AAU Week #11: The stars were shining at Summer Jam

I am not in the habit of writing about the same kids two weeks in a row. But even though we profiled [player_tooltip player_id='433933' first='Chloe' last='Johnson'] in last week's recap (you can <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2023/06/aau-week-10-recap-keeping-up-with-the-johnsons/">read it here</a>) we're still going to lead our look at AAU Week #11 with the Minnesota Starks/Duluth Marshall 7th grader once again. Given what Chloe did this weekend at the North Tartan Summer Jam, it would be professional negligence on my part to gloss over the greatness because it was stunning.   WOW! JUST WOW!   If you weren't there, or you haven't heard from a trustworthy source, then you'll be tempted to dismiss what we are about to say as pure hyperbole, exaggeration or worse. Those who were fortunate to witness Johnson's show-stopping performance Saturday night against All Iowa Attack Nike Black – an audience that included influential national evaluators – are calling it one of the finest displays of basketball they've ever seen. Yes, Chloe was that good.   With her team trailing by 18 midway through the second half, the 13-year-old guard playing four years up reeled off a dozen and a half consecutive points to bring her squad back to even and then went on to lead Starks to an improbable 72-64 victory. Scoring every which way you can score, she made one jaw-dropping play after another. Chloe finished the game with 40 points and by Sunday morning she was the #1 topic of conversation bar none. She closed out her 17U weekend with a 31-point performance against AIA's Nike Red team, an outing that included eight triples.   For the weekend, Johnson played four games in 17U and four in 15U and led both divisions in scoring. She averaged 19 points, 7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3 steals per game and it was a thing of beauty.   LAMPPA LAMPPA LAMPPA   It might sound like the name of a campus sorority but Lamppa Lamppa Lamppa is actually a terrific trio of guards from the Iron Range who made a solid impression this weekend with High Impact AAU. 2027 twins [player_tooltip player_id='927235' first='Lexi' last='Lamppa'] and [player_tooltip player_id='927231' first='Maija' last='Lamppa'], and their 2024 sister Emma Lamppa, play for Coach Byron Negen at Rock Ridge High School, the new amalgamation of Virginia and Eveleth. They are all quick and athletic, with terrific family lineage and quite the resume in multiple sports. The trio is also a ton of fun to watch.   “The nice thing about them is they have been playing with each other for so long that they can anticipate where each other is at on the court and they are always looking for each other. They are all unselfish players,” Negen said when we talked on Sunday. “Their court awareness is probably their biggest strength along with hitting shots.”   All three sisters have sound fundamentals, but each has a little bit different set of strengths. Lexi and Maija are the better ball-handlers and are more effective at penetrating. Emma is more of a spot-up shooter. “All three of them can shoot the ball,” Negen said. “Teams have a hard time guarding them because we can spread them out on the floor.”   Lexi is a better on-ball defender. Maija never gets tired. Emma is the best rebounder. Combined they averaged about 35 points per game for the Wolverines in the school's inaugural campaign. All three excel in other sports, too, including cross country, track and baseball. Yes baseball. The family athletic history is impressive, too, with dad having led Bigfork to the state tournament and mom doing the same for Virginia in their last appearance.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/06/Ava-Cossette-crop-3591x2358-1687211798.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-675046" width="400" height="263" /></figure>   WELCOME BACK   It had been nine months since we last saw 2024 standout [player_tooltip player_id='215944' first='Ava' last='Cossette'] do her thing on a basketball court. Out with a long-term knee injury, Cossette has been grinding over the past few months to repair her injury and get stronger. This weekend at Summer Jam marked her return for Minnesota Fury 2024 UAA as the Maple Grove guard launched another comeback.   Other than a little rust from lack of play, Cossette looked just like her old self. She was moving well, cutting hard, and was among the quickest kids we saw all weekend. When a player's game is constructed largely around speed, quickness and agility, it's always best to take a wait-and-see approach as to how well they will play after an ACL injury. We're happy to report that Ava still looked very much like the strong Division 1 prospect that she is. Coaches take note because Cossette is one of the best three or four Minnesota guards still available among the 2024s.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/06/Sam-Wills-crop-3916x2571-1687211872.