AAU State Prelims: Sharp Shooters

There were a lot of three point shots taken this past weekend, even down to the younger grades. I saw a fourth grader hit back to back threes in a game, but we’ll talk about her later (in 4 years). However in the older divisions, players let it fly with confidence. Three pointers are a game changer and can really impact a game. If you can shoot the ball at a 40 percent clip you are considered a knock down shooter. Here are the five players who caught our eye with their dominate shooting. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="339166" first="Savannah" last="Schlueter"] - Minnesota Rise 2023</strong> The 5’5 point guard was on fire at the State Prelims. In three games she hit 14 three pointers. The highlight of her weekend was dropping a whopping 34 points, which included 10 made threes! I started calling heat check after the fifth one and kept getting proved wrong. Did I mention this was during an 8 a.m. game? Most kids struggle in the early games but not Schlueter, who helped her team win by three. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="178277" first="Jordan" last="Zubich"] - Minnesota Fury UAA 2024</strong> Zubich has already established her self as a sharp shooter and one of the best three point shooters in the state. Now with a new AAU team, she can get more opportunities to catch and shot as they already have established point guards. The Minnesota Fury 2024 team is always looking to get her open for a shot. She has also extended her range, and hit a shot one foot in from half court. The shooting guard hit 16 threes in four games, hitting at least four threes in three of the four games. By the time the championship game rolled around word had got out that she was hot from beyond the arc, and wasn’t given any space by the number one seeded team. Almost all of her points came from the three where her game high was 7 made threes, scoring 21 points. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="108299" first="Tessa" last="Johnson"] - North Tartan EYBL 2022</strong> Johnson isn’t labeled as a three point shooter but she can do it all, which makes her really hard to guard. She gets good looks from the three because she plays smart and mixes it up on offense by attacking or pulling up for a jumper, which then leads to her being open at the three, and all she needs is a little space and time. Her shot is pure, comes off the hand nice, and has a quick release where the ball doesn’t touch the rim. The point guard ended the weekend scoring 9 threes in four games. She was also the leading scorer for the 2023 division putting up a total of 71 points, and helping her team take the number one seed going into the State Tournament. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="296523" first="Kendall" last="McGee"] - Minnesota Stars 2025</strong> The 5’10 point guard from Benilde-St. Margaret’s does it all for her team. Whether it be controlling the pace, scoring or making a big play. McGee, just like Johnson, can score in many facets. She is hard to guard because she can beat you off the bounce and shoot the rock. The number two ranked freshman put up a total of 9 threes in four games, and led the 2025 division in points scoring a total of 57 points. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="205298" first="Jordan" last="Ode"] - Minnesota Fury UAA 2025</strong> Ode has really stepped up this past year as a leader on and off the court. The team depends on her to make buckets and put up big points. The combo guard is the glue of the team and does everything and anything they need. She locks up the best player on defense, she rebounds, and she can shoot at a high clip from beyond the arc. The freshman has been shooting more threes as of late, and her shot is looking really good. Did I mention she has a great motor? I never see her get tired. She hit 8 threes in four games totally in 42 point total points. The highlight for her was hitting six threes in one game. <strong>Other Standout Shooters</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="352774" first="Sage" last="Ganyo"] - High Impact 2023 </strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="296516" first="Regan" last="Juenemann"] - Minnesota Suns/Starks Elite 2025</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="374227" first="Rainey" last="Welson"] - North Tartan EYBL 2024</strong>