AAU Weekly Recap #10: An Xplosion of Xposure

So many teams, so little time. That’s how it usually goes at AAU tournaments when there are never enough hours in the day to see all of the teams and players we want to see. With just 25 girls squads participating from within the four classes we cover, the Minnesota Suns Summer Xplosion at Wayzata  was different, and that’s a good thing for a number of prospects we watched. This is where we’ll focus in our AAU Weekly Recap, edition #10. <strong>SAVVY VETERANS WHO STOOD OUT</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="109130" first="Selam" last="Maher"] <strong>– 2022 guard, Suns Blue Star (Hopkins)</strong> When Selam burst onto the high school scene at Richfield a few years ago she was known as a prodigious scorer and an elite shooter, a reputation she carried with her to Hopkins where injuries and an incredibly talented lineup have prevented Maher from really being able to showcase what she can do. This weekend was her second tournament with the Suns since moving over from the Metro Stars where she was overshadowed by the big dogs from Hopkins. Now the 5’8 combo guard is getting the playing time and visibility she really needs to make a lasting impression on college coaches. Maher is a top-50 talent with outstanding skills, a very good work ethic, and the experience of being in a championship program. She also has the classroom pedigree to match and is interested in playing in a high academic setting such as the Ivy League. These next few weeks are crucial for Maher and she looked totally up to the task this weekend. [player_tooltip player_id="108340" first="Lauren" last="Knudson"] <strong>– 2023 guard, Metro Stars 3SSB (Orono)</strong> Speaking of intelligent athletes, there aren’t many smarter point guards in Minnesota than Lauren. She is as crafty as they come, a superior tactician who understands pace, knows how to properly set the tempo and comprehends exactly how to get the most out of her rather talented teammates. Sometimes we forget just how difficult that is to do, but Lauren makes it all look easy. In addition she is a superb ball-handler, giving her so many more options when it comes to offensive execution. With speed, quickness and the ability to make shots from long distance, Knudson has evolved into a solid top-50 prospect. Did we mention she can really defend? Lauren played a big role in engineering the resurgence at Orono this year where she averaged about 11 points per game and she was big for the Metro Stars this weekend. <strong>Hannah Compton – 2023 guard, Suns Blue Star (Legacy Christian)</strong> There are a ton of talented kids on De’Ante Michaud’s Suns 2023 Blue Star squad, including the likes of  [player_tooltip player_id="108317" first="Shantell" last="Harden"], [player_tooltip player_id="108330" first="Karlee" last="Fisher"], [player_tooltip player_id="108329" first="Jhanae" last="Green"] and now [player_tooltip player_id="109130" first="Selam" last="Maher"], but the reality is Compton’s contributions mean just as much to the team’s success as those of her more heralded teammates. That certainly showed up on Sunday when Hannah made the biggest play of the tournament’s most hard-fought contest, scoring on a last-ditch drive to give the Suns a one-point win over Metro Stars 3SSB. During the high school season, Compton does it all for Legacy Christian where she averages nearly 17 ppg. With the Suns her role is more nuanced and varies greatly from game to game. She gets to the basket with high frequency, is an excellent three-point shooter (she had 8 threes in a game this winter), and can be counted on to make one hustle play after another. <strong>TOILING IN THE TRENCHES</strong> It takes all kinds of players to win basketball games, many of whom go about their business in relative anonymity. We saw three of them in the epic 2023 matchup between Suns Blue Star and Metro Stars 3SSB this weekend, players whose work we often admire but seldom take the time to acknowledge. <strong>Tamia Brack</strong> of Osseo and <strong>Malayna Dille-Starks</strong> of Champlin Park have been a huge part of the Suns’ success in recent summers. Occasionally they light up the scoreboard (Malayna had 10 in the win over the Metro Stars) but more often they are doing the underappreciated work that wins basketball games – they defend hard, rebound the basketball, and deliver a consistent effort. [player_tooltip player_id="220830" first="Isa" last="Nelson"] of the Metro Stars plays a similar role on Ellen Wiese’s team. Every year Nelson expands her game and every year her stock rises accordingly. She is a terrific on-ball defender, can guard even the quickest opponents and can now score the basketball on a regular basis. A tip of the hat to all three. <strong>FIVE FRESH FACES WE LIKED</strong> Lengthy 2024 guard <strong>Ellie Edberg</strong> showed