Granite City Classic: Newcomers of Note

Q: What exactly is a ‘newcomer?’ A: That depends. OK, maybe that is a copout, because we love to talk about newcomers. They come in all shapes and sizes and descriptions, and exactly who we consider to be a newcomer definitely varies from one situation to another. Regardless, we are committed to bringing you fresh faces in Minnesota girls basketball, whether that be 7th or 8th graders just making their way into the high school picture or late-blooming, non-AAU playing seniors we haven’t seen before. In this instance, we have a little bit of all of the above. In our final installment of this week’s coverage from the Granite City Classic, we give you the Newcomers of Note. Brooke Beier – senior guard, Foley Foley isn’t a team we were real familiar with prior to game 1 at St. Ben’s. With Scott Antl at the helm, the Falcons are built around an experienced core led by veteran guard [player_tooltip player_id="147452" first="Alaina" last="Hageman"]. Also in that backcourt is Beier, who played very, very well in the game we saw against Annandale. At about 5’6, Brook e has nice handles and quick feet, plus good speed in the open court. We loved the way she defended the perimeter, with a nice sense of timing and anticipation, and just the right combination of ferocity and patience. It’s obvious that she is a great competitor who is eager to execute what Coach Antl wants. Whether she was sharing the court with Hageman or sophomore Macy Zawacki or both, Beier looked calm and comfortable. That’s what you expect from your seniors. That’s what you need. That’s what Brooke provided. Marley Wheeler – junior forward, Foley Confession: I had never heard of Marley prior to the Granite City Classic. To be honest, though, by the second half of the game against Annandale I couldn’t take my eyes off the 5’10 junior forward/wing. First of all, she’s got length which she was able to employ well both as a rebounder and as a scorer. She’s crafty, at one point faking a mid-range shot and then slipping into the lane to bury a baby jumper. Sweet. She scored on a nice spin move, too, showed decent footwork and was basically just really savvy and not afraid to make/take contact. Marley finished the game in double digits and was generally impressive. Did we mention she can defend? This is a kid with a lot of different interests. Her bio in the Breakdown guide book says she’s involved in FFA (Future Farmers of America for you city folk) and 4H and wants to do professional rodeo. I suspect there may be some college basketball in her future, as well. Gabby Fineday – freshman guard, Cass Lake-Bena Ask around about Gabby and the one word that’s going to come up again and again is ‘shooter.’ And that she is. Fineday has nice mechanics, a smooth delivery and the ability to get it up quickly in one motion. Provide her with an open look and the ball is most likely going down. Upon closer examination of Gabby’s game, however, you’ll find there is a whole lot more about it that’s worthy of note. She’s not real big, but she is deceptively quick and fairly strong for her size. Her feet are pretty light, too, which enables her to bounce around the court at pace to take advantage of whatever opening an unwary opponent might yield. And she is crafty. We watched CLB against Holdingford in a classic contrast of styles – the run-and-gun transition game played by Cass Lake-Bena and the more traditional half-court approach employed by Holdingford. In today’s basketball, I’ll take fast every time, and so would Gabby. She scored in transition, made twos and threes, and was 5-for-6 at the free throw line. Mia Hernandez – 7th grade guard, Tartan Tartan has been doing an exceptional job promoting its players in social media this season. That’s how we knew Hernandez had recorded a smooth double-double – 17 points and 11 rebounds – in a game against Irondale earlier in the year, but we had to see for ourselves. You don’t come across a lot of kids like Mia in varsity basketball. At first glance Hernandez isn’t exactly an imposing figure. Kids in glasses always seem to lull observers (and opponents) into complacency, but don’t be fooled. Mia is a talented kid – quicker than she looks, faster than you expect, with lighter feet and quicker lateral movement and handles far beyond what most 7th graders possess. She has a strong lower body, excellent mechanics, and a motor that is impressive. Mia appears to be taking all the right steps to get better while she gets bigger, and we look forward to watching her play many more times in the years ahead. The ‘Watch Again’ list There were a number of younger players who did exceptionally well at the Granite City Classic, talented athletes we have already been covering. That would include Alexandria’s crop of gifted freshmen – [player_tooltip player_id="346165" first="Hadley" last="Thul"], Allie Haabala, MaCee Linow and [player_tooltip player_id="346183" first="Chloe" last="Scholl"] – along with 8th grader [player_tooltip player_id="351665" first="Vienna" last="Murray"] of Tartan, 9th grader [player_tooltip player_id="252383" first="Lanelle" last="Wright"] of Minnetonka, and 7th grader Emma Millerbernd of Providence Academy. Here are a few names we watched in earnest for the first time at St. Ben’s. We’ll add them to our ‘Watch Again’ list and circle back when the opportunity presents itself. <ul> <li>Savannah Belongia – freshman guard, Champlin Park</li> <li>Anna Saari – 8th grade guard, Duluth Marshall</li> <li>Lauren & Brook Soltis – freshman guards, Holdingford</li> <li>Grace Anseth – 8th grade guard, Holy Family</li> <li>Summer Thieman – sophomore guard, Pine City</li> </ul> Top photo: Marley Wheeler and Brooke Beier of Foley.