Meltdown Stock Risers: Unsigned Minnesota seniors-to-be

AAU basketball exists primarily for one reason: To showcase talented players in front of college basketball coaches. This week’s North Tartan Meltdown was the final opportunity of Minnesota’s summer season for players to do that in their home state, and more than 200 next-level recruiters were on hand to watch at Hopkins, Shakopee and Bloomington Jefferson. For the Class of 2022 – this year’s incoming seniors – it represented the final local opportunity of their grassroots basketball careers to display their wares. The following five players really made the most of it while raising their recruiting stock in the process.

Champ Danso Champ Danso 6'0" | PF Simley | 2022 State MN – forward, Minnesota Fury 2022 UAA (Simley)

The 6’0 power forward has spent much of her career operating in the shadows of other great prospects. At Simley High School in Inver Grove Heights she didn’t become the top dog until the 2020 graduation of four outstanding players: Her sister TeeTee Danso TeeTee Danso 6'0" | PF Simley | 2020 State MN (Bradley) along with Sydney Stensgard Sydney Stensgard 5'9" | CG Simley | 2020 State MN (Montana State), Ravyn Miles Ravyn Miles 5'7" | PG Simley | 2020 State MN (Rochester CTC) and Zareia Chevre Zareia Chevre 5'10" | PF Simley | 2020 State MN (Monmouth). With the Fury’s top 2022 squad she has been overshadowed in the forward role by high-major commits Mallory Heyer Mallory Heyer 6'1" | PF Chaska | 2022 State #36 Nation MN (Minnesota) and Lilly Meister Lilly Meister 6'2" | PF Rochester John Marshall | 2022 State #55 Nation MN (Indiana). On Tuesday, Danso took center stage by doing what she does best: defending with passion. Champ was assigned the less-than-enviable task of keeping 6’3 behemoth Audi Crooks of Iowa away from the basket. That’s a big ask given that Crooks has an enormous body, light feet, and sweet touch, which is why she has enough high major offers to fill her backpack to overflowing. Danso, in concert with her teammates, took the task to heart and got the job done as Crooks was held to just 13 points, about half of her expected output. As a result the Fury won 60-42.

The performance was prototypical Champ. She used her size and strength well, leveraging her big body for maximum effect, and rebounding with force and timing, She scored just two points, but that’s not what she’s counted on for with the Fury. At Simley, however, we’ve seen Danso put the ball in the basket on a regular basis. She averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds per game this past winter, and topped the 1,000-career points mark while shooting 55 percent. She did that with quiet efficiency and sheer effort. Danso’s recruiting is still wide open, which is surprising given the fact that at #34 she is one of the highest-ranked prospects still available. Danso is open to all scholarship-level programs and will go anywhere in the country if the fit is right. With a strong GPA, terrific intangibles and the ability to guard a high-major recruit like Crooks, Champ offers an appealing package. Coaches need to hop on this bandwagon soon.

Here are four more incoming seniors who raised their stock at the Meltdown.

Paige Peaslee Paige Peaslee 6'0" | PF North Branch | 2022 State MN – forward, Minnesota Heat (North Branch)

Injuries are a part of the game, but they can play an outsized role when it comes to determining where prospects end up at the next level. Knee injuries, in particular, can have a drastic effect by keeping players off the court for months on end and raising doubts about whether or not the athlete will be able to return to form. We are pleased to report that Paige has recovered well from her ACL surgery. She returned to the floor recently and is once again playing at a very high level. We watched the 6’0 power forward at the Meltdown a couple of times and talked with her at length about the comeback and her recruiting. The news was all good. Paige is moving well, cutting hard and attacking the rim with vigor despite not entirely regaining her conditioning as yet. Prior to the injury Peaslee was emerging as an outstanding prospect with all of the tools needed to excel in Division 2. She averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds per game as a sophomore. She scores inside and out, with range extending beyond the three-point line. She runs the floor well and is effective in the open court. Down low Paige is a handful. Although North Branch is a lower-profile high school program, those in the know were well aware of Peaslee’s physical abilities and elite academics. She is a natural leader with terrific intangibles and a tremendous work ethic, and now she’s back in business. Peaslee is currently ranked #44 in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2022.

