Conference Preview: The best of the South Suburban

<strong>Executive summary</strong> The South Suburban conference is loaded! <strong>Details</strong> With some of the top class 4A programs in Minnesota, the South Suburban has an embarrassment of riches. Even with a slew of graduations from perennial power Eastview – eight ranked players have aged out in the past two years – the conference still boasts 48 players whose credentials include a spot in the Prep Girls Hoops prospect rankings, including 35 players in the junior and senior classes. A dozen players have already made college commitments, including four at the Division 1 level. <strong>Conclusion</strong> It’s really difficult to highlight only a handful of players when previewing a conference this deep. We’ll do our best beginning with a quick summary of those college commits. At the top of the list, of course, is Lakeville North senior guard <strong>Lauren Jensen</strong>, the #2 player in the class of 2020, who signed on the dotted line last week at the University of Iowa. Also headed to D1 are seniors <strong>Molly Mogensen</strong> of Farmington (Creighton) and <strong>Taylor Janssen</strong> of Rosemount (Montana State), along with junior <strong>Cassidy Carson</strong> of Eastview, who verballed early to South Dakota. Four South Suburban players have made Division 2 commitments: Seniors <strong>Annie Guentzel</strong> (Wayne State) and <strong>Haylee Wheeler</strong> (UM-Crookston) of Lakeville South, and <strong>Sara Kuma</strong> of Lakeville North (Concordia-St. Paul), along with junior <strong>Lizzie Berkvam </strong>(MSU-Moorhead), also of Lakeville North by way of Northfield. Meanwhile, the #15-ranked senior <strong>Zhane Thompson</strong> of Burnsville signed with NIACC in Iowa, <strong>Brynn Schwanz</strong> of Eastview committed to current D3/potential D1 St. Thomas, and <strong>Amanda Drake</strong> of Lakeville South said ‘yes’ to Gustavus. <strong>Hayden Pitsch</strong> of Prior Lake announced on Friday that she will play for NAIA school Dakota Wesleyan in Mitchell, S.D. That’s a lot of talented athletes, but there are 36 more ranked prospects to choose from as we attempt to determine who will finish where in the conference standings. <strong>The nitty gritty</strong> Farmington finished 15-3 last winter. The Tigers won their first 10 conference games before falling to Apple Valley on the first day of February. Besides Mogensen, Farmington returns top-10 juniors <strong>Sophie Hart</strong> (#4) and <strong>Paige Kindseth</strong> (#10), along with senior guards <strong>Katelyn Mohr</strong> (#102) and <strong>Morgen Ebel</strong> (#113), and talented junior guard <strong>Peyton Blandin </strong>(#51). It is a formidable group that has now overcome the long-standing mental hurdles that made it difficult to beat Eastview and Lakeville North. Eastview went 14-4 last season, but the impact of graduation will be very real for the Lightning this time around. Gone are standout guards <strong>Macy Guebert</strong> (South Dakota), <strong>Emma Carpenter</strong> (UM-Crookston) and <strong>Lauren Glas</strong> (North Dakota soccer) along with forward <strong>Jordan Morris</strong> (Chadron State). Eastview has always played great team basketball; this year they’ll need to rely on that approach more than ever. The Lightning are led by the aforementioned Carson, whose D1 pedigree is unquestioned. Schwanz had a breakout season last year, and will be heavily relied upon. Look for freshmen <strong>Katelyn Schaefer</strong> and <strong>Kylie Smith</strong> to contribute ASAP. Lakeville North was 11-7 last year, and any team led by a player of Jensen’s caliber scoring 28 points per game is a team to be reckoned with. Senior <strong>Morgan Robison </strong>(#114) is healthy now and will be hugely important following the graduation of <strong>Ani Tschida</strong> (UM-Duluth). The addition of Berkvam is big, providing more depth and experience. Look for freshman guard <strong>Haley Bryant</strong>, the #38-ranked prospect in the class of 2023, along with junior <strong>Ashleigh Fossey</strong> (#131) and sophomore <strong>Michaela Juaire</strong> (#94). Rosemount finished 9-9 last winter, but the Irish showed flashes of brilliance, particularly during an 8-game conference winning streak. The success of Rosemount’s younger players over the summer bodes well for winter competition. Janssen has blossomed in the past year and a half, rising to #22 in the 2020 rankings and earning a D1 opportunity. Junior forward <strong>Helen Staley</strong> (#27) is a force when she’s healthy. Junior guard <strong>Ivory Finley</strong> (#53) has taken major steps forward. And sophomores <strong>Alexa Ratzlaff</strong> (#15), <strong>Tayah Leenderts </strong>(#34) and <strong>Anna Tauer </strong>(#116) are crucial. Apple Valley parlayed its defense-first approach into a 12-6 record last season and the Eagles are as good as anyone at preventing buckets. Apple Valley will greatly miss big forward <strong>Mykel Parham</strong> (Creighton) and guard <strong>Megan Baer</strong> (UW-Eau Claire). Seniors <strong>Kalena Myers</strong> (#49) and <strong>Anna Mutch</strong> (#117) will lead the charge, along with junior <strong>Chyna Young</strong> (#41). The Eagles will sneak up on some teams. Shakopee