The Best of Mill City: Unsigned 2022s who stood out

The Mill City Invitational, hosted by the Minnesota Fury, is annually one of the top two exposure opportunities of the AAU season in this state. This year’s event took on even more significance, however, since it marked the return of Division 1 coaches to the gym for the first time in two years following the lifting of the pandemic-induced viewing hiatus by the NCAA. The D1s packed the sidelines for three days, including such schools as Oregon, Tennessee, Oregon State, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota and more. They came primarily to see the younger players of the upper echelon, kids like 2024 #1 [player_tooltip player_id="177728" first="Olivia" last="Olson"] of Fury 2024 UAA (Benilde St. Margaret’s), 2023 #4 [player_tooltip player_id="108301" first="Kennedy" last="Sanders"] of Fury 2023 UAA (Chaska) and [player_tooltip player_id="262910" first="Tori" last="Schlagel"] of North Tartan 2025 Nike (Eden Prairie). The fresh-faced youngsters weren’t the only ones drawing attention, however, and there were plenty of D2 and D3 coaches searching for talent, too. That’s who was paying the closest attention to the unsigned 2022s, players at all levels still searching for collegiate opportunities next fall. Today we’ll kick off a four-part ‘Best of Mill City’ series with a look at some unsigned seniors-to-be who had a solid week before hitting the road for more July auditions across the country. Standout seniors-to-be Minnesota Fury 2022 UAA is no stranger to the winners circle. The talent-laden squad has won a ton of tournaments over the years and they did it again this week by capturing the Platinum Division in a thrilling 73-68 encounter with their long-time rivals Wisconsin Flight UAA. The Fury were led by Minnesota commit [player_tooltip player_id="12714" first="Mallory" last="Heyer"] of Chaska with 21 points. She topped the Platinum Division in scoring with 83 points over the five games. [player_tooltip player_id="12722" first="Lilly" last="Meister"] of Rochester John Marshall (Indiana) had 15 points in the win while [player_tooltip player_id="12720" first="Callin" last="Hake"] of Chanhassen (Nebraska) had 13. Those three are among the six D1 commits on the Fury’s marquee squad, with [player_tooltip player_id="57928" first="Amber" last="Scalia"] of Stillwater (St. Thomas), [player_tooltip player_id="12718" first="Ellie" last="Buzzelle"] of Rogers (Grand Canyon) and [player_tooltip player_id="30143" first="Katie" last="Hurt"] of John Marshall (Lehigh) being the others. One of the other key contributors for the Fury this week leads our list of best unsigned 2022s we saw at Mill City. [player_tooltip player_id="109127" first="Nicole" last="Bowlin"] – point guard, Minnesota Fury 2022 UAA (Holy Family) The Fury have four unsigned athletes, including #16-ranked [player_tooltip player_id="147443" first="Lizzie" last="Holder"] of Stillwater, #31 [player_tooltip player_id="109124" first="Emma" last="Miller"] of St. Michael-Albertville and #34 [player_tooltip player_id="12749" first="Champ" last="Danso"] of Simley. Bowlin is the fourth. The scrappy guard, who is truly one of the top passers in the class of 2022, was doing what she usually does – running the floor at maximum speed, slashing her way through opposing defenders, and distributing the ball effectively. Bowlin does everything fast, which will be a valuable asset at the next level where the pace quickens and pretty much everyone is dialed in defensively. The 5’6 Bowlin has excellent handles and quick feet, attributes that have enabled her to overcome a lack of size during her five years on the team. She can also shoot the three with a high rate of success. Bowlin is a Top 50 prospect in the class of 2022. [player_tooltip player_id="57959" first="Hope" last="Dudycha"] – point guard, Southern Minnesota Fury 2022 (Austin) There are a lot of similarities between Dudycha and Bowlin. Hope has been the engine driving the train for the Fury’s 2022 sisters from Southern Minnesota. She is a high-skill guard who understands what it means to be a floor general. She did a nice job of running the offense this week for Coach Keefe Zelinski as she usually does. Dudycha is an excellent distributor but she almost always leads the team in scoring, too. Hope averaged over 12 points per game at Mill City, but her defensive performance was just as important if not more so. On Wednesday, Dudycha came up with the game-winning steal and layup in the final seconds to secure a 43-42 victory over FBC Bounce Nation