Minnesota graduates are on fire at the next level
It can take some time for freshmen to adjust to the realities of college basketball. The players are bigger and faster, the spotlight is much, much brighter and the sheer volume of work involved both on and off the court…
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Continue ReadingIt can take some time for freshmen to adjust to the realities of college basketball. The players are bigger and faster, the spotlight is much, much brighter and the sheer volume of work involved both on and off the court can be overwhelming. Or not. This year it seems Minnesota’s crop of recent high school graduates is having less difficulty adapting to the game’s next level and many of them have been truly outstanding. We’re talking about you Jenna Johnson. And you Paige Meyer. And you Adalia McKenzie.
Johnson, a 2021 Wayzata graduate who was ranked #4 in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2021, got off to a rapid start in her first season at the University of Utah, which competes in the high-major PAC12 Conference. As of earlier in the week, Jenna had started every game for the Utes and is playing over 22 minutes a night. She’s shooting 62% from the field and averaging 13.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Jenna has already earned Freshman of the Week honors from the conference.
‘But wait,’ as they say on those late night infomercials, ‘There’s more!’ Johnson isn’t the only Ute to earn the FOW honor. Her teammate Gianna Kneepkens did it the week after. The Duluth Marshall graduate, ranked #3 in the 2021 class, started off on a little less torrid pace but has come on strong in the past couple of weeks. Now in the Utah starting lineup, Gianna had a career high 29-point game against Brigham Young University, a top 25-ranked team at the time. It’s impressive stuff.
Here’s a rundown on how some of the top players in the 2021 graduating class are faring at the Division 1 level. Stats were compiled earlier in the week.
THE TOP 10
#1 Adalia McKenzie – guard, Illinois (Park Center)
Adalia took a couple of weeks to warm up. After playing just 10 minutes per game and scoring 7 total points in her first three contests, she had a 15-point night and played 25 minutes against UC-Riverside. Since then Adalia has been on fire. McKenzie is now in the starting lineup and is averaging 22 minutes and 12 points per game. In Illinois’ Big 10 opener against Michigan State she played 26 minutes and scored 14 points.
#2 Sophi Hart – center, North Carolina State (Farmington)
Sophi is currently serving an apprenticeship under one of the premier post players in the country and playing about 5 minutes per game for the Wolfpack. 6’5 senior Elissa Cunane is a first-team All American and surefire first-round pick in the 2022 WNBA draft. What Hart learns this year will make all the difference in her future. That’s what happened for Watertown-Mayer grad Monika Czinano a couple of years ago when she interned under Megan Gustafson at Iowa and is now one of the best players in the Big 10.
#3 Gianna Kneepkens – guard, Utah (Duluth Marshall)
Kneepkens was an absolute scoring machine in high school, averaging well north of 40 points per game her senior season for the Hilltoppers. She put up numbers with the Minnesota Fury, too, but it’s a whole different ballgame at the power 5 conference level. For most people. Kneepkens had that 29-point performance against BYU and is now in the starting lineup for the Utes. She’s shooting 52% from the field, 47% from three, and her average is up to 10 ppg.
#4 Jenna Johnson – forward, Utah (Wayzata)
Jenna has earned her share of accolades already, and the Utah fans have taken to her as you would expect. The soft-spoken Johnson has always let her play do the talking and so far in college basketball it has been screaming at full volume. Johnson is shooting a stunning 62% from the field for 13.8 points per game while hauling in 5.4 rebounds in nearly 23 minutes of action. Her double-double against Cal State-Fullerton (23 & 10) will be one of many in the not-too-distance future.
#5 Katie Borowicz – guard, Minnesota (Roseau)
Katie left high school a semester early and made an immediate impact at Minnesota last season. She was slated to be the backup point guard to Jasmine Powell with the Gophers this fall but an unfortunate injury has left her on the sidelines. Borowicz had surgery on her neck and back and is now recovering nicely. She is back shooting again and is expected to return to play next season. Her first full year of college basketball will have to wait.
