2023 Metro Stars look a lot like their 2018 predecessors

Watching coach Ellen Wiese’s 2023 Metro Stars at the AAU warm-up event over the weekend triggered some flashbacks for me – and it was all good. It’s a talented young group with plenty of potential. What struck me immediately, however, was how hard they got after it on defense which reminded me so much of Ellen’s last AAU squad from the Class of 2018. That team was loaded with workhorses. They had skill, and they knew how to score, too. Their real calling card, however, was the kind of in-your-face defense that yields Ws on a nightly basis. [caption id="attachment_36089" align="alignnone" width="375"] The 2018 Metro Stars were a highly accomplished group that sent multiple players to high-level college ball.[/caption] Several players from that team are now playing D1 and D2 college basketball, including Rachel Hakes of Woodbury (Fairfield), Sydney Zgutowicz of St. Francis (Concordia-St. Paul), Amanda Pollard of Champlin Park (Wagner), Zoe Hardwick of Minnetonka (Northern State) and Tayzha Buck of Red Wing (Evansville). Last summer, Wiese started over with 7th graders. On Saturday it was evident that the messages being delivered by the Eden Prairie High School coach are sinking in. Will the 2023 group turn out to be as good as those 2018s? It’s too early to tell, of course, since they are still in the 8th grade, but the  possibility is certainly there. The roster includes five players from Eden Prairie: Annika Anderson, Kylie Bamlett, Sophia Hall, Savanna Jones and Priyanka Satish. There are two guards from Orono – Kayla Kallenbach and Lauren Knudson – along with 6-foot forward Julia Wagner from St. Michael-Albertville, combo guard Jasmine Dupree of Hopkins and guard Sonya Potthoff from Mahtomedi. Guard Jaden Coahran of New London-Spicer is out for the season with a torn ACL. Here’s a rundown on the top prospects from Metro Stars 2023 Wiese. <strong>Savanna Jones, 5’11 post, Eden Prairie</strong> In Minnesota basketball it’s not easy to keep up with the Jones, as in Tyus of the NBA Timberwolves and Trey of the Duke Blue Devils. Well here’s another Jones who is going to be difficult to contain in the years ahead. Savanna is their younger sister, and the big forward is well on her way to making a name for herself thank you very much. But those are some pretty good bloodlines. “Even beyond that Savanna wants it really bad,” Wiese said. “She doesn’t want it because her brothers are really good. She wants it for her and she wants it for her team. She’s just turned into a basketball junkie. When Savanna is not in school, eating or sleeping she wants to be playing basketball.” And she’s starting to play it rather well. Jones is big and strong, she understands the game well and has the raw material to become a high-end prospect. She has put in a lot of work with Hardwick, who is cut from similar cloth, and is working on her conditioning so that she can go all out all the time. Savanna is still growing into her body as most 8th graders are, but she is nearly impossible to contain inside. In the second half on Saturday she simply took over the game and there was very little the opposition could do. “When Savanna goes hard she’s very, very difficult to stop,” Wiese said. “She has become very good at drawing the double team, and kicking the ball back out, which is something that a lot of posts are not very good at. Savanna is going to have a huge AAU season and she’s going to go on to do great things at Eden Prairie.” <strong>Julia Wagner, 6’0 post, St. Michael-Albertville</strong> Wiese's team is blessed with something many of the 2023 squads are not. In addition to 5’10 guard Kylie Bamlett, the Metro Stars have another big post in Wagner. She’s a legit 6-footer, and very long, but it will probably be awhile before her strength catches up to her size. She’s an intelligent post player who knows what the position is all about. “One of the things she does best is she gets an angle before she gets the ball,” Wiese said. “A lot of posts are like, ‘Give me the ball and I’ll figure it out.’ She’s going to make a great drop-step move and if you get her the ball she’s going to finish.” The combination of Jones and Wagner will no doubt be a huge asset this summer. “Those two should be able to dominate on the post,” Wiese said. “I don’t see myself playing them too often together but we should always have the possibility of having a dominant post in the game.” <strong>Priyanka Satish, 5’4 point guard, Eden Prairie</strong> Satish is skilled, she’s smart and she’s got the kind of court presence that great point guards possess. At 5’4 and somewhat slight she’s not going to be able to hammer to the rim and take contact. What she can do is distribute, she can shoot it, and she has a very high IQ. “Priyanka is an extremely skilled basketball player. She’s a fantastic ball handler, a great three-point shooter and a good defender. She’s the whole package,” Wiese said.  “She’s super intelligent, she’s a pure point guard, and she’s very coachable. In the second half I said we have got to get the ball into Savanna and she got the ball into Savanna.” <strong>Jasmine Dupree, 5’7 combo guard, Hopkins</strong> Dupree is from Hopkins. That means she understands the game, knows how to play at pace and is a committed defender. She’s also super athletic, very confident and not afraid of contact in any way, shape or form. “Jazzy is a pure athlete who is turning into a fantastic basketball player,” Wiese said. “It’s so nice to get Hopkins kids. They understand the intensity of the game and it’s really nice to not have to teach that. For some kids from smaller schools it’s a whole different speed once they get to AAU. The Hopkins kids just get it.” <strong>Kayla Kallenbach, 5’5 point guard, Orono</strong> Kallenbach is a soccer player. She’s fit and she’s fast, and that will be a huge asset for the Metro Stars, who want to get up and down the court with pace. Kayla will share the point guard duties with Pratish. “There were times today when she was running the break and there were four kids behind her!” Wiese said. “We’ve got to work on catching up to her. She’s got a great shot, she’s very intelligent and she’s another kid who, because she has played for me, understands the value that I put on defense. She will get up and defend.” <span style="font-size: 10pt"><em>Top photo: Just three faces have changed on the 2023 Metro Stars since their successful summer of one year ago. Zoe Hardwick (back row on the right) was a member of the 2018 Metro Stars, who has been working with the 2023 posts. (Both photos courtesy of the Metro Stars)</em></span>