AAU Weekly Recap #9: ND takes flight as does Olivia Olson

Back when I first got started with Prep Girls Hoops I didn’t make it a priority to watch teams from neighboring states. After all, Minnesota prospects are our main focus. I soon discovered the hard way, however, that there are quality players from Minnesota who play on squads from the other side of our borders, and we were missing out on the opportunity to see them. That’s why I made it a point this weekend at the Minnesota Stars Summer Kickoff tournament in Bloomington to check out ND Flight out of Fargo-Moorhead. That’s where we begin our AAU Weekly Recap, version #9 of the 2021 season. <strong>ND FLIGHT TAKES OFF</strong> I now make it a point to ask coaches from neighboring states if they have kids on their rosters who play high school ball in Minnesota. When I touched base with Trevor Olson of ND Flight 2022 this weekend he promptly informed me that there were no less than seven Minnesotans in his group. Two of them we were already very familiar with: twin sisters [player_tooltip player_id="109149" first="Kaylie" last="Crabtree"] and [player_tooltip player_id="109150" first="Kylie" last="Crabtree"] of Hawley. The pair of 5’9 athletic guards have been ranked among the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2022 top 100 from the very beginning. They first came to our attention when they joined the Minnesota Stars Nilsen squad for a summer and quickly proved that they had the skill and smarts to hang with the better prospects in the class. Since that time, the Crabtrees have grown and gotten stronger while proving to be outstanding high school players at Hawley, located about 20 miles east of Moorhead on Highway 10. Both have earned four varsity letters for the Nuggets and three all-conference selections in the Heart O’ Lakes. They are super quick and athletic and quite skilled, with terrific handles, high-quality shooting and plenty of swagger. Between them Kaylie and Kylie averaged about 24 points per game this winter. As they go, so go the Nuggets. Together the two Crabtrees can be magical, but Olson kept them apart this weekend to ensure that there was at least one highly-accomplished point guard on the floor at all times. Kaylie and Kylie, who have both committed to Division 2 Montana State-Billings, are joined by five other Minnesotans on the ND Flight roster: <ul> <li>5’7 guard <strong>Sydney Anderson</strong>, a two-time all-conference selection at Perham</li> <li>5’10 power forward <strong>Lauren Halverson</strong> of Barnesville, also a two-time all-star in the Heart O’Lakes</li> <li>5’8 guard <strong>Sydney Strand</strong> of Barnesville (currently injured)</li> <li>5’6 guard <strong>Abby Morris</strong> of Park Rapids</li> <li>5’10 power forward <strong>Rosie Anderson</strong> of Moorhead</li> </ul> Most of the ND Flight players are multi-sport athletes so the team doesn’t really get going with AAU basketball until June. The Summer Kickoff was their first tournament of the year. They were a little rusty when we watched on Saturday, but by Sunday afternoon the Flight were airborne. We’ll check them out again in two weeks at Summer Jam. <strong>OLSON IS AIRBORNE, TOO</strong> The girls of ND Flight weren’t the only ones taking off this weekend. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id="177728" first="Olivia" last="Olson"] of Minnesota Fury 2024 UAA is literally off to the airport later this week to take her game into a completely different galaxy. Olson, the #1 freshman in Minnesota and a top-10 national prospect according to ESPN, will attend USA Basketball’s U16 National Team trials beginning Sunday in Indianapolis. Olson is one of 34 athletes who was invited to the tryout – 20 from the class of 2023, 13 from 2024, and one from 2025. Whether she makes the team or not it will be a tremendous experience for Olson and a terrific opportunity to measure herself against the best players in the country. Before departing, Olivia turned in a spectacular 40-point performance Saturday as the Fury knocked off FBC Phenom and was generally her usual dominant self throughout the event. While the Fury will certainly miss Olson’s presence, one player who will benefit from Olivia’s absence is [player_tooltip player_id="215972" first="Norah" last="Danielson"] of Delano, the #30-rated prospect in the class. Norah was promoted this weekend from Fury 2024 Premier to the top UAA squad and she looked right at home. The 5’11 Danielson has had an outstanding spring for the Fury and it was likely inevitable that she was going to find herself moving up sooner or later. On a squad that features a plethora of exciting young talent, the 5’11 Danielson has been Premier’s most consistent performer. <strong>WELCOME BACK</strong> Watching players return from a long-term injury absence is exciting, particularly when an athlete makes it obvious right away that they haven’t lost a step and are 100% ready to do battle. That is exactly what we saw this weekend from [player_tooltip player_id="108312" first="Abby" last="Krzewinski"] of Minnesota Fury 2023 UAA. Abby has been out for the better part of a year with a torn ACL, but you would never have known it by how she played. The 5’11 power forward, ranked #17 among Minnesota sophomores, was going about her business as usual without even wearing a knee brace. The Wayzata Trojan moved very, very well when we watched. She was cutting hard and powering past defenders with a quick step to score at the rim. Abby was rebounding with the same intensity and physicality we have become accustomed to seeing from her, and the motor was running as hot as ever. I think ‘explosive’ is the best way to describe it all. Krzewinski looks leaner and stronger and there is no shortage of interest at the D1 level in acquiring her services when the time comes. Welcome back Abby. <strong>THREE BIGS DOING BIG THINGS</strong> <strong>Alyssa Sand – 2024 forward, Minnesota Comets Elite</strong> When freshman <strong>Alyssa Sand</strong> played a big role in Albany’s Class AA state high school championship this spring we were duly impressed by the plus 6-footer with the long arms and terrific