#6 Kendall Coley – wing, Nebraska (St. Louis Park)
Kendall also ducked out of high school early and that move no doubt kick-started her development at the next level. The work she has put in on and off the court is really starting to pay off and Coley is a fixture in the rotation for the Cornhuskers, who got off to a perfect 10-0 start to the season. Coley is averaging nearly 15 minutes of action and contributing 4.6 points and 3 rebounds per game. The coaching staff is quite happy with Kendall’s development to this point.
#7 Kaylee Van Eps – guard, Lehigh (Chaska)
I love watching Lehigh play since they are essentially Minnesota’s ‘other’ Division 1 team. That’s how it seems anyway as the Pennsylvania school features six Minnesotans on its roster. Van Eps is the latest of those Gopher-state additions and she’s gradually working her way into a more prominent role. So far Kaylee is averaging under 10 minutes per game on a squad heavy with upperclassmen. Her time will come soon enough.
#8 Cassidy Carson – guard, South Dakota (Eastview)
South Dakota is loaded with upperclassmen so it wasn’t surprising when we learned that Cassidy would be redshirting this season to further her development and wait for roster spots to open up in the Coyotes rotation. The lengthy guard was the first player in the class to make a Division 1 commitment if I recall correctly and she will do very well long-term at the mid-major level.
#9 Paige Meyer – guard, South Dakota State (Albany)
Meyer’s early success at South Dakota State practically mirrors what Johnson has done at Utah. The scrappy point guard has exceeded all expectations as she earned a starting spot for the Jackrabbits immediately and has turned in a series of highlight-reel performances. Joining fellow Minnesota standouts Tori Nelson, Kallie Theissen and Lindsey Theuninck in Brookings, Paige is averaging 25 minutes, nearly 10 points and 4 rebounds per game while leading the team in assists. She’s also shooting 46% from three.
#10 Jade Hill – guard, St. Thomas (Minneapolis South)
Baptism by fire. That’s what Jade is going through as the starting point guard on the first team in NCAA history to make the jump from Division 3 to Division 1 in the blink of an eye. Hill has started every game for the Tommies and is averaging over 12 ppg with an 18-point performance against Presbyterian and 16 against North Texas. Not surprisingly she also leads the team in assists. In a season when so many of their opponents are senior-heavy, Hill is leading the young Tommies into a new era.
OTHER D1 PERFORMERS OF NOTE
- #12 Paige Kindseth – guard, Presbyterian (Farmington) Averaging 22 minutes, 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds. Paige played a key role in their win over St. Thomas.
- #16 Anna Miller – forward, Drake (Rochester Mayo) Playing 16 minutes per game in a strong lineup for the Bulldogs while scoring 8.9 points and 5.7 rebounds.
- #18 Alexis Pratt – guard, Omaha (Stillwater) Started 8 of 9 games and is a defensive force for the Mavericks. Averaging 25 minutes per game.
- #19 Julia Bengtson – guard, Eastern Illinois (Becker) Currently playing over 30 minutes per game while shooting 51%. Won Ohio Valley Freshman of the Week honors.
- #21 Jodi Anderson – forward, North Dakota (Centennial) Jodi is transitioning well and is averaging 18 minutes per game in a key role for the Fighting Hawks.
- #22 Miah Monahan – guard, Eastern Illinois (Glencoe-Silver Lake) Bengtson’s teammate is playing 19 minutes per game while averaging 3.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
- #33 Ivory Finley – guard, UMass-Lowell (Rosemount) Ivory is off to a great start playing 25 minutes a night while averaging 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
One more player we have to mention is Concordia Academy graduate Ivane Tensaie. Ranked #30 in the Class of 2021, the North Tartan Elite point guard didn’t get the offers she wanted out of high school and elected to go the junior college route as an alternate path to D1. Turns out that was a really good choice.
Now at the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, Tensaie has been one of the country’s top JUCO performers to date and the D1s are calling. She recently announced offers to North Dakota State and Dixie State in Utah and we’ve had inquires about her, as well. As of earlier this week, Ivane had started all 14 games and is averaging 33 minutes per game. She’s shooting 48% from three-point range while averaging 23.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists. That’s what you call a hot start.
Top photo: Miss Basketball finalists (left to right) Sophi Hart, Adalia McKenzie, Gianna Kneepkens and Alexis Pratt.