Underclassmen who got noticed at Summer Jam
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With an impressive collection of national and regional evaluators on hand, much of the attention at Summer Jam was paid to the high-end talent – kids like Jordan Ode Jordan Ode 5'11" | CG Maple Grove | 2025 State MN…
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Continue ReadingWith an impressive collection of national and regional evaluators on hand, much of the attention at Summer Jam was paid to the high-end talent – kids like Jordan Ode Jordan Ode 5'11" | CG Maple Grove | 2025 State MN and Tori McKinney Tori McKinney 6'1" | CG Minnetonka | 2024 State MN and Sam Wills Sam Wills 6'0" | SG Visitation | 2025 State MN who are bound for Division 1 basketball. It’s a matter of where, not if. Like national influencers Dan Olson, Bret McCormick, Bob Corwin and friends, we watched plenty of those kids, too, but we also set aside a few hours on Friday and Saturday to evaluate emerging prospects in the Classes of 2026 and 2027. Here are some of the underclassmen who got themselves noticed.
STANDOUT PERFORMER
Brooke Mickolichek Brooke Mickolichek 5'10" | SF Glencoe-Silver Lake | 2027 State MN – 2027 guard, North Tartan Elite
We told you about Brooke during the high school season when the 5’9 two-way guard was earning more and more playing time on varsity for coach Jeff Monahan at Glencoe-Silver Lake. Fast forward to now and Mickolichek is having a heck of a summer playing at North Tartan for our colleague Rudy Ruffin. “She is the type of player that every coach wants to have,” Rudy said. “She does it all for our team. She consistently plays well and leads the team in every way. I don’t think she’s had a bad game yet.”
That’s the kind of praise every prospect wants and we can’t disagree. Besides her obvious physical presence – Brooke is a tank to put it nicely – she is so athletic and plays with such aggression that she can take over a game without being the most-skilled player on the floor. Technically, she occupies the three- or four-spot for Coach Ruffin. In reality she is everywhere. Brooke can break the press all by herself. She can put defenders on their heels with speed and quickness. She’s not fancy in any way but uses her strength, speed and smarts to get by defenders and score at the rim on a regular basis. Defensively she always draws the toughest assignments. “I think her most underrated ability is her rebounding,” said Coach Ruffin. “She just jumps over everyone and secures the ball with two hands. If she’s close it’s going to be a put-back.”
STOCK RISERS
Mia Banks Mia Banks 5'10" | SF Mayo | 2026 State MN – 2026 forward, North Tartan Elite
The 5’10 sophomore-to-be from Rochester Mayo was a relatively unknown commodity when she appeared at the Prep Girls Hoops Freshmen Showcase last fall. She definitely got noticed there, however, and ended up on the roster of North Tartan Elite because of it. What a great addition she has been to coach Chad Flies’ squad. Banks has been an outstanding teammate according to her coach, a positive influence and vocal leader who encourages everyone around her to be their best. With good size and strength for her age, Mia is mobile and agile. She’s also got skill with a terrific outside shot and the potential to be elite in that department. Thanks to an excellent work ethic and the desire to get better, Banks’ contributions have grown as the summer season has progressed. As her self-confidence improves, there’s no telling how good Mia might be three years from now.
Marissa Tusler – 2026 guard, North Tartan Elite
It’s no secret: Grant loves gritty guards. Players who play with a healthy dose of sandpaper can impact a game in so many different ways and they always seem to grab my attention even if their skill set needs work. Tusler is no different. That’s how she got noticed at tryouts last fall and that’s how she has impacted everyone around her with North Tartan . Pictured above, the 5’7 guard from West Lutheran is quick, she’s athletic, and she is aggressive. Strong for her age, Tusler doesn’t ever shy away from contact – in fact she seems to relish it – and is at her best when she’s defending with aggression and intensity at one end and attacking the basket at the other. She’s got good quickness, knocks down mid-range shots, and gets to the hoop. The three-sport athlete (volleyball, softball) is highly coachable and appears to grasp new concepts quickly. She does need to improve her outside shooting as well as her ball handling against pressure.
Ava Ostermann Ava Ostermann 5'7" | CG Elk River | 2027 MN – 2027 guard, Minnesota Comets Hoelscher
Much like Tusler, physical play is also Ava’s calling card. She is very athletic, strong and quick, and she’s happy to take on difficult defensive assignments that less-confident guards would shy away from. She uses her scrappy demeanor to get deflections and steals, jump the lanes and force ball-handlers into mistakes, and out-muscle opponents for the rebound. The 5’7 freshman-to-be is from Elk River where her defense-first mentality will definitely fit in well with the Elks. On offense, Ava is an excellent outside shooter but she can also attack the rim and finish with her left or right hand. She is a terrific passer, especially in transition where she is rather adept at spotting a streaking teammate and putting her pass on the money. Ostermann shows glimpses of offensive excellence from time to time but we’d like her to focus a little more on that. Along with McKinley Hoelscher McKinley Hoelscher 5'8" | CG Alexandria | 2027 State MN and Trinity Baker Trinity Baker 5'5" | PG Underwood | 2027 State MN , Ava is among the Comets’ top three 2027s.
INTRIGUING NEWCOMER
Ava Klein Ava Klein 5'10" | SF Elk River | 2027 MN – 2027 forward, Crossfire Stern
We’ve watched Crossfire Stern a fair bit this AAU season with much of our attention focused on Sara Stern Sara Stern 6'0" | PF Maple Grove | 2027 State MN , Ava Doherty Ava Doherty 5'9" | CG Wayzata | 2027 State MN , Kaidyn Roisum Kaidyn Roisum 5'9" | PG STMA | 2027 MN and Jessa Schultz Jessa Schultz 5'8" | SG Academy Of Holy Angels | 2027 MN . At Summer Jam, Klein made it clear that she has next-level potential, too. On Friday night we saw the 5’10 forward from Elk River pull down 12 rebounds in a dominating win over Kingdom Hoops. Her instincts down low were really good as she gained position on her opponent and timed her pursuit of the ball well. She’s not fancy but as Klein showed this weekend she has the potential to impact a game in a variety of ways. Essentially a stretch-4, Ava is quite versatile on offense. She’s solid out on the perimeter, makes good cuts, and can put the ball on the deck and attack the basket that way. Given enough time and space, she can also make the occasional three-pointer. Ava needs to get stronger so that she can have better balance and play a little lower, but if she continues to make progress we can see Klein becoming a double-double threat a couple of years down the road.
ONE MORE TO WATCH
Lauren Santy Lauren Santy 5'9" | CG Eden Prairie | 2027 MN – 2027 guard, North Tartan Elite
With North Tartan being hosts of the Summer Jam, I suppose it’s fitting to add one more player from the club to our list of up-and-comers to watch. Santy is a 5’9 guard from Eden Prairie who has been tippy-toeing her way into the stream of things with the 2027 Elite team. Lauren has good size, she’s quite athletic, and moves very well. Her primary contributions thus far have been on defense where she uses her inherent advantages to hunt down loose balls and rebounds. She has good speed, and can score in transition, but we haven’t seen much offensively from Santy – until this weekend. At Summer Jam she reached double digits in a 43-40 win over Minnesota Stars Fleming and averaged 7 points per game, more than double her previous average. That kind of breakthrough is exciting. “Lauren’s potential is through the roof,” said Coach Ruffin. “She has a lot of work to do, but the glimpses we saw from her this weekend is the basketball player we know she can be.”