Fall Exclusive finale: 9th-12th stock risers & All-Stars

In boys/men’s basketball it isn’t hard to find a pick-up game. Opportunities abound to just show up and jump in. In the girl’s game it’s not so easy and most of the play is quite structured in nature. The Minnesota Fall Exclusive, hosted by Prep Girls Hoops and Jr All-Star, offered the opportunity to play what was essentially pick-up style ball in a semi-organized format. There was minimal coaching, minimal structure and maximum fun. The format also offered the opportunity for girls to showcase their skills in different ways, and it was interesting to say the least. Watching St. Michael-Albertville teammates [player_tooltip player_id="109124" first="Emma" last="Miller"] and [player_tooltip player_id="108299" first="Tessa" last="Johnson"] put on a freelance offensive show every Friday night was among the most entertaining basketball we’ve seen this year. Seeing Champlin Park’s [player_tooltip player_id="57930" first="Amelia" last="Valentino"] and Lakeville South’s [player_tooltip player_id="57917" first="Ally" last="Schultz"] have the green light to launch bombs from beyond the arc at will was a lot of fun. And witnessing so many players produce offensive output that we don’t normally see was a revelation. <strong>STOCK RISERS</strong> The Fall Exclusive was essentially an individual showcase and the college coaches were watching. We picked a handful of players who benefited the most from this opportunity. These are the five biggest stock risers from the Fall Exclusive. [player_tooltip player_id="57930" first="Amelia" last="Valentino"] – Nobody made more of an impression than the 5’10 junior from Champlin Park. Everyone who follows Minnesota girls basketball knows that Amelia can shoot it, but her performance at the Fall Exclusive was nothing short of spectacular. There were no official stats compiled but Amelia, playing alongside the great [player_tooltip player_id="12715" first="Mara" last="Braun"] of Wayzata, was draining four or five threes in every game. Valentino has put in a ton of work to turn herself into a solid scholarship candidate and it shows. <strong>Katelyn Lindberg</strong> – The unranked junior from Monticello played on the Sun, a squad that was loaded with high-profile performers such as Miller and Johnson, [player_tooltip player_id="108306" first="Kennedy" last="Klick"], [player_tooltip player_id="108323" first="Ashley" last="Fritz"] and [player_tooltip player_id="109145" first="Hannah" last="Herzig"]. It’s not easy to get noticed with that crew but the 5’9 guard turned in a series of solid performances and made it clear that she could hang with the big dogs in a high-tempo, run-and-gun environment. Lindberg also proved she has the chops to play at the next-level. [player_tooltip player_id="109145" first="Hannah" last="Herzig"] – The lengthy 6’0 wing, formerly of Centennial and now at Totino-Grace, has always been a talented prospect but never the sort of player to make the spectacular play or draw attention to herself. Part of that is the way Centennial plays and part of it was Herzig’s low-key personality. At the Fall Exclusive, however, we saw the playground version of Hannah’s game and it was impressive. She’s long and fast and has beautiful touch around the basket. Our post-event conclusion is simple: Hannah can play at the Division I level. [player_tooltip player_id="178413" first="Haley" last="Hawkinson"] – Hibbing isn’t exactly the center of the basketball universe and it hasn’t been easy for Haley to showcase her game. The Fall Exclusive offered the 5’8 senior an opportunity to do just that and she certainly took advantage. Hawkinson was dynamic. She showed off her ball-handling ability, her court savvy, her quickness and her composure throughout the event. Haley is currently ranked #103 in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2021 but based on her Friday night performances with and against some of the top players in the state she will be moving up in short order. [player_tooltip player_id="30186" first="Cloey" last="Dmytruk"] – You’ll find the Como Park junior in the gym pretty much every morning before the sun comes up working with her devoted dad to get better. Cloey’s work ethic is outstanding and the growth in her game is the same. Dmytruk is young for her grade – she made her varsity debut at Columbia Heights as an 11-year-old 7th grader – but this year she has matured physically and mentally and it’s all coming together rather nicely. In addition to her always reliable rebounding, Dmytruk racked up a ton of points at the Fall Exclusive, demonstrating clearly that she can score insight and out. Not surprisingly, Valentino, Herzig, Hawkinson, Dmytruk and Lindberg were all selected for our Fall Exclusive All-Star teams. Here are the top performers from the East (older) and West (younger) Divisions. <strong>EAST DIVISION ALL-STARS</strong> <strong>First Team</strong> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="30162" first="Mikayla" last="Aumer"] – guard, Cambridge-Isanti (2022)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="12715" first="Mara" last="Braun"] – guard, Wayzata (2022)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108299" first="Tessa" last="Johnson"] – guard, St. Michael-Albertville (2023)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57914" first="Ronnie" last="Porter"] – guard, Como