AAU Week 4 Recap: A local view of the Live Period

Big events were everywhere this past weekend. From Ames to Alabama to Virginia and beyond, the first Live Period viewing of the 2022 campaign featured a ton of great AAU events from coast to coast, including the Prep Girls Hoops/Jr All Star Exclusive in Chicago. Not surprisingly, Minnesota’s top AAU programs acquitted themselves very, very well throughout the weekend. We could probably spew a thousand superlatives describing all of that success on the national level, which will no doubt result in some excellent scholarship-level opportunities for many of the participants. But the marquee events weren’t the only tournaments on the docket. Back home in Minnesota, more than 200 teams took part in the Spring Showdown in Bloomington, Chanhassen and Chaska. That’s where we spent the weekend and saw a ton of great contests. We had the opportunity to watch some under-the-radar talent among Minnesota’s incoming senior class. We invested a lot of time watching elite 2027s and stock-raising 2026s. And we checked in on a variety of currently ranked prospects to update their evaluations. Let’s summarize some of that here in our recap of Week 4 of the 2022 AAU season with more to follow later in the week. <strong>SHOWDOWN STOCK RISERS</strong> While 2023 #1 [player_tooltip player_id="108299" first="Tessa" last="Johnson"] of North Tartan was drawing rave reviews from high major programs for her superior play on the EYBL circuit in Virginia – it’s difficult to exaggerate just how well the St. Michael-Albertville guard played on the road this weekend – there were others raising their stock at home. Here are a few: <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-209134" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/51_Cassidy-Shute_1-300x214.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="214" /> [player_tooltip player_id="186139" first="Cassidy" last="Shute"] <strong>– 2023 guard, Southern Minnesota Fury</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="302283" first="Olivia" last="Walsh"] seems to be drawing most of the attention in Austin these days – even a D1 coach or two is sniffing around with interest we are told – as her rise to prominence in the junior class continues. One player who should not be overlooked, however, is Shute. The super-quick, super-fast guard was a key part of the Packers run this spring. She has a well-rounded skill set that provides tremendous versatility. Cassidy can light up the scoreboard (she made four triples and had 17 points against West Central Wildcats when we watched on Saturday) but doesn’t need to score to be an important piece of the puzzle. She routinely fills up the score sheet in multiple categories. Cassidy has a ton of range, defends with passion, and is willing to take on whatever role she is given. Those assets will serve her well at the next level. By the way, Walsh had a heck of a weekend, as well, and continues to impress. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/04/Avery-Douglas_Swanville-scaled-crop-2049x1345-1650991761.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-419611 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/04/Avery-Douglas_Swanville-scaled-crop-2049x1345-1650991761-e1650991862366-206x300.jpg" alt="" width="206" height="300" /></a> <strong>Avery Douglas – 2026 guard, North Tartan Elite</strong> Entering the 9th grade this fall, Avery is already a two-year varsity veteran at Swanville, which is about 100 miles northwest of the Twin Cities give or take. She impressed us a ton during North Tartan’s fall workouts, ultimately earning a spot on their 2026 Elite team coached by Chad Flies. Avery isn’t real tall but she has a powerful build with strong legs and real explosiveness. She handles the ball well and is always willing to attack the basket regardless of the size of defenders standing between her and the destination. Avery can also shoot it. Swanville’s mascot is the Bulldog and that’s kind of how Avery plays! Others who raised their stock at the Spring Showdown included: <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="148317" first="Lilah" last="Bergen"] – 2023 guard, Minnesota Heat Gustafson (Columbia Heights)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="352774" first="Sage" last="Ganyo"] – 2023 guard, High Impact (Mountain Iron-Buhl)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="220843" first="Avery" last="Templin"] – 2023 guard, Central MN Swish (Sartell)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="352782" first="Josie" last="Lakosky"] – 2023 guard, Southern Minnesota Fury 2023 (Chaska)</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="302309" first="Karly" last="Jusczak"] – 2024 forward, North Tartan Elite (Pine City)</li> </ul> <strong>NEW PROSPECT OF THE