Spring Showdown: Five 2027s you need to see

Our quest to identify potential candidates for our Prep Girls Hoops Freshmen 50 – the first ranking of the Class 2027 coming up this fall – continued this weekend at the Spring Showdown. There were more than 300 eligible 8th graders in the competition. We saw the ones who played at the Chanhassen site. Here are five 2027s you need to see.   [player_tooltip player_id='644101' first='Samira' last='Taylor'] – 2027 forward, E1T1 Queens   All I could think about as I watched Samira play on Saturday evening in the Queens' 60-59 nail-biter win over North Tartan SE was how much she looked like [player_tooltip player_id='108348' first='Nunu' last='Agara']. Now that's not to suggest that Taylor (seen at left in the top photo) could possibly live up to the gold standards set by the Team USA member and Stanford University commit from Hopkins. She, too, started out with E1T1 way back when. It's just that Taylor's athleticism, prodigious leaping ability, and the way she moves on the basketball court is really similar to Agara and recent Texas A&M commit [player_tooltip player_id='302254' first='Vanessa' last='Saidu']. Several times we saw Samira elevate dramatically over her opponent in the lane to knock down a sweet baby jumper. The future DeLaSalle Islander runs the floor with ease, handles it pretty well for her size, and can finish in a number of ways. At about 5'10, Taylor has a wingspan that doesn't stop and knows how to utilize it effectively to guard opponents inside and out. Samira's shooting is much-improved. She's doing regular skill work sessions and her game is evolving as a result. Once she can do more with her back to the basket, Taylor is going to be a real handful.   [player_tooltip player_id='644107' first='Inarah' last='Nesbitt'] – 2027 guard, E1T1 Queens   Sneaky good with the potential to be sneaky great. That's how we might describe Inarah's game at the moment. While E1T1's budding star Jaliya Diggs of Park Center dazzled as usual with her elite ball handling this weekend, and the exceptional potential of Maple Grove wing Lyric Burrell left us wanting to see more, all Nesbitt did was fill up the basket. Pictured above on the right, she's “a walking bucket” as the kids like to say! Nesbitt averaged 15 points per game, more than twice any of her teammates, and she did it with ease. In a 27-point performance against Minnesota Starks, Nesbitt made 11 two-point field goals. There was one spectacular moment – a super-smooth 360-degree spin at high speed en route to the basket with an up and over finish – but for the most part Inarah was just efficient and intelligent and effective. The Bloomington Jefferson 8th grader hasn't played high school ball yet but she's going to light it up as soon as she does. She's quick and she's long and she hustles. Inarah's ball handling is improving, she has learned to post up effectively, and she's getting her shot off quicker. As her confidence grows, so will her reputation.   [player_tooltip player_id='644103' first='Lauryn' last='Stolzenberg'] – 2027 guard, Southern Minnesota Fury   Lauryn is new on the AAU scene but the diminutive point guard from Lake City didn't play like it at the Spring Showdown. We noticed her immediately simply because of her athleticism and aggressiveness, two assets that always form a great starting point in the development of player. Lauryn handles the ball pretty well. She grabbled ahold of our attention at one point when she pulled off a sophisticated behind-the-back dribble in traffic on her way to the lane. Stolzenberg has super quick feet and a terrific first step, as well, and more than held her own going up against some strong 2028 prospects from North Tartan when we watched. The past month has been a steep learning curve for Stolzenberg as she adapted to the higher pace, greater physicality and more sophisticated strategies employed at the AAU level compared to the hometown basketball she has played in the past. Lauryn's defensive understanding and execution has progressed rapidly. After a couple of tweaks to her shooting mechanics, Stolzenberg is now making twos and threes with consistency. Perhaps most importantly, Lauryn's confidence has spiked as she has come to learn what is required and what she is capable of.   [player_tooltip player_id='643749' first='McKinley' last='Hoelscher'] – 2027 guard, MN Comets   McKinley had a busy weekend. With the Comets' 17-U squad short-handed due to spring sports obligations and the Albany High School prom, Hoelscher was doing double duty in two age groups separated by three years. She directed traffic, made a ton of big plays, and otherwise ran the show for her 8th grade team and played a key role with the older girls, fitting in seamlessly as one of the most skilled athletes in the lineup. McKinley looked equally at home with both teams. That's not surprising given that the 5'7 guard from Alexandria already has a lot of varsity experience playing in a strong program for Wendy Kohler, the winningest female coach in Minnesota history. Hoelscher handles the basketball extremely well and rarely turns it over. She understands how to execute an offense with minimal fuss and maximal success. And she has that on-court presence and calm demeanor that is such an asset for point guards. Throw in the fact that she is a grinder who will battle and compete to the best of her ability and you have a premier prospect in the Class of 2027.   [player_tooltip player_id='644100' first='Annika' last='Kieser'] – 2027 guard/forward, North Tartan Nike   When we first watched Annika a year ago we were impressed with her physicality, willingness to attack and relentless energy. When we watched her again over the weekend, we saw more of the same from Kieser but in a bigger, stronger and more polished package. Annika is a warrior, the kind of player who is willing to leave it all on the floor every time out. Who doesn't want more of those kids?! She is physically advanced with a strong, athletic build. More power than grace, she is willing to take on all comers with confidence and grit. As the first half drew to a close Sunday morning against North Tartan SE, Annika bulldozed her way through traffic, going end-to-end in a flash, powering past defenders into the lane before dishing the ball off at the last possible moment to teammate [player_tooltip player_id='630241' first='Kate' last='Arnold'], who finished with ease as time expired. Situational and clock awareness matters! Given that Kieser hails from a deep Wayzata program, we may not see her making waves at the varsity level for some time, but when we do it will have been worth the wait.

Our quest to identify potential candidates for our Prep Girls Hoops Freshmen 50 – the first ranking of the Class 2027 coming up this fall – continued this weekend at the Spring Showdown. There were more than 300 eligible 8th graders in the competition. We saw the ones who played at the Chanhassen site. Here are five 2027s you need to see.