Breakdown Girls Tip Off: Top Forwards
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The Breakdown Girls Tip Off is one of the best high school tournaments in the state, and my favorite to attend. It’s not everyday that we can see over 30 teams play in one location in two days. Unlike most…
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Continue ReadingThe Breakdown Girls Tip Off is one of the best high school tournaments in the state, and my favorite to attend. It’s not everyday that we can see over 30 teams play in one location in two days. Unlike most high school tournaments, we don’t always get to see the top teams play each other this early in the season, but often have to wait until the section and state tournaments. Nor do we all (basketball community) get to come together like this during the high school season. The first section of this Breakdown recap is all about the post. They say the post position is becoming extinct with the evolution of basketball. Nowadays, even if you play the four or five position, you have to be able to handle the ball and shoot from the outside. However don’t count these bigs out who still get it done down low.
Nia Holloway Nia Holloway 6'0" | PF Eden Prairie | 2022 State #45 Nation MN – Eden Prairie, 2022 power forward
Holloway was the talk of the tournament because of how dominant she was both days. She put up 37 points in two games and had a double-double on Friday, not to mention she shot 75% from the field and didn’t miss a free throw. The power forward is playing very elite basketball right now and is on the path to averaging a double-double this season. She has continued to get better and better with each year and has now shown us on a consistent basis that she is one of the top players in the nation. At 6’0 Nia plays way bigger and stronger then she looks. Her athleticism is out of this world and she can jump out of the gym, I’m going to guess her vertical is one of the highest across all power forwards. The way Holloway was blocking shots this weekend made her look like she was a middle blocker playing volleyball, as she uses both arms to shield the opponent’s shots. I think she took some pointers from the Eden Prairie girls volleyball team where she was the manager this year. If the top prospect in the state continues to knock down the three she will be impossible to guard.
Abby Krzewinski Abby Krzewinski 5'11" | PF Wayzata | 2023 State MN and Shannon Fornshell Shannon Fornshell 6'1" | SF Wayzata | 2023 State MN – Wayzata, 2023 small forwards
The Wayzata duo came to play on Friday night, right out the gate against Becker. Both Krzewinski and Fornshell play the small forward but have skills of a guard and can handle the ball, which makes them tough to guard. With the small, quick lineup, Wayzata can go five out and spread the floor with these two on the court.
Krezwinski is finally back in a Wayzata jersey after missing all of her sophomore season with an ACL tear, but the way she’s playing right now you would have never guessed she had a horrible injury. She’s in perfect game shape, runs the floor, attacks on offense, and is strong down low. On Friday the 5’11 small forward couldn’t miss, putting up 14 points and contributing to a big lead early. She was too much to handle for the smaller Becker team, where she continued to stay active on offense, cutting down the lane and finishing with contact. One of Abby’s most underrated aspects to her game is her defense. She does everything right on the defensive end and can guard the 1-5 position. This year I think she will have the tough task of guarding the opposing team’s best player. This kid has always been the go-to player and has grit in her blood. She will be excellent at the next level.
Fornshell plays the five for the trojans and has stepped into the role gracefully. At 6’1 She may be undersized down low but has the length and footwork to compete with the best. At the Breakdown tournament Shannon ran the floor well, and finished around the rim. She stayed active on both ends of the floor, scoring, blocking shots and getting stops on defense. The nice thing about the small forward is that she is so fundamentally sound you can ask her to do anything. Her best asset is the fact that she can step outside the arc and knock down threes, pulling the taller defender out of the lane. She too was too strong, too skilled, and too long for Becker, putting up 12 points.
Maya Nnaji Maya Nnaji 6'4" | PF Hopkins | 2022 State #7 Nation MN – Hopkins, 2022 power forward
Nnaji is the most dominate post player in the state, and at this point no one has been able to shut her down. She’s too strong, too skilled, and too smart. If Hopkins didn’t have 5 kids averaging over 13 points, she would probably go off for 30 a game, but luckily she doesn’t have to take on that load with so many scoring threats on the team. I’ve never seen a team that has 6 players who can take ANYONE, one-on-one and score consistently. Watching the power forward this weekend you can tell she’s been in the gym working this off season, as her shot is on point, which makes her almost impossible to stop. In the two games she had a nice easy 30 points. At 6’4 she no longer stays on the block but pops outside and will knock down both the mid range and the three. Nnaji is at her best when she catches it at the elbow where she has so many options to score.
Grace Counts Grace Counts 6'1" | PF Providence | 2023 State MN – Providence Academy, 2023 power forward
Counts is one of my favorite forwards to watch. She works hard and doesn’t complain, she is the definition of a team player, and someone you definitely want on your team. Against Benilde-St. Margaret’s she was unstoppable in the first half putting up 14 points. It seemed like every time the power forward caught the ball, she attacked the hoop and scored with ease. Its so fun to watch her and her sister Maria Counts Maria Counts 5'11" | PF Providence | 2022 State MN play the high low game, where Grace is playing more down low this year. If she’s not getting the rebound you will catch her sprinting down the floor in transition looking for a fast break layup, and has a point guard who likes to push the ball. At 6’0 one of Counts’ most underrated skills is her ability to pass to the open player or cutter, where she sees the floor well.
Emma Dasovich Emma Dasovich 6'1" | PF Valley Vista | 2024 MN – Minnetonka, 2024 power forward
This weekend we saw Dasovich do it all on both ends of the floor. She was most impressive on offense where she scored in many facets. The 6’1 power forward is a multi-dimensional scorer, who can score from anywhere on the floor. In the lane she has a nice touch around the rim, where she finishes at a high clip, whether its a drop shot or a easy bucket off the backboard. She can also play you back to the basket, where she has phenomenal footwork and timing. This weekend she showed off her skills in the paint by holding her position well and creating good seals. The difference maker for her is her ability to shoot the three on a consistent basis, even shooting the three in transition, which you don’t see many power forwards doing. Her court vision seems like its gotten even better, as she was making great passes to her teammates both days of Breakdown.
Trinity Wilson Trinity Wilson 6'3" | PF Lakeville North | 2024 State MN – Lakeville North, 2024 center
Wilson continues to get better with time. On Saturday she had a tough task of guarding the bigs of Eden Prairie, but held her own putting up 11 points. She was good at burying her player on the block for an easy layup off the glass. Her touch around the rim was great and with more work in the gym those short shots will all start to fall more consistently. At 6’3 the center is running the floor better now that she is healthy and is looking for the transition fast break. As she gets more high level court time she will start to realize there’s not many people who can guard her!