Top 250 Expo Report: Young guards on their way up

We saw so many talented players at the Prep Girls Hoops Top 250 Expo on Oct. 6 in Burnsville. Some of them are just starting to figure things out at the high school level. Others appear poised for a breakthrough season. And then there were those shining stars whose time is now. Let’s start there, shall we, because Mikelah Counce, Aniyah Reuben and [player_tooltip player_id="57928" first="Amber" last="Scalia"] are going to be front and center in the months ahead and for a long time to come. <strong>Mikaelah Counce, 5’8 guard, 2022, Champlin Park</strong> Mikaelah has had a terrific 12 months, emerging as a rising star in Minnesota’s sophomore class. Last winter she led Champlin Park in scoring as a freshman earning first-team All-Northwest Suburban Conference honors in the process. This summer she turned in a string of solid performances for not one but two quality AAU teams, playing for Metro Stars 2022 in state and for UVA Ware in national events. Again at the Top 250 Expo Mikaelah showed us that she is quick, she’s fast and she’s smart. She can also rebound, is a terrific passer and has a high basketball IQ. That’s a nice combination of skills if you want to be a scholarship-level college prospect which Counce most definitely is. <strong>Aniyah Reuben, 5’10 guard, 2023, Park Center</strong> It’s hard to believe Aniyah is only a freshmen. She has been playing at a high level for a long time and she just keeps on improving. Reuben has established a reputation as an outstanding defender. That may be her calling card but the big guard has so much more to offer, both now and in the future. She can guard players of all sizes and regularly defends the opposing team’s premier players. Aniyah’s offensive game is coming along nicely as she becomes more assertive with the ball in her hands. She can get to the hoop, knock down jump shots and move the ball with precision. Reuben is destined to be one of the top players in the class of 2023. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="57928" first="Amber" last="Scalia"], 5’8 guard, 2022, Stillwater</strong> Every time we watch Amber play we get a little more excited about her potential. She can handle it, she can shoot it and she can pass it. Amber is also about to escape the enormous shadow cast by her older sister Sara, the #2 player in the Class of 2019 who will suit up this fall for the University of Minnesota. Sibling comparisons are probably unfair, yet they are also inevitable. Sara set the gold standard; Amber is doing her best to get to the podium, too. The top 50 sophomore played a key role off the bench at Stillwater as a freshman on a team that made it all the way to the state 4A championship game. Now Amber will take center stage and I suspect we’re going to be a whole new level of impressed. <strong>3 MORE WHO MAY BE READY TO BREAK OUT</strong> Our exposure to [player_tooltip player_id="109200" first="Lucy" last="Hertel"], [player_tooltip player_id="109199" first="Samara" last="Buchanan"] and [player_tooltip player_id="109817" first="Isabella" last="Thomas"] was somewhat limited prior to the Top 250 Expo. That’s why events like these matter and these are three players who made the most of the opportunity to show up and show out. All three appear poised for a breakout year. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="109200" first="Lucy" last="Hertel"], 5’7 guard, 2022, Holy Family</strong> Lucy is listed as a guard but in reality she will probably play every position this winter for the Fire including point guard, a role she did rather well at on JV last season. Hertel is a physical, high-energy player who can get out in transition, drive to the basket and shoot the three. She’s a solid rebounder and a committed defender. Lucy is working on becoming more vocal on the court now as she transitions into a lead role for Holy Family following mass graduations. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="109199" first="Samara" last="Buchanan"], 5’10 guard, 2022, Bloomington Kennedy</strong> Samara is a big, strong, physical player. It’s hard to know long-term whether she’ll be a guard or forward. That’s likely dependent on her ongoing skill development, but given how young Kennedy is going to be this season (the Eagles graduated eight seniors and return just one) she’ll no doubt occupy a variety of roles for coach Quinton Johnson. Samara is playing soccer this fall at Kennedy, primarily to improve her physical conditioning and quickness. Based on what we saw at the Expo that strategy is working. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="109817" first="Isabella" last="Thomas"], 5’8 guard, 2021, DeLaSalle</strong> College coaches have been flocking to the 6 a.m. open gyms at DeLaSalle this fall to check out the Islanders’ big guns like [player_tooltip player_id="12747" first="Savannah" last="White"], [player_tooltip player_id="12727" first="Kiani" last="Lockett"], [player_tooltip player_id="12736" first="Sydney" last="Runsewe"] and [player_tooltip player_id="57078" first="Nora" last="Francois"]. They are also leaving impressed by what they’re seeing from [player_tooltip player_id="109817" first="Isabella" last="Thomas"]. We felt the same way at the Expo and again last Sunday at Breakdown Fall League. Thomas has a big body. She is long and athletic, rebounds well and can shoot the three. She’ll play the 3-4-5 spots for DeLaSalle this year where Coach Tanysha Scott is expecting her to play a key role in a short rotation. <span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>Freshman Sonya Pothoff of Mahtomedi (right) went up against [player_tooltip player_id="109134" first="Charita" last="Lewis"] of St. Cloud Cathedral, one of the fastest players in the state.</em></span> <strong>8 MORE WE WILL BE WATCHING: </strong> Here are 8 more prospects who showed promise at the Top 250 Expo listed in alphabetical order by last name. We look forward to following their development in the months ahead. <strong>Isabella Dornquast, 5’5 guard, 2022, Irondale </strong>– Dornquast is a spunky little guard who has speed, quickness and a whole lot of energy. That kind of passion will carry her a long way. <strong>Nia Hacker, 5’5 guard, 2022, Eastview </strong>– Nia is feisty little point guard, a multi-sport athlete who loves basketball. Let’s hope there is a growth spurt in her future. <strong>Sakhia Howard-Reynolds, 5’9 guard, 2021, Columbia Heights </strong>– Sahkia was the leading scorer for the Hylanders last season. She’s got nice handles and moves the ball well. <strong>Saniah Howard-Reynolds</strong><strong>, 5’5 guard, 2023, Columbia Heights </strong>– Much like her older sister, Saniah will probably play a key role this winter on a rebuilding squad. <strong>Kimori Morris, 5’2 guard, 2022, Irondale </strong>– Kimori is quick, loves to push the pace and understands the game. Morris is a playmaker who will be a key piece for the Knights this winter. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="147458" first="Kyla" last="Overskei"], 5’9 guard, 2022, Maple Grove </strong>– Kyla has been at pretty much every tryout, open gym or showcase I have seen this year. She’s got length, quality skills, plenty of range and a great work ethic. <strong>Sonya Pothoff, 5’6 guard, 2023, Mahtomedi </strong>– Sonya has made great strides this year in her overall skill development and the confidence level has risen accordingly after a nice summer with the Metro Stars. <strong>Grace Pullman, 5’8 guard, 2022, Centennial </strong>– Grace is a bigger guard who has nice court vision, passes the ball very well, and has a solid understanding of the game. <span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>Top photo: Saniah Howard-Reynolds of Columbia Heights put herself on the radar at the Top 250 Expo. (Photo by Chris Drake for Prep Girls Hoops)</em></span>