WEEK</strong> <strong>Olivia Danielson – 2026 point guard, West Central Wildcats 8/9 Elite</strong> The 8th grader from Minnewaska (top photo) stood out immediately when we took in a contest between the West Central Wildcats 8th/9th Elite squad and Minnesota Fury 2025 Premier in the top 2025 division. She is a crafty floor general who has “athlete” written all over her. Not surprisingly, she is a state track medalist which tells you all you need to know about her speed and agility. Danielson is about 5’8 with a wiry build. She has terrific court vision, a solid understanding of the art of distribution, and the type of poise we are always looking for in a quality floor general. Her patience and quick first step also caught our attention. Olivia played varsity on a strong Lakers team that included senior [player_tooltip player_id="109151" first="Maddie" last="Thorfinnson"], who is off to Southwest Minnesota State, and ranked 2025 prospect [player_tooltip player_id="396424" first="Addyson" last="Kath"]. <strong>FRESH FACES WHO IMPRESSED</strong> [caption id="attachment_419622" align="alignnone" width="383"]<img class="wp-image-419622" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/04/Opportunity-8th-black-300x249.jpg" alt="" width="383" height="318" /> Photo: <a href="https://x.com/Opptybasketball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>[/caption] <strong>Ava Bolin – 2026 forward, Opportunity Basketball</strong> Opportunity Basketball is a relatively new club on the scene in the East Metro organized by Jason Bennett. It has grown quickly with over 20 teams now competing and the organization is attracting some quality players in that portion of the Twin Cities. One of those players is 2026 post Ava Bolin of Woodbury (photo left wearing #12). Big post players always get noticed immediately, of course, because they are few and far between. Ava is no exception, and when she stepped on the court Friday night to take the tip against TAP Manitoba I was all eyes. Bolin has a big frame, has to be over 6 feet already, and has a ton of great natural attributes. We loved her instincts around the basket. She showed a nice sense of timing on rebounds, and the ability to gain position, secure the rebound and score on put-backs. She also demonstrated a nice drop step and the ability to catch a pass, make a step and finish softly, all in one motion. Simple stuff that makes it clear her dad and coach Mitch Bolin has put in some work with his talented daughter. Lest we oversell Ava’s currently abilities, she is still really raw and there is a ton of work to be done in the skill development department. This is only her second year playing basketball. The potential is there, however, to become a scholarship-level prospect in the Class of 2026. <strong>Evelyn Miller – 2026 forward, North Tartan Elite</strong> Avery Douglas was very good, but we also liked her North Tartan teammate Evelyn Miller of Orono. The 6-foot forward did a lot of good work in the paint, where she currently operates in a little bit more of a traditional role, excelling with her back to the basket. Miller is long and lanky, and she demonstrated the ability to cash in on that advantage at both ends of the floor. Evelyn is still growing into her body but she showed some real skill in close, including an impressive reverse layup in traffic. That’s a tough shot to make, and most kids her age just kind of barf it up there and hope for the best. Not Evelyn. She was patient and poised, and very much focused on the intended target. It was executed perfectly drawing a few oohs and aahs from those assembled. Miller is a player whose progress we will be watching. <strong>Alexis Schaefer – 2025 wing,  Minnesota Fury 2025 Premier</strong> Alexis definitely looks the part. Listed at 5’11 but perhaps taller, she is very long and athletic, with an ease of movement and that natural grace that always manages to catch our attention. You can’t help but love the way she moves around the floor. She’s smooth, has long strides, elevates very well and can definitely shoot the basketball, with a quality release and high arc. Schaefer will end up as a ranked prospect on physical tools alone. As she gains more experience, however, Alexis will improve her decision making and positioning on the court – that oh-so-important ability to know what to do and where and when to do it – which will enable her to cash in on all of those natural attributes on a more consistent basis. The Chaska prospect will get every opportunity to do that in the months ahead. <strong>NEXT UP</strong> <ul> <li>On Wednesday we’ll bring you some 2023s you may not be familiar with who are going to make some noise at the next level.</li> <li>On Thursday we’ll tell you about some intriguing 2027s who earned their way into our notebook over the weekend.</li> </ul>