Top 250 Expo: 5 Fresh Faces in the Class of 2023

By the time college-bound players from Minnesota reach their junior year they have almost always made their way onto the recruiting radar and therefore the pages of Prep Girls Hoops. For late bloomers – and those who haven’t spent a lot of time playing on the AAU circuit – the PGH Top 250 Expo is one of the best opportunities available to make an impression before it’s too late. Although the majority of the fresh faces we saw Oct. 10 in Bloomington were from the classes of 2024 and 2025, there were some newbies in 2023 who also made a strong positive impression. In this, my final installment of coverage from the Top 250, here are 5 of them. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338568 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/181-Maddy-Grove-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="339158" first="Maddy" last="Grove"] – 5’11 forward, Morris Area We love coach’s kids. They almost always have a well-developed skill set, a good understanding of the game and a solid grasp on just how much work it takes to be successful at the next level. Maddy is no exception. Her dad Tim Grove is the head coach at D3 University of Minnesota-Morris and he has taught her well. She’s listed at 5’11 but Maddy looks much taller with a lengthy wingspan and lean build adding to the impression. Although it has taken some time to grow into her body and put all of that length to good use, the wait has been worth it. Grove showed good mobility for her size, nice footwork down low, and the ability to create space and get off her shot. She positions herself well close to the basket to pull down boards and then secures the ball up high or scores on a put-back. We liked her court vision and overall awareness. Grove could turn out to be a classic late bloomer and that’ll be worth watching. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338590 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/207-Hailey-Dirksen-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="339125" first="Hailey" last="Dirksen"] – 6’0 forward, Montevideo Montevideo isn’t a high-profile school program but it has been attracting a lot more attention of late thanks to 2023 talent [player_tooltip player_id="302256" first="Avery" last="Koenen"], a Division 1 caliber prospect who has emerged this summer as a player to pursue. If you are making the140-mile trek west of the Twin Cities be sure to see Avery’s teammate [player_tooltip player_id="339125" first="Hailey" last="Dirksen"] at the same time. Hailey looked really good at the Expo. At 6 feet tall, she has nice length, she moves well and she is versatile. She ran the floor at pace, showing a good burst of speed and the ability to beat opponents one-on-one. At one point Dirksen executed a nice Eurostep and the ability to finish in different ways at the basket. She is a very nice three-point shooter with a quick release but she can also post up inside and turn nothing into something in heavy traffic. If you are looking for a versatile player with length, Hailey is definitely worth a look. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338512 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/118-Rylen-Burgess-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="339137" first="Rylen" last="Burgess"] – 5’8 guard, Cavalier, ND Rylen plies her trade way up north and west, just 20 minutes south of the Canadian border in Cavalier, ND. Thanks to her dedication and commitment to playing AAU with ND Pro, she isn’t an entirely unknown commodity, at least not in her home state. In fact, Burgess has earned the #23 slot from Prep Girls Hoops’ North Dakota prospect rankings among the 2023s. At the Expo, Burgess travelled 400 some miles to put herself in a position to improve her profile by going up against some of the best that Minnesota has to offer. It was well worth the journey. More subtle than flashy, the combo guard is long for her height and runs very well, with big strides and good pace. She showed a nice sense of timing and the ability to create space, illustrating good court vision and quality passing ability. At one point we saw Rylen execute a smooth Eurostep to score, a move that always indicates to me that the player has put in some time in the gym to develop her arsenal of offensive options. That arsenal also includes the ability to knock down threes. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338436 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/34-Lily-Manning-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="339114" first="Lily" last="Manning"] – 5’5 guard, Monticello At just 5’5, Lily isn’t going to overwhelm anyone with her size or strength, but when you are fast and quick and have some bounce in your step that can more than make up for a lack of loftiness. Manning made it clear at the Top 250 that she likes to play fast, that she will constantly be on the move to get herself open for the pass, and that she can make opponents look skittish with her ability to execute a nice stutter-step and crossover. We loved Manning’s light feet and ease of movement. She’s very bouncy, has nice handles and is always looking to score. Perhaps more importantly, Manning can defend. She has solid defensive understanding and really good court awareness. Her head is always on a swivel so Lily knows where to position herself to disrupt the opponent’s passing options and get a hand on the ball. Manning was a top 5 scorer and rebounder at Monticello last winter. We’d expect even more this time around. <img class="alignnone wp-image-338483 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/87-Lauren-Cooper-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="339207" first="Lauren" last="Cooper"] – 5’6 guard, Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial A positive environment and program culture means a lot when it comes to developing college basketball prospects. That’s why winning programs that play the right way seem to produce players who just get it. That’s certainly the case with Lauren who competes at LCWM just west of Mankato, a program that has had a number of quality performers over the past couple of years, from 2021s [player_tooltip player_id="29549" first="Lakesha" last="Carter"] and [player_tooltip player_id="109805" first="Lexi" last="Cloyd"] to 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="148319" first="Olivia" last="Harazin"]. Now you can add Cooper to the list. She was a top 5 scorer on a team that went 17-2 last season. At the Expo she played on the same team with such luminaries as [player_tooltip player_id="108306" first="Kennedy" last="Klick"], [player_tooltip player_id="148340" first="Shannon" last="Fornshell"] and [player_tooltip player_id="339185" first="Lanelle" last="Wright"], but Cooper still managed to get herself noticed. She runs the floor well, has the ability to play at a high tempo, and isn’t afraid to take on defenders on-on-one. At one point, she used a big-time move to burn one of the state’s best 2024 prospects who shall remain nameless to spare her any unnecessary embarrassment. Like most of the Lake Crystal kids, Lauren appears to be a feisty competitor with a high work rate who can defend hard, play intelligently and be a difference-maker on the court. Top photo: [player_tooltip player_id="339137" first="Rylen" last="Burgess"] of Cavalier, ND made an impression at the Top 250 Expo.