instincts. To be honest, however, I was a little underwhelmed watching her in earlier tournaments this spring. That changed this weekend. In the absence of her Albany and Comets teammate <strong>Kylan Gerads</strong> (the undisputed alpha dog of Coach Mike Durbin’s Comets squad) Sand simply took over. She’s a 4/5 who ran the floor, handling the ball and distributing like a guard. She rebounded with abandon and looked every bit like the high-level prospect we think she has the potential to be. Even the physicality we have been looking for from Alyssa was there. Sand’s exceptional play sparked the Comets to a record of 3-1 at the event and raised her stock significantly. [player_tooltip player_id="215970" first="Morgan" last="Miller"] <strong>– 2024 forward, Minnesota Fury UAA</strong> The Fury 2024s won their division this weekend playing two years up. Obviously Olson’s play was a big reason why, but one player who really caught our attention was forward [player_tooltip player_id="215970" first="Morgan" last="Miller"] of Andover. Now 6’2 and still growing, Miller is a newcomer to Nick Storm’s squad this year. The transition to a faster pace and tougher schedule took a little while to get used to, but this weekend Morgan made it clear that she belongs. When Miller earned a top-30 selection in last fall’s first ranking of the 2024 class it was largely based on potential. After a season of varsity ball and a whole lot of hard work, however, Miller’s progress is occurring much more rapidly than anticipated. There’s no doubt a healthy dose of confidence is playing a big part in all that. She is investing the time to improve her footwork and agility and the effort will pay off handsomely in the long run. [player_tooltip player_id="186116" first="Ella" last="Hopkins"] <strong>– 2023 forward, Southern Minnesota Fury 2022</strong> Long, lanky forwards tend to mature a little later than some other prospects, a trend we have seen play out many times in recent years. One great example is [player_tooltip player_id="6431" first="Anna" last="Miller"] of Rochester Mayo, a North Tartan graduate who evolved from awkward freshman into a top-20 senior in the Class of 2021. That earned her a spot at Drake University. [player_tooltip player_id="186116" first="Ella" last="Hopkins"] may be the next Rochester prospect to follow that pattern. Now about 6’2, the top-70 sophomore had an outstanding weekend in Bloomington. She is so much smoother than before, with the ability to score inside and out, with her back to the basket or in transition, even if there’s a big defender hanging all over her. That’s a big step forward for Ella. She is clearly embracing the more physical aspects of the game now, and her compete level has also gone up, as well. The results are impressive.  Hopkins averaged 10 ppg at the Summer Kickoff playing one year up for SM Fury 2022. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/06/Playmakers_Thostenson_Baumgard_Lofstrom-scaled-crop-2194x1440-1623110205.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-295544" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/06/Playmakers_Thostenson_Baumgard_Lofstrom-scaled-crop-2194x1440-1623110205-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="355" height="233" /></a> <strong>MINING FOR GOLD ON THE IRON RANGE</strong> Thanks to the widespread availability of online viewing this season, there were more opportunities than ever to watch prospects from the Iron Range ply their trade. Thanks to the outsized efforts of Playmakers North to expose their kids to strong AAU competition this spring, we have had even more chances to watch the kids from ‘Up North.’ This weekend I couldn’t resist another look at three excellent Playmakers 2024 prospects who definitely have our attention: 6’3 <strong>Olivia Thostenson</strong> of International Falls (photo left), 6’0 [player_tooltip player_id="215986" first="Tresa" last="Baumgard"] of Chisholm (middle), and 5’11 <strong>Jessika Lofstrom</strong> of Grand Rapids (right). We’re pleased to report that Thostenson is making exceptional progress for a prospect just dipping her toe in the AAU waters. Her skills have improved a lot over the past month as she has adapted to the pace, physicality and officiating of spring/summer basketball. On the weekend Thostenson simply overpowered everyone else inside, grabbing countless rebounds and scoring on one close-range bank shot after another. It’s tough to out-board a kid who is this big and plays this hard. I love how Olivia is keeping it simple as she figures out what it’s all about at this level. As for our viewing of Baumgard and Lofstrom... well it just confirms what we have seen each and every time we have witnessed them play so far. Tresa is a gifted athlete with a big body and a bit of a mean streak. Jessika is a sophisticated wing/small forward with touch, pace and savvy. All three will sign their name on a scholarship agreement before it’s all over. <strong>OTHERS WHO IMPRESSED AT THE KICKOFF</strong> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109138" first="Leah" last="Dengerud"] – 2022 guard, Stars Bjorgaard</li> <li><strong>Katelin Flack</strong> – 2024 guard, Rise Hulke</li> <li><strong>Maia Stevens</strong> – 2024 guard, Diamond Elite MMB</li> <li><strong>Marianah Scott</strong> – 2024 guard, Stars Zabel</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="223915" first="Katelyn" last="Diegnau"] – 2022 forward, Rise Wolfe</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="108314" first="Katelyn" last="Maciej"] – 2023 forward, Stars Hersch</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57928" first="Amber" last="Scalia"] – 2022 guard, Fury UAA (St. Thomas)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="57907" first="Desiree" last="Ware"] – 2022 guard, Stars Nilsen (Albama-Birmingham)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="30146" first="Maddie" last="James"] – 2022 guard, Stars Nilsen</li> <li><strong>Mattea Henry</strong> – 2024 forward, Stars Amundson</li> </ul> <span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>Top photo: ND Flight 2022 out of the Fargo-Moorhead area</em></span>