Minnehaha Academy was red-hot at the fall league opener

The Redhawks are red-hot. At least they were on Sunday at Hopkins for the opening session of the Breakdown Sports Fall League. The Minnehaha Academy girls basketball program is also on a roll in the player acquisition department as head coach Matt Pryor will have a long list of new talent at his disposal this winter. Their potential, both as individuals and as a unit, was on full display on Sunday as they rolled to two victories and demonstrated the ball movement, athleticism and intensity we have come to expect from the private school in Minneapolis. The Redhawks have added a half dozen players to the mix, two of whom figure to start and another three or four who should be regulars in a very deep Minnehaha rotation. Joining likely starters [player_tooltip player_id="252379" first="Addison" last="Mack"], [player_tooltip player_id="109128" first="Telia" last="Graham"] and [player_tooltip player_id="108319" first="Aniyah" last="Reuben"] are senior [player_tooltip player_id="109134" first="Charita" last="Lewis"], sophomores Aliyah Al-Hameed and [player_tooltip player_id="178266" first="Angel" last="Hill"], freshman Amina Allen and 7th grader Ava Cupito. Sophomore Sadie Bensen, a transfer from Roseville, might end up in the mix, too. Here’s a rundown on the newcomers likely to play a lot of varsity minutes <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="109134" first="Charita" last="Lewis"] – The 2022 guard, ranked in the Top 40, transferred last year from St. Cloud Cathedral but tore her ACL before the high school season began. She returned in June and looked really good on Sunday. “I was curious to see what her explosiveness, quickness and footspeed would be like coming off the injury because that has obviously been a huge part of her game,” said Coach Pryor. “I think she has shown people already that she is primed to have a really good year. She’s dynamic with the ball in her hands, she can score both inside and outside, and she can pick up an opposing player and defend 95 feet.”</li> <li>Aliyah Al-Hameed – The 2024 transfer from Ankeny, Iowa can play multiple positions. As she showed this summer with North Tartan Elite, Aliyah is quick, strong and skilled. At one point Sunday the physical lefty scored on four straight possessions and it was no accident. “She is [player_tooltip player_id="110532" first="Mia" last="Curtis"] 2.0 with a little bit more defensive acumen,” Pryor said in reference to his former point guard, now at Dartmouth. “Aliyah uses her strength to get downhill on drives. She can score inside, shoots it outside and she’s a really nice defender.”</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="178266" first="Angel" last="Hill"] – The gifted guard, who is ranked in the Top 20 in the Class of 2024, is the younger sister of Tayler Hill (Ohio State, WNBA), Morgan Hill (Tennessee-Chatanooga) and [player_tooltip player_id="109735" first="Jade" last="Hill"] (St. Thomas), so you know she’s got gifts. Angel comes over from Minneapolis South where she played the past three seasons. “Any time you can get a 4A transfer who averaged 16 or 17 points a game the year before, that’s pretty good,” Pryor said. “Angel is really long and athletic, and she has great defensive flexibility.”</li> <li>Ava Cupito – Perhaps the most intriguing addition is also the youngest. The 2027 guard is a member of Demondi Johnson’s 43 Hoops 6th grade state championship team, a stellar unit that hasn’t lost an age-group game in three years. Ava has future greatness written all over her. “Obviously I’m a little biased but she is the best 7th grader I’ve seen in the state and I don’t think it’s even close,” said Coach Pryor. “She handles the basketball well. She’s very tall, strong and physical for her age. To be only in 7th grade and do some of the stuff she does is pretty special.”</li> <li>Amina Allen – The 2025 guard was a regular last season as an 8th grader at Minneapolis Southwest. The coach sees a ton of potential in Amina. “She understands how to move on defense and always seems to be in the right place at the right time,” he said. “Offensively she’s just a great decision maker who makes the right play at the right time. Anytime you have a freshman who is a great decision maker you can bring her off the bench and build on that.”</li> </ul> The only player lost off last year’s 17-4 squad is Top 20 sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="178268" first="Anisa" last="Longs"], who returns to the Minneapolis City Conference at Roosevelt. Sophomores Barit Parten and [player_tooltip player_id="302301" first="Jennica" last="Suggs"], who both played a lot of minutes last year, will probably do the same this time around. The new additions give Minnehaha something the Redhawks didn’t really have last season: depth. “We like to press and play run-and-gun, a real up-tempo style,” Pryor said. “Now being able to go 10 deep it’s really going to allow us to keep our legs fresh, to keep the pressure on teams, and really force opposing team’s ball handlers to have to work against us.” One player who will draw plenty of attention again this time around is 9th grade point guard [player_tooltip player_id="252379" first="Addison" last="Mack"], who came to Minnehaha last season after one year at Blake. Entering her third varsity campaign, Mack needs just one bucket from behind the three-point line to score her 1,000th career point. True. Mack has grown a couple of inches inches in 2021 and is starting to fill out, too. Her ball-handling is unquestioned, and she is one of the best long-distance shooters in the state regardless of class. Last year Mack averaged nearly 23 points a game. This year she’ll have a lot more options to work with. “Addi is still going to be a lights-out shooter, and she’s still going to score a ton of points for us, but I’m really looking forward to seeing her step into more of a facilitator, playmaker role – a true scoring point guard,” Pryor said. “Managing the game from the point guard position you can see the growth in her game. Addi has always been able to score, she has always been able to shoot. I’m a firm believer that she is the best ball handler in that class. Now I see her gaining a greater understanding of the game. When to drive. When to shoot the three. How to utilize that incredible skillset she has in game situations.” Will Minnehaha win it all in 2A? [caption id="attachment_253325" align="alignright" width="150"]<img class="wp-image-253325 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/Addison-Mack_Maddyn-Greenway-crop-1628x1069-1612734408-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="252379" first="Addison" last="Mack"] & [player_tooltip player_id="252381" first="Maddyn" last="Greenway"] will meet again this winter.[/caption]Looking back at last season, and scanning the rosters in Class 2A, it’s hard to fathom that there is a more talented team around. The folks at Providence Academy might beg to differ, of course, and that is certainly understandable. The Lions have also added depth with [player_tooltip player_id="148331" first="Kyra" last="Miller"] back from ACL surgery and freshman [player_tooltip player_id="296515" first="Hope" last="Counts"] entering the fray, and we all know that [player_tooltip player_id="252381" first="Maddyn" last="Greenway"] is one of the best young point guards in the state. But is Minnehaha the favorite to win it all? “I believe so,” said Coach Pryor. “There are a lot of talented teams in 2A but I look at this roster with the depth we have, with the talent we have and just the experience we were able to get last year by going to the state tournament, I do think we are the team to beat. Providence is obviously really tough. They return a ton of girls from a team that made it to the state championship game last year, and [player_tooltip player_id="252381" first="Maddyn" last="Greenway"] is a stud! If I had to circle one 2A game on the schedule to see it would be us and Providence. We have been able to establish a pretty nice rivalry with them and I’m looking forward to continuing that this year.” Top photo: Minnehaha Academy newcomers (left to right) Aliyah Al-Hameed, Amina Allen, [player_tooltip player_id="178266" first="Angel" last="Hill"], Ava Cupito and [player_tooltip player_id="109134" first="Charita" last="Lewis"].