Recapping the Spring Showcase and a little bit more

Most of the top AAU teams in Minnesota were on the road this past weekend participating in big events in Texas, Pennsylvania, Virginia and elsewhere as part of the first NCAA ‘live period’ of the season. Back home we were at the Fury Spring Showdown where there was still plenty of good basketball to be had. Logan Moorse did a great job of covering many of the fine individual performances at the event. You can read his Player of the Game stories for more on top performers such as Ashlyn Bigelow of Kasson-Mantorville, Alayna Strand of Alexandria, Grace Cote of Stillwater and Mackenzie Schweim of Mankato East. Meanwhile, here are some more notables from the weekend.

FURY 2022 YELLOW GETS IT DONE

It has been less than 24 hours since I wrote about Fury 2021 Yellow and the successful sophomores who are leading the revamped team. Normally I try to spread tournament coverage around to feature multiple different clubs but how can we ignore the way coach John Thompson’s Fury 2022 Yellow played this weekend? Besides, it was a Fury event so here goes.

This edition of the Fury started hot, got hotter and won the 2022 Blue Division championship on Sunday beating their sisters from Southern Minnesota Fury 2022. The victory extended Yellow’s spring record to 8-0. Not bad. And not difficult to see why, either. This is a team with quality athletes and a team-first approach. There are no superstars here. Only two players have so far cracked the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2022 rankings – that would be 5’8 guard Mikayla Aumer of Cambridge-Isanti at #47 and 6’1 forward Adriana Rhoda of Hutchinson at #68 – but there will be more joining the party in the future.

Aumer had 9 points Friday night to lead the Fury to an impressive win over Stars 2022 Bjorgaard. In game two, Greta Krieger of Forest Lake led the way with 12 points in a win over Omaha Sports Academy while Amelia Valentino of Champlin Park scored 11 points, including 3 threes. Rhoda had 12 points to top all scorers in a game three victory over Metro Stars 2022. In the championship game Valentino had 3 more threes and 12 points while Anna Tauer of Rosemount scored 12 and Zoie Centers of Mahtomedi added 10. See what I mean about balance?

What is also notable about the team is how much everyone has progressed over the past year or so. There were two players whose improvement stood out in particular in the game I watched most closely on Friday. That would be Centers and Lakeville North guard Michaela Juaire.

At just 5’4, Centers is a dynamic little guard with nice handles, really quick feet and a whole lot of spit and vinegar. She was flying up and down the court on Friday, moving the ball well and creating quality scoring opportunities for herself and others. We have always liked Zoie, but her game has now matured. Yes, she still dribbles a little too deep into traffic at times, but fortunately has the ball-handling skills to retreat quickly. We’d also like her to change speeds more frequently, but that will come in due course. She was a varsity rotation player at Mahtomedi this year as a freshman, averaging 5 points per game, and her role is only going to expand.

Juaire is new to the Fury this season. We first encountered her 12 months ago when she was playing a year up for TC Takeover. We were immediately impressed and said so in a May article. With a season of high school ball under her belt now Juaire’s game has grown considerably. She is a strong athletic guard who protects the ball well under pressure and can frequently beat defenders one-on-one. Michaela plays with the kind of self-assurance coaches love, but doesn’t take unnecessary risks. She’s fast in the open court and can get to the rim through contact. I love her fire and consistent energy. In addition to her obvious attributes on the court we’re told that  Michaela is also a standout musician and a brilliant student for whom whose basketball is just a fun diversion at this point. If she continues to improve over the next three years I suspect college basketball may be on the agenda, as well.

TAKING FLIGHT IN ROCHESTER

One of the newest clubs on the AAU scene is Air Minnesota out of Rochester. The club is led by Heidi Sonju, who used to be a key cog in the wheel for the Rochester Shock. She has gone out on her own, is building a six-court facility near the Rochester Airport (thus the name) and has a 2021/2020 squad that played in the Spring Showcase. The team might as well be known as Mayo Lite, because the core of the roster plays high school ball for Rochester Mayo.