Charita Lewis Charita Lewis 5'4" | CG Minnehaha Academy | 2022 State MN – guard, North Tartan 2022 Elite (Minnehaha Academy)

Speaking of knee injuries, another ACL-survivor raised her stock at the Meltdown, as well. Lewis, who goes by ‘Tiny,’ is back on the floor after missing the better part of a year. The injury occurred after Tiny had made it known she would be transferring from St. Cloud Cathedral to Minnehaha Academy. Although her Redhawks debut was delayed by a full season, you can bet Tiny will make an impact in Minneapolis for coach Matt Pryor. At just 5’4, Lewis has always relied on her super-quick feet, outstanding handles, and high-level athleticism to get the job done. That’s how she earned a top-40 ranking in spite of her size. Right now she’s working on regaining all of that after a long absence. Lewis has gotten better every time out since returning a few weeks ago. She immediately made a positive impact for North Tartan Elite, pushing the pace, knocking down shots from both mid-range and long distance, and making a difference on defense where she is a pest on the perimeter who can lock down her opponent with great lateral movement and quality anticipation. Lewis remains a high-level prospect who is poised for a nice senior year. In the long run she may turn out to be a steal of a recruit for whichever program gets her signature on the dotted line.

Malia Nelson Malia Nelson 5'9" | CG Dover-Eyota | 2022 State MN – guard, Southern Minnesota Fury 2022 (Dover-Eyota)

If there is a player in Minnesota who operates with a higher degree of intensity on the court we haven’t seen her. Malia is a force every time out. She’s just so incredibly gritty and plays with zero fear of any opponent regardless of size, speed, skill or pedigree. Last year we saw her go to war with 6’4 Maya Nnaji Maya Nnaji 6'4" | PF Hopkins | 2022 State #7 Nation MN of Hopkins, the #1 prospect in the 2022 class and a University of Arizona commit. What should have been the ultimate mismatch instead became a back-alley brawl, and Nelson was the primary protagonist. The 5’10 combo guard, who is built for power, is a grinder who wears opponents down through sheer effort and constant physicality. Malia isn’t afraid to rough opponents up a little if that’s what it takes to prevail as Nnaji discovered first-hand. All of that is what sets Nelson apart, but her offensive skills cannot be overlooked. She is a consistent scorer in AAU and can light it up from time to time. In high school she fills up the cylinder in a big way. In one game this week Nelson was 8-for-10 from the field. Malia is currently ranked #77 in the class, but there is no way to quantify just how much impact her intensity and drive will mean in the right college program.

Alyssa Stamer Alyssa Stamer 5'7" | CG Hutchinson | 2022 State MN – guard, Minnesota Rise 2022 Wolfe (Hutchinson)

Alyssa is a student of the game, a gym rat of the highest order. She is driven to be great and has put in the work toward that end. The 5’7 combo guard plays with so much energy. Stamer is fast and smooth and skilled. She can shoot it, handle it and score it. She can also defend and her basketball IQ is high. Stamer popped up on our radar at a Martin Luther King Day event in St. Paul in 2020 where she went head-to-head with the uber-talented Chaska Hawks and stepped out of the shadows of her then-senior sister Michaela. Since that time Alyssa has just kept on improving. When the pandemic-delayed 2021 high school season finally commenced in January, Stamer wasted no time in serving notice that she was going to bust loose. Alyssa put up 43 points on opening night against St. Peter, scoring 17 field goals, going 7-for-7 at the free throw line, and leading her team’s comeback. That’s impressive in a Class 3A basketball game and bodes well when considering where Alyssa fits at the next level. Stamer rose 21 spots in our recent rankings update and is now at #93. She made a case at the Meltdown that another jump may be in order.

Top photo: Alyssa Stamer Alyssa Stamer 5'7" | CG Hutchinson | 2022 State MN of Hutchinson