Oberg, Karlen, Chevre, Ware headline Minnesota transfers

The rumor mill churns all summer long but it really gets going in August when high school basketball observers frequently ask the question: Who is transferring this fall? From the time school gets out in the spring until late summer, it’s all just speculation until the kids actually set foot in the classroom. That happened over the past week or so and the biggest winners appear to be Bloomington Kennedy, Simley, Stillwater and DeLaSalle. Kennedy landed a very big fish in senior Destinee Oberg, the #2 player in the class of 2019 who transferred across the freeway from Holy Angels. "I've been playing at Holy Angels for five years, where I have changed as a person and a player,” Oberg said via email. “I have decided to transfer to Kennedy for my last year of high school. I will be taking post-secondary classes and playing against Class AAAA competition in order to get ready to play for the University of Arkansas and in the SEC. To Holy Angels, I say thank you for your hospitality over the last five years and for allowing me to represent your school. And to Kennedy, I look forward to spending my final year with you and hope to represent you well both on and off the court." Oberg was injured this summer and unable to compete for most of the AAU season. Reports indicate, however, that she has been working hard and is now in the best condition of her career. Unfortunately for Holy Angels, Oberg wasn’t the only starter to move on as Kaylee VanDerWerf (Fury 2020 Gauntlet) moved back to her home district of Burnsville. Meanwhile, Stillwater is now a legitimate threat to win the Suburban East Conference and make it to the state tournament thanks to the addition of 6’2 post Liza Karlan from St. Paul Central (North Tartan). Karlen is a multi-dimensional big destined for a power 5 program. She will give the Ponies a much greater inside presence to complement Sara Scalia (North Tartan), who is the top guard in the senior class and committed to Minnesota. Stillwater also added Gionna Carr (Fury 2021 Yellow), who returns home from Hill-Murray. Carr is an athletic top-20 guard. There is some question about whether she will be cleared this year for varsity action, a decision that rests with the Minnesota State High School League. [caption id="attachment_11696" align="alignleft" width="150"] Forward Zareia Chevre moves from Tartan to Simley joining some other top 2020s.[/caption] In addition to Carr, there were three other incoming sophomores of note who transferred as Allie Murphy (Stars Hersch), the leading scorer at Breck, moved to Edina, crafty point guard Jayla Reliford (43 Hoops) went from Cooper to Osseo, and guard Aleah Zieske transfered from struggling Renville County West to perennial power New London-Spicer. In a long-rumored move, Simley High School landed a top 10 talent from the class of 2020 in forward Zareia Chevre, who leaves Tartan High School in Oakdale to join her Fury 2020 Gauntlet teammates Ravyn Miles and Sydney Stensgaard. “Been a long road at Tartan,” Chevre tweeted on Monday. “Been there since 7th grade so this wasn’t an easy decision, but this was for the best.” Simley also has TeTe Danso (North Tartan) and has to be considered a 3A state championship contender. Meanwhile, Benilde-St. Margaret’s was a big winner, too. The Red Knights will now have the services of post Patience Williams (E1T1 Premier). The athletic forward, who had an outstanding AAU summer and is a solid D1 prospect, moves over from Fridley where she has been a mainstay for the past three years. Freshmen get a freebie For the most part, Minnesota players who transfer to a different high school have to miss a year of varsity action unless they have physically relocated into the district, although there are some exceptions such as parent custody issues or bullying situations. However, incoming 9th graders get a free pass to the high school of their choice and are immediately eligible for varsity play even if they have already played varsity elsewhere. This tends to benefit the private schools and this year’s big winner is DeLaSalle where Coach Tanysha Scott will have the services of six outstanding freshmen, not all of whom have been varsity players yet. Point guard Kiani Lockett (North Tartan) actually played a handful of games for the Islanders last fall before being ruled ineligible on a technicality. She already has a year of varsity under her belt at Minneapolis South and could be DeLaSalle’s starting point guard if she is healthy. Lockett will be joined on the Island by talented Simley transfers Sydney Runsewe and I’Tianna Salaam (both North Tartan), athletic prospect Mya Williams (also North Tartan) along with Centennial sharp shooter Leah Dengerud and the very long Savannah White, both of UVA Lady Rebels. [caption id="attachment_11695" align="alignnone" width="300"] Desiree Ware moves from Maranatha to Minnetonka where she'll likely play point guard for the Skippers.[/caption] Desiree Ware is a big catch for the Skippers There are a couple more incoming freshmen transfers that we are aware of, including guard Selam Maher who averaged nearly 18 points per game at Richfield. She will try to crack the star-studded lineup at Hopkins. Meanwhile, forward Cloey Dmytruk (Ballin’ Pretty) moves from Columbia Heights to Como Park where she will join a very strong freshman class. The best transferring 9th grader, however, just might turn out to be uber-athletic D1 prospect Desiree Ware. The freshman moves from Maranatha to Minnetonka where the Skippers are in desperate need of a point guard. Although the basketball was certainly attractive, Ware is also an elite student who was impressed by what Minnetonka has to offer academically. “I am excited,” Ware said. “The education at Minnetonka is really good. Honestly I want to make it to college and play D1 but from there I want to be a doctor.” It will be a big change for Ware going from 2A to 4A ball, not to mention a student body that is 10 times the size. “The intensity will be different. I mean, it’s 4A so every game is going to be intense. There’s never going to be a game that is given to us,” said Ware, who will also run track for the Skippers. “The speed is different. Their game is much more controlled. The passes will have to be on point. It’s also more intense on defense.” Ware is really more of a 2 guard than a point but she will no doubt be coach Leah Dasovich’s best option at the 1. Desiree brings an awful lot to the table. “Attacking the basket is one of my strongest points,” she said. “When I’m open I have got to hit the shot. When I’m in the gym I work on the stuff I need to work on – the contact lay-ups so I can get the and-1 and the step-backs. If I’m going to be the point guard I need to work on my ball handling, too, so I have been doing that. I am going to have to prove to everyone that I can control the ball.” One closing note. These are the transfers as we know them. We contacted more than 40 head coaches but there are no doubt some movers that we are unaware of. If you know of others, please email me at <a href="mailto:gmachoops@gmail.com">gmachoops@gmail.com</a> and we will follow up on the information.