AAU Preview: 10th Annual Fury Spring Showdown

This weekend marks the 10th anniversary of the Minnesota Fury AAU Spring Showdown. Ironically, most of the top Fury teams won't be there. Because of their new affiliation with Adidas, the Fury's best will be in Atlantic City, NJ contesting the Adidas Gauntlet tournament against some of the top teams in the country. Meanwhile, most of the Minnesota Stars best will play in the Blue Chip Pre-Season Challenge in Pennsylvania, while North Tartan's elite units will be at the Boo Williams tournament in Virginia. So who does that leave here? The most elite team staying home is Minnesota Stars 8th Kolden, the defending 2022 state champions.  They'll open play at 6:30 p.m. Friday on Court 5 against MN/WI Force 2021. The Stars are playing up one year in the 2021 Blue Division that also includes Fury 2021 Yellow, Southern Minnesota Fury 2021, Minnesota Rise 9th Batt, Metro Stars 2021, and Stars 9th Voyce. It is probably the most competitive division in the tournament. Who to watch on Stars Kolden It takes talent and depth to win a state championship and that's what Stars Kolden has. Last year, with the game on the line, it was Myra Moorjani who took over in the last five minutes and willed her team to victory. The long-bomber from Eden Prairie may not have made an impact for Ellen Wiese's Eagles just yet but she most certainly will. There may not be a better pure shooter in the class. 8th grader Alexa Ratzlaff of Minnesota Stars Kolden has already made a big impact at Rosemount. The most exciting player on the squad is Emma Miller of St. Michael-Albertville. She is small but special, with a great set of handles and a burst of speed that nobody in 2022 can match. Miller was already in the rotation this season for Kent Hamre's Knights, and may turn out to be the best point guard of 2022. Then there is Alexa Ratlaff of Rosemount. I recall seeing her for the first time at a Breakdown event in early December. As I remember it, a significant amount of time had passed before Ratzlaff was finally sent into action. At that point everything changed, and the 8th grader emerged as a key piece of the puzzle for the Irish. She is a versatile, athletic, high-energy player and she is going to be very, very good. Guard Dorothy Stotts of Edina is one of the most skilled players in the class of 2022. Two others from the Northwest Metro are also going to make some noise: Ava Berg and Ellie Buzzelle. In fact, Buzzelle has already been doing just that at Rogers where she averaged 7 points per game in 26 appearances. Those are solid credentials for an 8th grader playing 4A high school ball. Berg is silky smooth, with nice handles and a great shot. Trust me, when the game is on the line over the next few seasons, Elk River is going to want the ball in Ava's hands. Lest we forget, there is a 6th member of the team who is most likely going to be on the Prep Girls Hoops 2022 Watch List when it is released in a couple of weeks. She is Dorothy Stotts of Edina. If you take the time to watch Stars Kolden this weekend you will definitely notice Stotts, one of the most skilled players in the class. Here are a couple more clubs to take note of in Bloomington. The 2018 debut of Minnesota Nice Pierre Ellis' Nice club is spread out across I-90 and environs, but they'll gather this weekend to show their wares in the Twin Cities. Nice will have their 2019, 2020 and 2021 squads on hand. The 2019s make their debut on Friday at 7:40 p.m. on court 4 against United 10th. The team includes at least two high-end talents: wing Maddie Schirmer of Maple River (#47 in 2019) and gifted point guard Alyssa Williamson of Martin County West (#82 and rising). Caitlin Rorman of Blue Earth might be flying high for Dan Wolfe's 2019 Minnesota Rise team. (photo courtesy Fairmont Sentinel) The 2020 Nice team includes the sister act of Kaelah & Jaelyn Simmons of Winona, a pair of athletic guards who should play a major role in the Winhawks' quest to rebuild. Big Lexi Karge is also featured. The 8th grader from Mankato East, who is already north of 6 feet tall, plays two years up in AAU. Last summer as a 7th grader she was more than impressive and expectations are high. She is one of the premiere posts in the class of 2022. Minnesota Rise 11th Wolfe Last weekend we were looking forward to the debut of Dan Wolfe's Minnesota Rise 11th squad, which was one of the more impressive teams in AAU ball last summer. Alas, Mother Nature made it virtually impossible for the Rise to travel from Southern Minnesota and they were forced into absentia. Weather willing, the Wolfes will be on court 2 Saturday at 6:30 p.m. against Minnesota Suns 2019 Lark. The Rise are led by outstanding point guard Joey Batt of New Ulm, who is ranked #13 in the class. The team also includes #29 Madison Gehloff of Waseca, #47 Caitlin Rorman of Blue Earth, and Elizabeth Wortz of Hutchinson, who is in the top 100 and rising fast.