Air Minnesota’s top prospect, however, is from Lake City. That would be 6’1 forward Mya Shones. She came over from Southern Minnesota Fury and has the kind of potential that is making coaches take notice. Shones has tremendous length and knows how to leverage that asset to maximum advantage. Mya is a prolific shot blocker and vocal defender. She has a nice mid-range jump shot and good touch around the rim. Shones is currently ranked #30 in the Class of 2022.

Here are some other currently unranked players to watch for Air Minnesota:

• Mulik Hammadelneil is a crafty little guard with nice ball-handling ability and overall skill set. She’s listed at 5’6, has relatively quick feet and a high basketball IQ. She averaged 10 ppg at the Showcase.
• Elli Collins is a 5’11 guard who is a tough matchup for defenders. She is a very good passer and can shoot the three. Collins is a solid rebounder, as well.
• Nancy Soro is a 5’9 junior forward who is dangerous on the drive and very strong under the basket. She scored 8.4 ppg at Mayo.
• Lynnsey Hady is 5’10 guard who has the potential to be a very good college prospect if she decides to make that a priority. She’s long, fast in the open court and can hit the three.
• Adit Koth is a 6’0 freshman power forward from Mayo. She has lots of nice raw material but has a ways to go. Sonju is very high on Koth’s potential.
• Kira Walters is a 5’11 junior power forward from Austin. Kira didn’t play in the game I saw because she was at prom – a common theme over the weekend.

ELLIE COLBECK IS THE REAL DEAL

Freshman point guard Ellie Colbeck of Fergus Falls led West Central United 10th to the 2021 Yellow Division title over the weekend. After guiding the Otters to the state tournament this season, and adding probably 15 or 20 pounds to her 5’9 frame, the talented freshman continues to raise her stock. Colbeck averaged over 16 points per game this weekend, leading the division in scoring by 13 total points over Audrey Martinez-Stewart (Cretin-Derham Hall) of Lady Get Shook. Colbeck had 23 Friday night in win over Stars Zabel and raised a ton of eyebrows among the college coaches who were watching her up close and personal for the first time. Colbeck is currently ranked #28 in her class.

FIVE MAGICAL MINUTES IN THE BIG ‘D’

It was a great weekend for Minnesota AAU teams around the country as squads from the big three clubs – North Tartan, Fury and the Stars in no particular order – all captured tournament wins while some of the smaller outfits like MN P.R.E.P and DTA Academy did the same. I can’t imagine that any of them won a tournament in more dramatic fashion, however, than the 2022 UVA squad from Minneapolis. Playing two years up at the Adidas Silver Gauntlet tournament in Dallas, UVA rode the coattails of Desiree Ware of Minnetonka into the championship game. Ware – the #6-ranked player in the Prep Girls Hoops freshman class – had 97 points in the tournament, including 30 in the semifinal game.

In the championship final against West Texas Breeze 2020 Premier, UVA trailed by 7 points with under two minutes remaining, but they rallied through a frantic final minute to pull within 3. With just four seconds left on the clock, UVA got the ball at the top of the key to Leah Dengerud of DeLaSalle, a top-40 prospect who has made a name for herself as an outstanding shooter. Leah did not disappoint, burying a three to  send the game to overtime.

In the extra session, UVA once again fell behind by as much as 6. In the final 60 seconds of the 3-minute period Ware made a couple of clutch free throws and Centennial’s Hannah Herzig scored in transition off a steal to cut the margin to three. Out of a timeout with 15 seconds left on the clock UVA once again worked the ball around to Dengerud, who nailed the three to pull even. Remarkably, she was also fouled on the shot. Leah calmly stepped to the line and cashed in on her 3 + 1 opportunity for a 54-53 victory. In the final few minutes of regulation and three minutes of overtime Dengerud had 20 points!

Top photo: The athletes of Air Minnesota AAU are mostly from Rochester Mayo with a dose of Lake City and Austin thrown into the mix. (Photo courtesy of Heidi Sonju)