Minnesota Top 250 Expo: The best of Team #2

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nearly a hundred quality prospects congregated at Hopkins High School on Saturday for the Prep Girls Hoops Minnesota Top 250 Expo. My colleague Tony Ragulen and I are analyzing what we saw on a team-by-team basis. Here's my take on Team #2.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TOP PROSPECTS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":780828,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/10/Brylee-Miller.jpg?w=970" alt="" class="wp-image-780828" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='339179' first='Brylee' last='Miller'] – Brylee is no stranger to the limelight. The 5'10 guard/small forward from Fairmont is a mainstay on Minnesota Rise Wright, one of the more talent-laden squads in the Class of 2026. Her high-energy, monster-motor style of play has already earned Miller the #21 ranking among Minnesota sophomores and she was a PGH AAU All-Star selection, as well. Our expectations are always elevated for Brylee, who is a strong candidate to play college basketball at the Division 1 or 2 level. She rarely fails to deliver. The three-sport athlete just exudes positive energy and it is infectious. She flies up and down the floor, finishes well inside, and defends as if her life depended on it. Her shooting and ball handling has improved, as well. Add it all up and you have one of the state's most dynamic performers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='717663' first='Le'Sedra' last='Williams'] – Pictured at the top of the page, the 6-foot forward from Hopkins was just moved up to the Top 50 in the PGH Class of 2026 rankings (#46) and she continues to tease us with what could be possibile. Le'Sedra is by no means a finished product but the stuff she can already do is enough to whet our appetite for what lies ahead. In the first game on Saturday, Williams was up against [player_tooltip player_id='296515' first='Hope' last='Counts'], the 6'2 post from Providence Academy who is #14 in the Class of 2025. Williams got beat a couple of times down low by Counts and promptly responded with a big blocked shot and a number of nice plays. Le'Sedra is long and tall, has a good feel for the game, and is becoming more effective as she fills out and get stronger. Williams showed some three-point shooting chops on Saturday as well as a sweet turnaround jump shot from mid-range that looked an awful lot like how Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx does it. Williams will join Miller on the Rise next season and that should be fun to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":780829,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/10/Landis-Williamson-Andrews.jpg?w=907" alt="" class="wp-image-780829" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='502564' first='Landis' last='Williamson-Andrews'] – Previously at Eastview and now attending Two Rivers High School in Mendota Heights, the 5'7 guard is crafty. We've seen it all summer on the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit with [program_tooltip program_id='713420' first='Minnesota' last='Diamond Elite']. Now that she is growing bigger and getting stronger, her on-court options are expanding. Ranked #72 among PGH prospects in the Class of 2026, Landis established herself one year ago at the Freshman Showcase and the Fall Exclusive and she has continued to build on that early promise. She has nice handles, is clever with the basketball, and can shoot it from everywhere. She can be explosive, with fast feet, quick hands and the ability to get her shot off with defenders pressuring. It will be interesting to see what she does in a new high school environment where there should be ample opportunity to prove herself one more time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STOCK RISERS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":780830,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/10/Maddie-Schneider.jpg?w=927" alt="" class="wp-image-780830" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Maddie Schneider</strong> – The 5'8 guard from Mounds View has been offering positive glimpses of the future for some time now. On Saturday at the Expo the possibilities looked much greater than what we've seen before. Schneider was one of the day's most pleasant surprises. She's long and lean with nice athleticism and a bit of bounce to her game. We saw some true explosiveness out of Schneider this time. She was constantly planning her attack, looking for an open seam and then exploiting it to pounce and go to the rim. On one particular occasion, we watched Maddie lure her defender into a vulnerable position and with one rapid stride blow past the opponent, elevate skyward, and finish. She wasn't afraid to let it fly from three-point range, either. There are plenty of things you can teach a player but much of an athlete's success relies on the stuff that you can't. Maddie showed us a bit of both at the Top 250.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>EMERGING TALENT</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":780831,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/10/Madelyn-Barrow.jpg?w=863" alt="" class="wp-image-780831" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Madelyn Barrow</strong> – The 5'1 guard from Monticello was one of the most entertaining fresh faces we saw on Saturday. The 2026 prospect very quickly established that not only could she hang with bigger, stronger opponents but she could make plays and score buckets at a high level. It was impressive stuff. She showed off nice handles, a high IQ, great court vision, a fair bit of patience and the ability to make good passes under pressure. She was able to get to the rim and finish through contact in a variety of ways and can also shoot the basketball. At one point, we snuck over to the bench and asked Madelyn to play a shift or two off the ball and she quickly proved she could handle that assignment, too. Madelyn's more heralded teammate [player_tooltip player_id='515676' first='Samantha' last='Voll'] couldn't make it to the Top 250 Expo due to illness but that didn't stop her from giving Barrow a big shout out on Twitter: “YESSIR MAD DOG!!”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":780837,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/10/Jazmyn-Hooks.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-780837" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='502567' first='Jazmyn' last='Hooks'] – The 5'7 guard from Eden Prairie has been proving herself in multiple venues this year, not only in AAU but at the recent Nickle Dickle 3X3 tournament in Waconia where she teamed with Williamson-Andrews and others to take home third place. Hooks has established a reputation as a strong, physical defender but she showed on Saturday that her offensive abilities have come a long way, too. She offered up a quick first step, a nice little crossover move and was able to get to the basket to finish and draw fouls. Jazmyn seems to play with no fear and is constantly on the attack, two assets that will serve her well long-term. She'll play next spring with the [program_tooltip program_id='774653' first='Minnesota' last='Bobcats'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":780838,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/10/Bella-Rice.jpg?w=1005" alt="" class="wp-image-780838" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='502549' first='Bella' last='Rice'] – We've been keeping an eye on the 5'9 guard from Eagan for more than a year now. She's done some really good work in AAU on behalf of the [program_tooltip program_id='774653' first='Minnesota' last='Bobcats'] where she was a consistent contributor at both ends of the floor. [player_tooltip player_id='502598' first='Kathryn' last='Simonsen'], the 82nd-ranked prospect in the Class of 2026, draws most of the attention on the Bobcats but Rice's contributions are just as important. She's long and lean with a medium build. She runs well, rebounds hard, and is constantly hustling. Rice moves well, gets downhill frequently and can play with plenty of pace. A solid all-around performer, Rice has made some cameo appearances on the Eagan varsity. Based on her play at the Top 250, Bella might be ready for the rotation.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":780839,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/10/Bailee-McLagan.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-780839" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bailee McLagan</strong> – The 5'4 combo guard hails from Renville County West, located about 100 miles west of the Twin Cities where the Jaguars compete in the Camden Conference. It's not a program we know much about, to be honest, but watching Bailee live and on Hudl we should probably be paying a little closer attention. The 2026 prospect is small but she's quick. What she lacks in size, McLagan makes up for in intelligence. On defense she anticipates extremely well and forces a ton of turnovers leading to easy transition baskets. Bailee sees the floor well, makes good choices and passes well. She played hard on Saturday, delivering plenty of hustle and keeping the pressure on opponents. She plays AAU for MN Nice.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>PGH scout Ally McGinnis contributed to this report.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->