Minnesota Top 250: The 2024 All-Expo Team

We have been having a blast scouting the class of 2024 this summer and we think we’ve got a pretty good handle on who fits where among Minnesota’s best 9th graders. Nearly 50 of these freshmen showed up on Saturday for the Prep Girls Hoops Top 250 Expo and more than a dozen were fresh faces we had not had the opportunity to see before. That’s why showcases matter! Now we have seen them play and compiled a whole lot of notes. We’ll be sorting through their performances in the days ahead, including top guards, top forwards, newcomers, stock risers and some outstate talent of note. I’ll be providing information on the classes of 2024 and 2023 while my colleague Mason Asher of Prep Girls Hoops Iowa is covering 2021 and 2022. To begin our look at the freshmen we bring you the best of the best – the top 10 performers who comprise the class of 2024 All-Expo Team. As always there were tough choices to make but these were the 10 best in our opinion. We have listed them with positions that seem logical at this point, but with the way basketball is heading position designations but be nearly obsolete by the time they set foot on a college campus! <strong>FIRST TEAM</strong> <strong> <img class="alignnone wp-image-209072 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/72_Laura-Hauge_1-scaled-150x150.jpg?1601951032807" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="178263" first="Laura" last="Hauge"] – 5’9 guard, St. Croix Lutheran</strong> Laura is a prodigious shooter whose range never ceases to amaze first-time viewers. She can do so much more that shoot, however, as her ball handling, decision making and defense continue to improve. <strong><img class="alignnone wp-image-209086 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/95_Ava-Cossette1-scaled-150x150.jpg?1601951963911" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> </strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="209051" first="Ava" last="Cossette"] – 5’10 guard, Maple Grove</strong> Ava has light feet and a bounce in her step that enables her to maneuver through traffic at a high pace with a kind of grace and smoothness you just don’t find very often. An elite talent for sure. <strong> <img class="alignnone wp-image-209073 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/70_Gabby-Betton_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="208289" first="Gabby" last="Betton"] – 5’8 guard, Lakeville North</strong> With a nice combination of power, strength, skill and speed, Gabby is consistent producer with a very well-rounded game. <strong> <img class="alignnone wp-image-209088 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/127_Finley-Ohnstad_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="178270" first="Finley" last="Ohnstad"] – 6’0 forward, Lakeville South</strong> One of the best shooters in the class, Finley is built like a power forward and plays like a guard. As time goes on she is becoming more versatile and demonstrating that she can do more than just shoot. <strong> <img class="alignnone wp-image-209091 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/153_Kylie-Waytashek_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="209057" first="Kylie" last="Waytashek"] – 6’1 forward, Royalton</strong> The varsity veteran from Central Minnesota has gotten much bigger and stronger this year and her skills continue to develop. When Kylie is dialed in she is a force to be reckoned with. <strong>SECOND TEAM</strong> <strong> <img class="alignnone wp-image-209075 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/47_London-Salberg-Thornton_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="209058" first="Claire" last="McGregor"] – 5’6 guard, Maple River</strong> Every time we watch Claire compete we come away more impressed. And we do mean compete! McGregor is sneaky athletic, plays hard all the time and has the skill to produce against bigger, stronger players. <strong> <img class="alignnone wp-image-209077 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/17_Vanessa-Wright_1-1-scaled-150x150.jpg?1601951363953" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="209061" first="Vanessa" last="Wright"] – 5’6 guard, Eastview</strong> Much like McGregor, Vanessa just won’t back down. She can handle the basketball, beat opponents one-on-one and move the ball with efficiency. Wright consistently plays bigger than her size. <strong> <img class="alignnone wp-image-209093 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/180_Ava-Holman_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="209062" first="Ava" last="Holman"] – 5’7 guard, Osseo</strong> Already a proven varsity performer at the 4A level, Ava is a high-skill point guard who can beat you off the bounce or knock down shots from the perimeter. <strong> <img class="alignnone wp-image-209094 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/104_Savanah-Gardner_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="209064" first="Savannah" last="Gardner"] – 5’10 forward, Eastview</strong> Savannah is long and lean and athletic. If you were to design a basketball player in a lab, this is what she’d look like. As Gardner’s compete level and consistency improves she is becoming a prospect to pay attention to. <strong> <img class="alignnone wp-image-209079 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/90_Casey-Beck_1-1-scaled-150x150.jpg?1601951450529" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="209068" first="Casey" last="Beck"] – 5’10 forward, Coon Rapids</strong> Casey is big and strong and powerful but it is the little things she does that make Beck special. She just makes plays, executes with intelligence and keeps it simple. What’s not to like? <span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>Top photo: [player_tooltip player_id="209051" first="Ava" last="Cossette"] of Maple Grove</em></span> &nbsp;