AAU Week #4: The (it's not quite) Spring Showdown

After years of doing this work I have come to anticipate what questions will be asked in the gym at any given event. It was no surprise this weekend, therefore, when everyone wanted to know why I wasn't on the road with Minnesota's top AAU teams in places like Hampton, VA or Manheim, PA or perhaps in Chicago for the aptly named Windy City Classic. That is a question that gets posed during every NCAA Live Period, those weekends where Division 1 coaches are permitted in the gym to pass judgement on the best of the best. My answer is simple: By staying home for the Spring Showdown I was able to evaluate some young stars, fresh faces ready to make a splash, and veteran performers who may be overlooked. That's exactly what we did.   Of course it would have been hard to avoid hearing about all of the success Minnesota's standout prospects were having around the country. My Twitter feed was loaded with great highlight videos, top-shelf individual performances and evaluations from scouts across the country. We can't possibly summarize all of it, but we will offer up congratulations to a few notables.   North Tartan 2026 won the EYBL Boo Williams title in Virginia. That is one heck of an accomplishment. Kudos as well to the Fury 2027 Blue, which captured a crown for the second weekend in a row. Their 2025 UAA team went 4-1 at the Spooky Neck event in Pennsylvania. North Dakota's Lele Bell, competing for Minnesota Stars 2026 3SSB, blew up the national stage with some big-time performances as PJ Hill's team took home a title in Chicago. Metro Stars 2025 won a championship trophy in Milwaukee, too. And 2028 standout [player_tooltip player_id='433933' first='Chloe' last='Johnson'] of Minnesota Starks was the talk of the Deep South Classic. There were many more. Congrats to all who represented so well on the road.   Here are a few highlights of what we watched at the Spring Showdown.   NEWCOMERS WHO GOT NOTICED   [player_tooltip player_id='642951' first='Bryn' last='Guse'] – 2025 guard, North Tartan South East   The 5'8 sophomore from Red Wing took a break from last summer's AAU action and we only watched Red Wing very briefly this winter. That's why it came as a surprise Saturday when we saw Bryn (pictured above) set the tone for her team's contest against West Central Wildcats by providing immediate energy and bringing the heat from start to finish. She didn't light up the scoreboard or dazzle us with one-on-one wizardry. She just played really, really hard on both sides of the ball. Guse has nice length, good quickness, quality athleticism and great acceleration. Her long arms are a really helpful asset, as well. She is a keen rebounder, aggressive defender, and can play a variety of roles. The three-sport athlete is a great addition to Russ Speer's North Tartan satellite squad from the Rochester region.   [player_tooltip player_id='642954' first='Brooke' last='Ver Steeg'] – 2025 forward, Minnesota Comets   Standing north of 6 feet with a nice frame, Brooke looks like she was built for basketball. This isn't the first time we've watched her play given that Hancock won the Class A state championship in 2022 and we've been following the progress of prospects like [player_tooltip player_id='453727' first='Kaitlyn' last='Rohloff'], [player_tooltip player_id='453730' first='Karleigh' last='Rohloff'] and [player_tooltip player_id='339168' first='Misti' last='Zempel']. This was, however, the first time we've seen Ver Steeg put it all together the way she did. After doing a ton of growing, Ver Steeg is now adapting to her body. She is more coordinated, more agile and more mobile than before. Her handles have improved. So, too, her shooting. And down low in the paint where it has been challenging for her in the past, Ver Steeg is starting to have more of a physical presence. Brooke averaged 7 points and nearly 7 rebounds per game for the Owls this winter while shooting better than 40% from the field. Given that she is almost a year younger than most of her classmates and is still filling out, I'd say the sophomore is on track to be a very good college basketball player.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/10/74-Anna-Goodman-scaled.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-338469" width="512" height="341" /></figure>   INCOMING SENIORS WHO STOOD OUT   [player_tooltip player_id='350108' first='Anna' last='Goodman'] – 2024 guard, Crossfire Davis   With our focus for the weekend set squarely on seeking out younger talent, we didn't have the opportunity to watch a ton of incoming seniors at the Spring Showdown. The one player who could not possibly be missed, however, was Goodman. I mean this kid just delivers a big-time effort every time out. No matter how many times she drove to the hoop, no matter how many times she got slammed to the floor while doing so, no matter what teams tried to do to slow down her ongoing assault, Anna just kept coming back for more.   