AAU Preview: Who to watch at the Heat’s Battle for Mom

For a while there it looked like we may not have any AAU tournaments in Minnesota this summer. Now we are on a roll and for the third weekend in a row there will be tournament play in the Twin Cities. The Minnesota Heat’s Battle for Mom will take place at Bloomington Kennedy on Saturday and Sunday and Prep Girls Hoops will be there as per usual. The field isn’t quite as large or as strong as what we saw last weekend but there will still be plenty of prospects to observe. While many of Minnesota’s top contingents will be in Iowa this week for the third segment of the Nike Tournament of Champions, there are some quality squads and highly-rated prospects doing work on the home front. These are the top teams to see. 2021 Divisions Comets Elite 2021 This Comets team has long been one of the top 5 squads in the class of 2021 and would have to be considered the favorites at the Battle for Mom. The team includes two Division 1 commits and six players ranked in the top 100. Led by #14-ranked Paige Meyer Paige Meyer 5'6" | PG Albany | 2021 State MN of Albany (South Dakota State) and #21-rated Julia Bengtson Julia Bengtson 5'10" | PG Becker | 2021 State MN of Becker (Eastern Illinois), this team has always had a big-time Becker flavor. The other Bulldogs on the roster include #52 Megan Gamble Megan Gamble 5'10" | SF Becker | 2021 State MN , #73 Courtney Nuest Courtney Nuest 5'8" | CG Becker | 2021 State MN and #129 Alayna Lindquist Alayna Lindquist 5'8" | CG Becker | 2021 State MN . #137 Mataya Hoelscher Mataya Hoelscher 5'5" | CG Alexandria | 2021 State MN of Alexandria is a quality guard. Newcomers to the team this year include #39-ranked Faith Alberts Faith Alberts 6'0" | PF Parkers Prairie | 2021 State MN of Parker’s Prairie and #74 Annika Richardson Annika Richardson 5'10" | SF Northfield | 2021 State MN of Northfield. Southern Minnesota Fury 2021 Fresh off a strong performance last weekend, the top Fury squad from Southeastern Minnesota is led by MSU-Moorhead commit Macy Holtz Macy Holtz 5'7" | PG P-E-M | 2021 State MN of Plainview-Elgin-Millville, who is ranked #79 among incoming seniors and averaged 22 points per game last winter at PEM. She received the nod this week as one of our top performers at the Summer Eclipse. This team has a heavy Kasson-Mantorville flavor led by Ashlynn Bigelow, Avery Irish Avery Irish 5'11" | CG Kasson-Mantorville | 2021 State MN and Olivia Matuska.   #88 Megan Oswald Megan Oswald 5'10" | PF Blooming Prairie | 2021 State MN Blooming Prairie had a strong tournament last weekend while Abi Deming Abi Deming 5'10" | SF Red Wing | 2021 State MN and Sydney Rahn of Red Wing are always important contributors. Starks Elite 2021 This weekend will mark the season debut of Starks Elite 2021, coached by CJ Osuchukwu of Duluth Marshall, who should be one of the top teams from the Northern portion of the state. They’ll be led by top-100 incoming senior Hannah Hannuksela Hannah Hannuksela 5'8" | CG Mesabi East | 2021 State MN , who averaged 17 points per game this winter at Mesabi East. She is one of Minnesota’s premier outside shooters. Incoming sophomore Ashlynne Guenther Ashlynne Guenther 5'11" | SF Duluth East | 2023 State MN of Duluth East was the top-rated newcomer to the 2023 rankings when we did our recent update. She’s ranked #58 and is joined by her fellow Greyhound Rachel Hagen Rachel Hagen 5'10" | SF Duluth East | 2023 State MN , who is among the top 150 in the 2021 class. Forward Lexiss Trygg Lexiss Trygg 6'2" | PF Virginia | 2021 State MN (2021 #109) averaged 14 ppg at Virginia this year. Merlea Mrozik and Dasia Starks Dasia Starks 5'9" | CG Duluth Marshall | 2022 State MN play important roles Duluth Marshall. 