State Tourney Preview: 5 players ready to make a splash

Grant McGinnis May 12, 2022 @ 05:50 PM

There’s no better time for a breakout than on the big stage at the AAU State Tournament. Every year we see it – talented performers emerge from the shadows to make a big play at the right moment to help their team secure an important victory. Who will it be this time around? The 2022 version of the summer state championship opens Friday night. Here are 5 players who are ready to make a big splash. – 2023 forward, Minnesota Rise Wolfe Coach Dan Wolfe brings another scrappy squad to the AAU State Tournament. In many ways it is a typical Rise team with a lot of grit, a defense-first mentality, and the ability to knock off a marquee team at any time. What’s new this season, however, is the addition of O’Reilly, a huge post who is now north of 6’2 with a big body and an even bigger motor. Hailing from Plainview-Elgin-Millville northeast of Rochester, Abby has been a game-changer all spring. Last weekend she scored 27 in a win over High Impact and 18 in a four-point defeat of Minnesota Diamond Elite, and was an absolute blitzkrieg on the boards. The Rise are the #11 seed is 2023 and they’ll open Friday night at 9 p.m. at Kennedy against #6 Minnesota Stars Hersch on court 3. – 2024 forward, Minnesota Fury UAA Ohnstad (top photo) is a talented athlete with a big frame, a ton of length and tremendous mobility for a 6-footer. She can also shoot the heck out of the basketball and affect the game in many different ways. To be honest, Finley struggled at times last summer and didn’t really play up to expectations. Fast forward 12 months to now and Ohnstad is in the midst of a renaissance. Moving to the Fury has given the Lakeville South Cougar a new lease on life. She’s playing more freely, having fun, performing with confidence and making a much bigger impact. Ohnstad is ranked in Minnesota’s Top 10 sophomores and is showing us why. She even collected a Power 5 offer not long ago. The Fury hold the #2 seed in 2024. They’ll open play Saturday at 11:30 a.m. on Kennedy court 4 versus NT North. – 2025 forward, Crossfire Tusler The evolution of Anna continues and everything appears to be trending in the right direction. Coming off a great weekend at the State Prelims, where she put up 14 points against The City and 21 vs Metro Stars, Greene is becoming a force at both ends of the floor. Standing over 6 feet and currently ranked #30 in the Class of 2025, the Mahtomedi freshman is highly versatile, with the ability to play the 3, 4 or 5 spots equally well depending on the opponent involved and tasks at hand. Crossfire Tusler is a strong squad seeded #5. They’ll open the tournament at 9 p.m. Friday on court 7 at Kennedy against #12 Minnesota Rise Hulke. – 2025 forward, Minnesota Fury UAA Elise is a scorer, a streaky shooter who can get hot from downtown and light up the numbers. It is the evolution in other parts of her game that is enhancing her college prospects now. Currently ranked #24 in the freshmen class, the Stillwater 9th grader stands over 6 feet tall with a big frame. She can bang down low or step outside and bury it. She’s moving better, defending better, competing better and becoming a more versatile, two-way player. The Fury are the #3 seed in the 2025 Division. They’ll open on Friday at 6:40 p.m. at Kennedy on court 7 against their sisters from Fury 2025 Premier. Kadence Pierce – 2026 guard, Minnesota Stars Nilsen We first saw the gifted guard from Ogilvie at the Midwest Kickoff where she made quite the impression. Again last week at the State Prelims Kadence looked like a world-beater whose ceiling continues to rise. Pierce, who stands in the 5’9 to 5’10 range, is a strong, physically mature athlete who thinks the game at a high level and plays with poise and composure. She’s a slasher who can play really fast, find small openings, attack with a quick first step and finish the opportunities those assets create. Stars Nilsen is the #4 seed in 2026. They’ll face #13 North Tartan Elite at 7:55 p.m. Friday on court 2 at Wayzata. Click here to go to the tournament schedule.