PGH Newcomer of the Year: Jocelyn Land
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The story is a familiar one by now. It began late last summer when a highly-touted transfer from the state of Vermont showed up in Minnesota and made her presence felt at AAU tryouts. It continued into the autumn when…
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Continue ReadingThe story is a familiar one by now. It began late last summer when a highly-touted transfer from the state of Vermont showed up in Minnesota and made her presence felt at AAU tryouts. It continued into the autumn when Jocelyn Land Jocelyn Land 6'0" | PF Holy Family | 2024 State MN turned some heads in fall ball, showing her skill and physicality in a big way. By the time the high school season had reached its midway point, there were headlines on a regular basis – every one of them earned the old-fashioned way through sweat, hustle and grit. The 6-foot sophomore has already made her mark in a state loaded with talent and we are happy to make it official with this: The Holy Family sophomore is our Prep Girls Hoops High School Newcomer of the Year.
It’s difficult to define exactly what a newcomer is. Certainly an out-of-state transfer qualifies. For our purposes we are also including all players who are new or nearly new to varsity, regardless of age, regardless of grade, regardless of school size, location or class. As a result we are pleased to honor two sophomores, a freshmen and an 8th grader who really made their mark this winter. Let’s begin with our overall winner.
Jocelyn Land Jocelyn Land 6'0" | PF Holy Family | 2024 State MN – 2024 forward, Holy Family
Holy Family’s second-year head coach Brandon Antl had to be pretty excited about his veteran squad entering the season. With Division 2 point guard Nicole Bowlin Nicole Bowlin 5'6" | PG Holy Family | 2022 State MN (Colorado Christian) anchoring the ship, D1 commit Sophi Hall Sophi Hall 6'1" | CG Holy Family | 2023 State MN (Providence) doing a whole lot of everything, and reliable veterans like Lucy Hertel Lucy Hertel 5'7" | CG Holy Family | 2022 State MN , Regan Cizek and Sophia Zay Sophia Zay 5'8" | CG Holy Family | 2024 MN on hand, the Fire were in good shape. The coach could not possibly have predicted how much his incoming transfer would bring to the table. He quantified it well back in January right after Holy Family had pulled off a stunning upset of Minnetonka on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
“Oh man, you can’t put it into words how much she has meant to our team,” Antl said. “She is the prototypical 5 that every team needs, a beast down low. She can shoot the three. She rebounds everything, blocks everything. I think any team in the state would love to have her on their team. She would make every team better and she definitely makes us better. A lot better.”
By season’s end, Land would be Holy Family’s leading scorer and rebounder with over 19 points and 10 boards per game. She had 69 blocked shots and was a major reason why the Fire assembled an impressive 25 victories before falling to the state champions from Providence Academy in the Section 5AA final. Along the way she became one of our biggest stock risers of the winter, moving up to #21 in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2024 rankings. “She’s a really great teammate,” Antl said. “She does a really good job of getting position down low and finishing. She is really long. She can create separation from her defender. She’s a really good finisher and a really good catch-and-shoot three-point shooter.”
College coaches who want a closer look will find Jocelyn in good company given that she’ll play with such standouts as Olivia Olson Olivia Olson 6'1" | CG Benilde-SM | 2024 State MN , Jordan Zubich Jordan Zubich 5'11" | SG Mountain Iron-Buhl | 2024 State MN and Marisa Frost Marisa Frost 5'8" | PG Centennial | 2024 State MN on Minnesota Fury 2024 UAA.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Alexis Rose Alexis Rose 5'10" | CG Becker | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, Becker
It’s not easy following an all-timer, but that was the task at hand entering the high school season for Rose. The sophomore point guard was handed the basketball following the graduation of Bulldogs standout Julia Bengtson, who led her team to a state championship before moving on to an excellent freshman year at D1 Eastern Illinois. Despite her lack of experience, despite the pressure of the role, Rose excelled right from the get-go and got better and better every week. Along the way the 5’9 combo guard demonstrated continuous improvement in virtually every facet of her game while leading her team back to the championship game in March. She averaged 13 points and almost 5 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 50% You’ll find Lexi this spring with Comets Elite.
Sophie Hawkinson Sophie Hawkinson 5'8" | CG Wayzata | 2025 State MN – 2025 guard, Wayzata
We have seen plenty of precocious talents light it up this season as the freshmen and younger continue to impact varsity high school basketball like never before. It’s one thing to do it in Class A or AA, however, and quite another to do it in one of the biggest and best programs in the state. Not only did Sophie successfully make the jump from travel ball to high school, she became a varsity starter who could be relied upon to produce even in the daunting conditions the Trojans faced night after night in the Lake Conference. Sophie averaged over 9 points per game while doing a terrific job at both ends of the floor. The 5’8 combo guard is super-strong, highly-skilled and has one of the toughest mindsets of anyone we’ve seen. She has earned the #8 ranking in the Class of 2025 for a reason. Hawkinson is now suiting up for North Tartan 2025 Nike.
Vienna Murray Vienna Murray 6'0" | SG East Ridge | 2026 State MN – 2026 guard, Tartan
It’s not easy to earn individual accolades in varsity ball as an 8th grader. It’s even more difficult on a rebuilding team where you are the key piece, where every opponent game plans specifically for you, where double teams and a hand in the face from girls three and four years your senior are the norm. That’s what Vienna encountered every night for the Oakdale-based Titans. She still averaged 14 points per game and led the team in every meaningful statistical category while earning All-Conference honors. She had a 27-point performance against Two Rivers and 25 against North St. Paul. I was in Hastings the night Vienna put up 26 against Keagan McVicker Keagan McVicker 5'9" | CG Hastings | 2025 State MN and Lilly Nuytten Lilly Nuytten 6'1" | PF Hastings | 2022 State MN despite being targeted from beginning to end. Throughout the season, Murray withstood the pressure, kept an even demeanor, and led her team by example with the on-court leadership of a veteran. The 5’10 guard/wing/small forward has emerged as one of the very best in the Class of 2026. You can see why this spring with North Tartan 2026 Nike.