Commitment update: 24 incoming seniors have announced

Super excited to announce my commitment to continue my education and basketball career at Concordia University St. Paul!! #gobears

Short. Simple. Sincere. Those were the words in a July 18 tweet by Sarah Kuma when the Lakeville North guard announced her commitment to play college basketball at Concordia University in St. Paul. The #40 player in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2020 played AAU ball for North Tartan Elite. Less than 24 hours later, another cheery proclamation hit the Twittersphere.

I am very excited to announce that I have committed to play and continue my education for the University of Minnesota Duluth! Thank you to everyone who has helped me on this journey. I am truly humbled by the amount of love and support in my life.

Thus it became official that Gus Boyer of Waseca and the Minnesota Rise would also play college basketball. She is the #26 player among the incoming seniors.

I love it when players tweet their college commitments. I mean, it is the culmination of a decade’s worth of blood, sweat and tears, and it’s a journey that no player makes alone. Commitment day is every bit as exciting for the moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, high school teammates and coaches and the many folks in AAU who have helped the player earn this opportunity. It’s exciting for me, too, because it is why we do what we do. It never gets old.

Here is a rundown of the commitments to date. Please let us know if we have missed anyone.

DIVISION 1 COMMITMENTS

In addition to Boyer and Kuma’s recent Division 2 commitments there have been three prominent Minnesota players pledge their services at the Division 1 level this month. #11 Molly Mogensen of Farmington committed to Creighton University in Omaha; #13 Abby Schulte of Maple Grove opted for North Dakota State University in Fargo; and #22 Natalie Mazurek of Eden Prairie announced she was headed for the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.

Their commitments bring the total number of D1s to 12. There are 11 players who have committed to D2, all in the Northern Sun conference: two to Minnesota Duluth, two to MSU-Moorhead, two to Bemidji State and one each to Concordia-St. Paul, Wayne State, MSU-Mankato, Mary, and Minnesota Crookston. Here is the updated list.

#1 Paige Bueckers – Hopkins, Metro Stars Starks (UCONN)

#2 Lauren Jensen – Lakeville North, North Tartan EYBL (Iowa)

#4 Mackenzie Kramer – St. Michael-Albertville, Fury 2020 UAA (Lehigh)

#5 Mallory Brake – Hastings, North Tartan EYBL (Creighton)

#7 Liza Karlen – Stillwater, Metro Stars Starks (Marquette)

#11 Molly Mogensen – Farmington, Fury 2020 UAA (Creighton)

#13 Abby Schulte – Maple Grove, Stars Antl (NDSU)

#15 TeeTee Danso – Simley, Metro Stars Starks (Bradley)

#22 Natalie Mazurek – Eden Prairie, Fury 2020 UAA (South Dakota)

#24 Sydney Stensgard – Simley, Fury 2020 UAA (Montana State)

#33 Taylor Janssen – Rosemount, Fury 2020 UAA (Montana State)

* Grace Kirk – Duluth Marshall, Stars Antl (Brown)

DIVISION 2 COMMITMENTS

The latest D2 commitments came last week when #49 Jana Swanson and #50 Amme Sheforgen, both of Cambridge-Isanti, signed on to play in Bemidji State. Swanson played AAU ball with Scott Antl’s Minnesota Stars while Sheforgen did her work with Bill Hinck’s Minnesota Heat. The first D3 commitment was also made public when big post Kate Burns of East Ridge and Fury 2020 Yellow announced that she would play at the University of St. Thomas. By the time she takes to the court, however, UST might have moved up a division or two.

#8 Emily Russo – New Prague, Stars Antl (MSU-Mankato)

#26 Gus Boyer – Waseca, MN Rise Martin (UM-Duluth)

#30 Taya Hakamaki – Cromwell, Northern Lights (UM-Duluth)

#39 Annie Guentzel – Lakeville South, Southern Minnesota Fury (Wayne State)

#40 Sarah Kuma – Lakeville North, North Tartan Elite (Concordia-St. Paul)

#47 Paige Thompson – Hawley, North Tartan Haugo (MSU-Moorhead)

#49 Jana Swanson – Cambridge-Isanti, Minnesota Stars Antl (Bemidji State)

#50 Amme Sheforgen – Cambridge-Isanti, Minnesota Heat Hinck (Bemidji State)

#51 Ella Grove – Alexandria, Fury 2020 UAA (U of Mary)

#54 Karley Motschenbacher – Park Christian, North Tartan Haugo (MSU-Moorhead)

#84 Haylee Wheeler – Lakeville South, Stars Antl (UM-Crookston)

DIVISION 3 COMMITMENTS

#103 Kate Burns – East Ridge, Fury 2020 Yellow (St. Thomas)

PS: At least two members of the Class of 2021 have already made a verbal commitment to a Division 1 program. Both are ranked in the top 10. Hopefully they will make their decisions public in the near future so we can get the incoming junior class off to a great start.

*Kirk was a top-20 player but was removed from the rankings at her family’s request.

Top photo: Sarah Kuma of Lakeville North and North Tartan Elite announced her commitment to attending Concordia University in St. Paul. (Courtesy photo)