2024s who excelled at the North Tartan Meltdown
We always have high expectations for North Tartan’s 2024 EYBL team. The state championship winning squad coached by Marqus McGlothan came within a single point of winning the national EYBL title in their age group earlier this month. Thus, expectations…
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Continue ReadingWe always have high expectations for North Tartan’s 2024 EYBL team. The state championship winning squad coached by Marqus McGlothan came within a single point of winning the national EYBL title in their age group earlier this month. Thus, expectations were elevated heading into their own tournament – the North Tartan Meltdown and AAU National Championships this week at Hopkins.
The squad came through, capturing another title as they rolled over four opponents in impressive fashion before knocking off their long-time rivals from All Iowa Attack EYBL in the championship game. The impact NT’s individual players made on the more than 200 college coaches in attendance was huge. Any number of these players could have made our list here of talented 2024 prospects who excelled at the Meltdown but we’ll limit ourselves to just two.
Tori McKinney Tori McKinney 6'1" | CG Minnetonka | 2024 State MN – guard, North Tartan EYBL (Minnetonka)
At 6’1 with long arms, excellent mobility, and a solid feel for the game, Tori (banner photo) is a Top 5 prospect in Minnesota’s Class of 2024. Long known for her exceptional defensive abilities – she is truly one of the very best anywhere in the country – Tori showed the D1 coaches in attendance that she knows her way around the offensive end of the court, as well. She had 49 points in five games, including a 17-point performance against 1-on-1 Milwaukee. Tori primarily plays the point guard position but has tons of flexibility.
Trinity Wilson Trinity Wilson 6'3" | PF Lakeville North | 2024 State MN – post, North Tartan EYBL (Lakeville North)
The evolution of Wilson’s game continues, and the enormous 6’3 post is turning into something special. What we love about how she’s playing right now is the simplicity of Trinity’s approach to the task at hand. She’s doing all of the things that make big post players successful – pulling down rebounds, finishing her chances down low, preventing opponents from gaining position in the paint and knocking down the occasional jump shot. There’s no reason to get fancy in that role. She had 52 points in the tournament, including 17 vs 1-on-1 Milwaukee and 14 against Team Sorella.
Jocelyn Land Jocelyn Land 6'0" | PF Holy Family | 2024 State MN – forward, Minnesota Fury 2024 UAA (Holy Family)
Land just keeps on rolling as she has all summer, performing at a very high level, providing her team with a physical presence, rebounding reliably, and providing an ample share of the scoring on a team full of talented kids who can put the ball in the basket. The 6’0 power forward had 40 points in three games before the Fury departed for the UAA finals in Pennsylvania, including 16 against Kingdom Hoops Elite. Land is a Top 20 prospect with D1 offers who keeps on getting better.
Claire Stern Claire Stern 6'0" | SF Maple Grove | 2024 State MN – forward, Minnesota Suns Blue Star (Maple Grove)
Claire spent the last several months in a back brace trying to mend a pair of fractures that took her out of the lineup in the heart of the high school season and prevented her from proving in AAU that she is one of the best prospects in the state. After easing her way back into the swing of things in the Suns’ last tournament, Claire came out with guns blazing at the Meltdown. We watched her first two games and were pleased with what we saw. She was physical, attacked the basket constantly, and used her 6’0 frame and superior length to defend at a high level. Stern by no means 100 percent but she’s definitely on the right track.
Ava Thompson Ava Thompson 5'6" | PG Rosemount | 2024 State MN – guard, North Tartan Elite (Rosemount)
There are a lot of very good small point guards in the Class of 2024 and Ava is one of the best. The 5’6 junior-to-be is a bulldog who can shut down opposing ball-handlers and give them fits at the other end of the floor trying to stop her. She didn’t score a ton this week but she didn’t have to. Thompson is a great facilitator with quick feet, quick hands and a really high basketball IQ. She attacks the rim and finishes through contact consistently against bigger players. North Tartan Elite went 4-1 and Thompson’s leadership was a big reason why.
Cece McNair Cece McNair 6'2" | PF Prior Lake | 2024 State MN – post, Minnesota Stars Bjorgaard (Prior Lake)
Playing in the best 2024 division was a big ask for the Stars against some of the very best 16U squads in the region, but that circumstance offered the players an opportunity to prove themselves against some really high-level opponents. One player who excelled was McNair, a 6’2 post with a big body who knows her way around the paint. Cece had a strong tournament, scoring 37 points in four games, including 17 in a win over her former team Fury 2024 Premier. She is a strong rebounder and quality passer who is a top-notch prospect when she’s at her best.
Kadence Hesse Kadence Hesse 5'10" | PG Sleepy Eye | 2024 State MN – guard, Minnesota Rise Purfeerst (Sleepy Eye)
Kadence is the only player in the Class to announce her college commitment so far, although we are expecting more shortly. She’s heading for Southwest Minnesota State in two years. In the meantime the 5’10 point guard continues to show why she earned that opportunity. The Rise went undefeated as Hesse dominated the D2 bracket. She topped the 20-point mark twice and scored 81 in all in a run that included wins over Crossfire Blue Star, Comets Elite, All Iowa Attack and South Dakota Network. Hesse is one of the craftiest point guards around.
Willow Thiel Willow Thiel 5'11" | PF Perham | 2024 State MN – forward, West Central United 2023 (Perham)
Willow wasn’t around for the whole event due to a volleyball conflict but made such an impact when she did play that we had to include her here. The 5’11 post showed up in time to score 20 points in a 61-60 win over a strong Minnesota Heat team, a game in which she went 12-for-15 at the free throw line. She averaged 13 ppg for the week. This WCU squad has had a great run over the years and Willow is the only one with AAU eligibility left next year. She’s a scholarship-level prospect with size and skill who comes through when it matters most.