Park (2022)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57930" first="Amelia" last="Valentino"] – guard, Champlin Park (2022)</li> </ul> <strong>Second Team</strong> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="30186" first="Cloey" last="Dmytruk"] – forward, Como Park (2022)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="30174" first="Lily" last="Fandre"] – forward, Eagan (2022)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109145" first="Hannah" last="Herzig"] – wing, Totino-Grace (2022)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109124" first="Emma" last="Miller"] – guard, St. Michael-Albertville (2022)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57928" first="Amber" last="Scalia"] – guard, Stillwater (2022)</li> </ul> <strong>Third Team</strong> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108323" first="Ashley" last="Fritz"] – guard, Eden Prairie (2023)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="178413" first="Haley" last="Hawkinson"] – guard, Hibbing (2021)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="6410" first="Natalie" last="Holte"] – guard, Shakopee (Black Hills State) (2021)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108306" first="Kennedy" last="Klick"] – guard, Roseville (2023)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108345" first="Brynn" last="Senden"] – guard, Wayzata (2023)</li> </ul> <strong>Honorable Mention</strong> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57118" first="Kelley" last="Brennan"] – guard, Shakopee (Gustavus) (2021)</li> <li><strong>Jasmyn Hale</strong> – guard, Shakopee (2023)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="178263" first="Laura" last="Hauge"] – guard, St. Croix Lutheran (2024)</li> <li><strong>Katelyn Lindberg</strong> – guard, Monticello (2022)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57917" first="Ally" last="Schultz"] – guard, Lakeville South (2022)</li> </ul> <strong>WEST DIVISION ALL-STARS</strong> <strong>First Team</strong> <ul> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="215957" first="Gabby" last="Betton"]</strong> – guard, Lakeville North (2024)</li> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="215944" first="Ava" last="Cossette"]</strong> – guard, Maple Grove (2024)</li> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="148340" first="Shannon" last="Fornshell"]</strong> – forward, Wayzata (2023)</li> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="178264" first="Kiya" last="Hegdahl"]</strong> – guard, St. Louis Park (2024)</li> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="215969" first="Nicole" last="Maenke"]</strong> – guard, Shakopee (2024)</li> </ul> <strong>Second Team</strong> <ul> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="215983" first="Drew" last="Buslee"]</strong> – guard, Eagan (2024)</li> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="178275" first="Britta" last="Hagen"]</strong> – guard, Eastview (2024)</li> <li><strong>Mattea Henry</strong> – forward, Woodbury (2024)</li> <li><strong>Sidney Klauer</strong> – guard, East Ridge (2024)</li> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="178274" first="Amy" last="Thompson"]</strong> – guard, Stillwater (2024)</li> </ul> <strong>Third Team</strong> <ul> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="191923" first="Estelle" last="Atkinson"]</strong> – guard, Orono (2024)</li> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="214195" first="Kate" last="Drury"]</strong> – guard, Chanhassen (2024)</li> <li><strong>Isa Nelson</strong> – guard, Edina (2023)</li> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="215979" first="Cece" last="McNair"]</strong> – forward, Prior Lake (2024)</li> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="215985" first="Olivia" last="Pawlicki"]</strong> – forward, Shakopee (2024)</li> </ul> <strong>Honorable Mention</strong> <ul> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="178261" first="Piper" last="Engelby"]</strong> – guard, Andover (2024)</li> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="186135" first="Braziel" last="Fairbanks"]</strong> – guard, Edina (2023)</li> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="178262" first="Emma" last="Frost"]</strong> – guard, Andover (2024)</li> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="178273" first="Taylor" last="Tool"]</strong> – forward, Delano (2024)</li> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="209061" first="Vanessa" last="Wright"]</strong> – guard, Eastview (2024)</li> </ul> <span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>Top photo: The Sun captured the East Division championship. Pictured (left to right) are Katelyn Lindberg, [player_tooltip player_id="108299" first="Tessa" last="Johnson"], [player_tooltip player_id="109124" first="Emma" last="Miller"], [player_tooltip player_id="108323" first="Ashley" last="Fritz"], [player_tooltip player_id="147458" first="Kyla" last="Overskei"], [player_tooltip player_id="108306" first="Kennedy" last="Klick"], [player_tooltip player_id="147455" first="Alyssa" last="Stamer"], [player_tooltip player_id="109145" first="Hannah" last="Herzig"] and coach De’Ante Michaud. Missing is [player_tooltip player_id="108336" first="Audrey" last="Kormann"].</em></span>