The Fall Exclusive: Week 2 standouts of note

Week 1 of the Prep Girls Hoops/Jr All-Star Fall Exclusive was good. With a substantial injection of talent, week 2 was even better. That’s what we saw Friday night at Bloomington Kennedy as a dozen more players returned from their various MEA weekend adventures and took their rightful place on the court with more than 100 talented prospects from the classes of 2028 to 2022. [player_tooltip player_id="205298" first="Jordan" last="Ode"] (Maple Grove), [player_tooltip player_id="302308" first="Casey" last="Beck"] (Coon Rapids), [player_tooltip player_id="215985" first="Olivia" last="Pawlicki"] (Shakopee), [player_tooltip player_id="252480" first="Rae" last="Ehrman"] (Eden Prairie), [player_tooltip player_id="339174" first="Rory" last="Goddard"] (Wayzata), along with Maple Grove triplets [player_tooltip player_id="206227" first="Lexi" last="Hanna"], [player_tooltip player_id="339161" first="Bella" last="Hanna"] and [player_tooltip player_id="339162" first="Addie" last="Hanna"] were all back in action and it raised the level of competition across the board. Our man Tony Ragulen will bring you the week’s top performers. Here are some other week 2 standouts of note. <strong>POISED TO BREAK OUT</strong> <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/Jordyn-Schmittdiel-scaled-crop-1842x1210-1635627131.jpg"><img class="wp-image-346611 size-thumbnail alignnone" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/Jordyn-Schmittdiel-scaled-crop-1842x1210-1635627131-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="339107" first="Jordyn" last="Schmittdiel"] <strong>– 2024 guard, White Bear Lake</strong> The 5’10 guard/wing is one of those kids who is really hard to miss the first time you see her play. She’s super long and athletic, with racehorse-like strides, light feet and the ability to make the difficult look simple. Now Jordyn’s understanding of the game and ability to vary her pace is catching up with her natural abilities. Playing at White Bear Lake you know she’ll be a solid defender. We think this is the year Jordyn breaks out. <img class="alignnone wp-image-346613 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/Tucker-Downs-scaled-e1635627373896-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="280354" first="Tucker" last="Downs"] <strong>– 2026 guard, Mankato West</strong> Tucker has been on our radar all summer and we were looking forward to watching her at the Fall Exclusive where she could play with and against higher-level talent. Downs made us wait an extra week due to her soccer commitments, but the gifted 5’9 guard arrived on Friday and acquitted herself rather well. Tucker has a ways to go in her skill development and game experience but the Big 9 is about to find out just how good the 8th grader can be. <strong>THE GRINDERS</strong> <img class="alignnone wp-image-346618 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/Avery-Moeller-scaled-e1635627762431-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="339142" first="Avery" last="Moeller"] <strong>– 2024 guard, Prior Lake</strong> Avery is a gamer. The only way she knows how to play is hard. Friday night Moeller was in attack mode from start to finish. Now about 5’9, and having bulked up significantly, she is using her additional size to great effect. Moeller is quick, she’s fast and she has a quality skill set. She is also fearless, which might be her biggest asset. Prior Lake is loaded with talented youngsters, and you can count Moeller among them. <img class="alignnone wp-image-346617 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/Ava-Nebben-scaled-e1635627672612-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="339096" first="Ava" last="Nebben"] <strong>– 2024 guard, Monticello</strong> Ava is everywhere. The 5’8 guard is one of the most-committed, most-dedicated athletes you’ll find. She is a a gym rat, the kind of kid who will do whatever it takes to make the most out of the gifts she has been given. This year Ava has sprouted up and filled out and it has helped her game a ton. On a Hoosier squad with such luminaries as [player_tooltip player_id="215972" first="Norah" last="Danielson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="215970" first="Morgan" last="Miller"], Ava can more than hold her own. <strong>EMERGING TALENT</strong> <img class="alignnone wp-image-338458 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/60-Ryaan-Speer-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="339106" first="Ryaan" last="Speer"] <strong>– 2025 guard, Rochester Century</strong> The 5’9 freshman was on fire Friday night. She’s got length, athleticism and speed, and Speer was putting all of that to good use and finishing on her opportunities. Ryaan plays the game with passion and grit, and she’s not afraid to initiate contact if that’s what it takes to get downhill in a hurry, which is exactly why she made our Hard Hat All-Star team this summer. <img class="alignnone wp-image-346616 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/Audrey-Whitney-scaled-e1635627496280-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="339098" first="Audrey" last="Whitney"] <strong>– 2024 guard, Rochester Century</strong> A teammate of Speer at Rochester Century, Whitney is one of the most athletic kids we’ve seen all summer. We watched the 5’6 guard last weekend at a private workout with trainer Brett Hested in Mankato and were blown away but just how well Whitney moved and how quickly she could get where she needed to be. We saw more of the same Friday as Audrey got up and down at warp speed all night. <strong>FRESH FACES</strong> <strong>Reese Malmgren – 2028 guard, St. James</strong> Last week we told you how much fun it was watching the Coyotes duo of <strong>Chloe Johnson</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id="344332" first="Kate" last="Holmquist"]  team up for success. This week their teammates Speer and Malmgren did the same. Reese is only a 6th grader, but she didn’t play like it. The 5’7 guard showed nice athleticism, the ability to play fast, a sizeable motor and the gumption to compete well with players up to three years older. <strong>Lakyn Donnelly</strong> <strong>– 2028 guard, Horace, ND</strong> At just 5’1 you wouldn’t expect Lakyn to be able to beat bigger, stronger, older players as consistently as she does. But you can go far with great handles, a high IQ, quick feet and a strong level of competitiveness. On a Pioneers team where [player_tooltip player_id="205298" first="Jordan" last="Ode"] (Maple Grove) and [player_tooltip player_id="296516" first="Regan" last="Juenemann"] (Duluth Marshall) are drawing most of the attention, Donnelly is a talent worth watching in her own right. <span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>Top photo: Reese Malmgren (left) and [player_tooltip player_id="339106" first="Ryaan" last="Speer"] (right) made their mark on Friday night.</em></span>