Summer Eclipse: Five fresh faces who caught our attention
When you watch 30 hours of basketball in three days you see a lot, including plenty of exciting young players who have the potential for very nice basketball careers. That was certainly the case over the weekend in Bloomington at…
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Continue ReadingWhen you watch 30 hours of basketball in three days you see a lot, including plenty of exciting young players who have the potential for very nice basketball careers. That was certainly the case over the weekend in Bloomington at the Summer Eclipse, the second official tournament of Minnesota’s AAU season. The field was much stronger this week than last and, as a result, there were many more opportunities to see some quality newcomers. We watched more than a dozen 2024 teams in action and probably half that many of the 2023s. These are some of the fresh faces we liked the best.
Megan Spencer – North Metro Basketball 2024 (Totino-Grace)
The 5’9 Spencer is an athletic guard with plenty of length and natural ability. She is new this year to NMB 8, a team coached by Jules Jones who has tutored some pretty nice players over the years. She is not new to basketball though, hailing from a family with some pedigree in the game. (You’ll find her brother RJ Spencer featured prominently over on prephoops.com.) Megan is mobile, runs the floor well, has long strides and plenty of bounce. Her shooting mechanics are very good. What Spencer needs is what most incoming freshmen need: more strength, more confidence and more experience. All three will come in due course.
Tresa Baumgard – Wisc. Playmakers Peterson (Chisholm)
When Tresa steps onto the court you just know you are about to witness an athlete at work. The 5’11 power forward from Chisholm is an incoming freshmen who is already a well-established varsity player up on the Iron Range where she has also made headlines for her track and field exploits. Baumgard averaged over 10 points per game this winter, 9 ppg in this weekend’s action. She is very long, super athletic and runs the floor with pace. She is a strong rebounder with a nice sense of timing and anticipation and the ability to out-reach the vast majority of opponents. Tresa wears her heart on her sleeve which makes it obvious that the fire within burns bright.
Abby Richter – Suns 2024 Bluestar (Edina)
Dre Jefferson’s incoming 9th graders have the potential to be one of the strongest Suns teams we have seen. With talented youngsters such as Tori Oehrlein, Piper Engelby Piper Engelby 5'11" | SG Andover | 2024 State MN , Nicole Maenke and Lila Posthuma doing great work, one might be tempted to overlook the current version of Abby Richter. That would be a mistake because Abby is sneaky good and headed for great. She is a dynamic athlete with a big motor and a high IQ. Abby is a bit of a freight train right now, and when she gets up a head of steam there is often a trail of bodies in her wake. As she matures and gets a little smoother Richter is going to be a very big problem at both ends of the court.
Elisabeth Gadient – Fury 2024 Yellow (Goodhue)
Say the name Gadient and folks in the know will be well aware you are talking about Goodhue girls basketball. Elisabeth is the latest Gadient to grace the courts in Southeastern Minnesota and the long, lanky guard is going to be another good one. She has speed, athleticism and some touch around the basket as she so amply demonstrated with a pretty little floater in the game we saw Fury 2024 Yellow play against the Suns. She did a nice job guarding Oehrlein, as well, which is no small feat. Goodhue coach Josh Wieme put a bug in my ear this winter about Elisabeth and why not. She is about to make a splash in one of the state’s best small-school basketball programs.
Kristen Watson – Southern Minnesota Fury 2024 (Hayfield)
Watson is a bulldog. She’s a little on the short side but pretty stocky and strong for an incoming freshman. She’s also athletic, feisty and very, very aggressive. Kristen made a ton of hustle plays in the game I saw. If there’s a loose ball on the floor my money is on the girl from Hayfield to come up with it! Kristen also has nice touch. She scored 16 points against NMB, 14 versus the Heat and 38 overall for the weekend. Watson also led Hayfield in scoring this winter as the Hawks made their way up and down the roads of the Hiawatha Valley League in Southeastern Minnesota. Watson plays with passion and is definitely a player to watch.
Here are two more names to keep in mind in the weeks ahead:
Ella Kletti of Minnesota Heat 2024 Renikoff is a scrappy 5’3 guard from Mahtomedi. The incoming freshman is a little bit unconventional but Ella has quick feet, decent skills, a huge motor and zero fear. Ella Wolf is the exact opposite. The forward from 43 Hoops 2023 Martin is a super long, very lanky sophomore-to-be from Minnetonka who stands north of 6 feet, can run the floor and is a nice shot blocker. She needs to get more aggressive to achieve her potential. That sounds a lot like another Minnetonka player we know in Sophie Haydon Sophie Haydon 6'2" | PF Minnetonka | 2021 State MN , one of the top forwards in the class of 2021 who was in the same situation three years ago and is now a strong Division 1 prospect. Stay tuned.
Top photo: Incoming freshman Elisabeth Gadient of Goodhue puts up a sweet floater for Southern Minnesota Fury 2024. She was among our top fresh faces of the weekend. (Photo by Kelly Cutler)