Which senior is going to win Miss Basketball?
Who will win Minnesota’s coveted Miss Basketball Award? The winner will be announced during the high school state tournament and the nominees list will come out a few weeks before that. Now that the season is half over we figured…
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Continue ReadingWho will win Minnesota’s coveted Miss Basketball Award? The winner will be announced during the high school state tournament and the nominees list will come out a few weeks before that. Now that the season is half over we figured it was time to handicap the field and speculate on who the selection committee might choose to nominate. We’ve laid out the favorites, the contenders, 10 others who will get consideration and 10 more who should. Keep in mind, these aren’t our predictions or choices but rather an educated guess on who the committee might pick. Based on previous years we know they like to include representation from outstate and smaller schools even if those players may not be the top performers in the state.
We have included each player’s college commitment along with their Prep Girls Hoops prospect ranking which is, as you know, a rating of their college potential and not their performance as a high school basketball player. As a reminder, the last five winners of Minnesota’s Miss Basketball award were:
- 2021 – Adalia McKenzie, Park Center (Illinois)
- 2020 – Paige Bueckers, Hopkins (UConn)
- 2019 – Kacie Borowicz, Roseau (North Dakota)
- 2018 – Megan Walstad, Eastview (UW-Milwaukee)
- 2017 – Gabbi Haack, Elk River (Bradley)
THE FAVORITES
Mallory Heyer Mallory Heyer 6'1" | PF Chaska | 2022 State #36 Nation MN – forward, Chaska (Minnesota) #4
When Mallory hit the 2,000-point milestone last week we offered her a big old tip of the hat in our Sunday recap of the Week That Was #8. What more can you say about the elite power forward who brings size and skill and smarts to the table, and is one of the best teammates around? There’s no doubt in our mind she’ll make the same impact in the Big 10.
Amaya Battle Amaya Battle 5'10" | PG Hopkins | 2022 State #29 Nation MN – guard, Hopkins (Minnesota) #3
Everyone knows Hopkins is loaded and has been throughout Amaya’s high school career. But playing in the rather enormous shadow cast by Paige Bueckers can leave your accomplishments in the background. The fact of the matter is, however, that Battle has been absolutely crucial to the Royals’ success. She’s subtle and amazing all at once.
Mara Braun Mara Braun 5'11" | CG Wayzata | 2022 State #21 Nation MN – guard, Wayzata (Minnesota) #2
On Thursday night Mara returned after being sidelined for a month with a knee injury. The impact of her absence was immediately highlighted upon her return when the elite guard scored 20 points to lead her team to a come-from-behind win. Mara has been a stellar performer throughout her five-year career, a fact that will not be lost on the selection committee.
Kiani Lockett Kiani Lockett 5'9" | PG Minnetonka | 2022 State MN – guard, Minnetonka (Creighton) #8
Kiani is one of the state’s most exciting guards, a dynamic force of nature with skill and speed and savvy. She led DeLaSalle to a Class 3A state title before moving over to 4A Minnetonka where her team is a serious contender to do the same. Nobody competes harder than Lockett, night in and night out, and she has the tools to match.
Madison Mathiowetz Madison Mathiowetz 5'10" | CG Sleepy Eye St. Mary's | 2022 State MN – guard, Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s (South Dakota State) #12
Maddie is the class of Class A. Hailing from a school of fewer than 100 students, she has been breaking records and chalking up victories for years. Carrying on a long Mathiowetz family tradition at the tiny parochial school, Maddie has established herself as the premier small-school player in the state. Her body of work speaks for itself.
THE CONTENDERS
Callin Hake Callin Hake 5'8" | PG Chanhassen | 2022 State #64 Nation MN – guard, Chanhassen (Nebraska) #7
Hake is closing in on 2,000 career points and 500 rebounds, exactly the sort of numbers that will get you some serious consideration for this award. Her team hasn’t had state tournament exposure but Callin has been front and center regardless.
Maya Nnaji Maya Nnaji 6'4" | PF Hopkins | 2022 State #7 Nation MN – forward, Hopkins (Arizona) #1
The 6’4 power forward offers a unique combination of enormous size with high-quality skills which is why she was one of the most recruited players nationally in the Class of 2022. When she’s at her best she’s very, very good.
Nia Holloway Nia Holloway 6'0" | PF Eden Prairie | 2022 State #45 Nation MN – forward, Eden Prairie (Minnesota) #5
Nia has all of the qualities you’d want in a great player and a great person. She is a true leader in every sense of the word, as well as a rebounding machine. Nia is a complete all-around performer who has an infectious-energy that spills over onto everyone around her.
