Freshman Showcase: Fresh faces going places

There is no better way for players to gauge where they are in reference to their contemporaries than to play in an event like the PGH Minnesota Freshman Showcase. This is also a great opportunity for us to lay eyes on players we haven't had the pleasure of covering, so this is a win/win for all involved. Below is a list of players that I haven't had the pleasure of covering before Sunday's event in Hopkins. They impressed me from the outset and will be making a name for themselves in the years to come.      "It's not the size of the dog in the fight; it's the size of the fight in the dog". That gem is brought to us by the great Mark Twain, and couldn't describe [player_tooltip player_id='502544' first='Lola' last='Lundquist'] any better. Lundquist may be a bit on the smaller size, but she's as tough as they come. You relax and she's shooting that jumper in your face, play too close and she's going by you finishing in traffic or stopping on a dime and hitting you with that feathery floater. She plays with a smile on her face and doesn't let her size stop her from being a factor. I'll take a player like Lundquist on my team seven days a week and twice on Sunday!    After her 3rd and final game on Sunday I asked if Johnica if she was happy that she was done for the day, she replied "No, I want to keep playing!" She's also a volleyball player, but bball is her 1st love. I could tell as she played all three games like it was something on the line. Knocking down jumpers, moving without the ball, hitting cutters in stride, you name it, she did it. She was a pest on defense and just has a swagger about her that is infectious. She's a gamer that's gonna make you work for everything you get.    Good size, length, and a motor that won't quit is a recipe for an exciting player to watch and Howard checks all the boxes. Whether it was throwing pin point passes to rollers, or picking the pocket of her opponent, Howard was all over the place carving out her space in a very talented 2026 class. When Howard wasn't directing traffic, she was beating her defenders down the court for easy buckets. She brought the same intensity in all three games at the Freshman Showcase and will undoubtedly be player you'll hear a lot from going forward.    Fullhart just gets it done. She's not flashy by any means, but if you don't keep tabs on her she'll hurt you in a variety of ways. Attacking the rim, chasing down offensive rebounds, knocking down trey balls, you name it, she does it. She's just tough and just doesn't stop coming. What really impressed me was her ability to finish in traffic with either hand and her "next play" attitude. Defensively she got up and guarded full court and made things difficult for her opponents. If she got beat she didn't give up, she hustled back and "helped the helper". Fullhart is sort of a throw back player that will do anything to help her team win so there will always be a place on a team for a player like her.    Bretton is all business when she steps on the floor. She's an athletic, aggressive defender that seems to be laser focused on the task at hand. She's a quality shooter with soft hands and an equally soft touch around the basket. Bretton keeps her defenders on their toes as she's always attacking whether is creating opportunities for herself or for teammates. She's uses her solid build to push her opponents under the basket scooping up offensive rebounds for the put back. We can't stress enough how cerebral of a player Bretton is and how fun she is to watch.

There is no better way for players to gauge where they are in reference to their contemporaries than to play in an event like the PGH Minnesota Freshman Showcase. This is also a great opportunity for us to lay eyes on players we haven't had the pleasure of covering, so this is a win/win for all involved. Below is a list of players that I haven't had the pleasure of covering before Sunday's event in Hopkins. They impressed me from the outset and will be making a name for themselves in the years to come.