signs last winter that she was about to break through at Mankato East. The Minnesota Nice athlete was a JV standout for most of the season before working her way into a strong varsity lineup just in time to turn in a clutch performance versus Hutchinson in section play. This weekend at the Summer Xplosion we saw the 5’9 Edberg do a ton of stuff we really liked. She’s smooth and athletic, with light feet, good quickness and the kind of basketball instincts you just can’t teach. Edberg does a nice job of using her length at both ends of the floor, grabbing her share of offensive boards and getting a ton of tips and deflections on defense. She shoots the ball well from distance and is putting the work in to add new elements to her game on a regular basis. Here’s a few more fresh faces we liked: <ul> <li><strong>Romo Smith</strong> – The 2026 forward from Mankato plays for the same Minnesota Nice 2025 Brooke team that features standout guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="280354" first="Tucker" last="Downs"]</strong>, who we told you about a few weeks back. Romo is big and strong, with a power forward’s body, physical presence and aggressive demeanor on the glass. With the motor to match, Smith is a player we will be watching.</li> <li><strong>Emerson Lamb</strong> – The 5’11 wing from Suns 2025 Blue Star hails from Minneapolis Southwest, where she is a product of the Lakers youth program that is really starting to bear fruit for Dan Froehlich’s high school team. She’s long and tall and thin  with a big wingspan, and is likely still adapting to her new dimensions. This is a kid with potential.</li> <li><strong>Bella Brustuen</strong> – Another Suns 2025 Blue Star prospect who impressed, Brustuen is a stocky 5’10 power forward from Blaine with a big frame and a strong build. Bella is a terrific rebounder and has nice touch around the rim. We loved the simplicity of Bella’s game, and she showed well-developed footwork down low, making it clear that she is putting in the time to hone her craft.</li> <li><strong>Jada Abed</strong> – A 2024 guard/wing from Minnesota Suns 2024 Black, Jada is a highly athletic, highly energetic player who bounces around the court at speed and plays with passion. Jada showed us that she can score, knocking down a couple of Seimone Augustus-style mid-range bullets, beating her defender with a quick step on the baseline to score on a baby jumper, and knocking down threes with a smooth stroke.</li> </ul> <strong>TEAM OF THE WEEK</strong> As we alluded to above, <strong>Metro Stars 2023 3SSB</strong> had a great weekend, coming back from a heart-breaking one-point loss to Suns 2023 Blue Star to win the top Candace Parker Division. They certainly deserve a Team of the Week salute, but we want to focus here on the winners of the Sue Bird Division – <strong>Suns 2024 Blue Star</strong> – who have as much next-level talent as any team that played in the tournament. Led by 2026 phenom [player_tooltip player_id="205310" first="Tori" last="Oehrlein"] of Crosby-Ironton, the Suns rolled through their opposition with four straight victories and a ton of exceptional performances. Oerhlein, who is quickly gathering a reputation around the country as a special talent, was her usual exceptional self. She’s so smooth and intelligent, with court vision that is the best we’ve seen since [player_tooltip player_id="1915" first="Paige" last="Bueckers"], and this won’t be the last time we mention those two players in the same sentence! The Suns were firing on all cylinders this weekend, with Stillwater’s [player_tooltip player_id="178274" first="Amy" last="Thompson"] (ranked #11 in the Class of 2024) bombing threes, Maple Grove’s [player_tooltip player_id="215956" first="Claire" last="Stern"] (#18) getting to the rim and the consistent attacking energy of Andover’s [player_tooltip player_id="178261" first="Piper" last="Engelby"] (#31). <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="209068" first="Casey" last="Beck"]</strong> (Coon Rapids), #50 [player_tooltip player_id="215991" first="Abby" last="Richter"] (Edina) and <strong>Lila Posthuma</strong> (Prescott, WI) were also very good and point guard <strong>Evie Schmitz</strong> (St. Louis Park) took advantage of more playing time to shine. This weekend marked the return of forward [player_tooltip player_id="215985" first="Olivia" last="Pawlicki"] (#44) of Shakopee who has been sidelined for a month with injury. Her Sabers teammate [player_tooltip player_id="215969" first="Nicole" last="Maenke"] (#26) is expected back in a couple of weeks. Add it all up and you have a championship-caliber lineup. This weekend they played like exactly that. <span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>Top photo: Bella Brustuen (left) and Emerson Lamb (right) were among the fresh faces we liked at the Suns Summer Xplosion.</em></span>