After seeing what 2019 Prior Lake graduate McKenna Hofschild has done at Colorado State over the past couple of seasons, I don't think I can ever look at diminutive point guards in the same way. Hofschild was an amazing high school player but at 5'3 (or whatever other number she has been listed at over the years) it was hard to imagine her game translating that well to the Division 1 level. Hofschild has proven all of us wrong – dead wrong – while breaking CSU school records set by WNBA legend Becky Hammon. I mention her achievements simply to say this: Height is not going to be an impediment to Anna's future success.   The 5'5 Goodman is a highly-skilled floor general with speed, quickness, handles and the ability to run an offense at a high level. The Lakeville South senior-to-be is always on the attack, a stance she employs without fear regardless of the oh-so-painful consequences. It's so much fun to watch. Goodman averaged over 10 points per game at the tournament and lived at the free throw line which is pretty much what she did the week prior at the Midwest Kickoff Classic. Who knows what opportunities Anna will get at the next level. What we do know is she will definitely make the most of at least one.   Three other incoming seniors also caught our attention over the weekend:   <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='304914' first='Taylor' last='Klement'] – The athletic guard from Southern Minnesota Fury 2024 wears her heart on her sleeve and plays the game with passion, pouring everything she has into every contest. After missing a year due to an ACL injury, Taylor came back this winter and had a solid season as her Stewartville Tigers made it all the way to the Class 3A state championship game. The 5'9 Klement is a versatile performer who contributes heavily on both sides of the ball. She is ranked #89 in the class.</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='461347' first='Maddie' last='Olinger'] – The gritty 5'10 guard from Minnesota Nice is a little unorthodox but a lot effective. She is clearly the engine that pulls the train for the Nice's 17U squad, running the show from the point, attacking the basket hard and distributing effectively, as well. She averaged just under 10 points per game at the Spring Showdown. She played a big role in Jordan's 24-3 campaign this winter, finishing among the top five scorers and bringing a ton of energy off the bench. Maddie is currently ranked #130 in the class.</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='461361' first='Brylie' last='Guida'] – The lengthy guard/wing from the Minnesota Comets had center stage to herself on Saturday when the squad's big trio from Albany – [player_tooltip player_id='302297' first='Alyssa' last='Sand'], [player_tooltip player_id='302300' first='Kylan' last='Gerads'] and [player_tooltip player_id='594370' first='Tatum' last='Findley'] – were off attending prom. That gave the 5'9 junior from Buffalo, ranked #160, a chance to do more than normal. She took full advantage of the opportunity to show off her mobility and athleticism, quality skill set, and versatility. Brylie was Buffalo's second-leading scorer at 10 ppg and is a quality performer on both sides of the ball. Guida comes from a well-known basketball clan and she showed us this weekend that can more than hold her own in the family business.</li> </ul>   COMING UP   Our coverage of the Spring Showdown continues on Tuesday with a look at 2026 newcomers and then some nice 2027s to watch on Wednesday. We'll follow that on Thursday or Friday with a look at a dozen 2028s we saw this weekend, all of whom will likely be on the Prep Girls Hoops radar for years to come.   It's a light AAU schedule this coming weekend, at least in these parts. There is a one-day shootout event planned for Saturday in Bloomington – we haven't seen a schedule yet to determine who all is playing – but for most teams it is an opportunity to rest up after the rigors of the live period. Then it gets real May 5-7 at the Minnesota AAU State Prelims leading into the State Championships May 12-14, one of the most entertaining stretches of the spring and summer season.

After years of doing this work I have come to anticipate what questions will be asked in the gym at any given event. It was no surprise this weekend, therefore, when everyone wanted to know why I wasn't on the road with Minnesota's top AAU teams in places like Hampton, VA or Manheim, PA or perhaps in Chicago for the aptly named Windy City Classic. That is a question that gets posed during every NCAA Live Period, those weekends where Division 1 coaches are permitted in the gym to pass judgement on the best of the best. My answer is simple: By staying home for the Spring Showdown I was able to evaluate some young stars, fresh faces ready to make a splash, and veteran performers who may be overlooked. That's exactly what we did.