Look Inside Our 2019 Player Ranking Update

1. Kallie Theisen, Wayzata, 6-1, power forward, remains at #1. Theisen and fellow junior Mimi Schrader (see #9 below) have led a renaissance of Wayzata basketball. The Trojans were 3-23 in 2013, but are now 57-16 over the past 2+ seasons. Schrader brought ball-handling skills and court leadership to a team that sorely needed them. Theisen brought the all-important ability to simply put the ball in the hole. She is a relentless player on both ends of the court, but especially on offense, where she attacks the rim with a ferocity exhibited by few players. She finishes from all angles regardless of contact, and gets to the FT line with a frequency that is demoralizing to opponents. She moved up from #2 to #1 about a year ago and that it where she stays. 2. Destinee Oberg, Holy Angels, 6-2, post, remains at #2. Oberg is a very unique player—a big post with great hands, quick feet and especially with great anticipation. She is an accurate shooter and a consistent scorer. Her anticipation makes her an outstanding rebounder. She has great court vision, which makes her a great passer out of the post. Her quick hands make her an annoying defender. Holy Angels has had a bunch of great ballplayers in recent years but Oberg is the common denominator in a 64-11 record the past 2+ years. 3. Sara Scalia, Stillwater, 5-9, combo guard, moves up from #9. Scalia has always been a great shooter. Right now she is tied for the statewide lead in 3-pointers with 39. Last year she was #7 with 72 3s. But she has become a complete guard over the past couple of seasons—handling and distributing the ball with authority, providing leadership on the court and making her teammates better. “She can score from anywhere on the court,” says coach Willie Taylor, but more than that, “She’s a fierce competitor who understands the game.” 4. Frannie Hottinger, Cretin, 6-0, power forward, moves up from #16. Two years ago, Hottinger ran with the Fury Gold, their second team. Since then, she has become one of the hardest workers around and her game has improved by leaps and bounds. Speaking of which (leaps and bounds), those are also her greatest strengths on the court. She is a great, quick leaper on the boards and after passes into the low past who really gets after the ball, and is just unstoppable in the post and off the boards. She is also developing her perimeter game and projects as a 3 at the next level. 5. Masengo Mutanda, Armstrong, 5-7, wing, moves down from #3. Mutanda is just returning from a serious knee injury, and what a comeback! She is now averaging 23 ppg in 4 games, and scored a remarkable 32 in her very 1st game back and then 35 last week vs. Park Center. She is just 5-7 and appears slight of build, yet scores many of her points inside by getting to the rim too quick for almost any defender. A huge upside talent. 6. McKenna Hofschild, Prior Lake, 5-4, point guard, remains at #6. The consummate gym rat with great handles and the ability to score both inside and out, all in a very small package. 7. Tori Nelson, Sibley, 6-1, forward, moves down from #4. A quiet, sneaky player who scores about 20 and rebounds in double figures without ever drawing unnecessary attention to herself. She simply glides across the floor and does a little bit of everything in a way that appears to be effortless. Equally effective inside and out. 8. Sara Stapleton, Centennial, 6-3, post, moves down from #5. A big post who totally disrupts opposing offenses, blocking and altering shots with her long arms, and taking up lots of space in the lane. Her initial offense is a work in progress yet she manages to score 12 ppg. 9. Mimi Schrader, Wayzata, 5-9, point guard, moves down from #7. A great ball-handler and floor general. As an 8th grader she led Wayzata from a 3-23 season to 13-16 as the only new addition to the team. Now she’s gunning for conference, section and state titles. 10. Kacie Borowicz, Roseau, 5-10, point guard, remains at #10. A long, aggressive 1, Kacie pushes things as a high-risk, high-reward player who usually gets a reward. Drops Out of the Top 10 12. Hannah Purcell, Annandale, 6-0, wing, moves down from #8. Purcell is a remarkably fundamentally solid player on the perimeter and on the inside. She lets the game come to her, and right now she has led a team without many other weapons to a solid 8-4 record. There's no point pretending she hasn't dropped behind Sara Scalia and Frannie Hottinger in our estimation, but she's still a solid player and a D1 prospect.