Five fresh faces you'll want to find in February

This week I watched [player_tooltip player_id="252380" first="Kendra" last="Harvey"] for the first time in earnest, and the 8th grader from Byron played well enough to make me alter my plans for this rundown on some of the fresh faces who did well in the first three weeks of the season. On a night when it was difficult for the Bears to conjure up any sort of consistent offense against Stewartville, it was the 5’7 rookie who did most of the scoring, compiling a 19-point performance and showing flashes of what might lie ahead for the young combo guard. Here’s the scoop on Kendra and a handful of other fresh faces to see in February. [player_tooltip player_id="252380" first="Kendra" last="Harvey"] – 2025 guard, Byron It the ball is in the vicinity, that’s where Kendra wants to be. The long, athletic guard has a nose for the action. She can move quickly, anticipates well, and has a knack for knowing how to reach her destination just in time. That’s all stuff you can’t really teach. Kendra gets up and down the floor at pace, handles the basketball with skill and precision, and she’s got energy to burn. Harvey is more of a slasher than a shooter, and she gets to the rim frequently. Like most 8th graders, however, she did not consistently make good choices last night when it came to dribbling into traffic, and she often overestimated her ability to beat defenders one-on-one. Those things are normal for talented 8th graders getting their feet wet in varsity ball, and it may take her some time to adapt to the level of physicality and how the high school game is officiated. Those things will come. What’s important is this: Kendra has a bag full of natural tools and a strong desire to learn how to use them for maximum effect. That’s a nice combination for any young prospect. [player_tooltip player_id="252480" first="Rae" last="Ehrman"] – 2025 forward, Eden Prairie Ehrman made a big splash back in September during week #1 of our Fall Exclusive event as the 8th grader demonstrated immediately that she was strong, skilled and physical, and would just as soon run you over as go around you on the way to the basket. Rae, whose given name is Remington, plays the game with an edge, and she just goes and goes and goes. Ehrman earned a spot on the Fall Exclusive All-Star Team for her efforts, and it proved to be good preparation for her first season of high school ball at Eden Prairie. The Eagles are deep, so Ehrman has only made a couple of cameo appearances with the big girls. She is honing her game at the junior varsity level but that’s not likely to last long if her performance last month against Hopkins is any indication. Keep in mind that the Hopkins JV group would probably be in the top 30 varsity squads in the state when I tell you that Ehrman scored 33 points against the Royals to power EP to a 71-70 victory, including an and-1 that ended the game. Those were her 9th, 10th and 11th points in a row for the Eagles, and she was also 12-for-13 at the free throw line on the night. Talk about dominant. We look forward to more from Rae in the not-to-distant future. Vanessa Saidu – 2023 forward Park Center When Vanessa steps onto the court you just know you are looking at a basketball player. At 6’1+ she definitely looks the part. Saidu is a leaper, in the vein of [player_tooltip player_id="6529" first="TeeTee" last="Danso"] (Bradley) or [player_tooltip player_id="12732" first="Nia" last="Holloway"] (Minnesota), a player with exceptional reach that makes her a quality rebounder and disruptor of shots. With a big turnover in the Park Center roster, it wasn’t clear who would step up this season to complement the greatness of the state’s #1 senior [player_tooltip player_id="6389" first="Adalia" last="McKenzie"] (Illinois). Gone to graduation were [player_tooltip player_id="1932" first="Lauren" last="Frost"] (Omaha) [player_tooltip player_id="56264" first="Aaliyah" last="Ragulen"] (Seward CC) and [player_tooltip player_id="56260" first="Kayla" last="Cox"], while [player_tooltip player_id="178269" first="Liv" last="McGill"], [player_tooltip player_id="109743" first="T’Naye" last="Griffin"] and [player_tooltip player_id="108319" first="Aniyah" last="Reuben"] transferred out. Saidu, who is basically a stretch 4, has done her best to fill the void. She’s averaging better than a dozen points per game, second only to McKenzie. There’s no question that Saidu is raw. She has a long way to go to develop her skills to the required level, but with Division 1 athleticism and size, a coachable attitude, and the right investment in time and training, this is a player who could make her mark among Minnesota’s top sophomores. Makadyn Gust – 2024 guard, St. Charles We spent a not insignificant amount of time this summer watching the North Tartan 2022 satellite team out of Southern Minnesota. They had some quality talent and played the game the right way. One player who always intrigued us was the 5’7 Gust, who was playing two years up in that group. You could always count on the stocky little guard to fly around the court at full tilt, defend as if her life depended on it, and put on a high-energy show every time out. Having said that there were times when we wished she would just slow down a little, pick her spots, and not be quite so enthusiastic to attack anything that moved. In the long-term, however, she had all of the attributes we look for. Fast forward to the high school season and Gust’s freshman year at St. Charles really couldn’t be going much better. The Saints are 6-1, losing only a nail-biter to Chatfield last Friday, and Gust is leading the way. We watched her this week against Lewiston-Altura. She turned in another strong performance, scoring 28 to lead her team to a 62-48 win. On the season, Makadyn is averaging 21 points per game (a jump of 15 from last season) along with 8.3 rebounds and 5.7 steals while shooting an impressive 54% [player_tooltip player_id="209058" first="Claire" last="McGregor"] – 2024 guard, Maple River Like Gust, McGregor is a small stocky guard from a small town team that isn’t really on anyone’s radar right now. While folks are focused on the big names on the big teams from the big towns, players like Claire are toiling away when nobody is watching. The work is paying off. Claire made the 2024 All-Star team at the Prep Girls Hoops Top 250 Expo thanks to a huge motor, a quality skill set and the willingness to do whatever it takes to win. We saw her at fall tryouts competing with many of the top freshmen in the state, and she more than held her own through shear will and determination. That attitude and effort is paying off handsomely now as McGregor is dominating while playing the starting point guard position at Maple River. She’s averaging nearly 19 points per game, along with 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals while playing almost every minute of every game. McGregor is a team-first floor general with excellent court vision and the ability to make everyone around her better. That’s high praise for a 9th grader and an excellent foundation on which to build her resume as a college basketball prospect. BONUS SELECTIONS Since we’re in the business of giving you everything you want to know about girls basketball and just a little bit more, here are two bonus selections from the city of Duluth. I personally haven’t seen either of these girls play yet but here’s what we know so far: Ava Meierotto – 2026 guard, Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers’ coach CJ Osuchukwu has been dropping hints about Ava for more than a year now, and in her first high school game she did not disappoint. The 7th grader went 6-for-11 from the field to score 14 points. She also had 5 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 assists. Not a bad debut. To date the youngster is averaging just under 10 ppg. We’re intrigued. Regan Juenemann – 2025 guard, Duluth East Although she plays across town for his rivals from Duluth East, coach CJ has had a significant hand in Juenemann’s development since she took up the game for the first time just two years ago. The 8th grader, who moved to Duluth from Two Harbors, is starting for the Greyhounds. The team may be struggling but she’s certainly not. Regan is averaging 10 points and 7 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game, second only to [player_tooltip player_id="186112" first="Ashlynne" last="Guenther"] in pretty much every positive category. They tell me Regan is long and athletic, gets to the rim and can hit the three. We look forward to seeing for ourselves. Top photo: 2024 guard [player_tooltip player_id="252380" first="Kendra" last="Harvey"] of Byron (Photo courtesy of Vanderpool Studios)