AAU Weekly Recap #3: Spring Showdown Standouts

Every time a new independent club shows up on the scene we never quite know what to expect. Usually they are built around the founder’s daughter, but often the roster is severely lacking in depth and their on-court organization can be spotty. It’s also uncertain as to where they’ll fit in the AAU pecking order in their age group. This week’s newcomers at the Spring Showdown were Give ‘n Go out of Rochester, and we’re here to tell you that not only is their 2023 team deep and talented but they will probably be a serious threat at the AAU State Tournament next month. One of the biggest reasons why the club needs to be taken seriously is guard Taylor Clarey of Rochester Century. PLAYER OF THE WEEK Taylor Clarey – 2024 guard, Give ‘n Go (Rochester Century) Give ‘n Go 2023 opened Friday night with a 5-point win over the Minnesota Heat before sweeping their schedule the rest of the weekend. I watched them twice on Sunday, including a stunning 34-32 overtime win against the West Central Wildcats. There are some very nice players on the team but none in the same stratosphere as Clarey. She is one of those athletes you notice immediately when the game tips off. With light feet, great lateral movement and a nice natural feel for the game, she ran the point with a calmness and poise that was truly impressive. At 5’7, and a little bit on the thin side, it doesn’t look like she’d be a physical presence on the court, but she is. Clarey appears to have that alpha dog mentality and the unspoken leadership abilities that all quality point guards possess. She can score in multiple ways and demonstrated the ability to elevate quickly and float to the rim with grace, finishing through contact. There’s a certain patience to her game. She never rushes things, waiting instead for the right moments to make her move and either pass to an open teammate or attack the basket. Taylor’s three-point shooting was certainly evident in the nail-biter against West Central. She led her team from six down with just seconds remaining, an impressive stretch that culminated in a three-point bomb at the buzzer to force overtime. After missing her previous three or four shots in a row, Clarey kept on shooting and it paid off. Taylor is also an excellent defender, with very long arms and a great sense of timing and anticipation that enable her to get tips and deflections in the passing lanes. In summation, the Give ‘n Go team was different when she was on the floor. She scored 44 points in four games. This year at Century was Taylor’s second as a key member of the varsity squad where she is at the core of a rebuilding program. She averaged 10.3 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.1 steals. Those numbers are impressive playing 4A ball in a tough conference like the Big 9. Clarey’s production was up two-fold from her 8th grade year. We didn’t see Clarey last summer, so she didn’t make the Freshmen 50. After watching her play four or five times online this winter, we liked what we saw and she made our Top 10 Freshmen to Watch this winter. Following Sunday’s performances we can tell you with great certainty that Clarey is a slam-dunk top 30 prospect in the class of 2024, perhaps higher. GAME OF THE WEEK North Tartan Elite 2022 defeated Minnesota Rise 2022 Wolfe 55-48 in our first game of the weekend. The Rise had a really strong opening half and led for a good portion of the game. There were a lot of quality prospects in this one, including North Tartan’s top scorers on the night [player_tooltip player_id="108322" first="Brylee" last="Iverson"] (Triton) and [player_tooltip player_id="109125" first="CJ" last="Adamson"] (Rochester Lourdes), not to mention 2023 point guard [player_tooltip player_id="108323" first="Ashley" last="Fritz"] of Eden Prairie, who is taking her game to another level at the moment. It was [player_tooltip player_id="147449" first="Olivia" last="Hayenga"] of Worthington who led the Rise with 20 points while Hutchinson point guard [player_tooltip player_id="147455" first="Alyssa" last="Stamer"] had 9. One Rise player who impressed us all weekend was 6’1 power forward [player_tooltip player_id="223915" first="Katelyn" last="Diegnau"], whose status in the 2022 class is on the rise. She started every game this winter for Granada-Huntley-East Chain-Truman, averaging about 10 and 7. With a big frame and long arms, Katelyn is a high-quality rebounder and appears to be a defense-first player who may be scholarship material. NORTHERN EXPOSURE Northern Lights 2022 vs High Impact 2022 These two teams are loaded with kids who all live in the same general vicinity on the Iron Range and environs. It’s kind of funny, then, that they come all the way to the Twin Cities to face the best players from their own backyard. It wasn’t particularly close (Northern Lights won it 45-34) but it was fun to watch a ton of college-level talent in a single game. The Northern Lights lineup includes Brainerd junior Kylie Johnson, along with [player_tooltip player_id="109146" first="Natalee" last="Hakamaki"] and Sascha Korpela of Cromwell-Wright. High Impact has Virginia standouts [player_tooltip player_id="182117" first="Rian" last="Aune"] and Reece Aune, along with a heavy Mountain Iron-Buhl presence that includes Hali Savela, Ava