Midwest Kickoff Classic: Best of the 2026s

A year ago at this time we barely knew their names. Now we know their names, their games and an awful lot about their teams, and if there's one thing that's pretty clear today it is this: The Class of 2026 is special! That was obvious once again at the Midwest Kickoff Classic when the majority of the top 9th graders in the state gathered in the same place for the first time this AAU season. After watching two-thirds of the Top 75 freshmen this weekend, we have a few thoughts to share.   TOP STOCK RISER OF THE WEEKEND   [player_tooltip player_id='515673' first='Brielle' last='Janssen'] – forward, Minnesota Rise Wright 2026   This one is easy. A year ago Janssen was a skinny 8th grader whose primary interest was volleyball. She was raw but we were impressed with her potential when she played. Word filtered down after the AAU season that Brielle was going to focus on volleyball with only the occasional cameo appearance for the Rise. That's why Janssen is currently ranked #54 in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2026 – because it didn't look like basketball was a priority. Fast forward to two weeks ago when we received word that Janssen is planning to be a regular on the most talented team we've seen from the Southern Minnesota club in recent years. This was welcome news.   As you can probably tell from the photo above, Brielle is already well north of 6 feet with an unbelievably long wingspan. Over the winter she has filled out, become much stronger and more aggresive, and her self-assuredness appears to have soared. She moves well, runs the floor at high speed and has lateral quickness that is impressive. The MCCRAY freshman was a dominant high school player this winter in Class A, earning Player of the Year honors in the Camden Conference. When we watched her against Team Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon, the lanky forward was simply outstanding.   Rise coach Dustin Wright knows he has a special player. “She has improved a lot this winter and has improved a ton in our first month,” he said. “Brielle is athletic, skilled, versatile and as her confidence continues to grow the sky is the limit for her. She can dominate a game on both ends because of her length and athleticism. Defensively she uses her length to block shots and defend inside. She can also switch out and defend on the perimeter. Offensively she is very skilled and can score at all three levels.”   Bottom line? If Janssen prioritizes basketball, there is no telling how good she could be. Brielle has definitely raised her stock as a college prospect. Who knows how that will play out after she has been reevaluated by all of the folks who participate in our rankings process. In my personal opinion, she is a slam-dunk Top 20 prospect.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/04/Mya-Moore.jpg?w=632" alt="" class="wp-image-639303" width="316" height="512" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Moore</figcaption></figure>   TOP FLOOR GENERALS AT THE KICKOFF   [player_tooltip player_id='471360' first='Mya' last='Moore'] – North Tartan 2026 Nike   Mya is the ultimate escape artist. Every time it looks like she is trapped in basketball jeopardy, surrounded by ginormous opponents, backed into a corner, the diminutive guard form Orono pulls off some Houdini-like escape. That's what you can do when your ball-handling skills are in another stratosphere, when you have elite court vision, when you have that certain sense of calm that all great point guards appear to have. The #6-rated prospect in the class was remarkably consistent this weekend, scoring 11, 10 and 12 points over North Tartan's three games. Did we mention she is top-notch facilitator, too?   [player_tooltip player_id='344332' first='Kate' last='Holmquist'] – Minnesota Fury 2026 UAA   Kate used to share the North Tartan backcourt with Mya. This year Holmquist moved across town to the Fury where she has settled right in where she is most comfortable – running the show. Holmquist showed no signs this weekend that she would need time to adjust, settle in, transition… whatever other term you'd like to use for a period of adjustment. The #10 prospect in the state averaged 11 points per game, facilitated at a high level, defended with passion and demonstrated clearly why she is one of the top handful of floor generals among Minnesota freshmen. And she can shoot the heck out of the basketball.   [player_tooltip player_id='339175' first='Brooklyn' last='Lewis'] – Minnesota Rise 2026 Wright   Like Holmquist, Lewis is an outstanding facilitator who knows how to set the tempo and run the show efficiently. Like Moore she has truly elite handles, loves to take on defenders mano-a-mano and she can fill up the basket in many different ways. Lewis scored 21 in the Rise's win over Team Wisconsin and 16 against Legacy Hoops. Of these three elite floor generals, Lewis is the one most likely to make a highlight reel. Yes, she's a bit of a riverboat gambler who sometimes makes the more difficult choice when a simpler option is available. Not surprisingly, the 15th-rated freshman is a ton of fun to watch.   