Ellie Colbeck Ellie Colbeck 5'9" | PG Fergus Falls | 2022 State MN – guard, Fergus Falls (South Dakota State) #9
This week Ellie reached the 2,000-career points mark. That’s most definitely a milestone of significance. So is carrying your team to the state tournament, something that is also on her resume. Colbeck is a multi-dimensional talent.
Lilly Meister Lilly Meister 6'2" | PF Rochester John Marshall | 2022 State #55 Nation MN – forward, Rochester John Marshall (Indiana) #6
If Lilly played on a high-profile program in the Twin Cities, one that was making trips to the state tournament and generating some buzz, she could be in the top 5. Her performance certainly merits that sort of notoriety as all of Indiana will find out soon.
10 MORE WHO WILL GET SERIOUS CONSIDERATION
There is a ton of talent in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2022. That has been well-documented of late. This year’s group of seniors may go down as one of the best ever in the state of Minnesota. That makes choosing a Miss Basketball more difficult than ever. Here are 10 more players who deserve serious consideration.
- CJ Adamson CJ Adamson 5'9" | CG Rochester Lourdes | 2022 State MN – guard, Rochester Lourdes (Augustana) #33
- Mikayla Aumer Mikayla Aumer 5'9" | CG Cambridge-Isanti | 2022 State MN – guard, Cambridge-Isanti (North Dakota) #20
- Natalie Bremer Natalie Bremer 5'11" | CG Lake City | 2022 State MN – guard, Lake City (MSU-Mankato) #29
- Maria Counts Maria Counts 5'11" | PF Providence | 2022 State MN – forward, Providence Academy #70
- Hope Dudycha Hope Dudycha 5'6" | CG Austin | 2022 State MN – guard, Austin #78
- Ronnie Porter Ronnie Porter 5'2" | CG Como Park | 2022 State MN – guard, St. Paul Como Park #16
- Abbie Riederer Abbie Riederer 5'8" | CG Mn Valley Lutheran | 2022 State MN – guard, Minnesota Valley Lutheran (Upper Iowa) #54
- Amber Scalia Amber Scalia 5'9" | CG Stillwater | 2022 State MN – guard, Stillwater (St. Thomas) #18
- Mackenzie Schweim Mackenzie Schweim 5'10" | PG Mankato East | 2022 State MN – guard, Mankato East (MSU-Mankato) #24
- Desiree Ware Desiree Ware 5'8" | CG Minnetonka | 2022 State MN – guard, Minnetonka (Alabama-Birmingham) #10
OTHERS WHO SHOULD MAKE THE NOMINEES LIST
With Mathiowetz sure to make the finalists list it takes a little pressure off the committee to have more representation from Class A. Still they will probably put at least one more on their list and we’re guessing it will be Taryn Frazer Taryn Frazer 5'4" | PG Cass Lake-Bena | 2022 State MN , the scoring machine out of Cass Lake-Bena who also checks a box as providing representation from the northern reaches of the state which is lacking this year. Here are 10 more who should make the grade.
- Kaylynn Asberry Kaylynn Asberry 5'5" | PG Como Park | 2022 State MN – guard, St. Paul Como Park (Saint Peters) #23
- Ellie Buzzelle Ellie Buzzelle 5'9" | SG Rogers | 2022 State #60 Nation MN – guard, Rogers (Grand Canyon) #11
- Taryn Frazer Taryn Frazer 5'4" | PG Cass Lake-Bena | 2022 State MN – guard, Cass Lake-Bena
- Lily Fandre Lily Fandre 6'2" | SF Eagan | 2022 State MN – forward, Eagan (Lehigh) #14
- Lizzie Holder Lizzie Holder 6'1" | PF Stillwater | 2022 State MN – forward, Stillwater (Colorado) #15
- Adeline Kent Adeline Kent 5'8" | CG Becker | 2022 State MN – guard, Becker (Tampa) #30
- Natalie Mikrot Natalie Mikrot 5'6" | CG Moose Lake-WR | 2022 State MN – guard, Moose Lake-Willow River (UM-Crookston) #74
- Audrey Swanson Audrey Swanson 5'11" | SF Waconia | 2022 State MN – forward, Waconia (Southwest Minnesota State) #37
- Ava Stier Ava Stier 5'10" | PF Waconia | 2022 State MN – forward, Waconia (MSU-Mankato) #42
- Savannah White Savannah White 6'1" | SG DeLaSalle | 2022 State MN – guard, DeLaSalle (Wisconsin) #13
Top photo: Four of last year’s five finalists (left to right): Sophie Hart, Adalia McKenzie, Gianna Kneepkens and Alexis Pratt.