Recruiting update: Offers and commitments galore

**UPDATE** Somewhere along the way we missed the fact that Jodi Anderson Jodi Anderson 5'11" | CG Centennial | 2021 State MN of Centennial committed to the University of North Dakota in April. The athletic guard/wing is ranked #20 in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2021. Numbers below have been updated to reflect her addition. There hasn’t been any basketball played in these parts since March 12, and the May NCAA viewing period has come and gone without a single AAU tipoff. That hasn’t stopped the big recruiting wheel from turning, however. There are tons of offers being tossed about right now, and there have been commitments, too. The latest came within the past couple of days as Waconia’s and Rosemount’s both verballed to Division 1 programs. Salzer, who plays for 43 Hoops, committed to Iona College in the suburbs of New York City. Staley verballed with Oakland University in the suburbs of Detroit. That brings the total number of known 2021 commitments to 15, including 12 to Division 1 schools:

#2 Jenna Johnson Jenna Johnson 6'2" | PF Wayzata | 2021 State #52 Nation MN – Wayzata/North Tartan EYBL to Utah
#4 Katie Borowicz Katie Borowicz 5'6" | PG Roseau | 2021 State MN – Roseau/Minnesota Stars Hersch to Minnesota
#5 Kendall Coley Kendall Coley 6'2" | SF St. Louis Park | 2021 State #94 Nation MN – St. Louis Park/FBC North to Nebraska
#7 Gianna Kneepkens Gianna Kneepkens 5'11" | CG Duluth Marshall | 2021 State #86 Nation MN – Duluth Marshall/Minnesota Fury UAA to Utah
#8 Cassidy Carson Cassidy Carson 6'0" | CG Eastview | 2021 State MN – Eastview/North Tartan EYBL to South Dakota
#12 Maggie Czinano Maggie Czinano 6'1" | SF Watertown-Mayer | 2021 State MN – Watertown Mayer/Fury UAA to Minnesota
#14 Jordyn Lamker Jordyn Lamker 6'0" | SF Maple Grove | 2021 State MN – Maple Grove/Minnesota Stars Hersch to St. Thomas
#16 Paige Meyer Paige Meyer 5'6" | PG Albany | 2021 State MN – Albany/Minnesota Comets to South Dakota State
#20 Jodi Anderson Jodi Anderson 5'11" | CG Centennial | 2021 State MN – Centennial/North Tartan EYBL to North Dakota
#24 Julia Bengtson Julia Bengtson 5'10" | PG Becker | 2021 State MN – Becker/Minnesota Comets to Eastern Illinois
#29 Helen Staley Helen Staley 6'0" | PF Rosemount | 2021 State MN – Rosemount/Fury UAA to Oakland
#32 Addy Salzer Addy Salzer 5'10" | CG Waconia | 2021 State MN – Waconia/43 Hoops to Iona
#34 Jordyn Hilgemann Jordyn Hilgemann 5'10" | SF Marshall | 2021 State MN – Marshall/Minnesota Rise to Northern State
#48 Lizzie Berkvam Lizzie Berkvam 5'10" | PG Lakeville North | 2021 State MN – Lakeville North/North Tartan Elite to MSU-Moorhead
#64 Brigid Boyle Brigid Boyle 6'0" | SF St. Agnes | 2021 State MN – St. Agnes/Minnesota Stars DeSart to Wayne State

WHO IS UP NEXT There is still plenty of talent up for grabs in the class of 2021, including #3-ranked of Farmington, who is currently the most sought-after player in the class. The 6’5 post has apparently narrowed her list to a handful of schools, all high majors. #1 of Park Center (North Tartan EYBL), #6 of Chaska (Fury 2021 UAA), #9 of Minneapolis South (Fury 2021 UAA), #10 of Farmington (Stars Hersch) and #11 of Henning (North Tartan Elite) are among the most desirable acquisitions in the class. Two players who are drawing a ton of interest right now are #17 of Rochester Mayo (North Tartan Elite) and #26 of Byron (FBC North), a 6’4 giant who has received a pile of offers over the past few weeks including her first high major opportunity on Wednesday. Recruiting has been challenging in 2020 due to the COVID-19 virus which has eliminated on-campus visits and the D1 viewing periods. The players being hurt the most by these developments are the bubble kids, those incoming seniors who have had Division 1 interest but no offers and are in need of some big tournaments to raise their stock. Athletes falling into that category would include the likes of #25 of Big Lake (Stars Hersch) and #30 of Hill-Murray (MN/WI Force). Those players who have been out with long-term injuries are in a similar situation, including #33 of Chisago Lakes (North Tartan Elite) who missed the season with a back injury but is ready to roll now. Without the opportunity to prove themselves it will be difficult to expand their list of options. RECAPPING THE SENIOR CLASS The dust has pretty much settled on the class of 2020, although we are still getting calls on a regular basis from NAIA and D3 schools looking for talent. Not all of the 2020s who have committed have made their choices public, and we may have missed some, too, but the vast majority of the players in the Prep Girls Hoops Top 150 have signed on the dotted line. If you include the prospects who have committed to St. Thomas, whose official Division 1 status is pending, there were 21 players commit to the highest level, including four who are going to high major programs: #1 of Hopkins (UCONN), #2 of Lakeville North (Iowa), #3 of Rochester Lourdes (North Carolina) and #14 of Wayzata (Nebraska). Another half-dozen or so players went the junior college route and may eventually end up in D1, a group that includes the likes of #17 of Burnsville (NIACC), #19 of Benilde-St. Margaret’s (Southwest Florida), #20 of DeLaSalle (Moberly) and #28 of Hopkins (Hutchinson). That would continue a trend of late that has seen a number of players take the JUCO route to higher-level opportunities. 2019 graduate of Woodbury played this year at Iowa Western and signed with Illinois of the Big 10. Among the 2018 graduates now headed for Division 1 programs are of Cretin-Derham Hall (San Jose State), of Park Center (Tulsa), of St. Paul Como Park (Northwest Louisiana), of Hopkins (Weber State) and Ruth Koang of Austin (Alabama). BY THE NUMBERS So how do the numbers stack up versus recent graduating classes? By comparison, the class of 2019 saw 23 players go Division 1 straight out of high school including three high majors: #2 of Stillwater to Minnesota, #3 of Bloomington Kennedy to Arkansas and #7 of Centennial to Wisconsin. In 2018 there were 28 D1 signings. In 2017 there were 26. In 2016 there were 31. The decline over the past couple of years doesn’t mean there were fewer players deserving of the opportunity. Rather it means there were more players making different choices out of high school by going the D2 route close to home rather than a lower-level D1 program halfway across the country. That is a trend that is likely to continue. Based on what we know today, I would estimate that the 2021 class ends up with more than 25 players going to the highest level. Top photo: Katie Borowicz Katie Borowicz 5'6" | PG Roseau | 2021 State MN of Roseau made a verbal commitment to the University of Minnesota. The Minnesota Stars point guard is rated #4 in the class of 2021.