AAU Weekly Recap #2: Jenny Ntambwe makes a statement

This might be the strangest recruiting year ever, particularly for the class of 2022, but one thing has not changed: There’s still time to make a good impression that greatly improves one’s chances of playing collegiately. By mid-morning Saturday that is exactly what [player_tooltip player_id="223912" first="Jenny" last="Ntambwe"] had done, which is why she tops our list of notables in this, our Prep Girls Hoops AAU Weekly Recap #2. Here’s a rundown on some of the notables we saw on Saturday and Sunday. <strong>Breakthrough Player of the Week</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="223912" first="Jenny" last="Ntambwe"] <strong>– 2022 forward, Minnesota Stars Bjorgaard</strong> The 6-footer from Coon Rapids has drawn some notice over the past couple of years while playing in situations where her best contribution was to grab the ball and take it end-to-end for a powerful finish at the rim. She has become quite adept at that scenario, but it has done little to showcase her true potential as a college player. Last fall she was able to do some individual skill development and landed herself a spot on Stars Bjorgaard, a team-oriented squad that plays together, plays hard, always seems to have solid team culture. This weekend was Jenny’s debut. Let’s just say she killed it. She very quickly integrated her size, speed and skill into the bigger picture for Chris Bjorgaard’s team and the results were impressive. She fit right in with other college prospects like [player_tooltip player_id="109135" first="Ava" last="Stier"] (MSU-Mankato), [player_tooltip player_id="109148" first="Audrey" last="Swanson"], [player_tooltip player_id="109138" first="Leah" last="Dengerud"], [player_tooltip player_id="109182" first="Camille" last="Cummings"] and [player_tooltip player_id="223913" first="Taryn" last="Frazer"]. Her sense of timing, on-court instincts and natural athleticism make her a force whose potential is suddenly heading northward. Jenny’s phone has been ringing in the past 24 hours, and interest is certain to grow. Stars Bjorgaard had a nice weekend. The team was undefeated, including an impressive comeback from 10 down in the second half to win over a very strong Fury 2024 UAA squad led by [player_tooltip player_id="177728" first="Olivia" last="Olson"]. <strong>Comeback Player of the Week</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="109206" first="Ruby" last="Carlson"] <strong>– 2022 guard, Crossfire 11th South DeWitt</strong> It had been over a year since we had seen Orono guard [player_tooltip player_id="109206" first="Ruby" last="Carlson"] on the basketball court thanks to lengthy recovery from a torn ACL. When she showed up at the AAU open tryout last month, it was immediately obvious that her skill level was a cut above everyone else there. As a result of that endeavor, she landed a spot with Katie DeWitt’s 2022 Crossfire South squad and this weekend she returned to competition. The sense of timing wasn’t quite there yet, and she’s still learning a new system and teammates. What hasn’t changed is Ruby’s incredible motor and absolute fearlessness. The small guard is short and stocky, with super quick feet and an energy level that few can match. Ruby has always been a confident player, and we’re confident that she’s going to make an impact this spring and summer. Welcome back Ruby! By the way, two other Crossfire kids who stood out this weekend were 6-footer <strong>Ava Tretin</strong> of Lakeville South and feisty guard <strong>Brycelyn Brewster</strong>, who is home-schooled. We’ll pay them a return visit later. <strong>Game of the Week</strong> <strong>North Tartan 2022 EYBL vs FBC Real 2022 UA Select</strong> We chose this game not because it was an epic struggle, or a fight to the finish. It wasn’t. We picked it for the sheer volume of talent involved. If you wanted a preview of many future Division 1 college players this was the game to see. The North Tartan attack was led by small-school newcomers [player_tooltip player_id="30148" first="Ellie" last="Colbeck"] of Fergus Falls (South Dakota State) and [player_tooltip player_id="109131" first="Madison" last="Mathiowetz"] of Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s. With the game tied in the latter stages of the first half, those two sparked their team to a 15-5 run. Out of half time they nailed back-to-back triples and North Tartan was headed for a 66-40 win. Among the elite North Tartan prospects who played this weekend were [player_tooltip player_id="12732" first="Nia" last="Holloway"] (Minnesota), [player_tooltip player_id="12727" first="Kiani" last="Lockett"],  [player_tooltip player_id="12715" first="Mara" last="Braun"] (Minnesota), [player_tooltip player_id="57945" first="Britt" last="Carlson"], [player_tooltip player_id="30174" first="Lily" last="Fandre"] and [player_tooltip player_id="57921" first="Lilly" last="Nuytten"]. FBC Real’s roster is similarly impressive. It includes the likes of [player_tooltip player_id="12712" first="Maya" last="Nnaji"], [player_tooltip player_id="57914" first="Ronnie" last="Porter"], [player_tooltip player_id="57908" first="Kaylynn" last="Asberry"], [player_tooltip player_id="12747" first="Savannah" last="White"], [player_tooltip player_id="108319" first="Aniyah" last="Reuben"] and [player_tooltip player_id="12736" first="Sydney" last="Runsewe"]. Porter had 17 to lead the team in scoring against North Tartan. Nnaji had 23 in a one-point loss to Fury 2023 UAA and 16 in a win over Martin Bros of Iowa. <strong>Fresh Faces of the Week</strong> Metro Stars 2024 was on my schedule this weekend. They were a quality team last year, but some key additions to the lineup this spring make them a squad that requires our attention. Unfortunately the BallerTV feed went down just a few minutes into the game and our viewing plans were scuttled. The fresh faces we’re playing close attention to in coach Lawrence Barnes’ group are as follows: <ul> <li>Guard <strong>Ja’Kahla Craft</strong> of Farmington</li> <li>Guard <strong>Daviyana Singleton-Buchanan</strong> of Bloomington Kennedy</li> <li>Guard <strong>Lilly Hahs</strong> of Cretin-Derham Hall</li> <li>Guard <strong>Mya Green</strong> of Bloomington Kennedy</li> </ul> I’m told the big guard Hahs had an outstanding weekend. She is emerging as a rising star in the class of 2024, which may also be true of the others. We wrote about the 5’11 racehorse Singleton-Buchanan last fall and are bullish on her potential. We’ll watch more closely when that is physically and/or technologically feasible. <strong>In Closing</strong> I had intended to watch a lot more games at the Midwest Kickoff, and was planning to go to the Comets event in and around St. Cloud on Sunday. Unfortunately Mother Nature had other ideas and I have been convalescing at home for over a week now. Let’s hope things will be better this coming weekend at the Spring Showdown, which opens on Friday in the Twin Cities. <span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>Top photo: Minnesota Stars Bjorgaard. [player_tooltip player_id="223912" first="Jenny" last="Ntambwe"] is the back row left, next to coach Chris Bjorgaard.</em></span>