Battle on the Hardwood: 5 players on the rise

The Minnesota Stars Summer Kickoff drew most of the big names and had plenty of big games last weekend, but it wasn’t the only AAU show in town. Crossfire’s Battle on the Hardwood had plenty of offer in the Southeast Metro, as well. We spent a good chunk of Saturday at the Hope Fieldhouse in Rosemount, which was hosting its first-ever AAU event. Constructed under the leadership and perseverance of Dan Corley and friends, I have to say that the 45,000 square-foot non-profit facility is already one of my favorite places to view and evaluate players in the Twin Cities region. The Fieldhouse has four full-sized wood courts, plenty of room for seating, and a solid concession stand complete with chairs and tables. They even offer a decent cup of hot coffee! The basketball was pretty good, too. Here are a half dozen players we liked on Saturday. <strong>Gabby Lauwagie – guard, Crossfire Willey</strong> We talked with Crossfire coach Bob Willey prior to his team’s Saturday morning encounter with East Metro Wave and he was raving about Gabby’s play this spring. The 2024 guard from Waconia has been this Crossfire squad’s heart and soul. Waconia coach Dustin Neibauer would concur. Gabby is a great defender, which is the main reason she earned minutes on a quality 4A high school team. Standing 5’8 with a solid build, Lauwagie can also shoot the basketball. Lauwagie’s real strength, though, is her ability to cut to the basket at full speed and finish through contact. Lauwagie will likely play a major role at Waconia this winter following significant graduations in the program which have left her as one of two players with varsity experience. Based on what we saw Saturday we’re confident she can get the job done. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/06/Greta-Schuman-scaled-crop-2328x1529-1654694865.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-442099 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/06/Greta-Schuman-scaled-crop-2328x1529-1654694865-e1654695029101-202x300.jpg" alt="" width="202" height="300" /></a> <strong>Greta Schumann – forward/guard, Crossfire Gee</strong> The 8th grader from St. Anthony Village made a fair bit of noise late last year at the Prep Girls Hoops Fall Exclusive. In that setting she left one very solid impression of her game: she can flat out shoot the basketball. Greta has nice form and a ton of range. But she can do a lot more than just shoot. As the only player on Carlos Gee’s 2026 Crossfire squad with varsity experience, Greta has been counted on to play a major role this spring and she has done as required. The 5’10 freshman-to-be has plenty of length, gets up and down the court well and keeps her head up with the ball, something most young players need to improve upon. Schumann isn’t super fast, but with long strides and good court vision she picks her spots well and does a nice job weaving her way through a phalanx of defenders to get to the basket where she clearly knows how to finish. Schumann is definitely trending in the right direction. <strong>Allie Vinar &amp; Avery Vinar – guards, Crossfire Wilson</strong> It was an amazing season at United Christian Academy in Bloomington. The program is led by Peder Eide, a nationally renowned contemporary Christian musician who is also a darn good basketball coach. The Thunder went 23-6 and made it to the Class A State Tournament. While 2024 guard [player_tooltip player_id="304928" first="Elizabeth" last="Corley"] and senior <strong>Brycelyn Brewster</strong> drew a fair amount of attention, UCA needed the many contributions of the Vinar twins, who scored a combined 20 points per game. These two are a bit raw, but they’re also very athletic and have the kind of talent to get to the next level with the right amount of skill work. Allie and Avery do a great job of moving without the ball and time their cuts well. Both can attack off the dribble, and we saw each of them execute some sophisticated moves to get to the rim and finish with either hand. Their three-point shooting has become more consistent this year and they have proved to be more than capable defenders who can guard much bigger players with success. Stay tuned because the news here promises to be good. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-442100" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/06/Ella-Duevel-scaled-e1654694998531-196x300.jpg" alt="" width="196" height="300" /> <strong>Ella Duevel – forward, Comets Jensen </strong> When players are listed on a roster at 6’4 we always pay attention. Sometimes they even turn out to be that tall in real life! That certainly appears to be the case with Ella, a 2024 post from Foley who is just starting to come into her own. Duevel found herself in a battle Saturday afternoon with a formidable foe – big <strong>Jaiden Haile</strong> from Starks Elite by way of West Fargo, ND. The two battled hard all game long, demonstrating clearly just how far Ella’s game has come in the past few months. [caption id="attachment_442911" align="alignnone" width="209"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-442911" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/06/Ella-Duevel_Jaiden-Haile-209x300.jpg" alt="" width="209" height="300" /> Photo: Greg Johnson[/caption] Over the course of the high school season she got more aggressive, played with more physicality and enhanced her skill set. She showed us some decent footwork down low on Saturday, along with the ability to finish in traffic. Ella did a great job of backing into Jaiden and proved very difficult to move. We’re told Duevel is a hard worker with a strong basketball IQ and the ability to quickly absorb and implement new information. She’s really just getting started and the D1s are paying attention. <strong>Anna Stromberg – forward, Crossfire Willey</strong> At 6’1 Anna is not quite as big as Ella, but the 2024 post from Legacy Christian Academy has the potential to make some noise in collegiate basketball, too. She has certainly made a lot of progress since we watched her this winter in the blue and orange of the Legacy Lions. In Class A basketball Stromberg scored nearly 9 points per game and averaged over 10 rebounds. She’s moving better now, getting up and down the floor more quickly, playing with more aggressiveness and showing improved physicality. Anna’s shot blocking ability is impressive, and she knows how to use her length, strength and size to be a disruptive defender down low. Anna is a work in progress, of course, but she is also an intriguing prospect who has the potential to do great things at the next level. She’ll keep working and we’ll keep watching. The results could definitely be fruitful.