Fury 2021 Yellow looking good after extensive makeover
When Minnesota Fury 2021 Yellow took to the court for practice a month ago, coach Sam Ebenreiter probably showed up with the usual accessories – basketballs, practice jerseys, pylons, etc. What he really needed was some nametags. With just two…
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Continue ReadingWhen Minnesota Fury 2021 Yellow took to the court for practice a month ago, coach Sam Ebenreiter probably showed up with the usual accessories – basketballs, practice jerseys, pylons, etc. What he really needed was some nametags. With just two returning players, the sophomore squad has undergone a complete makeover, and that can be a challenging set of circumstances for everyone involved.
“I think it has been challenging more so from their perspective than mine,” Ebenreiter said Saturday between games at the Fury Spring Showcase. “It is a challenge knowing where your teammates are going to be. From my perspective it has been so much easier than I expected because this is such a great group of kids. I mean, there is nobody on this team who wants it to be about them. There’s nobody on this team that gets upset if they don’t quite get the minutes they want to get. They’re fine with that as long as we’re doing what we need to do as a team. When I talk they are listening. It has been good.”
Centennial’s Jenna Guyer has been a welcome addition to the Fury. (Photo courtesy Pioneer Press)In spite of the unfamiliarity, Fury 2021 Yellow has been playing some pretty good basketball. They won their first four games of the weekend playing in the top 2020 division before falling to Southern Minnesota Fury 2020 by three in the championship game. The team is 6-2 on the season, all against older opponents. Of the seven newcomers on the roster, the two that have been the most impactful are Prior Lake point guard Tatum Brostrom and Centennial center Jenna Guyer. I mean, what team doesn’t benefit from a savvy floor general with handles and a 6’2 post who can run, rebound and score? “She has been huge!” Ebenreiter said of Guyer, speaking both literally and figuratively. “Tatum has been really impressive. The way she handles pressure. She doesn’t get frazzled. She just goes.”
The effectiveness of the Brostrom-to-Guyer combo was certainly obvious on Friday night. The Fury were a little ragged in the early going before a series of high-tempo transition baskets by Guyer early in the second half changed the game, sparking a big run that led to a 49-45 win over United 11. Guyer finished with 15 points and a bunch of rebounds. Against the Wisconsin Playmakers she scored 18 while Brostrom had 15. In game four, Guyer had 15 while Brostrom had 11.
Guyer joined the Fury from the Minnesota Heat. Brostrom and Allie Murphy of Edina were previously with Stars 2021 Hersch. Both Sydni Olson (Waconia) and Morgan Krumwiede (Burnsville) came over from Top Flight, while Julia Knudson (Orono) and Elly Bahr (Elk River) were previously with Crossfire Herman. They join returnees Ella Hronski of Mahtomedi and Kenna Moon of St. Croix Lutheran.
Here’s a rundown on the prospects of Fury 2021 Yellow with thoughts from the coach.
Tatum Brostrom of Prior Lake is the Fury’s new floor general. (Photo courtesy of Southwest News Media)Ella Hronski, 5’11 guard, Mahtomedi
The lengthy guard is Fury Yellow’s highest-ranked player in the Prep Girls Hoops class of 2021 at #36. She missed half of the high school season before returning from injury in mid-January, after which she averaged about 10 points per game and showed us just how much her game has evolved. “Ella has improved immensely,” Ebenreiter said. “At the beginning of last year she was still mostly a shooter. She had started to get that part of her game where she would drive a little bit, but man has she taken that to another level. She can be a secondary ball handler now instead of just standing out on the perimeter waiting to shoot. I’m confident with her handling the ball any time. She has also grown a lot the past couple of years and she uses that length really well defensively.”
Sydni Olson, 5’8 guard, Waconia
One of the premier shooters in the class, the #54-ranked sophomore averaged 12 ppg at Waconia. She makes threes at a prodigious clip, and led the division at the Spring Showdown with 10. Olson is navigating the same evolution as Hronski, from long-distance shooter to multi-dimensional threat. “She is an amazing shooter, one of the best shooters in the state and we want her shooting the ball, but sometimes she gets in the mindset of if I don’t have the shot I’m just going to pass it,” Ebenreiter said. “We want her to be aggressive and go to the basket, too.”