THE X-FACTOR   [player_tooltip player_id='344333' first='Cail' last='Jahnke'] – guard, North Tartan Nike   When North Tartan Nike went up against Fury 2026 UAA, we had high expectations. Very high. We'll get into the specifics momentarily but it would suffice to say that these are two uber-talented teams. The combined rosters include 15 of the best 25 prospects in the Class of 2026. There were a ton of strong performances, from the aforementioned Moore and Holmquist to the impressive work inside from the Fury's [player_tooltip player_id='362575' first='Callie' last='Oakland'] to the overall excellence of North Tartan's [player_tooltip player_id='478350' first='Kate' last='Amelotte']. The X-Factor, however, was Jahnke. The St. Michael-Albertville guard has now stretched up to 6-feet-2 and growing. Her wingspan is obscene. Her ability to elevate is among the very best we've seen. That's a deadly trio. And when the North Tartan point guards delivered a lob pass to Jahnke inside, there was simply nothing the Fury could do to stop her from scoring. Cail had 16 points against the Fury, averaged 13 for the tournament, and continues to improve at a torrid clip. That's why she is a Top 5 prospect in the Class of 2026.   HANDICAPPING THE 2026 TEAMS   Watching North Tartan's 62-47 win over the Fury there was one thought that kept rattling around in my brain: Is this a preview of the 9th grade state championship game to be contested on May 14th? It may well be. But the good folks from Minnesota Stars 3SSB, Inspired Athletics, Rise Wright and Stars Nilsen might have something to say about that. Here is an early look at how the 2026 division could play out.   Minnesota Fury 2026 UAA   Fury 2026 UAA did more to improve its roster than anyone this winter. Coach Blake Nichols added not one, not two, not three but four players ranked in the Top 20. That's remarkable. In addition to the #10-rated Holmquist, the Fury added #7 [player_tooltip player_id='458305' first='Audrey' last='Shindelar'] and #12 [player_tooltip player_id='339214' first='Jayci' last='Rath'], both of Stewartville, and 20th-ranked [player_tooltip player_id='478363' first='Maddy' last='Blaylark'] of DeLaSalle. They also have #13 [player_tooltip player_id='362575' first='Callie' last='Oakland'], #14 [player_tooltip player_id='455051' first='Vivian' last='Carter'], #18 [player_tooltip player_id='458302' first='Abbie' last='Pietila'], #22 [player_tooltip player_id='515651' first='Addi' last='Schneider'] and #25 [player_tooltip player_id='502586' first='Maria' last='Radabaugh'], along with soon-to-be ranked Monica Stang. Like we said, their lineup is loaded.   North Tartan Nike   North Tartan's roster is equally formidable even though the club's best 2026s are not on this team. #1 [player_tooltip player_id='252381' first='Maddyn' last='Greenway'] is playing two years up on the 17U EYBL squad. #3 [player_tooltip player_id='252383' first='Lanelle' last='Wright'] is on the 2025 team. The 2026 Nike team includes returnees #4 [player_tooltip player_id='478350' first='Kate' last='Amelotte'], #5 [player_tooltip player_id='344333' first='Cail' last='Jahnke'], #6 [player_tooltip player_id='471360' first='Mya' last='Moore'] and #9 [player_tooltip player_id='351665' first='Vienna' last='Murray']. North Tartan has added #8 [player_tooltip player_id='502602' first='Morgan' last='Staloch'], #26 [player_tooltip player_id='478365' first='Audrey' last='Schmidtke'] and #38 [player_tooltip player_id='515674' first='Aubree' last='Hultman'] along with a late addition in #69 [player_tooltip player_id='502559' first='Amber' last='Mahal']. Newcomer #27 [player_tooltip player_id='478366' first='Riley' last='Ang'] of Rosemount unfortunately tore her ACL at the first practice. The most interesting addition, though, is 2027 guard [player_tooltip player_id='377583' first='Mya' last='Wilson'], who is angling to be the #1 prospect among next year's freshmen class. North Tartan showed a remarkably balanced attack at the Midwest Kickoff, which is exactly how coach Andy Berkvam likes it. All of that, combined with Berkvam's always fascinating defensive schemes, would lead one to believe that North Tartan is in a good position to defend its state championship.   