AAU Awards: The Hard Hat All-Star Team

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We have reached the final day of August which marks the end of the Prep Girls Hoops AAU Awards season. If you've been following along here in recent years you know what that means: It's time to announce the Hard Hat All Star Team. This is always a fun award because it recognizes athletes who don't often get chosen for Most Valuable Player honors or All Star selections. For the most part they aren't the biggest scorers or headliners or marquee attractions. No, these are the kids who pack up their lunch pail day after day, throw on the hard hat and get ready to work. I mean, gritty beats pretty almost every time, doesn't it?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A couple of items of note. To be eligible for selection a player cannot have already been given an AAU post-season award this year. That's why you won't see the names of such sandpaper standouts as [player_tooltip player_id='108341' first='Anna' last='Lenzen'], [player_tooltip player_id='220824' first='Piper' last='Carlson'] or [player_tooltip player_id='108345' first='Brynn' last='Senden'] on our list, all blue collar battlers who earned other recognition for their summer accomplishments. Also, selections are made regardless of class. At this time of year many players have already moved on from their 2022 AAU teams. For our purposes the teams listed are those where the players competed this summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Without further ado, these are your 2022 Prep Girls Hoops Hard Hat All Stars.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FIRST TEAM</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='148325' first='Emily' last='Bowron'] <strong>– 2023 guard, MN Stars Hersch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All Emily does is work. While others have done nice things in the spotlight, most of Bowron's immense contributions go unnoticed. The Rochester Lourdes senior is a motivated competitor who brings it all every time out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='304927' first='Ella' last='Kletti'] <strong>– 2024 guard, MN P.R.E.P.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ella's game was made for this team. The scrappy guard from Mahtomedi has one of the biggest motors we've seen. She's also got speed, skill and tenacity, and her compete level is completely off the charts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='220833' first='Sonya' last='Potthoff'] <strong>– 2023 guard, Comets Metro Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nobody has worked harder to make herself into a next-level performer. The North Iowa Area Community College commit from Mahtomedi can score, defend and light a fire under everyone around her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='461340' first='Hali' last='Savela'] <strong>– 2024 guard, High Impact</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hali is a hard-nosed competitor whose game was forged on the Iron Range. Yes, she's got skill and speed and she can score, but it is the Mountain Iron-Buhl guard's abrasive demeanor and never-say-die mentality that carries the day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='339166' first='Savannah' last='Schlueter'] <strong>– 2023 guard, MN Rise Busse</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Northwestern (Iowa) commit is one of the state's purest shooters but there is so much more to her game than that. The Hutchinson senior is a fireball of energy who flies around the court and defends with a ton of passion.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SECOND TEAM</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='252480' first='Rae' last='Ehrman'] <strong>– 2025 forward, Fury 2025 UAA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In addition to being a highly-skilled prospect with top-shelf potential, the Eden Prairie forward/guard is a rebounding machine and a relentless competitor who fights for every inch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='350108' first='Anna' last='Goodman'] <strong>– 2024 guard, North Tartan Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Is there any diminutive floor general in Minnesota who goes harder than Anna does? She is everywhere, seemingly all at once. With speed, quickness, skill and savvy, the Lakeville South junior does it all at full throttle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='302309' first='Karly' last='Jusczak'] <strong>– 2024 forward, North Tartan Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Karly doesn't say much, but the Top 50 junior from Pine City doesn't really have to. Her inside game speaks louder than words and &nbsp;she isn't afraid to pay the price to own her space.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='436090' first='Marina' last='Lafreniere'] <strong>– 2023 forward, MN Heat Gustafson</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marina is a human wrecking ball on the court, the type of player who would just as soon run you over as slip past you on her way to the basket. With a big frame, a ton of strength and a fighter's mentality the Blaine senior is a handful.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='422673' first='Ella' last='Mullenbach'] <strong>– 2025 guard, MN Stars Post</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Is there anybody more passionate about the game than the guard from Minnesota Valley Lutheran? She is a whirling dervish on the floor who is always moving, always talking, always giving everything she has to win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>HONORABLE MENTION</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><li>[player_tooltip player_id='304895' first='Macy' last='Birkholz'] – 2024 guard, MN Stars Bjorgaard (Mankato East)</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='148322' first='Emily' last='Crandall'] – 2023 guard, Comets Elite (Sartell)</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='304893' first='Lilly' last='Hahs'] – 2024 guard, Metro Stars (Cretin-Derham Hall)</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='108312' first='Abby' last='Krzewinski'] – 2023 forward, Fury 2023 UAA (Wayzata)</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='396427' first='Madelyn' last='Malmgren'] – 2025 forward, Minnesota Rise (St. James)</li><li><strong>Macie Miller</strong> – 2025 guard, Crossfire Mueller (Bloomington Kennedy)</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='302265' first='Shyla' last='Moore'] – 2023 guard, MN Diamond Elite (Shakopee)</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='148335' first='Camryn' last='Smith'] – 2023 guard, Comets Metro Elite (Spring Lake Park)</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='215980' first='Bella' last='Sutch'] – 2024 forward, Fury 2024 Premier (Spring Lake Park)</li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='304892' first='Anna' last='Vaaler'] – 2024 guard, Fury 2024 Premier (Andover)</li></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Top photo: Sonya Pothoff, Comets Metro Elite</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->