Who raised their stock at the Summer Eclipse?

Minnesota Stars Bjorgaard has been a strong team for some time now, and this year the 2022 unit has added some important firepower that is making a difference. Point guard [player_tooltip player_id="57934" first="Averi" last="Dunbar"] (Spring Lake Park), sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id="57930" first="Amelia" last="Valentino"] (Champlin Park), guard [player_tooltip player_id="109182" first="Camille" last="Cummings"] (Centennial) and guard [player_tooltip player_id="109179" first="Kate" last="Cordes"] (Shakopee) have all made an impact. “Wait a minute,” informed observers might protest. “Cordes has been part of this team for years.” Technically that’s true, but in reality it is most certainly not. That’s why she leads the list today of our top stock risers at last weekend’s Summer Eclipse. We had heard that Kate was off to a great start on the road for Chris Bjorgaard’s group. When the team took to the court on Friday night for the tournament’s opening game in Bloomington it was obvious from the get-go that what we are watching now is a new-and-improved version of the 5’7 guard from Shakopee. That community’s 2022 class has always been very strong. They won a state championship in youth basketball and we’re told that Cordes was always the alpha dog on those travel teams. In recent seasons in AAU, and on her high school team, Cordes has played more of a supporting role. With Bjorgaard’s team Cordes has been overshadowed by the likes of [player_tooltip player_id="109135" first="Ava" last="Stier"] (Waconia), [player_tooltip player_id="57921" first="Lilly" last="Nuytten"] (Hastings), even her own Shakopee teammate [player_tooltip player_id="109160" first="Paige" last="Broze"]. Not this year. Kate is off to a flying start and is quickly making the case that she is once again going to be a force to be reckoned with. She is playing with more pep in her step, burying shots from distance, and operating with an overall level of confidence that is up and obvious. It is great to see. Cordes is a quiet kid who prefers to let her game do the talking, and that game is speaking loudly and clearly right now. Kate is shooting around the 50% mark from three-point range and much higher than that from two. She is smoother and more assertive and is playing with the poise and precision every coach is looking for from a college-bound prospect. Cordes was in double figures in three of her games this weekend and averaged 11.5 points per game. There were a lot of players who raised their stock nicely at the Summer Eclipse – we have several of them listed below for your perusal – but nobody took a jump up the prospect ladder more than Kate. Cordes is currently ranked #115 in the Prep Girls Hoops class of 2022. [player_tooltip player_id="109200" first="Lucy" last="Hertel"] <strong>– Crossfire 2022 Bluestar (Holy Family)</strong> Lucy is a pit bull. Her opponent is a juicy T-bone. That’s a volatile combination and on Friday night we saw Hertel’s ferocious approach in full force. Hertel is utterly fearless. The 5’7 combo guard, currently ranked #124 in the class, isn’t all that physically imposing but she knows how to maximize her gifts to full effect. Coach Ryan Champ’s team is new to Crossfire this year, and is led by a core contingent of kids who came over as a group from another AAU club. It includes such luminaries as #50 [player_tooltip player_id="109148" first="Audrey" last="Swanson"] of Waconia, #51 [player_tooltip player_id="57936" first="Kaila" last="Youngs"] of Orono and #58 [player_tooltip player_id="57938" first="Ava" last="Cusciotta"] of Rockford. Swanson was outstanding when we watched on Friday but Hertel was every bit as impactful. Lucy is versatile, she’s skillful and most importantly she is hungry. If you ever witness Lucy give less than 100% effort please let us know because we’ve never seen that happen. [player_tooltip player_id="109163" first="Taya" last="Jeffrey"] <strong>– Southern Minnesota Fury 2022 (Albert Lea)</strong> I have always liked Taya’s game but as she clearly showed at the Summer Eclipse there is a whole lot more to love at this point. She has grown, both in height (to 5’10) and body size and the extra strength and length has translated onto the court rather well. Taya has long been the key piece in Albert Lea’s rebuilding attempt, averaging 18 points per game this winter and regularly topping the 20-point mark. This weekend in Bloomington she averaged about 7 ppg for coach Keefe Zelinski’s Southern Minnesota Fury squad. She was calm and composed and showed us once again that she is a quality athlete with quick feet, long strides, an impressive first step and superior elevation. Oh yeah, she continues to be an outstanding shooter and an excellent perimeter defender. Currently ranked #85 in the class, Taya bumped her stock up substantially at this event. <strong>Saniah Howard-Reynolds – 43 Hoops 2023 Martin (Columbia Heights)</strong> When we first saw Saniah play at the Prep Girls Hoops Top 250 Expo last fall it was obvious that she had talent and drive and it would only be a matter of time before she developed into a quality guard. Despite playing on a high school team that struggled mightily all season, Howard-Reynolds’ game appears to have grown even in the midst of adversity during her freshman year. The 5’5 guard has nice handles and decent speed as well as the kind of athleticism that gives a player a leg up from the beginning. Saniah averaged 8 points and 2.6 rebounds during the high school season. This weekend she put up 17 points for coach Ryan Martin at 43 Hoops and demonstrated once again that she is a player on the rise. [player_tooltip player_id="108314" first="Katelyn" last="Maciej"] <strong>– Stars 2023 Hersch (Rogers)</strong> Josh Hersch’s incoming 10th graders can flat out shoot the basketball as they amply demonstrated with a stunning aerial assault on Sunday against the very talented Fury 2024 UAA squad. This group of Stars is highly skilled but relatively small which makes Katelyn’s contributions incredibly important. At 6’2, the forward from Rogers is the only player on the team with significant height. She’s also got skill. Maciej is a quality rebounder whose length is a problem at both ends of the floor.  She’s long and wiry, moves very well inside and out, and is now getting stronger and more confident. Katelyn averaged 4 points and 4 rebounds per game this winter at Rogers in an up-and-down season marked by concussion issues but her upside is tremendous. Maciej is currently ranked #21 in the class but many believe her potential is higher than that. [player_tooltip player_id="186129" first="Kayla" last="Kallenbach"] <strong>– Metro Stars 2023 Wiese (Orono)</strong> Kayla has light feet, a quick first step and speed to burn. She can also handle the basketball and shoots it well. More importantly Kayla will get up in your face and defend. What more can you ask from a young basketball player? Playing for Eden Prairie High School coach Ellen Wiese, the 5’6 guard from Orono scored 36 points in four games this weekend including an impressive 17-point performance we watched against Comets 2023 Elite. The primary point guard duties on this version of the Metro Stars rest with #33-ranked [player_tooltip player_id="108328" first="Priyanka" last="Satish"] of Eden Prairie but Kallenbach does a nice job in the position when given the opportunity. At the two-spot she is just as effective, perhaps more so. Kallenbach was recently added to the Prep Girls Hoops 2023 rankings at #84.