Players to watch from Breakdown Summer State

The Breakdown Summer State Tourney always serves as a preview of sorts for what lies ahead in high school basketball – a glimpse at the teams and players who just might have something to say when we're deep into the season this winter. We saw a number of said players who appeared ready to make a bigger impact in the coming campaign. Here are five you should watch.   [player_tooltip player_id='453752' first='Aubrey' last='Burkhart'] – 2025 guard, Southwest Christian   Aubrey is always entertaining to watch. The little point guard (pictured above) is just so quick, so crafty, so intelligent. She just knows how to make things happen. Watching her go head-to-head with [player_tooltip player_id='433933' first='Chloe' last='Johnson'] of Duluth Marshall was a sideshow in itself. The 5'6 floor general has already proven herself at the Class AA level, winning All-Conference honors last winter while averaging 12 points and 3.4 assists per game. With the arrival of standout 2027s [player_tooltip player_id='600748' first='Kaja' last='Nash'] and [player_tooltip player_id='734360' first='Gigi' last='Coleman'] at SWC, Burkhart's abilities will likely become even more evident. This summer with Minnesota Stars Peterson, Burkhart went up against some of the strongest players in the region and more than held her own. She played 30 minutes a game, led her team in scoring and shot better than 40% from three. Aubrey will definitely be taking a sizeable jump when we update the 2025 prospect rankings in the fall. On Sunday she showed why.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/08/Lilly-Smith.jpg?w=609" alt="" class="wp-image-734324" width="152" height="256" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='734368' first='Lily' last='Smith'] – 2025 guard, Proctor   For those who had never seen Lily play before this past weekend, her performance must have been a bit of an eye opener. After all, there are only so many players who can elevate in the lane over pretty much any defender and knock down one silky smooth jump shot after another. Among current prospects you could benchmark Tucker Downs in that regard and only a handful of others. The difference is, Smith is just 5'5 but that elevation enables her to play much, much bigger. The Playmakers North guard competes with swagger. She's got handles, can weave through traffic at pace, and knows how to finish upon arrival. Her first step is pretty quick and she can score in bunches. Last year Lily trailed only the Carlson sisters at Proctor in that regard – then-senior Hope Carlson now of St. Scholastica and 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='478373' first='Chloe' last='Carlson'], a rising star in Minnesota basketball. If Sunday is any indication, we'd expect more of the same from the incoming junior this time around.   [player_tooltip player_id='734370' first='Paige' last='Evans'] – 2025 guard, Proctor   While Lily is all flash and dash for the Rails, her teammate Paige is much more business-like but no less productive. The 5'6 guard did earn herself a little sunshine in Sunday's first game, however, by burying a three-pointer at the final buzzer to give Proctor the win over Minneapolis Roosevelt. She scored 16 points in that one and 13 against Duluth Marshall in the Class 2A final. At the Meltdown last week Evans averaged nearly a dozen points per game playing for Adam Johnon's Northern Lights squad. She did the same at Summer Jam in June. Paige is a quality shooter who can make threes, a solid ball handler and seasoned facilitator, and a consistent threat to score from mid-range, as well. But it is her ability to defend that will likely create the best college basketball opportunities down the road. Her performances last winter against the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='296516' first='Regan' last='Juenemann'] and Taryn Hamling (North Dakota State) attests to that fact. Look for Evans to raise her profile in the months ahead.   [player_tooltip player_id='339131' first='Kate' last='Kapsner'] – 2025 forward, Benilde-St. Margaret's   We have always liked Kate's potential, but now the 5'11 forward has elevated her game to new heights. After playing a key role in the Red Knights' Class 3A state championship last winter, Kapsner kept right on rolling with the [program_tooltip program_id='712665' first='Metro' last='Stars']' 2025 3SSB squad this summer. Her performance over the past 12 months was rewarded with a big jump in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2025 rankings in June as she moved into the Top 50. It is Kate's versatility and consistency that makes her so valuable. She has length, athleticism and pace. She rebounds at both ends of the floor and can make life difficult when defending opponents of all descriptions. Her outside shooting is a weapon. She contributes consistently on offense, and has an occasional outburst like the 18-point performance we saw in Sunday's championship game. Entering her junior year, Kapsner is going to have a big one.   [player_tooltip player_id='502604' first='Kaia' last='Anderson'] – 2026 guard, Perham   As we said yesterday in our big picture recap of the Summer State Tourney, Kaia was supposedly a little under the weather on Sunday at Jefferson. Could have fooled me! She looked really, really good which is pretty much what we saw all summer from the [program_tooltip program_id='713021' first='West' last='Central United'] shooter, who played up a year on the 2025 team. Anderson had a great summer with the Yellowjackets, too, with coach T.J. Super reporting significant improvement in a number of areas. Anderson is a pure shooter, one of the state's very best. At 5'10, she has a ton of length and moves really well. Anderson seems to have stepped up her aggressiveness, too, and her confidence appears to be growing. With the graduation of Mya Morris (Valley City State), Anderson's opportunity as a sophomore will be front and center.

The Breakdown Summer State Tourney always serves as a preview of sorts for what lies ahead in high school basketball – a glimpse at the teams and players who just might have something to say when we're deep into the season this winter. We saw a number of said players who appeared ready to make a bigger impact in the coming campaign. Here are five you should watch.