Morgan Krumwiede, 5’10 forward, Burnsville
Morgan is a strong, physical forward who isn’t afraid to throw her weight around. Ranked #59 in the class, Krumwiede averaged 11 points and 6 rebounds for Burnsville this year. Unfortunately she has been nursing an ankle injury and has yet to suit up for the Fury. Morgan’s rebounding will be particularly welcome when she returns.
Kenna Moon, 5’7 guard, St. Croix Lutheran
Last summer Kenna was forced into the point guard role with the team because she was the best available option, but she’s really more of a shooting guard. Ranked #61, Moon had an excellent high school season for the Crusaders. “I think she’s much more comfortable playing the 2,” Ebenreiter said. “She’s a great secondary ball handler, especially on presses. If you’ve got somebody who can draw that first wave of defenders you can swing it over to her and she can break down the second wave, break down the press and find those open shooters off of the drive.”
Allie Murphy, 5’10 wing, Edina
The #66-ranked player in the class is a strong, athletic wing who has been in transition over the past year. After playing varsity at Breck from 7th grade, Murphy moved to Edina where she focused primarily on defense. Now she’s making the adjustment to the Fury after being in more of a support role at Stars Hersch. “She’s got to learn that with us that there isn’t one or two people who are going to get all the shots,” Ebenreiter said. “We’ve got to have everybody playing aggressively and making things happen for both themselves and their teammates.” Murphy showed flashes of offensive initiative over the weekend. “Defensively I have been really impressed with her. She has been great. She is by far the biggest communicator on the team,” said the coach.
Tatum Brostrom, 5’7 point guard, Prior Lake
Brostrom also came over from Stars Hersch where she was backup to top 5 prospect Katie Borowicz of Roseau. With the Fury, it is her show to run. At Prior Lake Tatum has played behind McKenna Hofschild (Seton Hall). Next fall the ball will be hers. When we watched Brostrom this weekend she was nothing short of outstanding. The #68 player in the class is poised, mature and super smart. “She controls the ball, she gets everyone involved, she finds people in the right spots,” Ebenreiter said. “She’s got a super high basketball IQ. That is one of the things that has impressed me the most about her. She just knows where to be and when to be there. She moves well both with and without the ball. She just finds people.” Now Ebenreiter wants Brostrom and company to play faster. “Every time she gets the ball I want her flying up the court,” he said.
Jenna Guyer, 6’2 post, Centennial
I cannot adequately describe just how much Guyer has improved. A year ago there were signs that the #85-ranked prospect was becoming more comfortable in her big body, more mobile on the court and more physical in the paint. Now she is a force, and is playing like a D1 candidate. “The way she can finish inside and just be that presence, both on the boards, offensively and defensively is just great,” Ebenreiter said. “She’s a really good help defender, too, and she communicates really well.” The most impressive change in Guyer’s game is her mobility. She’s stronger, slimmer, faster and so much more confident now. Her speed in transition and ability to put the ball in the basket at pace was crucial all weekend. “The way she finishes, especially with her left hand and through contact, is really impressive,” said the coach. With the graduation of Sara Stapleton (Wisconsin) at Centennial, Guyer is about to take center stage.
Julia Knudson, 5’5 guard, Orono
Knudson averaged 14 ppg at Orono this year, where the burden was almost entirely on her shoulders. The fact she was able to get the job done under very trying circumstances enabled Julia to earn her way into the rankings for the first time at #90. With the Fury, it’s a whole different situation, and she’s starting to figure out where she fits. “She can shoot and she can handle the ball,” Ebenreiter said. “The biggest thing with her is confidence. She’s got all the ability. She just needs to get a little more confident in her shot because when she puts it up she makes it.”
Elly Bahr, 5’8 guard, Elk River
Bahr was Knudson’s teammate at Crossfire, and she has also come a long way in the past year. Bahr has been in and out of the Prep Girls Hoops rankings a couple of times. At Elk River, Elly averaged 4.4 points per game and played a much more significant role than expected. “She has really surprised me with how good she is defensively,” Ebenreiter said. “I knew coming in that she was a shooter, but she is much better than I expected. She’s a really good knock-down shooter. She is not a big kid by any means but she can use her athleticism to get up and get blocks. She has really impressed me. “
Top photo: The Fury’s 2021 class was well represented at the AAU 3X3 event in March including (L to R) Julia Knudson, Kenna Moon, Ella Hronski, Maggie Czinano, Allie Murphy and Kaylee Van Eps.