The big dogs are back at the Midwest Kick-Off

[caption id="attachment_4939" align="alignleft" width="184"] Kallie Theisen of Wayzata has joined North Tartan 11th EYBL along with her fellow Crossfire teammates Hannah Purcell and Taylie Scott. (photo courtesy of John Sherman)[/caption] In the immortal words of George Thorogood, "Move over nice dog, the mean old dog is movin' in." Even though it feels like February outside, it's actually week two of the AAU "summer" season and it's time to see what the big dogs from the Minnesota Fury and North Tartan have to offer for 2018. This weekend's event is the Midwest Kick-Off Classic hosted by the Metro Stars, and it marks the debut of North Tartan's top teams – 11th EYBL, 10th EYBL, 9th Sinn and 8th Contreras – and those of the Fury – 2019 and 2021 Gauntlet. Last weekend we saw the debut of the other big dogs from the MInnesota Stars and Suns, along with Fury 2020 Gauntlet, and now it's time to check out what could be the best of the best. In a strange twist of scheduling, the 11th grade EYBL team will carry the Tartan banner on Saturday in the top 2019 Black Division while the 10th grade team will take their place for one game on Sunday. In the 2020 Black Division, 8th Contreras will play two games and 9th Sinn will play the other. The tournament begins Friday night at 6:30 p.m. at Bloomington Kennedy and continues all day Saturday and Sunday. Here are the best matchups of the weekend. <strong>4:10 p.m. Saturday on court 6: Stars 11th Nelson vs North Tartan 11th EYBL</strong> North Tartan's best 2019 team was outstanding one year ago when former Eastview coach Melissa Guebert was at the helm. Now they are Gerard Coury's to manage and he has a loaded roster to work with. It includes <strong>Sara Scalia</strong> of Stillwater,<strong> Frannie Hottinger</strong> of Cretin-Derham Hall, <strong>Macy Guebert</strong> of Eastview (South Dakota) and <strong>Mykel Parham</strong> of Apple Valley. Then there's Lakeville South's <strong>Anna Harvey</strong> (Lehigh) and 2020 post <strong>Liza Karlen</strong> (St. Paul Central). The big news is that the best of the now defunct Crossfire 2019 Theisen squad are now on board: <strong>Kallie Theisen</strong> of Wayzata, <strong>Hannah Purcell</strong> of Annandale (currently injured) and <strong>Taylie Scott</strong> of Heritage Christian. Throw in <strong>Masengo Mutanda</strong> of Armstrong and you have something special. This is a great matchup because Stars 11th Nelson is a big dog, too. Nelson made its debut last weekend and features <strong>Destinee Oberg</strong> of Holy Angels (Arkansas), <strong>Aja Wheeler</strong> of Cooper, Wisconsin commit <strong>Sara Stapleton</strong> of Centennial, plus <strong>Dlayla Chakolis</strong> and <strong>Jaide Pressley</strong> of Hopkins. The newcomers include 2020 standout <strong>Grace Kirk</strong> of Duluth Marshall and forward <strong>Jordan Morris</strong> of Eastview. <strong>6:30 p.m. Saturday on court 7: Fury 2019 Gauntlet vs Stars 11th Nelson</strong> The Fury have added two pretty stout players to their lineup this year in Crossfire refugee <strong>Kaylee Nelson</strong> of Roseville (Minnesota-Duluth) and <strong>Taytum Rhoades</strong> of Minnehaha Academy, who is a North Tartan transfer. They have replaced the departed <strong>Emma Anderson</strong> (Big Lake) and <strong>Courtney Crouch</strong> (White Bear Lake). A third newcomer is on the roster, as well, but there is some doubt as to whether injuries might hamper the availability of forward <strong>Nevaeh Galloway</strong> of Minnehaha Academy. They join a star-studded cast that includes <strong>McKenna Hofschild</strong> of Prior Lake, <strong>Taylor McAulay</strong> of Centennial (Drake), <strong>Abby Johnson</strong> of Eden Prairie (Omaha), <strong>Emma Carpente</strong>r of Eastview and <strong>Carly Krsul</strong> of Armstrong. This team could be just as good as its North Tartan counterpart. <strong>8:50 p.m. Saturday on courts 6 &amp; 7: North Tartan 9th Sinn vs Wisconsin Playmakers 16U &amp; Fury 2021 Gauntlet vs Crossfire 10th St. John. </strong> It's a shame North Tartan and Fury aren't playing each other because that would be excellent. Your next best alternative is to pull up a chair and plonk it down between courts 6 and 7. That's what I will be doing. At the 2021 level, North Tartan has dropped down from three teams to two. The top team, coached by Ruth Sinn of the University of St. Thomas, is a formidable group that features some of the best players in the class: <strong>Ellie Dague</strong> of Henning, <strong>Kendal Cox</strong> of St. Michael-Albertville, <strong>Cassidy Carson</strong> of Eastview, <strong>Jenna Johnson</strong> of Wayzata and Maple Grove's <strong>Jordan Lamker</strong>. Add in outstanding 8th grader <strong>Mara Braun</strong> of Wayzata and South Dakota import <strong>Haleigh Timmer</strong> and this team is stacked. Fury 2021 Gauntlet may be even better. The Fury are led by <strong>Kaylee Van Eps</strong> of Chaska, <strong>Miah Monahan</strong> of Glencoe-Silver Lake, and <strong>Alexis Pratt</strong> of Stillwater. They also boast 6'4 center <strong>Sophie Hart</strong> of Farmington, whose game progressed miles this winter, and <strong>Emily Kulstad</strong> of Prior Lake who improved nearly as much. It is the newcomers that are worth noting, however, as big <strong>Helen Staley</strong> (Rosemount) arrives from North Tartan and sharp-shooting <strong>Erin Lamb</strong> of Stewartville moves up from the Fury's southern affiliate. Along with the Sinn squad, Stars 9th Hersch and Tayler Hill Elite, this Fury team is among 2021's big four. Crossfire 10th St. John may be a year older but they'll be in tough here. <strong>4:10 p.m. Sunday on court 7: North Tartan 10th EYBL vs Fury 2019 Gauntlet</strong> If you decide to stick around to the end on Sunday, this game will no doubt make it worth your while. After all, it features the North Tartan team led by <strong>Paige Bueckers</strong> of Hopkins, the #1 player in the class of 2021 and one of the top two or three players in the country. Besides Paige, this team boasts #4 <strong>Mallory Brake</strong> (Hastings), #5 <strong>Lauren Jensen</strong> (Lakeville North), #12 <strong>Jasmine Smiley</strong> (Wayzata), #14 <strong>Mia Curtis</strong> (Minnehaha) and #16 <strong>TeeTee Danso</strong> (Simley). Smiley is new to the team this year along with <strong>Nyamer Diew</strong> of Worthington and <strong>Annika Stewart</strong> of Wayzata. Gone is #2 <strong>Kenzie Kramer</strong> to Fury 2020 Gauntlet. <span style="font-size: 10pt"><em>Top: McKenna Hofschild of Prior Lake leads Fury 2019 Gauntlet. (photo courtesy of Courtside Films)</em></span>