The Stars’ top freshmen shone brightly at the Suns Showcase

When the Minnesota Stars’ top 2022 team took to the floor early Saturday morning in their first AAU appearance of the season, you couldn’t tell the players without a program. The former Stars Kolden squad, which won a state championship in 2017, has undergone a metamorphosis following the departure of four of the top 9th graders in the state. Gone are <strong>Emma Miller</strong> (St. Michael-Albertville), <strong>Alexa Ratzlaff</strong> (Rosemount) and <strong>Ellie Buzzelle</strong> (Rogers), who are now with Minnesota Fury 2022 UAA, as well as <strong>Myra Moorjani</strong> (Eden Prairie), who joined DTA Academy. Those are some awfully big shoes to fill. The team is now led by recently retired Edina High School coach Matt Nilsen, and he has inherited a pretty nice core around which to rebuild. That would include top-20 prospect <strong>Dorothy Stotts</strong> of the Hornets, who is one of the toughest, most skillful point guards in the class. The three other returnees – guard <strong>Ava Berg</strong> (Elk River) and forwards <strong>Jenna Cuddigan</strong> (Lakeville South) and <strong>Tayah Leenderts</strong> (Rosemount) – are solid. Five of the six newcomers have already made a big impact at the varsity level and the 6th hails from one of the deepest high school programs in Minnesota. The six additions, with their previous AAU club in parentheses, are… <ul> <li><strong>Ally Schultz</strong>, 5’11 guard, Lakeville South (Fury Blue)</li> <li><strong>Ella Campbell</strong>, 5’9 guard, Edina (Fury Blue)</li> <li><strong>Kylie Crabtree</strong>, 5’6 guard, Hawley</li> <li><strong>Kaylie Crabtree</strong>, 5’6 guard, Hawley</li> <li><strong>Caroline Bokovitz</strong>, 5’10 guard, Wayzata (DTA Academy)</li> <li><strong>Jocelyn Plonski</strong>, 6’0 forward, Eagan (Minnesota Energy)</li> </ul> Given the type of freshmen year they had together at Lakeville South, it’s not surprising that two of the Stars’ top performers at the Suns Spring Showcase on Saturday were Schultz and Cuddigan. They eased their way into the lineup last fall for the Cougars before coach Angie Iverson-Ohnstad decided the two freshmen were worthy of the starting lineup. Once inserted after the holiday break, they never left and received the kind of major minutes that allow players to develop their game quickly at the varsity level. <strong>Ally Schultz, 5’11 guard, Lakeville South</strong> Schultz is listed as a guard but has the potential to be a position-less player going forward. At 5’11, she’s long and athletic, and can score both inside and out. She’s a fine rebounder, too, with great instincts and an exceptional understanding of the game. That shouldn’t surprise given that her mom Kari played on the University of St. Thomas 1991 national championship team and has clearly schooled her daughter well. Schultz is a solid three-point shooter who is now developing a mid-range game. Her ball-handling has also improved which is why she is among the candidates to replace point guard <strong>Anna Harvey</strong> (Lehigh), which will be no easy task. Although she was often overshadowed with the Fury, Schultz will be one of the most important pieces if the Stars are going to have top-drawer success. On Saturday Ally was in the starting lineup and looked every bit the part. She’s smooth, has those long athletic strides that can yield advantage in so many different situations, and will be relied upon to produce this summer. By the time she’s done with Nilsen, you can be darn sure she will become an exceptional defender, too. One more thing you need to know about Ally when considering her potential: She doesn’t turn 15 until June. <strong>Jenna Cuddigan, 6’0 forward, Lakeville South</strong> The first word that comes to mind with Jenna is ‘athlete.’ She’s quick and fast. She runs the floor well and has nice vertical. When you combine her length with a quick first step, she can be a handful to defend. As a result, Cuddigan does most of her scoring inside even though her strength hasn’t quite caught up yet to her length. Jenna is solid from the 8- to 10-foot range and is working on stretching that out another few feet. Defensively, she can guard the three through five. Much like Schultz with the Fury, Cuddigan was not in the limelight on previous editions of the Stars. That shouldn’t be surprising given the glare that has surrounded Miller, Buzzelle and company. Saturday it was evident that Jenna is well-positioned to grab a few headlines of her own. She dropped a couple of really sweet dimes, demonstrated nice court vision and kept things simple, all assets that will come in handy moving forward. Cuddigan isn’t flashy but she is certainly effective. We’ll have more coverage of other prospects from Stars 2022 Nilsen as the summer progresses. <span style="font-size: 10pt"><em>Top photo: Stars Nilsen had plenty to celebrate Sunday after capturing their division at the Suns Spring Showcase in Edina.</em></span>