AAU Review: Nebraska Attack

The AAU season has come and gone and we are excited to be able to cover it in full force next year. Before 2020 rolls around and we are in packed AAU gyms across the country to watch Nebraska teams, here are some of the standouts from the Nebraska Attack program from this summer. <hr /> <strong>MOST ENJOYABLE TO WATCH</strong> <strong>Maddie Krull, 2020, 5'10 G, Millard South HS, Nebraska Attack 17U</strong> Krull is like a firecracker when she has the ball. She has a really solid ability to get to the rim and score it but she also displayed a jumper that forces opposing teams to stay honest. More importantly than her skillset is that Krull is just simply a winner wherever she goes. She understands that she must do the little things in order for her team to win and Krull does them with confidence. Krull is one of those players throughout not only Nebraska, but the country, that you watch and just enjoy seeing her play. She has committed to South Dakota. <strong>MOST INTANGIBLE PLAYER</strong> <strong>Mya Babbitt, 2023, 5'8 PG, Millard South HS, Nebraska Attack 16U</strong> I wanted to issue this award instead of a most valuable player, because I feel like the kids who do a lot of the “blue-collared” work don’t get enough credit. As one of three freshmen playing up on the 16U group Babbitt really showed me the intangibles that were instilled in her at a young age. Babbitt has no problem doing the little things for her team to win. She is vocal on defense, hustles all the time, and just is simply a good teammate. As a point guard she looks to involve everyone on the floor and get them the ball. She is just such a smart player on both ends of the court. <strong>MOST INTRIGUING YOUNGSTER</strong> <strong>Jenna Hopp, 2023, 5'10 SG, Glenwood (IA) HS, Nebraska Attack 16U</strong> Dipping back into the well of the 16U group, Hopp stood out to me this season as one of the more intriguing pieces in this program. She's a fairly strong and lengthy guard who has already demonstrated the ability to shoot the ball at a good clip. While not physically from Nebraska, Hopp was able to make her mark on this program playing up as one of those three freshmen with the 16U team. I look for her to continue the momentum that she gained this summer into this winter for a very nice freshman season. Hopp holds two offers already and there will be more on the way. <strong>TOUGHEST PLAYER</strong> <strong>Mckenna Minter, 2020, 5'8 PG, Northeast HS, Nebraska Attack 17U</strong> A lot of comparisons are drawn between players on the court who act like football players. Sometimes someone will say "oh, she looks like a football player out there" on the stipulation that that player is simply tougher than everyone else. That holds true for Minter, who might have a leg up on the competition as her dad, Mike Minter, won a National Championship with Nebraska, and then had a successful nine year career with the Carolina Panthers. Minter has a ton of those "football qualities" as shown by her willingness to put her body on the line and play physical. It didn't matter who she was up against, she was always playing tough. <strong>BEST MOTOR</strong> <strong>Cora Olsen, 2023, 5'8 SG, Millard South HS, Nebraska Attack 16U</strong> This is a very difficult award to hand out, because you can easily find a few players in each grassroots program worthy of this award. Olsen, in my eyes, earned this award rather easily. She is a blur on the court and is always trying to make a play. If her team was up by 20 or down by 20, it didn't matter to her. She was one of the toughest and hardest working players in the tournament at each stop. Olsen was able to frustrate opponents with her ability to play hard. She even was bumped up to the top team a few times due to her willingness to play hard and not stop. Olsen is going to be a thorn in the side of many opponents over the next 8 years of her high level playing career. <strong>BIGGEST STOCK RISER</strong> <strong>Parker Stafford, 2020, 6' PF, Omaha Marian HS, Nebraska Attack 17U</strong> As a spoiler, I first saw Parker early in the spring so my thought of her being a stock riser is over a four month period. With that being said, I can't think of another player anywhere in the country that I thought improved more over that four month span. Admittedly, I wasn't too intrigued early in the AAU season by her. As the summer went on I started to like her style of play more and more. She was able to get tougher, more skilled, and just simply smarter with the ball. I was really impressed with her play each time I saw her in July. Now, she has committed to Eastern Illinois and should be a major factor there.