Meltdown/AAU Nationals officially ends the summer sprint

It was an amazing ending befitting of this most unusual year. Just one week after they had tussled to the bitter end for a class of 2022 AAU state title, Tara Starks’ Metro Stars and Marqus McGlothan’s top North Tartan squad fought to the finish again on Sunday afternoon, this time with a national crown on the line. After two halves of regulation play and four periods of overtime, the result was the same: Metro Stars Starks with the W. Technically it wasn’t the final contest of the 2020 AAU season since there were games played later in the afternoon but the Metro Stars’ 54-53 victory was definitely the pinnacle of what turned out to be a memorable summer season. The Meltdown/AAU Nationals could not have been any more dramatic. It would take a couple thousand words just to describe what happened in that 10th grade division 1 final – and that’s only the final 5 minutes of playing time. It will suffice to say that it was basketball theater at its finest. And the Oscar for best performance in a leading role goes to… drumroll please… Amaya Battle Amaya Battle 5'10" | PG Hopkins | 2022 State #29 Nation MN of Hopkins. For the second week in a row, the top 3 prospect among Minnesota’s incoming juniors was clutch, nailing the winning shot to capture the game, a mid-range jumper with just three seconds left in the fourth overtime. In a mere three weeks of action, Amaya reminded us just how good she is and just how great she can eventually be. Ditto for her teammates Nunu Agara Nunu Agara 6'1" | PF Hopkins | 2023 State #32 Nation MN and Taylor Woodson Taylor Woodson 6'0" | PF Hopkins | 2023 State #28 Nation MN . Not quite the same as state While the Minnesota Fury captured three of the four high-school class titles at the AAU State Championships the girls in yellow and blue weren’t quite so ubiquitous at the Meltdown/AAU Nationals. Fury 2023 UAA was still dominant, however. They scored a comfortable 68-60 win over Wisconsin Impact Silver to take home the 9th grade Division 1 title. Led by guard Kennedy Sanders Kennedy Sanders 5'8" | CG Chaska | 2023 State MN of Chaska, Matt Froehle’s team scored a series of impressive wins in the event, including a 30-point decision over Maren Westin Maren Westin 5'8" | CG Becker | 2023 State MN and Minnesota Comets Elite. Fury 2024 UAA, which won the 8th grade championship at state, played up a year at the Meltdown and finished fourth after losing Olivia Olson Olivia Olson 6'1" | CG Benilde-SM | 2024 State MN to an ankle injury and concluding the event with just six players. In 11th grade Division 1, the outcome was different this time around as Gerard Coury’s top North Tartan team turned in an impressive performance to turn the tables on Fury 2021 UAA, who won the state championship one week ago. The game was tied at halftime. Following the break the teams basically traded baskets for the better part of the period and the score was even entering the final three minutes. Then North Tartan’s Tessa Johnson Tessa Johnson 5'11" | SG St. Michael-Albertville | 2023 State #36 Nation MN cashed in on an and-1 to give her team a three-point lead they nursed down the home stretch. North Tartan sealed the deal in the final 30 seconds when Johnson made a pair of free throws at the 32.5-second mark and Mara Braun Mara Braun 5'11" | CG Wayzata | 2022 State #21 Nation MN did the same with just 5.5 remaining. The final score was 58-51. Meltdown/AAU Champions North Tartan captured two championships in the high school divisions – Coury's 2021s and the 2024 Tinjum team from the Moorhead region. Crossfire also won a pair of titles while the Metro Stars and Fury were the only other winners from Minnesota. Division 1

• 11th – North Tartan Coury 58, Minnesota Fury 2021 UAA 51
• 10th – Metro Stars Starks 54, North Tartan McGlothan 53
• 9th – Minnesota Fury 2023 UAA 68, Wisconsin Impact Silver 60
• 8th – Wisconsin Purple Aces 43, Wisconsin Impact 34

Division 2

• 11th – Wisconsin Impact Blue 81, Minnesota Stars DeSart 71
• 10th – 1-on-1 Milwaukee Black 54, Minnesota Heat Smetana 47
• 9th – Crossfire Vaughn 52, Wisconsin Select Murray 35
• 8th – North Tartan North Tinjum 44, 1-on-1 Milwaukee Navy 32

Division 3

• 11th – Crossfire South DeWitt 53, Wisconsin Purple Aces 50
• 10th – Chapman Basketball Academy 39, MN Suns Fassett 26
• 9th – Wisconsin Purple Aces 52, Small Town Stars 15U 37

What’s next? I can only imagine how the players feel, but after watching seven tournaments in eight weeks, and cranking out nearly 50 stories since AAU practice opened in June, I’m exhausted! We saw more than 200 games during that stretch, compiled notes on over 500 players from about a hundred different teams in four classes and now we’re at the end of the AAU road. Maybe. Since 2020 is the year of uncertainty – a dumpster fire of a stretch during which absolutely anything is possible – we may not be done with AAU just yet. There could be more tournaments this fall. I’m hearing talk of a club-based league. And if the powers that be in high school basketball don’t make solid decisions we might be playing all winter. Before we get ahead of ourselves, we’re calling this the official end of the summer season and will act accordingly. If you have been following along in years past you know what that means. This week we’ll recap the Meltdown/AAU Nationals in more detail. We’ll give you top performers and fresh faces and highlights of the weekend and more. That’s this week. Next week we’ll begin doling out our AAU post-season awards which is always a lot of fun. We’ll include the following staples and at least one new category:

• Player of the Year
• Team of the Year
• Coach of the Year
• Breakout Player of the Year
• Newcomer of the Year
• Defensive Player of the Year
• AAU All-State Teams & Player of the Year (4 classes)
• Hard Hat All Stars
• Import of the Year

Assuming I don’t sleep through my 5 a.m. wake-up call, we’ll begin in the morning. Top photo: North Tartan’s top 2021 team are the Meltdown/AAU 11th grade national champions. Left to right: Ellie Dague Ellie Dague 5'10" | CG Henning | 2021 State MN , Jenna Guyer Jenna Guyer 6'2" | C Centennial | 2021 State MN , Haleigh Timmer, Mara Braun Mara Braun 5'11" | CG Wayzata | 2022 State #21 Nation MN , Adalia McKenzie Adalia McKenzie 5'10" | CG Park Center | 2021 State #39 Nation MN , Anna Miller Anna Miller 6'2" | C Rochester Mayo | 2021 State MN , Maty Wilke, Tessa Johnson Tessa Johnson 5'11" | SG St. Michael-Albertville | 2023 State #36 Nation MN , Cassidy Carson Cassidy Carson 6'0" | CG Eastview | 2021 State MN , Logan NIssley, Nia Holloway Nia Holloway 6'0" | PF Eden Prairie | 2022 State #45 Nation MN and Jodi Anderson Jodi Anderson 5'11" | CG Centennial | 2021 State MN . (Photo courtesy of North Tartan.)