Who are Minnesota’s 10 best 2021 bigs still up for grabs?
During this very strange past few weeks the college coaches, like many of us, have been working from home – and I do mean working. I don’t recall a period of time when I have had more texts, direct messages,…
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Continue ReadingDuring this very strange past few weeks the college coaches, like many of us, have been working from home – and I do mean working. I don’t recall a period of time when I have had more texts, direct messages, emails and phone calls from recruiters. They are watching a lot of video, conducting campus visits via Zoom, and adapting their scouting methodologies to current realities. The one question that keeps coming up is this: who are the best 2021 bigs available in Minnesota? Today we will answer that question.
Actually today we’ll offer you the top five junior bigs who haven’t made a college commitment yet. Tomorrow we’ll bring you five more. The top unsigned prospect, of course, is Sophie Hart Sophie Hart 6'4" | C Farmington | 2021 State #44 Nation MN of Farmington. The #3-rated player in the class is a 6’5 behemoth whose credentials, both locally and nationally, are well-established. It’s so obvious that she is the best that we’re not even going to discuss her here. Technically Hart is still available, but not really. Anyone trying to get into the conversation at this point is definitely late for the dance and about to be stood up. At least that’s how it looks from my vantage point.
We have ranked the next 10 players on the basis of their Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2021 prospect rating. The two players I am getting the most questions about are #17 Anna Miller Anna Miller 6'2" | C Rochester Mayo | 2021 State MN of Rochester Mayo and #26 Sacia Vanderpool Sacia Vanderpool 6'4" | C Byron | 2021 State MN of Byron. We have written a lot about those two as well as #23 Jenna Guyer Jenna Guyer 6'2" | C Centennial | 2021 State MN of Centennial. One player coaches should be asking more about is #13 Tamia Ugass Tamia Ugass 6'3" | C Roseville | 2021 State MN of Roseville. Let’s begin there.
Tamia Ugass Tamia Ugass 6'3" | C Roseville | 2021 State MN – Roseville & Minnesota Stars Hersch (#13)
First a disclaimer. The initial time I saw Tamia play was in the 6th grade at Highland Park Junior High in St. Paul when she was my daughter’s teammate. It was so obvious that the gigantic 11-year-old would be a big-time prospect that I immediately introduced myself to her mother and offered to help them find a team to play on when the school season ended. That began a personal relationship with Tamia and her family that continues today. That makes me biased, of course, and I have always been overly cautious about singing her praises too effusively in my role with Prep Girls Hoops. Not wanting to play favorites, I have probably erred on the side of prudence and not said enough about the 6’3 post who has clearly been a Division 1 prospect all along. I’m going to make up for that now.
In truth, Tamia’s play has spoken for itself. This year at Roseville, with a challenging 4A schedule, Tamia scored 400 points, had 300 rebounds, 42 assists, 41 steals, and 22 blocks. That’s an average of 14 points and 10 rebounds per game, with a field goal percentage of 49.8. Tamia was All-Conference in the Suburban East and earned All-State honorable mention from the high school coaches.
She has been a varsity starter for five years, the first two at Highland Park High School and the last three for the Raiders. Every year her production has gone up. She has gotten bigger and stronger and has learned to play the game well at both ends of the floor. Defensively Ugass has become a force. Offensively, she is a consistent producer. Nobody knows Tamia’s game better than Josh Hersch of the Minnesota Stars, the only AAU coach she has ever played for.
“Tamia has been such a fun kid to coach. It has been enjoyable to watch her develop over the past five years,” Hersch said. “Between her youth coaches, high school and AAU she has had a great support system for steady improvement. She’s a naturally gifted player with great size, hands and mobility for one of the bigger post prospects in the region. She has become one of the top rebounders in the class and has really started to finish more consistently around the basket over the past couple of years,” Hersch said. “Tamia has also developed the ability to take and make the outside shot, which has really helped her become a multi-dimensional player capable of playing multiple positions.”
This year Ugass became much more consistent. As you will see when you look at her highlight video, when Tamia is at the top of her game she is basically unstoppable. She’s got great footwork, excellent court vision, is one of the state’s top passers and she finishes consistently at the rim. When Tamia plays physical, she makes opponents’ lives miserable. She is also a great teammate. “One of her strongest attributes is her charismatic personality and overall ability to get along with everyone she plays with,” Hersch said. “She is as good of a teammate as you can find, and as coachable of a player as there is.”
With college-level conditioning, and the continued evolution of her game, Ugass is going to be a highly-effective big in D1 ball.
