These 2024s are Breakout Player of the Year candidates

Sophomore year is a big one for college basketball prospects. That’s when the wheat starts to separate from the chaff, when top prospects begin to grab hold of spots in the starting lineup and never give them up, when physical development tends to really take root. The results can be fun to watch. That’s where [player_tooltip player_id="215956" first="Claire" last="Stern"] is at. The 6’0 forward from Maple Grove had a very good freshmen year as she eased her way into a bigger role in a veteran-laden lineup. This summer Stern’s game just took off, and now she is ready for more. It’s not often that a Prep Girls Hoops Breakout Player of the Year will begin their season already ranked in the Top 15 of their class. In this case, however, it seems appropriate because Stern’s ceiling has become incredibly high. That’s why she leads our look today at 2024 prospects who are ready for a breakout year. [player_tooltip player_id="215956" first="Claire" last="Stern"] – forward, Maple Grove At 6’0 tall, Stern is a prototypical 4-spot athlete. It’s her frame you notice first. She has big shoulders with plenty of width. She has long arms with plenty of reach. She can also move incredibly well, both in a straight line and side to side. Stern understands timing and pacing and her straight-line speed is outstanding. All of that is incredibly important stuff if the prospect’s intent is to play Division 1 basketball. What makes Stern different is her relentless drive to get to the basket and tenacity in pursuit of the ball no matter where it is on the court. Heaven help a defender who tries to step in the way at the wrong time because Claire is either going to slip by and embarrass you, or play bulldozer and run you over. This summer with Dre Jefferson’s Minnesota Suns 2024 Blue Star squad, Claire was stunningly good week after week. She got off to a great start, which prompted a rise from #18 to #14 in the PGH prospect rankings update in June. By summer’s end it was clear that she is now among the top 10 prospects in the class. <img class="alignright wp-image-209174 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/104_Savanah-Gardner_1-1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="215973" first="Savanah" last="Gardner"] – wing, Eastview Gardner is perfectly constructed for modern-day basketball. We have her listed as a wing. In reality she can play any position you want, guard any position you want, be successful wherever you need her to be. That makes Savanah a very valuable prospect. In 2020, the biggest things missing from Gardner’s game were consistency and maturity. At times she looked like a world beater; at other times she left us shaking our head. Fast forward to the summer of 2021 and Gardner looked like a really good candidate for high-level D1. The 6-footer has gotten stronger, developed a noticeable toughness, become more even-keel emotionally, and is scoring at a high rate. She certainly finished nicely on Saturday at the Nickle Dickle 3X3 tournament in Waconia where Gardner slipped to the hole to score the winning basket for her Splash Sisters squad that included [player_tooltip player_id="215957" first="Gabby" last="Betton"], [player_tooltip player_id="215958" first="Tori" last="McKinney"] and Rainey Welson. Gardner moved up to 20th in the Class of 2024 rankings mid-summer. She’ll move further north with a breakout high school campaign. <img class="alignright wp-image-208545 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/96_Piper-Engelby_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="178261" first="Piper" last="Engelby"] – guard, Andover Piper is a grinder, having acquired all of the intangibles you’d expect from a player fitting that description. She has never met a loose ball she won’t pursue with passion and physical presence She has never shied away from a killer workout that might send teammates running for cover. And she’s sparing no energy in her pursuit of a college basketball scholarship, whether that’s on or off the court. All of it is paying off for Piper. Like Stern, she plays for the Suns’ top 2024 team. Like Stern, she has a nose for the basket and a willingness to do whatever it takes to get there. Like Stern, she is coming off a great summer during which she proved she has the skills, smarts and stamina to pursue the prize 24-7-365. At 5’11, Piper is plenty long. She’s athletic and bouncy, quick enough to get around the court in a hurry, and smart enough to make solid decisions on the floor. She shoots it very well and is crafty, even elusive one-on-one. Blake Nicols’ Andover program has some terrific 2024s in [player_tooltip player_id="178262" first="Emma" last="Frost"], [player_tooltip player_id="304892" first="Anna" last="Vaaler"] and [player_tooltip player_id="215970" first="Morgan" last="Miller"], and they’re all poised for a breakout season. We’re certain the 31st-ranked Engelby will do her level-best to set the pace. <img class="alignright wp-image-209178 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/111_Isabella-Sanneh_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="304906" first="Isabella" last="Sanneh"] – forward, East Ridge Sanneh was one of the pleasant surprises of the summer season. We loved the way she played for coach Tanysha Scott’s MN Ice-Team Sorella, particularly at the AAU State Tournament. That helped her earn her a Top 75 ranking in the Class of 2024. We loved the way she played at the University of St. Thomas Elite Camp, where she was one of the premier performers in a deep field loaded with D1-level talent. Yet it’s hard to pin down specifically what it is that’s causing us and others to take notice of all that Isabella can do because she does so many things well. At 5’10 she’s fairly tall, although not overly so for a power forward. She does have a great frame, with plenty of width and thickness. She’s strong and athletic, which isn’t surprising given that the Sanneh family bloodlines include Tony, the former Major League Soccer star from St. Paul. Since Ashley Ellis-Milan took over last year as the head coach at East Ridge, we have seen a number of her players make significant improvement, but none more so than Sanneh. She is smoother now, with nice handles, solid ball security and a physical presence. We’re excited to see what’s next. [player_tooltip player_id="304938" first="Lexi" last="Rose"] – guard, Becker This will be a transition year in Becker. With the backbone of the team having moved on to college basketball – [player_tooltip player_id="2122" first="Julia" last="Bengtson"] to Eastern Illinois, [player_tooltip player_id="29532" first="Megan" last="Gamble"] to Concordia-St. Paul, [player_tooltip player_id="109774" first="Courtney" last="Nuest"] to Bethel and [player_tooltip player_id="109797" first="Alayna" last="Lindquist"] to Northwestern St. Paul – the team now rests in the capable hands of senior [player_tooltip player_id="30163" first="Adeline" last="Kent"] (Tampa) and juniors [player_tooltip player_id="108304" first="Maren" last="Westin"] (UW-Green Bay), [player_tooltip player_id="108338" first="Dani" last="Nuest"] and [player_tooltip player_id="186119" first="Ayla" last="Brown"]. There’s no question those four are ready. The next-biggest piece of the revamped Bulldog puzzle will be Rose, a gifted combo guard who can handle the basketball, drain 3-pointers with a high degree of accuracy, and use her speed, quickness and physicality to reach the basket. Rose is a two-way performer who excels defensively where her quickness and ability to move laterally gives her a leg up on most opponents. Now having grown to about 5’8 or 5’9, Lexi would appear ready to take on the bigger role that will be expected of her. Rose, who played for Mike Durbin’s Minnesota Comets 2024 team, is currently ranked #85 in the class. Those who have watched her over a longer timeframe believe Lexi’s ceiling is much, much higher than that. If that’s correct, before it’s all said and done we might be talking about Rose as our Breakout Player of the Year in 2021-22. Top photo: [player_tooltip player_id="215956" first="Claire" last="Stern"] of Maple Grove and MInnesota Suns 2024 Blue Star.