finished 11-7 and will once again be led by 2021 guards <strong>Natalie Holte</strong> (#47) and <strong>Kelly Brennan </strong>(#73). The Sabers will be younger this year following the graduation of <strong>Jaley Coplin</strong> (Augsburg), <strong>Kyleigh Stark</strong> and <strong>Isabel West</strong>. An ACL injury to emerging junior post <strong>Sophie Moran</strong> (#90) definitely hurts. Sophomores <strong>Kate Cordes </strong>(#101), <strong>Katie Goodwin</strong> (#121) and <strong>Maya Mitchell</strong> (#105) are key. Lakeville South looks to improve on its 7-12 mark. They will most definitely miss graduated point guard <strong>Anna Harvey</strong> (Lehigh), but the improvement of their core returners has been substantial. The #22-ranked sophomore <strong>Ally Schultz </strong>leads the way along with Guentzel, Wheeler and Drake. It’s unclear if sophomore forward <strong>Jenna Cuddigan</strong> (#74) will return from ACL surgery before spring. Watch for contributions from 8th grader <strong>Finley Ohnstad</strong>, who is going to be very good. Prior Lake (7-12) begins the post-<strong>McKenna Hofschild</strong> era now, which will be a very different look. Last year, during Hofschild’s injury absence, the Lakers actually executed pretty well. We have seen more of the same in fall league. With a core lineup of talented prospects Prior Lake may turn out to be the surprise of the year. Pitsch leads the way along with juniors <strong>Emily Kulstad </strong>(#40), <strong>Kate Trachsel </strong>(#46), <strong>Abby Kuboushek</strong> (#99), and <strong>Tatum Brostrum </strong>(#71), who is the heir to Hofschild’s starting point guard role. Look for junior <strong>Chanel Kallevig</strong> and senior <strong>Ella Schnackenberg</strong> to do their part. Burnsville was 5-13 a year ago. Coach Maurice Hodges has a core of quality talent with no graduations and eight letter winners returning. The Blaze are led by Thompson, who hopes to travel the JUCO route to Division 1. Her fellow seniors <strong>Megan Diggan </strong>(#109) and <strong>Paige Servais</strong> (#142) are quality work horses who show up night in and night out. Rugged forward <strong>Morgan Krumweide </strong>(#61) is Burnsville’s best junior along with <strong>Hannah Lake</strong>. Look for freshman <strong>Shantel Harden</strong> (#21) to take on a major role. Eagan went 1-17 last year (4-23 overall) but the Wildcats have looked much better this fall, thanks in large part to the play of two of the best sophomore bigs in the state. That would be #30 <strong>Lily Fandre</strong> and #45 <strong>Jocelyn Plonski</strong>. Fandre, who has emerged as a strong candidate for D1, will play every position, including point guard when needed. Plonski, who reminds me in some ways of former Gophers and Lynx standout Janel McCarville, is deceptively athletic and one of the best passers in the class. Junior <strong>Delaney Hoke</strong> (#112) is the third big in the Eagan lineup. Seniors <strong>Taylor Grebbin</strong> and <strong>Ashleigh Erickson</strong> will be important. Here’s a summary of the top South Suburban prospects. <strong>TOP 5 UNSIGNED SENIORS</strong> <ul> <li><strong>Kalena Myers</strong> – guard, Apple Valley (#49)</li> <li><strong>Megan Diggan</strong> – guard, Burnsville (#109)</li> <li><strong>Morgan Ebel</strong> – guard, Farmington (#113)</li> <li><strong>Morgan Robison</strong> – guard, Lakeville North (#114)</li> <li><strong>Anna Mutch</strong> – guard, Apple Valley (#117)</li> </ul> <strong>5 BEST UNSIGNED JUNIORS</strong> <ul> <li><strong>Sophie Hart</strong> – forward, Farmington (#4)</li> <li><strong>Paige Kindseth</strong> – guard, Farmington (#10)</li> <li><strong>Helen Staley</strong> – forward, Rosemount (#27)</li> <li><strong>Emily Kulstad</strong> – forward, Prior Lake (#40)</li> <li><strong>Chyna Young</strong> – guard, Apple Valley (#41)</li> </ul> <strong>5 SOPHOMORES TO SEE</strong> <ul> <li><strong>Alexa Ratzlaff</strong> – guard, Rosemount (#15)</li> <li><strong>Ally Schultz</strong> – guard, Lakeville South (#22)</li> <li><strong>Lily Fandre</strong> – forward, Eagan (#30)</li> <li><strong>Tayah Leenderts</strong> – forward, Rosemount (#34)</li> <li><strong>Jocelyn Plonski</strong> – forward, Eagan (#45)</li> </ul> <strong>5 FRESHMEN OF NOTE</strong> <ul> <li><strong>Shantel Harden</strong> – guard, Burnsville (#21)</li> <li><strong>Emy Wolkow</strong> – guard, Lakeville North (#30)</li> <li><strong>Haley Bryant</strong> – guard, Lakeville North (#38)</li> <li><strong>Kaitlyn Schaefer</strong> – guard, Eastview</li> <li><strong>Kylie Smith</strong> – guard, Eastview</li> </ul> <strong>5 PLAYERS POISED FOR A BREAKOUT SEASON</strong> <ul> <li><strong>Peyton Blandin</strong> – junior guard, Farmington (#51)</li> <li><strong>Ivory Finley</strong> – junior guard, Rosemount (#53)</li> <li><strong>Tatum Brostrom</strong> – junior guard, Prior Lake (#71)</li> <li><strong>Adi Brown</strong> – junior guard, Lakeville South (#127)</li> <li><strong>Finley Ohnstad</strong> – 8th grade forward, Lakeville South</li> </ul> <span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>Top photo: Junior Kelly Brennan of Shakopee is one of the rising talents in the South Suburban conference. (Photo by Chris Drake, Prep Girls Hoops)</em></span>