Players we liked at the MN Heat Battle for Mom

It's very early into the AAU season and I'm sure not very many teams have had full team participation in practice with spring breaks and spring activities playing their parts. The Minnesota Heat hosted the Battle for Mom tournament in Forest Lake over the weekend so I was able to get out and check out some up and coming talent along with seasoned vets working out the kinks. I paid special attention to the young and hungry 2027 group and based on the small sample size, Minnesota women's basketball is once again in good hands. In no particular order I have listed 5 players who stood out in the early going and touch on a few vets that played in the event.   Jessa Schultz - 2027 - Crossfire Stern   What I first noticed about the Holy Angels prospect is her focus. After knocking down a long jumper she immediately went to searching for her defensive assignment. She didn't celebrate, didn't smile, just moved on to the next paly. You can absolutely see that she puts in the time in the gym as her jumps shot is textbook. She stands about 5'7, but on defense she looks much longer as she extends those arms out as far as she can get them and moves her feet to play defense without fouling. That's somewhat of a lost art in today's game as most players get a little "handsy" hoping the refs won't catch them putting their hands in the cookie jar.   Olivia Hammer - 2027 - MN Rise Kottke   She's a slight 5'6 but has no issues taking it amongst the trees. Hammer moves well without the ball which opens up opportunities for her and teammates alike. She moves her feet well on defense and does a good job of communicating defensive assignments to her court mates. The guard from Minnesota Valley Lutheran is new the to MN Rise program but she certainly fits right in with the brand of fundamental high IQ basketball that the Rise program has been known for. It's early in the process, but Olivia certainly looks poised to lay the "hammer" down on unsuspecting opponents who takes her build for granted!   Peyton Walker - 2027- Minnesota Starks   Standing at 5'9, Walker (top photo) is already ahead of the game. The Proctor guard is a joy to watch as she doesn't force the action and just seems to always make the right play. Walker is a knockdown shooter with range. Her high arching release gives every outside shot she takes a chance of going in. When her defenders closed out too high or out of control, she simply gave them a hard shot fake and went to the basket and finished in traffic with her left and right hand. Defensively was just as intense making it very tough on her opponents to handle the ball giving them no room to do anything but give it up.   Anna Neyens - 2027 - Minnesota Starks   I'll tell you how special Neyens could be, after watching her play for a half, I didn't know what her dominant hand was. The Mountain Iron-Buhl guard hadn't taken an outside shot yet, but in around the paint she was shooting with both hands. I actually asked the program director Dyami Starks if she was a lefty, he said, "nope, she's a righty". She wasn't just throwing stuff up with her left hand, she looked as if she was a natural lefty. Prepare yourself for one of the most mispronounced words known to man (well at least to me) she's "ambidextrous". She finally took some outside shots that confirmed it, but to be so young and to have clearly put in the work, is very impressive. She's all business on both ends and uses her quick feet and anticipation to beat defenders to the spot and create havoc. You'll certainly be hearing this name for years to come.   Jordyn Carpenter-2027- Minnesota Starks   Like her teammates, Carpenter stays in attack mode never allowing the defense to relax. You play up, she blows by; you give her too much room, you know the phrase "hand down, man down". She's also possesses a nasty step-back, so in the event you play pretty good defense and stay in front, she has the counter. On the defensive end the Esko freshman-to-be just as relentless, always hovering around to pick up a cheap steal when the offense relaxes. She stands about 5'6 with a nice solid frame that keeps her from getting knocked off her spot and punish those who dare attempt to impede her progress.   Other players that looked good in the early AAU campaign was MN Heat Hinck wing [player_tooltip player_id='595557' first='Mara' last='Holle'] of Blaine. She had her way in the paint against the smaller guards from the Playmakers and caused havoc at the top of the zone coming up with multiple deflections and steals. MN Heat Guard [player_tooltip player_id='461351' first='Cassidy' last='Pitzl'] of Forest Lake had it going from outside and it's early, but she looks to be in mid season shape. Fury forward [player_tooltip player_id='215980' first='Bella' last='Sutch'] of Spring Lake Park rim ran and played pretty good perimeter defense and just did all the dirty work that doesn't show up on the state sheet.

It's very early into the AAU season and I'm sure not very many teams have had full team participation in practice with spring breaks and spring activities playing their parts. The Minnesota Heat hosted the Battle for Mom tournament in Forest Lake over the weekend so I was able to get out and check out some up and coming talent along with seasoned vets working out the kinks. I paid special attention to the young and hungry 2027 group and based on the small sample size, Minnesota women's basketball is once again in good hands. In no particular order I have listed 5 players who stood out in the early going and touch on a few vets that played in the event.