The Fall Exclusive: Things we loved about opening night

It was opening night and the jitters were obvious, the play a little bit stiff. That lasted about 20 minutes. From then on it was game on and the 2nd annual edition of the Prep Girls Hoops/Jr All-Star Fall Exclusive was underway. There were about 100 players in the gym Friday night at Kennedy High School in Bloomington for the beginning of this four-week opportunity to play in a fun, fast-paced format. Next week promises to be even better as the dozen or more kids who were absent due to MEA family vacations will be added to the mix, including , , , , the Hanna triplets, Tucker Downs and . Here are a few of the things we liked best about opening night at the Fall Exclusive. Partnering for profit Friday’s play opened with the Summit Division which features players in the classes of 2028 through 2025. What’s fun in a format like this – one where players are randomly placed in teams with kids from different age groups and ability levels – is watching how quickly the top players figure out who else on their team is at the same standard as they are. It didn’t take long on the Coyotes squad for (top photo left) and Chloe Johnson (right) to find each other. Both are quintessential point guards with great court vision, a nice sense of timing and top-shelf skillsets. Holmquist is a 2026 from Maple Grove, Johnson a 2028 from Duluth Marshall. Both are exceptionally gifted, aren’t shy about putting in the work to be special, and each has experienced people in their corners helping them to develop to their maximum potential. If you don’t already know their names you most certainly will in the years ahead. The two of them just clicked on Friday night and the results were entertaining.

Sensational sophomores All of the classes right now seem to be incredibly deep, and 2024 is no exception. So much of the attention right now is focused at the top of the list, and why not. #1-rated of Benilde-St. Margaret’s, who represented her country on the international stage this summer, sits atop the national rankings. #2-rated of Hopkins is not far behind. But a few rungs down the ladder, there are a ton of talented kids who will have every opportunity to play at the Division 1 level, as well. Several of them were on the court Friday night at Kennedy and they were doing good work. For example, #9 of Maple Grove, #15 of Lakeville North and #23 of Champlin Park were all on the Badgers team which, not surprisingly, went 2-0 on the night. The Hoosiers lineup features #21 , #25 along with other Top 50s and . In all there are about 10 sophomores in the event who have a realistic shot at playing D1 ball and another 10-15 who could earn a scholarship at some point.

The long and the (not so) short of it I don’t think they made girls this tall when I was a kid. I remember one bean stalk in my class growing up, mostly because my mom and her mom practically forced us to attend a junior high dance together . I was giving away nearly a foot in that match-up and it was painful. Now there is length everywhere you look. 5’11 freshman guard of Maple Grove (left) made her first splash about a year ago and has been impressing ever since. 5’10 Mya Wilson of Mahtomedi (right) is an ultra-long 2027 guard who is going to set the world on fire in a couple of years. Mya does something special every single time we see her and there is a very good chance she’s the #1 player in her class. The kids are alright Most of our coverage at Prep Girls Hoops is dedicated to players who have reached high school basketball. We also write about younger players who are obviously headed for the loftiest heights of Division 1 down the road. But the Fall Exclusive is the one event on the PGH calendar where the youngsters have the opportunity to really show what they’ve got as players from the classes of 2026, 2027 and 2028 get their time in the spotlight. I wish I had a dollar for every time this year I have had an older player say to me something along the lines of, “I don’t think we were this good in 6th or 7th grade were we?” Nope, you were not. It’s simply a fact that every class is more skilled than the class before and some of these middle schoolers will knock your socks off. If you are coming out to the Fall Exclusive over the next three Fridays, don’t miss these kids. You will definitely be impressed.

Chloe Johnson – 2028 guard, Duluth Marshall
Lakyn Donnelly – 2028 guard, Horace, ND
Chloe Reedy – 2028 guard, Royalton
Mya Wilson – 2027 guard, Mahtomedi
Jazmin Daing – 2027 guard, Rochester John Marshall
Tucker Downs – 2026 guard, Mankato West
Kate Holmquist Kate Holmquist 5'7" | PG Maple Grove | 2026 State MN – 2026 guard, Maple Grove
Vienna Murray – 2026 guard, Tartan
Brooklyn Lewis Brooklyn Lewis 5'7" | PG New Ulm | 2026 State MN – 2026 guard, New Ulm

From here there and everywhere The Fall Exclusive is a place to see and a place to be seen. No matter where you are from in Minnesota, you can put yourself on the map on the next few Friday nights. In week 1 we saw two of the outstanding young players from Greater Minnesota. of New Ulm (left) and of Duluth Marshall (right) were terrific on Friday night. Lewis’ handles always set her apart from the pack and Juenemann looked like a woman among girls playing in the younger division. , Charlotte Klote, and Anna O’Byrne were there from Rochester Century. Jetta Medvold came all the way from Fargo Shanley in North Dakota. And then there was the quintet from St. James – , Reese Malmgren, Madelyn Malmgren, Jacey Swanson and Journey Swanson. You think their high school team won’t improve because they are participating? Yep they will.

An opportunity to shine There are a lot of big-name players taking part at the Fall Exclusive – the likes of Andover’s , and of Wayzata, and of Maple Grove, for example. But anyone who wants can sign up to compete. That makes it a great opportunity for lesser-known prospects to shine, players like 2024 guard of St. Louis Park (photo above), 2023 guard of Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted and 2024 guard Nora Pederson Nora Pederson 5'7" | SG Mounds Park Academy | 2024 State MN of Mounds Park Academy. Schmitz plays AAU for a very talented Suns squad where she is overshadowed by players like Tori Oehrlein, and . She is not the most imposing figure on the floor, but trust me when I tell you that Evie is a baller. She’s got handles galore and plenty of swag, and despite wearing some thick goggles her court vision is outstanding. Fasching has been a part of the stellar Comets Elite 2023 squad for a long time, but it’s hard to get the credit you deserve playing behind Becker standouts and . As for Pederson, she’s from Mounds Park Academy, a small private school tucked away in a corner in St. Paul that never draws much attention. But Norah has put up some stellar numbers in high school and is making it clear this fall that she is a prospect to follow going forward. Who said there’s nothing on the line? Bri Zabel must be addicted to coaching because she grabs hold of every opportunity she can to coach young girls on the way up. In the winter Zabel is an assistant to the great Molly Kasper at Eastview. In the summer she has been a fixture with the Minnesota Stars. And now she’s back again for edition #2 of the Fall Exclusive. Bri was a perfect 4-for-4 on Friday night as she directed her Bison to a pair of wins in the Summit Division and her Badgers won both of their games in the Big Ten. Of course it helps to be handed some talented kids such as Vienna Murray, , , , and . But Coach Zabel is good.