Fall Exclusive: MVPs & other top performers

It’s always fun but never simple when it comes time to hand out awards, especially at an event like the Fall Exclusive hosted by Prep Girls Hoops and Jr All-Star. Over the past four Friday nights we have seen so many strong performances, so many rising young talents, so many fresh faces making a great impression, that’s it’s difficult to winnow things down to a handful of award winners. But we’ve done it! Out a field of more than 100 participants from the Classes of 2022 all the way down to 2028, these were the top performers by division. SUMMIT LEAGUE DIVISION There were six teams of players in grades 6 through 9 that comprised the Summit League portion of the event. I have to admit now that we had some concerns about putting uber-talented 2025s with varsity experience in the same pool with 2028s who won’t see the floor in a high school game for at least another year. With the way the numbers shook out, though, there wasn’t really a choice involved. In the end we need not have worried. The young kids more than held their own, and some were among the very best players in the event regardless of age. Most Valuable Player – [player_tooltip player_id="351665" first="Vienna" last="Murray"], 2026, Tartan HS Our colleague Tony Ragulen kind of let the cat out of the bag yesterday in his Summit League All-Star selections, but that’s OK. Anyone who watched the Fall Exclusive from start to finish will not be surprised to learn that Vienna earned MVP honors. The long, lean and lanky 8th grader is fast becoming one of Minnesota’s most exciting young prospects. The 5’11 guard/wing was consistently good from start to finish, whether she was attacking the basket, knocking down long bombs, rebounding with passion or executing on offense, Murray performed at a very high level. Today she stepped right into the heart of a rebuilding program in Oakdale where her performance will determine to a large degree what kind of season the Titans will have. Based on what we saw at the Fall Exclusive she is up to the task. In addition to our overall MVP we have selected two more top performers from each age group. 2025 Top Performers <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="252480" first="Rae" last="Ehrman"] – The highly versatile Eden Prairie freshman did it all for her team at both ends of the floor. We love her competitiveness.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="296516" first="Regan" last="Juenemann"] – The Duluth Marshall used her physicality and athleticism to dominate in multiple games, including a few extra she played with the older group.</li> </ul> 2026 Top Performers <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="344332" first="Kate" last="Holmquist"] – The 8th grade point guard from Maple Grove displayed advanced game management skills and court vision.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="339175" first="Brooklyn" last="Lewis"] – The crafty point guard from New Ulm is one of the most dynamic talents in the 2026 class.</li> </ul> 2027 Top Performers <ul> <li>Mya Wilson – The Mahtomedi 7th grader performed at a level we have seldom seen from a 12-year-old. She is destined for greatness.</li> <li>Jazmin Daing – The smooth, athletic guard from Rochester John Marshall floated across the floor while demonstrating advanced skills and vast potential.</li> </ul> 2028 Top Performers <ul> <li>Chloe Johnson – The Duluth Marshall point guard has already established a reputation as one of the state’s rising stars and she more than lived up to her advance billing.</li> <li>Lakyn Donnelly – Driving from Fargo every Friday for the chance to compete with older, better kids was a big commitment and Lakyn made the most of it.</li> </ul> Top playmakers <ul> <li>Alyssa Baranick – The 2025 point guard from Maple Grove is just so crafty, with terrific court vision, a great sense of timing and top-notch passing skills.</li> <li>Chloe Johnson – We wanted to spread the trophies around but Chloe’s distribution skills warrant additional accolades. She makes plays like no other 6th grader we’ve seen.</li> </ul> Top shooters <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="344332" first="Kate" last="Holmquist"] – Kate could just as easily been honored for her playmaking, but the 8th grader’s shot is pure silk.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="296516" first="Regan" last="Juenemann"] – The freshman can kill defenders one-on-one but she also made shots from anywhere and everywhere at the Fall Exclusive.</li> </ul> Top defenders <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="206227" first="Lexi" last="Hanna"] – The 2025 guard/forward from Maple Grove is one of the hardest-working, most gritty, most competitive players in the state.</li> <li>Madelyn Malmgren – The big 6-foot freshman from St. James has had a series of strong performances this fall. She makes like difficult for opponents in the trenches.</li> </ul> Hard Hat Award <ul> <li>Ryaan Speer – The 2025 guard/wing from Rochester Century is a grinder with length, size, speed and tenacity. She is sandpaper is motion.</li> <li>Lillian Tidrick – The big guard from Princeton is going to be a force in the Class of 2026. She plays hard, she plays smart, and she leaves her finger prints all over the game.</li> </ul> 5 names to remember <ul> <li>Rae Pearce – The uber-lengthy 2025 from Orono has all of the ingredients to be great.</li> <li>Phaley Yang – The crafty 2025 point guard from East Ridge has a ton of skill and the moxie to match.</li> <li>Celia Lind – The 2025 guard from Holy Angels is a pure shooter whose career will take off when she gets comfortable on the big stage.</li> <li>Greta Schumann – The lengthy 2026 guard from St. Anthony can really shoot it. What a combination she’ll be with 2025 [player_tooltip player_id="337629" first="Stella" last="Timmins"] of the Huskies.</li> <li>Reese Malmgren – The gritty guard from St. James is a 2028 with speed and energy who demonstrated a ton of potential.