TC Thanksgiving Tip Off: Players on the Rise

As the first games wrap up of the new season, we are excited to see the rise of new players. A new year can mean a lot, for some it means playing a new role, and for others they are finally getting their shot to prove themselves. In one year you can go from sitting on the bench to making a huge impact for your team. These girls were impressive to say the least in their 2021-2022 debut. Look for these players to make some noise this year. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="215968" first="Kendall" last="Barnes"] - Roseville, point guard</strong> The point guard has flown under the radar, so when I saw her play I was asking everyone who #1 was. Barnes has a quick first step and can beat her defender off the bounce and finish with contact. Barnes can finish in many ways, as she was really good at using the glass to spin it off the backboard. Just watching her play you can tell basketball is in her blood, where she gets to learn from her mom who happens to be her head coach. Roseville has all the pieces to be successful this year including guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="109208" first="Makayla" last="Adams"] </strong>and senior <strong>Gabrielle Kopp</strong>. Kopp is looking to have a breakout season and she has started on the right foot. The guard can finish with contact and hit from beyond the arc at a high clip. Kopp will be a scoring threat this year and should make a big impact. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="302296" first="Jessika" last="Lofstrom"] - Grand Rapids, 2024 combo guard</strong> Lofstrom continues to get better every time we see her play. This year she will play a big role alongside teammate <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="108316" first="Taryn" last="Hamling"]</strong>, as the duo will take on most of the scoring this year. The small forward is active on both ends and always looks to make the right play. In her debut she put up 20 points showing us her ability to score in many facets. The 5’11 sophomore continues to prove she can do it all and is starting to look like a top prospect. With her length and guard like skills she can finish around the rim with both hands, and shoots the ball at a high percentage. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="304927" first="Ella" last="Kletti"] - Mahtomedi, 2024 guard</strong> Kletti was on a mission this past weekend playing some of her best basketball yet. I was most impressed with her defense, where she was very aggressive on D, giving her opponent little to no space and diving on lose balls. She was responsible for guarding one of the best kids in the state and gave her a hard time all game. The 5’5 guard pick pocketed the ball multiple times to get fast break layups. She is the definition of a hustler, who has a motor that doesn’t stop.  On offense she was active and in transition ran the floor well. Mahtomedi has a three guard package who will give a lot of teams a tough time including teammate and captain <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="220833" first="Sonya" last="Potthoff"]</strong> who will play a big role this season. Along with freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="296747" first="Anna" last="Greene"] </strong>who stands at 6’0 and cleaned up all the boards for some easy put-backs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="109200" first="Lucy" last="Hertel"] - Holy Family, 2022 guard</strong> Lucy plays with grit and has a toughness that most guards her size don’t have. She will not back down to any opponent and will hold her own against some of the best in the state. She is a pest on defense and is not afraid to get in the opponents’ space making it uncomfortable for the ball handler. Hertel’s best asset is her foot speed and her ability to change speed at a drop of a dime. On offense Hertel uses her quick first step to attack the hoop where she is good at creating and finishing with contact. The 5’5 guard is a senior this year, and is ready to make a statement on a very talented Holy Family team. <strong>Elena Kronschnabel - Cretin-Derham Hall, 2025 guard</strong> The freshman guard had one of her best games yet against a really talented Totino-Grace team. She couldn’t be stopped on offense doing it all for her team. She attacked the hoop well and shoot the ball with confidence, putting up a craeer high of 19 points. She will compliment senior guards [player_tooltip player_id="298800" first="Ray’ven" last="Robinson"] and <strong>Anna Caruso</strong> this year. Kronschnable is a fresh face that we will be keeping our eye on.