Anna Miller Anna Miller 6'2" | C Rochester Mayo | 2021 State MN – Rochester Mayo & North Tartan EYBL (#17)
“What level can she play at?” That is the question I am most often asked about Anna. In the summer of 2018 Miller showed dramatic improvement. That fall she rose from #131 in the rankings to #63. Because we knew she was an elite student, that’s when I began saying she could play D1. With strong academics, good size (6’2) and nice length that had become obvious. Last summer, she took a huge step forward once again. Miller was playing up a year for Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer’s North Tartan Elite squad, and Herbie helped Anna take her game to the next level. Her footwork improved, she became mentally stronger, and for the first time Miller was truly physical in the paint. In the fall she moved up to #26. This winter she got even better, averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds per game and is now ranked #17 in the class. Anna has at least one Power 5 offer, some nice mid-major options and would have her choice of Ivy and Patriot League programs if academics is the highest priority. Miller was our second-most improved player of 2019 and she will have success at whatever level she chooses.
Kierra Wheeler Kierra Wheeler 6'1" | PF Cooper | 2021 State MN – Cooper & Wisconsin Playground Elite (#18)
Like Ugass we probably haven’t said enough over the years about Wheeler, either. Known by most as ‘Meme’ she has been consistently ranked in the #15-18 range. Wheeler has been so good for so long that we sometimes take her capabilities for granted. Now that she has passed the magical 6-foot mark (Wheeler is listed at 6’1) Meme is an even more formidable opponent. Wheeler has won a state championship with Cooper and a ton of AAU tournaments with Tayler Hill Elite. Three times she has been an All-Conference selection, once she has been All State. and along the way she has battled and bested some of the best posts in Minnesota and beyond.
This past season, Wheeler averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds per game along with 2.7 assists, 2.4 blocks and 1.8 steals. Numbers, though, don’t tell the whole story. Wheeler is a force down low, a very large handful for any opponent and a punishing, physical defender herself. Just ask Tamia, as she and Meme have done battle countless times over the years in AAU, and it has always been epic or nearly so. Tamia has always had the advantage in height and length but that never really mattered.
Wheeler has a big body, she is very strong and deceptively quick. Like Ugass she is one of the best passers in the class. She has proven that she can play at the high tempo that both Cooper and THE have preferred. Wheeler continually surprises first-time observers with her mobility, ability to run the floor and take on defenders one-on-one. Wheeler has always been able to put up big numbers, too. The talented players of Tayler Hill Elite’s 2021 squad have gone their separate ways now. When the summer season eventually commences, Meme will play for Wisconsin Playground Elite out of Milwaukee.
Jenna Guyer Jenna Guyer 6'2" | C Centennial | 2021 State MN – Centennial & North Tartan EYBL (#23)
Guyer’s rise to prominence has been well-chronicled by Prep Girls Hoops. She was selected as our most improved player of 2019, having risen in the prospect rankings from #85 to #29. This winter, the 6’2 post rose to #23. Guyer is deceptively quick and athletic. She started out as a back-to-the-basket center and has evolved into a power forward who can shoot the three, run the floor at pace and get to the basket with a variety of athletic maneuvers. About 18 months ago it became clear that Guyer was a scholarship-level prospect. Today she is clearly Division 1 material. Guyer averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds per game for Centennial against a very difficult slate of opponents. When play resumes this summer Guyer will try to take it up another notch. After beginning her AAU career with the Minnesota Heat, Guyer moved to Fury 2021 Yellow but has now been tapped for North Tartan EYBL where she will be Miller’s teammate. On the Nike circuit both players will find out a lot about just how good they can be.
Sacia Vanderpool Sacia Vanderpool 6'4" | C Byron | 2021 State MN – Byron & FBC North 2021 (#26)
After Miller the player I am most regularly being asked to opine on is Vanderpool, a 6’4 power forward who can run the floor, handle the basketball and shoot from distance. Sacia (pronounced ‘Say-Sha’) has followed a similar development path to Miller and Guyer – a slow start, then steady improvement followed by a major breakthrough. Vanderpool’s first big jump came in the fall of 2018 when she cracked the top 60. Over the next year she climbed gradually up into the 40s before making huge strides this winter when she rose to her current position of #26. She shot 55% from two-point range, 43% from three and 81% at the free throw line.
Perhaps the most important improvement Vanderpool made came in the final few games of the season when Sacia started to play more aggressively and in a more physical manner. That was enough to move her into the thick of the D1 conversation. Vanderpool has had discussions with more than 20 Division 1 programs, including some Power 5 schools, and has a handful of D1 offers in her back pocket. Vanderpool, who plays for Tylor Coley’s FBC North squad, has a near perfect body structure for a high-level power forward. Now she has the game to go with it. One final note: Vanderpool followed 6’6 Ayoka Lee Ayoka Lee 6'6" | C Byron AAA | 2018 State MN in the center spot at Bryon. Yoki was this season’s Big 12 Freshman of the Year at Kansas State.