Minnesota Stars 3SSB   Minnesota Stars Hill (now carrying the 3SSB branding as all the top Stars teams are) has been the power of the division since forever. But the reality is, coach P.J. Hill's roster took a major hit over the winter. Gone are standout guards [player_tooltip player_id='478363' first='Maddy' last='Blaylark'] of DeLaSalle (to the Fury), Maggie Fricke of North Dakota (playing up at North Tartan) and forward [player_tooltip player_id='502602' first='Morgan' last='Staloch'] of Jordan (to North Tartan Nike). They still have one of the most dominant players in the grade in LeLe Bell of Minot, ND, along with #19 [player_tooltip player_id='478390' first='Sinae' last='Hill'] of Minnehaha Academy and #34 [player_tooltip player_id='472446' first='Amaya' last='Penn'] of St. Croix Lutheran and. Post [player_tooltip player_id='502599' first='Reese' last='Hagenbart'] (#40) of Champlin Park is back, as well. Among the newcomers are 17th-ranked [player_tooltip player_id='478351' first='Dalia' last='Thornton-Fay'] and #35 [player_tooltip player_id='567377' first='Sadie' last='Hall']. We only watched the Hills briefly this weekend so we'll not pass judgement on just how good they can be. But they will definitely be good.   Minnesota Rise Wright   Last year's AAU state tournament was a disappointing one for the Rise. That's putting it mildly. After entering the event seeded 5th, the Wright team was upset in the opening round by #12 Minnesota Stars Joerger before losing again to North Tartan Elite. Watching them over the weekend, it's difficult to fathom anything of the sort happening in 2023. This is the most talented Rise team we have seen. With the aforementioned Janssen reaching new heights, and the core of the team remaining intact, you'd have to take the girls in purple seriously.   The team has been built around #11 [player_tooltip player_id='280354' first='Tucker' last='Downs'] of Mankato West, #15 [player_tooltip player_id='339175' first='Brooklyn' last='Lewis'] of New Ulm, and #21 [player_tooltip player_id='339179' first='Brylee' last='Miller'] of Fairmont. Point guard [player_tooltip player_id='589276' first='Taleigha' last='Bigler'] of Marshall, ranked 53rd and rising, is coming off an outstanding high school season and looked really good on the weekend. The most notable addition is a big one – #23 [player_tooltip player_id='498663' first='Madison' last='Ohm'] of Rochester Century. Her speed, scoring ability, and elite athleticism has already given the Rise a big spark. She averaged 11 points per game this weekend and kept defenders on their toes throughout. The supporting cast includes #59 [player_tooltip player_id='502541' first='Journey' last='Swanson'] and #60 [player_tooltip player_id='502540' first='Jacey' last='Swanson'] of St. James and #66 [player_tooltip player_id='502551' first='Brooklin' last='Hinze'] of St. Clair. Could this be the year a Rise team takes home some hardware?   Who else is in the mix?   It's easy to forget one of last year's strongest contenders since they aren't from around here. That would be Inspired Athletics out of Fargo, which will compete for a state championship in Minnesota once again this season. They earned the #2 seed one year ago before bowing out to North Tartan in the semifinals. We haven't seen coach Monty Gordon's roster yet but the club is anchored by Top 20 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='478362' first='Morgan' last='Korf'] of Pelican Rapids. It has also included #56 [player_tooltip player_id='589274' first='Parker' last='Yaggie'] and #61 [player_tooltip player_id='482833' first='Johnica' last='Bernotas'], both of Breckenridge, along with Lilia Donnelly of Horace, ND. If sister Lakyn Donnelly is on the roster, the 2028 phenom will be worth the price of admission.   Minnesota Stars Nilsen finished 4th one year ago. After watching them at the Midwest Kickoff it's difficult to know what to make of the heavily revamped unit. Just three players have returned this spring: Mira Jackson, [player_tooltip player_id='773429' first='Maddie' last='Sundberg'] and Naomi Whittaker-Hill. Gone is Top 40 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='478375' first='Kadence' last='Pearce'] of Ogilvie along with [player_tooltip player_id='478351' first='Dalia' last='Thornton-Fay'] and [player_tooltip player_id='567377' first='Sadie' last='Hall'] and the Keaveny twins from Mayer Lutheran. Newcomers include Top 30 post [player_tooltip player_id='589273' first='Ella' last='Theobald'] of Stewartville and fellow big Izzy Guetzlaff of Red Wing. We're excited about Top 50 guard [player_tooltip player_id='502610' first='Elli' last='Howard'] of Wayzata and the intriguing [player_tooltip player_id='589275' first='Sophia' last='Anderson'] of Maple Grove. Three things are certain with any team coached by Matt Nilsen: 1. They'll play hard; 2. They'll defend well; and 3. They won't be outcoached.

A year ago at this time we barely knew their names. Now we know their names, their games and an awful lot about their teams, and if there's one thing that's pretty clear today it is this: The Class of 2026 is special! That was obvious once again at the Midwest Kickoff Classic when the majority of the top 9th graders in the state gathered in the same place for the first time this AAU season. After watching two-thirds of the Top 75 freshmen this weekend, we have a few thoughts to share.