Who will win the 17U AAU state championship?

I have a confession to make: Sometimes I don't even know who won. It's true. In most cases when we watch games to evaluate players for Prep Girls Hoops that is exactly what we are focusing on – the players. I don't really care who came out on top in the game; what matters is the players who are trying to become prospects capable of making it to college basketball. There are, however, two exceptions: The AAU State Prelims and State Championship weekends. Those are all about the teams.

The 2023 State Prelims open Friday night. The State Championships will be determined on May 14. We'll still be paying attention to individual performances, of course, but we'll also be covering which teams are vying for and ultimately winning state titles.

HERE'S HOW IT WORKS

The way the tournament works is always subject to controversy. We'll set that debate aside and tell you that the top six finishers in last year's tournament are automatically seeded into the so-called “Super Pools” to begin this year's event. If teams are no longer in existence, others are bumped up based on last year's performance, and alternates are determined. Of course, rosters change from year to year and some have been significantly altered. Based on what we know about those changes, here is a look at the top teams to watch this weekend in 17U – the Class of 2024.

Top 6 seeds based on 2022 results

1. North Tartan 2024 EYBL

2. MN Suns 2024 S40

3. MN Stars 2024 3SSB

4. MN Comets Canesi

5. Fury 2024 UAA

6. Fury 2024 Premier

THIS YEAR'S FAVORITES

North Tartan 2024 EYBL

The defending champions are always tough. Fresh from their first weekend on the EYBL circuit, North Tartan has a slew of big-time talent. From the Class of 2024 they boast #4 Tori McKinney Tori McKinney 6'1" | CG Minnetonka | 2024 State MN who returned from a long-term knee injury last weekend and played great. #6 Laura Hauge Laura Hauge 5'9" | SG St. Croix Lutheran | 2024 State MN (St. Thomas), #10 Trinity Wilson Trinity Wilson 6'3" | PF Lakeville North | 2024 State MN and #12 Savannah Gardner Savannah Gardner 5'10" | F Eastview | 2024 MN (St. Thomas) are seasoned veterans while big Karly Jusczak Karly Jusczak 6'1" | PF Pine City | 2024 State MN (#42) offers presence inside. The addition of 2026 #1 Maddyn Greenway Maddyn Greenway 5'8" | PG Providence Academy | 2026 State MN is huge along with versatile 2025 #17 Mylea Monahan Mylea Monahan 5'7" | CG Glencoe-Silver Lake | 2025 State MN . Did we mention 2025 #1 Aaliyah Crump Aaliyah Crump 6'1" | SF Montverde Academy | 2025 State FL or Wisconsin 2025 standouts Rainey Welson (#2) and Kristina Ouimette (#5)? That's eight, maybe nine, possibly 10 Division 1 players on the roster.

Fury 2024 UAA

The Fury's top 2024 team had an uncharacteristically early exit last year falling to the Stars 49-48 in the quarterfinals and finishing 5th. The chances of that happening again are slim and none and slim already left town. This is a quality squad loaded with 10 players in Minnesota's Top 25 and an 11th who will likely land there eventually. Led by Michigan commit and 2024 #1 Olivia Olson Olivia Olson 6'1" | CG Benilde-SM | 2024 State MN the Fury lineup includes North Carolina commit Jordan Zubich Jordan Zubich 5'11" | SG Mountain Iron-Buhl | 2024 State MN (#3), Kansas State signee Finley Ohnstad Finley Ohnstad 6'1" | SF Lakeville South | 2024 State MN (#7), NDSU signee Marisa Frost Marisa Frost 5'8" | PG Centennial | 2024 State MN (#8), #11 Mikayla Thomas Mikayla Thomas 5'11" | SF Spring Lake Park | 2024 MN , #13 Ava Cossette Ava Cossette 5'10" | CG Maple Grove | 2024 State MN , Loyola Maryland commit Gabby Betton Gabby Betton 5'9" | CG Lakeville North | 2024 State MN (#14), Butler signee Jocelyn Land Jocelyn Land 6'0" | PF Holy Family | 2024 State MN (#15) and #17 Morgan Miller Morgan Miller 6'2" | PF Andover | 2024 State MN . New addition Amy Thompson Amy Thompson 5'10" | SG Stillwater | 2024 State MN (#21) has been on fire so far this spring and gigantic post Olivia Thostenson Olivia Thostenson 6'3" | PF International Falls | 2024 State MN (#36) is an intriguing addition.

THE CONTENDERS

MN Suns 2024 S40

Any team with 2026 #2 Tori Oehrlein Tori Oehrlein 5'11" | CG Crosby-Ironton | 2026 State MN is going to be a factor. Last year's finalists boast a D1-laden lineup with #5 Claire Stern Claire Stern 6'0" | SF Maple Grove | 2024 State MN (North Dakota State) and #10 Olivia Pawlicki Olivia Pawlicki 6'1" | SF Shakopee | 2024 State MN (Colorado State) having already committed. #18 Piper Engelby Piper Engelby 5'11" | SG Andover | 2024 State MN should also end up in Division 1 as will forward Lila Posthuma of Prescott, the #17-rated junior in Wisconsin. The addition of point guard Ava Thompson Ava Thompson 5'6" | PG Rosemount | 2024 State MN should be big. This group has been together a long time, know how to compete as a unit, and have proven themselves capable of rising to the occasion.