2022 Division Comets Elite 2023 Playing up one year, the Comets' best freshmen would be co-favorites in the 2022 Division along with Suns 2023 Bluestar. Coached by Barry Peterson, this Comets team is another Becker-heavy unit that features one of the state’s most dynamic young players in 5th-ranked Maren Westin Maren Westin 5'8" | CG Becker | 2023 State MN along with her Becker teammates #44 Dani Nuest Dani Nuest 5'6" | CG Becker | 2023 State MN ,  #82 Ayla Brown Ayla Brown 5'6" | SG Becker | 2023 State MN and lanky forward Liz Mackendanz, who has been very good so far this summer. Zaya Estergerg of STMA was hurt last weekend but could return along with Jordan Anderson of Buffalo and Samantha Paulsen of Zimmerman. Suns Bluestar 2023 Coached by De’Ante Michaud, the Suns are also playing up a year. The squad features seven players who are among the top 75 in the Prep Girls Hoops class of 2023 rankings. Topping the list is big center Savannah McGowan Savannah McGowan 6'2" | PF Armstrong | 2023 State MN , who is in the top 10, along with her Robbinsdale Armstrong teammate Karlee Fisher Karlee Fisher 5'7" | CG Armstrong | 2023 State MN , who is #35. Shantell Harden Shantell Harden 6'0" | SF St. Louis Park | 2023 State MN of Burnsville is a top 25 prospect. She’s joined by #34 Jhanae Green Jhanae Green 5'7" | CG Mpls Southwest | 2023 State MN and #36 Virginia Johnson Virginia Johnson 5'10" | SF Mpls Southwest | 2023 State MN of Minneapolis Southwest, #55 Emily Crandall Emily Crandall 5'10" | CG Sartell | 2023 State MN of Sartell and #62 Kyra Miller Kyra Miller 5'9" | CG Providence | 2023 State MN who had an outstanding year for Providence Academy which went all the way to the state tournament. Wisconsin Playmakers Peplinski 16U The Playmakers may be a Wisconsin team but their roster includes two of the most promising prospects in Minnesota’s Class of 2022 in a pair of 5’11 guards from Lake City, #33-ranked Natalie Bremer Natalie Bremer 5'11" | CG Lake City | 2022 State MN and #48 Lilly Meincke Lilly Meincke 5'10" | CG Lake City | 2022 State MN . 2023 Division Crossfire Bluestar 2024 Robertson The three teams that appear to be the strongest in the 2023 Division are all 2024 squads. One of the best is Rob Robertson’s Crossfire team based in the Northwest Metro. Forward Taylor Tool Taylor Tool 6'1" | PF Delano | 2024 State MN of Delano did not play last weekend but she is one of the top front court players among the state’s incoming freshmen. Ditto for guard Emma Frost Emma Frost 5'11" | SF Andover | 2024 State MN , who will play a key role this coming season at Andover. We have been impressed to date by athletic guard Evyn Eppinga of Anoka along with Sophia Mareck of Wayzata, Lauren Seivert of Maple Grove and Evie Kompelien of Orono. Tayler Hill Elite 8th We are not real familiar yet with this young Tayler Hill Elite squad that has been turning heads in recent years in the lower age groups. THE won the state championship in 2019. Although they are without a couple of key players from last year’s roster, coach PJ Hill’s team has to be considered one of the best among the 2024s. Also playing up one year, they are led by one of the state’s very best incoming freshmen in point guard Angel Hill Angel Hill 5'8" | PG Minnehaha Academy | 2024 State MN of Minneapolis South. She’s joined by Daviana Singleton-Buchanan, who is an important part of the rebuilding effort that is underway at Bloomington Kennedy. Metro Stars 2024 Barnes Also playing one year above their age group are Metro Stars 2024 directed by one of the state’s most respected coaches Lawrence Barnes. We have watched them briefly in practice but have yet to have the opportunity to see this team play in a tournament. Now is the time! Barnes’ group is led by standout point guard Drew Buslee of Eagan, a small but dynamic floor general who is already an important component of the Wildcats lineup. She’s joined by Britta Hagen, who is part of the strong 2024 group at Eastview. Young Kate Drury of Chanhassen is another prospect with a lot of promise. Wisconsin Playmakers Doerr 15 U Like their 2022 counterparts, this version of the Playmakers includes two significant players from Minnesota. We loved what we saw at the Great 8 tournament in Ames a couple of weeks ago from point guard Ava Privet Ava Privet 5'10" | CG Caledonia | 2023 State MN of Caledonia, who recently made her debut in the 2023 rankings at #80. She’s joined by big guard Sydney Torgerson who averaged 15 points per game this winter at Houston, Minn. 2024 Division All six teams in this division will be new to us providing an excellent opportunity to look for fresh talent.

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