Top 250 Expo: 10 under-appreciated juniors to scout

Basketball is a team sport. If you don’t play well together – especially in the women’s game – you aren’t going to win a whole lot. But every once in a while players need to be just a little bit selfish. The Prep Girls Hoops Top 250 Expo is one of those times. The big showcase gets underway at 11 a.m. Sunday at Bloomington Kennedy and that’s when players like [player_tooltip player_id="108323" first="Ashley" last="Fritz"] – a team-first, pass-first, defense-first athlete – will have a chance to demonstrate more clearly that they, too, can grab a little piece of the limelight and run with it. Fritz is a great example of why showcases like the Top 250 matter when it comes to recruiting. The big guard from Eden Prairie is skilled, she’s strong, and she has the chops to earn a scholarship at the Division 1 level. But not many programs have stepped up to the table yet and pursued Ashley’s services with a ton of energy. At Eden Prairie, she is surrounded by some high-level prospects who have drawn a lot of attention. In AAU she played up a year this summer with North Tartan Elite and didn’t draw a whole lot of notice. But she got the job done. And she put the team first. So far this year the focus in the recruitment of Minnesota juniors has been on the highest echelon of players, kids like the heavily-sought-after [player_tooltip player_id="108299" first="Tessa" last="Johnson"] of St. Michael-Albertville and recent commits [player_tooltip player_id="108304" first="Maren" last="Westin"] of Becker (UW-Green Bay) and [player_tooltip player_id="108302" first="Molly" last="Lenz"] of Eden Prairie (Illinois State). Six of these players have already said, ‘yes.’ Now it’s time to get serious about the next tier of athletes, talented kids who are capable of playing scholarship-level basketball but need to step out of the shadows a little more. They can do that on Sunday. Fritz is one several under-appreciated juniors coaches need to pay attention to at the Minnesota Top 250 Expo. Ditto for [player_tooltip player_id="186117" first="Ava" last="Privet"] of Caledonia, [player_tooltip player_id="148340" first="Shannon" last="Fornshell"] of Wayzata and [player_tooltip player_id="148319" first="Olivia" last="Harazin"] of Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial. Here are 10 of them to consider. To make it easier to track them down on Sunday, we have included each player’s team and jersey number in parenthesis. UNDER-APPRECIATED PROSPECTS <img class="alignnone wp-image-209159 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/77_Ashley-Fritz_1-1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="108323" first="Ashley" last="Fritz"] – 5’10 guard, Eden Prairie #30 (Team 15, #176): Ranked in the top 30 in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2023, Ashley is one of the premier defenders in the class, but her offensive skills are vastly under-appreciated. She is an excellent three-point shooter but also has the speed, power and smarts to beat opponents off the bounce and finish at the rim. Ashley made our All-Expo 2023 first team last year and we would expect similar excellence this time around. <img class="alignnone wp-image-209210 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/166_Ava-Privet_1-1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="186117" first="Ava" last="Privet"] – 5’10 guard, Caledonia (Team 9, #65): Ava moved into the Top 30 when we last updated the rankings in June after making a 46-position jump one year ago. She is a dynamic athlete with light feet, excellent quickness, and a high degree of skill with the basketball. When she arrived in varsity ball at a young age she was basically a standout shooter from distance, but now her game has evolved into a complete package. Ava’s got the ‘it’ factor and she can change the course of a game in an instant. <img class="wp-image-209194 size-thumbnail alignnone" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/135_Shannon-Fornshell_1-1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="148340" first="Shannon" last="Fornshell"] – 6’1 forward, Wayzata (Team 26, #256): Fornshell is currently ranked 42nd in the class, which is still too low in my opinion. She’s got length and skill. She scores inside and outside. She is a disruptive defender who can block shots. And she is a no-nonsense performer who will do whatever job is asked of her. College coaches need to get into the chase now because Fornshell is about to blow up this winter. <img class="alignnone wp-image-187497 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/07/Olivia-Harazin-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="148319" first="Olivia" last="Harazin"] – 5’8 guard, Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial (Team 4, #132): We have been stoked about Olivia’s potential from the first occasion we saw her in AAU as a 7th grader with Pierre Ellis’ Minnesota Nice squad. Since that time the Top 50 junior has evolved into a highly skilled floor general with fast feet, quick hands and a stellar shooting stroke with unlimited range. She’s also a terrific teammate with a fun personality who will bring a ton of energy to whatever program is lucky enough to land her services. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/Katelyn-Maciej_Rogers-crop-450x296-1633783036.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-337997 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/Katelyn-Maciej_Rogers-crop-450x296-1633783036-e1633783096395-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="108314" first="Katelyn" last="Maciej"] – 6’2 forward, Rogers (Team 12, #264): It has taken some time but observers are finally starting to figure out just how much Katelyn is capable of. She may be easing her way into the collective consciousness of the college basketball community but we have been singing her praises since was 13 years old. Now she has filled out and gotten stronger, she knows how to use her exceptional length to great effect at both ends of the court, and she has the footwork and touch to own the paint. Have a look and you’ll probably like what you see. 5 more to watch <img class="alignnone wp-image-209115 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/21_Brynn-Senden_1-1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="108345" first="Brynn" last="Senden"] – 5’6 guard, Wayzata (Team 7, #85): She’s fast, she’s feisty and she can facilitate. Brynn proved last winter she can take on the very best in high school basketball and come out on top. Her energy is infectious, she is strong and physical, and she is a relentless defender. <img class="alignnone wp-image-209181 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/114_Emily-Christenson_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="148315" first="Emily" last="Christenson"] – 5’11 guard, East Ridge (Team 6, #189): Need a shooter who can knock down bombs all game long? Emily’s your girl. One of the state’s best trey-makers in both volume and shooting percentage, Emily’s game has grown in all facets over time. That’s why she’s knocking on the door of the Top 25. <img class="alignnone wp-image-209143 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/59_Vivica-Bretton_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="108335" first="Vivica" last="Bretton"] – 5’9 guard, Rochester Lourdes (Team 14, #147): Vivica is strong, skilled and athletic, and her motor runs forever at high RPMs. It has been a breakout year for Bretton, a relentless rebounder and high quality defender who excels in all aspects of the game. She is ranked #35 in the class. <img class="alignnone wp-image-209116 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/23_Jasmine-Dupree_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="108333" first="Jasmine" last="Dupree"] – 5’9 guard, Hopkins (Team 7, #127): Talk about being in the shadows. Playing in a Hopkins program that boasts some of the Top 100 players in the nation, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. Trust us when we tell you that Jasmine has also got game and she has been showing it all year. <img class="alignnone wp-image-219478 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/41MaciFarmer-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="302255" first="Maci" last="Farmer"] – 5’7 guard, Jackson County Central (Team 22, #105): Macy has been doing good work for a long time in the Southwest corner of the state but not many are aware yet of how much she can do on both sides of the ball. She’s a streaky shooter who can score in bunches. Let’s hope she lights it up at the Expo. Top photo: [player_tooltip player_id="148315" first="Emily" last="Christenson"] (left) and [player_tooltip player_id="108335" first="Vivica" last="Bretton"] (with the ball) are two players to watch at the Top 250 Expo.