Miss Basketball committee names 32 nominees for the big award
A total of 32 Minnesota seniors have been named to the preliminary list being given consideration for Minnesota’s Miss Basketball Award, and it is a who’s who of the senior class. The award is presented annually by the Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Association to a player the committee deems as the top senior in the state. The finalists will be announced on March 17 with a winner to be crowned April 12 in Northfield as part of the All Star Weekend and banquet. The award criteria includes basketball ability, coachability, leadership, character and school/community service.
Eighteen of the 32 players have made Division 1 college commitments, two have committed to D2 institutions and three have decided to go the NAIA route. Three have elected to play a different sport at the collegiate level while five remain undecided. Taytum Rhoades of Minnehaha Academy had made a D2 commitment but recently reopened her recruiting following a coaching change at Upper Iowa.
The committee selected 17 of the top 20 girls on the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2019 rankings list, and 19 of the top 25. Here are all of the nominees listed in the order of their PGH ranking.
Kallie Theisen, Wayzata (South Dakota State)
Sara Scalia, Stillwater (Minnesota)
Destinee Oberg, Bloomington Kennedy (Arkansas)
Frannie Hottinger, Cretin-Derham Hall (Lehigh)
Kacie Borowicz, Roseau (North Dakota)
McKenna Hofschild, Prior Lake (Seton Hall)
Sara Stapleton, Centennial (Wisconsin)
Taylor McAulay, Centennial (Drake)
Hannah Purcell, Annandale (DePaul)
Tori Nelson, Henry Sibley (South Dakota State)
Mimi Schrader, Wayzata (Navy)
Masengo Mutanda, Armstrong
Dlayla Chakolis, Hopkins (Hampton)
Olivia Lane, Pequot Lakes (North Dakota)
Joey Batt, New Ulm (MSU-Mankato)
Carly Krsul, Armstrong (Bucknell)
Hannah DeMars, Grand Rapids (Jamestown)
Shyanne Loiland, Crosby-Ironton (Weber State)
Macy Guebert, Eastview (South Dakota)
Taylie Scott, Heritage Christian (soccer)
Lydia Sussner, Minneota (volleyball)
Madison Gehloff, Waseca
Anna Harvey, Lakeville South (Lehigh)
Jadyn Hanson, St. Michael-Albertville (Concordia-St. Paul)
Aja Wheeler, Cooper
Lariah Washington, St. Cloud Apollo (Eastern Illinois)
Taytum Rhoades, Minnehaha Academy (reopened)
Macy Nilsen, Edina (Jamestown)
Leigh Steiner, Holy Family (lacrosse)
Abby Mackenthun, Norwood-Young America
Delaney Runyon, Hill-Murray
Sidney Fick, Hills-Beaver Creek (Dakota State)
Top photo: Lariah Washington of St. Cloud Apollo is one of 32 nominees for the Miss Basketball Award. She has committed to D1 Eastern Illinois. (Photo courtesy of St. Cloud Times)