</li> </ul> [caption id="attachment_344344" align="alignnone" width="358"]<img class="wp-image-344344" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/Ava-Holman_Gabby-Betton-scaled-crop-2473x1624-1635079949-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="358" height="235" /> Holman (left) & Betton (right)[/caption] BIG TEN DIVISION Most Valuable Player – [player_tooltip player_id="215957" first="Gabby" last="Betton"], 2024, Lakeville North There’s a reason Gabby is ranked among the Top 15 prospects in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2024. Actually there are multiple reasons and most of them were on display over the past month as Betton led her Badgers team to the Big Ten Division title at the Fall Exclusive. As Tony wrote in his evaluations from week 2, ‘Get your popcorn ready!’ because Gabby knows how to put on a show. She’s both fast and quick, smart and slick, and always deceptive with her feet and hands. We love how Betton sets up a defender, lulls the player into a oh-so-brief moment of complacency, and then blows past for another freebie layup. It’s a beautiful thing to watch. There was a lot of high-end talent at the Fall Exclusive but Betton was the best of the best. 2022 Top Performers <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="147458" first="Kyla" last="Overskei"] – It didn’t take long for the UW-Eau Claire commit from Maple Grove to show off signature skill with a half-court bucket, but she did so much more than just shoot all month long.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="147466" first="Madisyn" last="Grudem"] – The Princeton guard is gritty, she’s feisty and she never stops competing. She’s also got a strong skillset that will serve her well at the next level.</li> </ul> 2023 Top Performers <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="148340" first="Shannon" last="Fornshell"] – We’ve never seen the 6’1 junior from Wayzata play with such flow and have so much fun on the basketball court. She has arrived as a big-time player.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="148322" first="Emily" last="Crandall"] – The gritty guard from Sartell does so many things well, much of which doesn’t draw the attention it deserves. At the Fall Exclusive her impact was strikingly obvious.</li> </ul> 2024 Top Performers <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="304894" first="Sidney" last="Klauer"] – The East Ridge guard had an incredible four weeks at the Fall Exclusive. If we were giving out a runner-up MVP award she would likely be our selection. Her game is taking off.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="304892" first="Anna" last="Vaaler"] – The Andover guard/forward just keeps on getting better. She used her straight-line speed and ample supply of confidence to attack the rim game after game.</li> </ul> Top playmakers <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="344357" first="Evie" last="Schmitz"] – The crafty 2024 point guard from St. Louis Park was in her element at the Fall Exclusive, an environment where street-ballers like Evie can create to their heart’s content.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="215959" first="Ava" last="Holman"] – The Champlin Park sophomore offers consistent effort and ongoing excellence with a big old bag of tricks available at a moment’s notice. She puts in the work to excel.</li> </ul> Top shooters <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="147458" first="Kyla" last="Overskei"] – There are a lot of great shooters in Minnesota but I’d put the senior’s track record up against every last one of them. This girl can flat out bomb it!</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="215944" first="Ava" last="Cossette"] – Ava does a ton of stuff really, really well but the 2024 guard from Maple Grove has always been able to consistently knock down big buckets as needed.</li> </ul> Top defenders <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="148322" first="Emily" last="Crandall"] – Emily is a defensive firebrand, a highly energized competitor who takes it upon herself to nullify opponents who dare enter her purview.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="178261" first="Piper" last="Engelby"] – Piper was everywhere at the Fall Exclusive, which isn’t surprising given that’s she’s now a Top 20 prospect among Minnesota sophomores. She can do it all, including defend.</li> </ul> Hard Hat Award <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="304927" first="Ella" last="Kletti"] – The 2024 guard from Mahtomedi is all in all the time. She’s vocal, she’s gritty, she’s engaged and she makes sure all of her teammates are in the same mode as much as possible.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="343697" first="Ivy" last="Fasching"] – The 2023 guard from Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted lays it all on the line every time out. She’s physical and feisty and has the motor to match.</li> </ul> 5 players on the rise <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="304936" first="Madison" last="Malecha"] – The 2024 guard from Burnsville is barely scratching the surface of what’s possible with her length and athletic ability.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="339096" first="Ava" last="Nebben"] – The 2024 guard from Monticello has grown a ton and is about to have a breakthrough season.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="350105" first="Gabby" last="Fors"] – The smooth 2024 guard from Lakeville North has had a terrific fall and is playing her best basketball so far.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="339095" first="Bailey" last="Klote"] – The 2024 forward from Rochester Century is a sleeper who we think will turn out to be one of the most pleasant surprises in her class.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="339107" first="Jordyn" last="Schmittdiel"] – The lengthy 2024 guard from White Bear Lake is starting to put it all together and it is an evolution worth watching.</li> </ul> Top photo: [player_tooltip player_id="344332" first="Kate" last="Holmquist"] (left) of Maple Grove and Chloe Johnson (right) of Duluth Marshall were a dynamic duo at the Fall Exclusive.