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-675048" width="400" height="263" /></figure>   TOP PERFORMERS   There were a ton of great individual performances at Summer Jam. A 24-point game by [player_tooltip player_id='252379' first='Addison' last='Mack'] (Minnehaha Academy) comes to mind as she led Fury 2025 UAA to a nice win over North Tartan EYBL and averaged 16 points per game for the event. A 72-point weekend by 2024 forward [player_tooltip player_id='215986' first='Tresa' last='Baumgard'] of Playmakers North (Chisholm) certainly caught our attention, as did her intense physicality on the court. Of course we can't cite all of the strong individual showings but here are a few more of note.   [player_tooltip player_id='296528' first='Sam' last='Wills'] – 2025 wing, Minnesota Stars 3SSB   With national evaluators looking on, Sam showed her athleticism, versatility and scoring touch as she led the Stars to an impactful 58-45 defeat of North Tartan EYBL. The Visitation junior scored 20 points in the game and averaged 17 ppg for the weekend (third best in the top Golden Lake 16U Division) as the Stars faced two All Iowa Attack EYBL squads and CSS Bison. Wills is the #5-rated prospect in the Class of 2025.   [player_tooltip player_id='304895' first='Macy' last='Birkholz'] & [player_tooltip player_id='392473' first='Alexis' last='Thomas'] – 2024 guards, Minnesota Rise Schultz   It's not unusual to see Macy and Alexis pace Ryan Schultz's Rise squad along with major contributions on a regular basis from [player_tooltip player_id='339119' first='Maddie' last='Kamm']. This weekend they were particularly productive. Birkholz, a Mankato East guard rated 54th among incoming seniors, averaged over 20 ppg in the event as the Wayne State commit showed her unique combination of intensity and touch. Thomas, an athletic guard from Maple River, averaged just under 10 ppg. The elite three-point shooter is ranked #150 in the Class of 2024.   [player_tooltip player_id='396437' first='Aubrey' last='Morrison'] – 2025 guard, West Central United   We've seen Aubrey light it up several times in the past so it wasn't all that surprising to witness the incoming junior from Walker-Hackensack-Akeley do it again this weekend. Morrison scored 28 points in a win over All Iowa Attack on Saturday in the strong Leech Lake 16U Division. Averaging over 14 points per game, Aubrey helped WCU go 3-1 with wins over Minnesota Stars Post and Wisconsin Playmakers. She's ranked #102 in the Class of 2025.   [player_tooltip player_id='339179' first='Brylee' last='Miller'] – 2026 guard, Minnesota Rise Wright   Nobody flies around the court on a more consistent basis than the lengthy 5'10 freshman out of Fairmont. She's got a motor that just doesn't quit which helps her force a ton of turnovers for her team. When she gets up a head of steam in the open court with the ball in her hands, Miller is nearly impossible to stop. The Top 25 prospect scored 17 on Saturday when we saw the Rise knock off North Tartan Elite. She also had 17 against the Wisconsin Impact. [player_tooltip player_id='280354' first='Tucker' last='Downs'], [player_tooltip player_id='339175' first='Brooklyn' last='Lewis'], [player_tooltip player_id='498663' first='Madison' last='Ohm'] and [player_tooltip player_id='502541' first='Journey' last='Swanson'] were others who stood out for Rise Wright.   [player_tooltip player_id='643749' first='McKinley' last='Hoelscher'] – 2027 guard, Comets Hoelscher   McKinley has made quite the impression over the past few weeks as she establishes her reputation as an incoming freshman worth paying attention to. The Alexandria guard scored 14 points on Friday night when we sat courtside to spark her team to an upset of the 2027 state champions Minnesota Fury Blue. Hoelscher was a remarkable 10-for-10 at the free throw line in that game. She followed that up with a 26-point performance against a strong Inspired Athletics team from Fargo and averaged over 14 ppg for the weekend, second best in the top Quartz Lake 14U Division.   COMING UP   On Tuesday we'll have more coverage from Summer Jam – some new names and stock risers – followed by our Class of 2025 rankings update mid-week. There's no AAU action on our schedule this coming weekend but that doesn't mean we won't be in the gym. On Friday we'll be at the University of Minnesota Elite Camp. We'll return to AAU action July 1-2 at the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit Legacy Region finals at Wayzata High School. That will be followed by the two D1 live period viewing events in July in the Twin Cities – the Fury's Mill City Invitational July 7-9 and the North Tartan Meltdown July 20-23.   Next Monday June 26 the first of two Breakdown Shot Clock Classic days will be held with 18 high school teams in action. The matchups have not been announced yet but the teams competing at Anoka-Ramsey Community College include Buffalo, Delano, Duluth Marshall, East Ridge, Fridley, Orono, Maple Grove, Monticello, St. Michael-Albertville and Wayzata. Playing at Concordia-St. Paul will be Hopkins, Lakeville North, Lakeville South, Mahtomedi, Park Cottage Grove, Rosemount, Shakopee and White Bear Lake.

I am not in the habit of writing about the same kids two weeks in a row. But even though we profiled Chloe Johnson Chloe Johnson 6'0" | PG Duluth Marshall | 2028 State MN in last week's recap (you can read it here) we're still going to lead our look at AAU Week #11 with the Minnesota Starks/Duluth Marshall 7th grader once again. Given what Chloe did this weekend at the North Tartan Summer Jam, it would be professional negligence on my part to gloss over the greatness because it was stunning.