Butler, Jacie Kvas, Sage Ganyo, [player_tooltip player_id="109152" first="Lauren" last="Maki"] and Gabi Lira, along with Cromwell-Wright’s Andrea Pocernich, who led all scorers with 15 points. The best prospect of the bunch is someone we wrote about a couple of weeks ago – junior forward [player_tooltip player_id="147457" first="Kora" last="Forsline"] of Mesabi East. Far too few players from Up North get the credit they deserve nor the college roster spots they should. We’re trying to change that. To be fair, I probably should have mentioned every kid in the game. If you want to see all the names check out the Spring Showdown rosters via aauevents.com. FRESH FACES Gracie Winge – 2024 guard, Minnesota Heat Hinck We first saw the big guard from Lakeville North in a private workout last summer with Bill Hinck. Her potential was obvious back then. This weekend it was live and in color. Winge has blossomed into a highly skilled guard who can get to the rim and shoot the basketball with the best of them. The most exciting aspect of her game, though is her willingness to defend and passion for that aspect of the game. Gracie appears to be about 5’9 with a big frame and plenty of height in her family. She’s strong and physical and plays with a bit of an edge. When bringing the ball up the floor, she almost never looks down. Winge scored 61 points this weekend, third-most in the entire tournament. Hope Counts – 2025 forward, Metro Stars Mention the name Counts among Minnesota basketball observers and the picture pretty much paints itself. As we all saw this spring in their much-publicized run to the State Tournament, junior [player_tooltip player_id="57963" first="Maria" last="Counts"] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="148338" first="Grace" last="Counts"] were standouts for Providence Academy and are stalwarts in the Metro Stars program. The latest sister to step into the spotlight will be 2025 prospect Hope Counts. At 6’0, she’s a little leaner, a little bit quicker and just as skilled as the others. With long strides and quality footwork, Hope demonstrated advanced skills and a solid basketball IQ. Clearly this girl has a motor and a bit of sandpaper, too. Comparisons are inevitable when you have successful older sisters who have had so much success, but Hope is carving out her own niche and will soon be an impact player at the varsity level. EVALUATION UPDATE Brea Mertz – 2024 forward, Minnesota Rise We have evaluated Mertz before and her potential has intrigued us for some time. When we checked in on the 5’9 small forward from Sleepy Eye and Ryan Hulke’s 2024 Minnesota Rise this weekend, it was rather obvious that Brea’s game has blossomed. She was powering to the hoop, pulling down rebounds and using her rather ample size and physical presence to impact the game in a big way. She scored 31 points in four games. This winter, Mertz scored 11 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game for Sleepy Eye along with 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocks. She was honorable mention all-conference in the Tomahawk Conference. The Rise played Sunday against Dan Corley’s Crossfire South 2024 squad. The contest was close for a long time before Hulke’s squad slowly seized control. The difference between the two teams, which is always crucial in this age group, is the Crossfire players have yet to play varsity. It can be tough to get your foot in the door in the bigger Twin Cities schools. The Rise girls, on the other hand, are all proven varsity veterans, including Mertz’s Sleepy Eye teammate [player_tooltip player_id="178265" first="Kadence" last="Hesse"] who is a top 25 prospect in the Class of 2024. Most of the Crossfire kids will get there eventually. Madison Malecha of Burnsville was excellent on Sunday as was guard Elizabeth Corley of United Christian Academy in Bloomington. LEADING SCORERS (8th grade and up) <ul> <li>71 – [player_tooltip player_id="109179" first="Kate" last="Cordes"], MBA</li> <li>64 – Avery Koenen, West Central Wildcats 2022</li> <li>61 – Gracie Winge, Minnesota Heat 2024 Hinck</li> <li>55 – Addison PIlarski, Minnesota Comets Uter</li> <li>53 – Lydia Schmitter, Minnesota Stars Voyce</li> <li>53 - [player_tooltip player_id="220846" first="Mya" last="Morris"], West Central United</li> <li>52 – [player_tooltip player_id="178265" first="Kadence" last="Hesse"], Minnesota Rise 2024</li> <li>51 – [player_tooltip player_id="57959" first="Hope" last="Dudycha"], Southern Minnesota Fury</li> <li>48 – Annica Schaefer, Rochester Shock</li> <li>48 – Ally Habala, West Central Wildcats 2024</li> <li>45 – [player_tooltip player_id="209058" first="Claire" last="McGregor"], Southern Minnesota Fury 2024</li> <li>45 – [player_tooltip player_id="212489" first="Sophie" last="Hawkinson"], North Tartan 2025</li> <li>45 – [player_tooltip player_id="252379" first="Addison" last="Mack"], North Tartan 2025</li> <li>44 – Taylor Clarey, Give ‘n Go 2023</li> <li>44 – [player_tooltip player_id="147449" first="Olivia" last="Hayenga"], Minnesota Rise 2022</li> <li>43 – [player_tooltip player_id="109141" first="Kassie" last="Caron"], Minnesota Fury 2022 Premier</li> </ul> Top photo: Junior [player_tooltip player_id="223915" first="Katelyn" last="Diegnau"] of the Minnesota Rise was one of this weekend’s notable performers.