Minnesota Top 250: Meet the 2022 All-Expo Team

They came, we saw, they performed at a very highly level – more than 250 prospects in all – for the third annual Prep Girls Hoops Minnesota Top 250 Expo Sunday at Bloomington Kennedy. We saw a lot of fresh faces, plenty of players who have improved, and some intriguing prospects to consider. Watching that many players in one place at one time can be overwhelming. Thankfully there were plenty of folks observing and evaluating and sending us their thoughts. We were up late into the night on Sunday watching replays on Baller TV and will be doing more of that today and beyond. Over the next several days we will be publishing more than a dozen stories on various aspects of the Top 250 Expo, including All-Expo teams, fresh faces, top performers and more. My focus will be on the classes of 2022 and 2023 while my colleague Rudy Ruffin has the 2024s and Tony Ragulen will be writing about the 2025s. We begin today with the top performers in the class of 2022. There was a relatively small contingent of seniors on hand, which is understandable given that so many of them have already announced their college commitments and many more are well down the road toward finalizing their plans. As a result we had a nice opportunity to carefully watch a select group. What we saw was a couple of the truly elite players in the state, along with three more seniors who have already made college commitments. They comprise our First Team All-Expo squad, while the Second Team features a number of well-known veterans and one late bloomer who made a solid impression. Without further ado, meet the 2022 All-Expo team. FIRST TEAM <img class="alignnone wp-image-338429 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/25-Kiera-Albers-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="57941" first="Kiera" last="Albers"] – 5’4 guard, Maple Grove (NIACC) From the first day we laid eyes on Kiera back when she was manning the point for DTA Academy there were two things that were most obvious: Albers has got handles and she can flat-out drop bombs from beyond the arc. Kierra may be small but the Top 100 prospect is feisty, she’s aggressive and she plays the game without fear. We saw all of that on display Sunday as she combined beautifully with her Crimson teammate [player_tooltip player_id="108306" first="Kennedy" last="Klick"] on Team 26. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338572 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/185-Kyla-Overskei-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="147458" first="Kyla" last="Overskei"] – 5’11 guard, Maple Grove (UW-Eau Claire) We have long since ceased to be surprised when Kyla comes up with big shots at big moments in big games. Over the years her confidence as soared as her skillset has expanded and the lengthy guard is now ready, will and able to fire it from anywhere at any time. On Sunday the Top 70 senior combined with her Maple Grove teammate [player_tooltip player_id="215944" first="Ava" last="Cossette"] to give Team 13 a serious outside scoring threat at all times. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338470 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/75-Zoie-Centers-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="109171" first="Zoie" last="Centers"] – 5’5 guard, Mahtomedi (Southwest Minnesota State) Watching Zoie do her thing never gets old. The crafty little guard is a bundle of energy from start to finish. She plays the game with equal parts passion and precision, moving the ball where it needs to go from the point and doing it at maximum tempo. The Top 60 senior is an aggressive defender, vocal teammate and seasoned leader. Look for the D2 commit to have a huge senior year. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338619 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/244-Mara-Braun-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="12715" first="Mara" last="Braun"] – 5’11 guard, Wayzata (Minnesota) What can you say about Mara? The #2-rated prospect in her class was pure class from start to finish. What most impressed us was not all the stylish stuff she did with the basketball – she’s so smooth and impacts the game in a myriad of ways – but rather how she shared the ball to help her younger teammates make the most of their day. Braun is a special talent and a ton of fun to watch. <img class="alignnone wp-image-209195 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/137_Niamaya-Holloway_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="12732" first="Nia" last="Holloway"] – 6’0 forward, Eden Prairie (Minnesota) When the Prep Girls Hoops version of IBM’s Watson supercomputer picked the Expo teams the algorithm drew Holloway and Braun on the same team, which would have been patently unfair to the opponents. With a little human intervention the rosters were shuffled and the 5th-ranked Holloway shared her ample bag of tricks with another set of grateful teammates. SECOND TEAM <img class="alignnone wp-image-338539 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/149-Jasmyn-Hale-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="223918" first="Jasmyn" last="Hale"] – 5’9 guard, Shakopee The evolution of Jasmyn’s game has been fun to watch over the past 18 months. She announced her return after injury in 2020 with an outstanding summer that demonstrated terrific growth in both skills and confidence. Since that time she has proven to be a consistent, steady performer who goes about her business in the most efficient way possible. Currently ranked #78, Jazz is a next-level prospect for sure. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338602 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/227-Madisyn-Grudem-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="147466" first="Madisyn" last="Grudem"] – 5’7 guard, Princeton Grudem is a grinder. For years we have watched her put in endless amounts of work to turn herself into a college prospect. The results of her efforts have been obvious in 2021 and you can expect more of the same from the Princeton guard. Currently ranked #150 among Minnesota seniors, Madisyn is a walking hustle play who will be a value add for the right college program. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338526 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/135-Jersey-Castillo-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="109190" first="Jersey" last="Castillo"] – 5’9 guard, Andover Castillo has long been one of the most dynamic players to watch in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2022. Her exceptional athleticism first caught our attention more than three years ago when the Top 150 prospect proved she could jump out of the gym and get to the ball before pretty much everyone else on the floor. Her game has matured, she’s more even-keel now, and she’s set for a big senior year at Andover. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338616 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/241-Maria-Counts-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="57963" first="Maria" last="Counts"] – 5’11 forward, Providence Academy There are no surprises when it comes to Maria’s game. It is what it is, she does what she does, and opponents of all descriptions are constantly left wondering how the power forward from Providence just got the better of them – again. A Top-70 prospect, Maria is a workhorse. Her consistent level of effort, particularly when it involves rebounds, is admirable and so are the results. She did it again Sunday. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338593 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/211-Shelby-Mortenson-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="339226" first="Shelby" last="Mortenson"] – 6’1 forward, Yellow Medicine East Shelby is our only unranked prospect to make the 2022 All-Expo team. We have watched her before, but not nearly enough. Yellow Medicine is a little off the beaten path when it comes to scouting girls basketball. That’s exactly why it was important for Mortenson to show up at the Top 250 to demonstrate what she could do. She has a big body, nice length and a willingness to bang down low. Shelby also showed some nice touch around the basket. Mortenson, it would appear, has a nice future ahead of her. HONORABLE MENTIONS Speaking of big forwards who showed up and made their presence known there are two more that we would like to recognize: <img class="alignnone wp-image-338609 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/233-Lexi-Mendenhall-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="109170" first="Lexi" last="Mendenhall"] – The 5’10 power forward from Owatonna, ranked #121 in the class, played for the Minnesota Stars this year. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338641 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/269-Samara-Buchanan-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="109199" first="Samara" last="Buchanan"] – The 5’10 forward from Bloomington Kennedy, who played this summer for MBA Cordes, is rated at 137 among Minnesota seniors.