of Georgia. Dudycha is a Top 75 prospect among the 2022s. [player_tooltip player_id="109163" first="Taya" last="Jeffrey"] – combo guard, Southern Minnesota Fury 2022 (Albert Lea) In addition to Dudycha, perhaps the other most important piece on the SM Fury squad is Jeffrey. This week at Mill City Taya did what Taya does: she locked down on her defensive assignment, made quality choices on offense, and did the little things that go unnoticed but win basketball games. She also scored in double figures in three of the five games. In high school Jeffrey usually averages just under 20 ppg and topped the 1,000 career points mark this past season. At 5’10, she is long and mobile and smooth. She has a calm demeanor on the court and never seems to get fazed in pressure situations. She can score inside or out and has scholarship-level athleticism. Jeffrey was one of our top-10 stock risers in the recently updated rankings of the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2022, moving up 17 positions to #59. She is currently conversing with a number of D2 and NAIA programs and has all of the tools to be successful at either level. [player_tooltip player_id="147445" first="Rose" last="Wille"] – guard/forward, Minnesota Fury 2022 Premier (Farmington) When you talk to Rose’s coaches, be that Farmington’s Liz Carpentier or those who have had her in AAU, they all say the same thing: “She is just so tough!” That’s not surprising. When you watch Wille play, it is the thing that strikes you immediately. Physicality is a valuable commodity in basketball. Although it can be learned and acquired, some players are just wired for contact. That’s Rose. She turned in a solid series of performances again this week. The 5’8 Wille is a versatile contributor at both ends of the floor. She routinely draws the toughest defensive assignments and often punishes her opponent into submission. At the other end of the floor, Rose uses her big frame and aggressive attitude to score primarily inside, but her outside game has expanded a ton this year, as well. Rose was among our biggest stock risers last fall and is a Top 75 prospect. She, too, has interest at the D2 and NAIA level. [player_tooltip player_id="109137" first="Tori" last="Ratz"] – shooting guard, Minnesota Rise Wolfe (Fergus Falls) Every time we watch Tori play there are opposing coaches and players hollering the same thing when Ratz is on the floor: “Shooooter!” Yep she is, and everyone knows it. When we dropped in on Ratz’s game Wednesday afternoon at Mill City, Tori was dropping bombs from everywhere in a win over North Tartan Southeast. Ratz buried 6 triples in a 20-point performance that reinforced a reputation that began when she and [player_tooltip player_id="30148" first="Ellie" last="Colbeck"] lit it up in the Fergus Falls backcourt as 8th graders. Tori has done it in AAU, too, first with DTA Academy and most recently this summer with the Rise. The 5’7 guard can do much more than score from the outside, however, as she has learned to attack the rim and defend with a high degree of effectiveness. Ratz, who has passed 1,000 career points in high school, scored 69 in the tournament. She is currently ranked #62 in the class and is entertaining Division 2 opportunities. [player_tooltip player_id="182112" first="Jordyn" last="Sutton"] – forward, North Tartan Southeast (Rochester Century) We were excited last summer to see what Jordyn would do with the new North Tartan SE squad. It’s a solid group, featuring players from multiple classes, many of whom are quality college prospects as is she. Sutton would likely have been the team’s leader had she not elected to sit out the summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, she made the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2022 rankings for the first time on the strength of a great 2019-20 high school season. Sutton is at the core of a long rebuilding process at Rochester Century where the 6-foot forward is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder. Sutton has tremendous length, which presents a real challenge for defenders, along with nice touch around the basket and the ability to score both inside and out. NTSE had a rough weekend overall before scoring a nice win over the Wisconsin Shooters on day three, a game in which Speer had 11 points and illustrated clearly what she is capable of. Jordyn is currently ranked #116 in the class but has the tools to make a big move up this winter. Top photo: Minnesota Fury 2022 UAA captured the top Platinum Division at the Mill City Invitational