Mill City Invitational: Gold Division Standouts

The July recruiting period opened this week with the Minnesota Fury sponsored Mill City Invitational. While some of the top 2020 teams from the area were playing elsewhere, there were still some great 2020 players participating in this event. Proof of this was seeing the many college coaches filling the seats of Chanhassen and Chaska High Schools over the three days of play. The 2020 Gold Division had four Minnesota based teams: North Tartan Elite, North Tartan Haugo, Minnesota Fury Yellow, and the Southern Minnesota Fury. While there were many outstanding individual performances within these teams, there were a few players who caught my eye with their overall play. <strong>Kate Burns</strong>, 6’1” C, 2020, Minnesota Fury Yellow (East Ridge) A strong inside presence for the Fury Yellow team, Kate had a nice weekend. Using a variety of inside moves she was able to put up 60 points over the 5 game set. Kate uses her feet well and was not shy about finishing strong at the rim. Burns was also a factor on defense. I saw a determined interest in rebounding and she was able to alter shots with her long arms. <strong>Annika Stewart</strong>, 6’3” F, 2020, North Tartan Elite (Wayzata) Much has been written already about this top 25 player and all of it is true- Annika is real good at basketball. If you watch her play over the course of several games you cannot help but appreciate the combination of physicality and skill that she displays. Stewart led her NT Elite team to a 5-0 record in the division, scoring an average of 13.6 points per game along with owning the boards. She will make some D1 program very happy over her 4 years. <strong>Paige Thompson</strong>, 6’2” G, 2020, Noth Tartan Haugo (Hawley) Thompson, a MSU-Moorhead commit, is an intriguing talent. A long and athletic guard who handles ball pressure very well for her size, she presents a match up problem against any opponent. She was comfortable slashing to the basket in open floor situations as well as posting smaller defenders. Her perimeter game is still developing but once she becomes a consistent threat from the perimeter she will be one to watch in the NSIC. <strong>Emma Kniefel</strong>, 5’9” G, 2020, Southern Minnesota Fury (Medford) The ultimate “glue” player for this Fury 2020 team, Emma does all the little things to help her team get the job done. In the games that I saw, Kniefel was on the floor after loose balls, making the right decision in transition, and playing the type of defense all coaches love. She is also a solid offensive contributor. Kniefel has a nice release on her jumper, uses a jump stop in traffic, and can finish with both hands. <strong>Lydia Haack</strong>, 5’3” G, 2020, North Tartan Elite (Elk River) This poised and talented point guard was a standout for North Tartan Elite this weekend. Haack showed great poise with the ball, delivering pass after pass to streaking teammates getting out on the break. She was undeterred by pressure and was able to deliver a clutch shot or assist when the situation called for it. I hadn’t seen too much of her but came away thinking that her skills and leadership qualities would be a just what the doctor ordered for some college team. A bit undersized but plays much bigger, showing no fear against larger opponents. Get out to see this player. <em><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Top photo: Annika Stewart of Wayzata played a big role in North Tartan Elite's success at the Mill City. (Photo courtesy of StarTribune)</span></em>