Up-and-coming talent: Top 5 fresh faces of Week #1

Among the more exciting aspects of entering a new high school basketball season are the fresh faces, those newcomers we haven’t seen before or at least not at the high school level. With three nights of viewing now in the books, we are pleased to report that there was no shortage of promising prospects available for early viewing. Here are the top 5 youngsters who stood out in Week #1. <strong>Elle Wildman – 2025 guard, East Ridge</strong> <strong>Elle Wildman</strong> has got bounce! That’s the first thing you notice when she steps onto the floor. Her feet are light and quick, and she moves around the court with a certain grace. It’s the look all of the natural athletes seem to have. Think [player_tooltip player_id="12718" first="Ellie" last="Buzzelle"] for reference. She’s also got energy and a motor and you know how much we like those assets. The 8th grader stands about 5’7 with a very thin build and super long arms. She played for Jeff Monahan at North Tartan, who reports that she was an outstanding leader and point guard, a player who could handle pressure well, would always make the extra pass and wasn’t afraid of the big moment. Elle played a major part Friday in East Ridge’s 72-71 win over Roseville and we suspect that role will continue to grow. <strong>Sidney Klauer – 2024 guard, East Ridge</strong> <strong>Sidney Klauer</strong> was also a big piece of the East Ridge attack, but this did not come as much of a surprise. In our Dec. 13 preview of the Suburban East Conference we said, and I quote, “Don’t be surprised if freshman guard <strong>Sidney Klauer</strong> becomes a key piece, as well.” That prediction was certainly prescient. On Friday at Roseville, the 5’7 freshman was the first substitute off the bench for coach Ashley Ellis-Milan, who showed confidence throughout the contest in her young athlete. The 5’7 guard isn’t the biggest or fastest or strongest player on the roster but she contributes in so many ways. Klauer moves well, passes well, shoots well, handles the ball well and defends well, and she did not appear phased by the big moment. Sidney just missed out on our first ranking of the top 50 in the class of 2024 but you know she’ll be there in short order. <strong>Abby Hoselton – 2025 guard/forward, St. Michael-Albertville</strong> Size almost always matters, so you know what our reaction was when a big, solid 8th grader rolled onto the floor Saturday afternoon on behalf of the STMA Knights. <strong>Abby Hoselton</strong> is listed at 5’10, but she looked like a veritable giant from our vantage point, with a big frame in the vein of former Annandale guard [player_tooltip player_id="1720" first="Hannah" last="Purcell"] (DePaul). So often girls who get big early on have a hard time developing their coordination, and the skill development often lags because of it. This doesn’t appear to be the case with Abby. True, she has a ways to go but plenty of time to get there. Abby was second off the bench for coach Kent Hamre on the weekend, just behind her sister <strong>Lauren Hoselton</strong>, a 2023 prospect who is even bigger. Abby will play AAU basketball for the first time this summer, with plans to suit up for North Tartan. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="209061" first="Vanessa" last="Wright"] – 2024 guard, Eastview</strong> We arrived at each of our games in week #1 early enough to take in most of the junior varsity action, as well. We knew that would be worth the effort in Farmington Saturday night where a very talented JV squad from Eastview was on display. Not surprisingly 5’6 freshman point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="209061" first="Vanessa" last="Wright"]</strong> impressed. What we didn’t expect, however, was that Wright would come off the bench in the second half of the varsity game and be exactly the spark the Lightening needed to make a game of it, scoring 7 points, making some big plays and spilling some of her excess energy over onto her teammates who were very much in need of the same. We love Wright’s spunky nature. Vanessa doesn’t know what she doesn’t know. She just plays the game with passion and heart, and has plenty of skill to go along with the intangibles. Wright made our 2024 All-Expo Team at the Top 250 and earned honorable mention status at the Fall Exclusive. We know what she can do; we just didn’t know she would be doing it so soon on the varsity level. <strong>Zaya Esterberg – 2023 guard, St. Michael-Albertville</strong> Zaya Esterberg is hard to miss. The first time we saw her play was in June with the Minnesota Comets at the Great 8 Showcase in Iowa. After her first few trips up and down the court we were scrambling for information in the ‘Who the heck is that?’ vein of questioning. Esterberg is a 5’8 guard with a big frame and plenty of strength. What sets her apart very quickly is just how physical and aggressive she is. I mean, her approach to the game is more Earl Campbell than Tony Dorsett. (Look ‘em up if you’re under 40!). Zaya was on fire in the JV game against Edina on Saturday, burying a pair of three-pointers to open the contest before driving hard to the hoop for another score that gave her team a quick 8-0 lead. Opponents tend to steer clear of Zaya, who isn’t afraid to clear her own path if necessary, bruises be damned. Since the summer Esterberg seems to be playing more under control and her skills have become a little bit more polished. It’s only a matter of time before she’s in STMA’s varsity rotation.