MN Stars 2024 3SSB

Another veteran squad led by longtime Stars coach Jim DeSart, this team is anchored by standout point guard Ashton Safranski of Fargo Davies, the #2-rated junior in North Dakota. They also boast a presence inside with #27 Cece McNair Cece McNair 6'2" | PF Prior Lake | 2024 State MN , have the two-way prowess of #37 Angel Hill Angel Hill 5'8" | PG Minnehaha Academy | 2024 State MN and #52 Sidney Klauer Sidney Klauer 5'7" | CG East Ridge | 2024 State MN along with #65 Anna Van Helden Anna Van Helden 5'11" | PF Prior Lake | 2024 State MN and #69 Lauren Machacek Lauren Machacek 5'10" | SF Eastview | 2024 MN . The Stars' additions are what make the team really interesting: #29 Kendall Barnes Kendall Barnes 5'7" | CG Roseville | 2024 State MN of Roseville at guard, #45 Isabella Sanneh Isabella Sanneh 5'11" | SF East Ridge | 2024 State MN at forward, along with potential hidden gem O'Ceana Johnson of Burnsville.

Metro Stars 2024 3SSB

Coached by Matt Pryor, this crew is anchored by 2024 #2 Liv McGill Liv McGill 5'7" | CG Hopkins | 2024 State MN , who recently committed to the University of Florida. #22 Ja’Kahla Craft Ja’Kahla Craft 5'9" | CG STMA | 2024 State MN is coming off a huge state high school tournament and drew a ton of notice for her play over the past couple of weeks. Up front #41 Kylie Waytashek Kylie Waytashek 6'2" | PF Royalton | 2024 State MN has been terrific so far this spring while guard Somah Kamara Somah Kamara 5'8" | CG Cooper | 2024 State MN (2024 #38) can light it up. From the Class of 2025 the Metro Stars have #13 Zahara Bishop Zahara Bishop 5'10" | CG Benilde-St. Margaret's School | 2025 State MN , #29 Dilan Tubbs Dilan Tubbs 6'0" | SG Hopkins | 2025 State MN , and #30 London Harris London Harris 5'10" | CG Hopkins | 2025 State MN along with 2027 talent Erma Walker Erma Walker 6'0" | PF Hopkins | 2027 State MN of Hopkins, who will likely be Top 5 in that class. This is a team that simply cannot be overlooked.

WHO ELSE COULD CONTEND?

Fury 2024 Premier had a great run last year. Led by #24 Elisabeth Gadient Elisabeth Gadient 5'10" | CG Goodhue | 2024 State MN (MSU-Mankato), #26 Norah Danielson Norah Danielson 6'0" | SF Delano | 2024 State MN , #28 Anna Vaaler Anna Vaaler 5'10" | SF Andover | 2024 State MN , #43 Emma Frost Emma Frost 5'11" | SF Andover | 2024 State MN , #51 Aubrey Heyer Aubrey Heyer 5'10" | SG Chaska | 2024 State MN (Bemidji State), #54 Julia Thoms Julia Thoms 5'11" | PG Prior Lake | 2024 State MN and #56 Bella Sutch Bella Sutch 6'0" | SF Spring Lake Park | 2024 State MN . After watching Comets 2024 Canesi last weekend, it's obvious that they are a formidable squad when the three Albany standouts are in attendance. #16 Alyssa Sand Alyssa Sand 6'2" | PF Albany | 2024 State MN (St. Thomas commit), #25 Kylan Gerads Kylan Gerads 5'11" | SF Albany | 2024 State MN (St. Cloud State) and rising star Tatum Findley Tatum Findley 5'9" | CG Albany | 2024 State MN are legit. The addition of Top 30 sophomore Kaitlyn Rohloff Kaitlyn Rohloff 5'8" | PG Hancock | 2025 State MN of Hancock and excellent 8th grader McKinley Hoelscher McKinley Hoelscher 5'8" | CG Alexandria Area | 2027 State MN of Alexandria makes them even better.

In our opinion, however, the team nobody should want to play is MN Rise 2024 Purfeerst. Coached by Bethany Luthern College coach Emma Purfeerst, this Rise team returns its complete lineup from one year ago. We've watched this group a couple of times this spring and they are sneaky good. Led by #19 Rhyan Holmgren Rhyan Holmgren 5'9" | SG St. Peter | 2024 State MN (MSU-Mankato commit) and #20 Kadence Hesse Kadence Hesse 5'10" | PG Sleepy Eye | 2024 State MN (Southwest Minnesota State), the Rise have a little bit of everything. Top 50 twins Rachel Kottke Rachel Kottke 5'8" | CG Buffalo Lake-H-S | 2024 State MN and Kristi Kottke Kristi Kottke 5'8" | CG Buffalo Lake-H-S | 2024 State MN bring two-way excellence. Posts Abby Maloney Abby Maloney 6'1" | PF St. Peter | 2024 State MN (#86) and Brea Mertz Brea Mertz 5'10" | PF Sleepy Eye | 2024 State MN (#97) offer size and physicality inside. Guards Daviney Dreckman Daviney Dreckman 5'8" | CG New Ulm | 2024 State MN (#55) and Brooke Christianson Brooke Christianson 5'5" | CG Glencoe-Silver Lake | 2024 State MN (#101) provide energy and defense while Ellie Edberg Ellie Edberg 5'9" | CG Mankato East | 2024 State MN (#113) is an elite shooter. Can they match up with the superpower D1s? Not likely. But in a single-game situation, anything is possible.