Fall Exclusive Finale: The Happy Hour All-Stars

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the fourth straight year the Fall Exclusive presented by our friends at Jr All-Star was a big success. With eight teams assembled from 75ish individual participants, the competition was strong. Over the course of the three Friday nights, a number of fresh faces emerged and several more-seasoned veterans continued to build on their early success. Yesterday we brought you the best of the older group – the so-called ‘Late Shift' – and now we offer up the top performers among the younger group. Made up of players from the 2028-2030 classes, here are the ‘Happy Hour' All-Stars as selected by Ally McGinnis and yours truly.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='786314' first='Tate' last='Addler'] – 2028, Minnetonka</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Addler is a long, lean guard with a ton of upside. She's very skilled overall, but especially as a scorer. Tate can produce points at every level and she impressed us with her ability to consistently blow past defenders and get to the rim. She distributes the ball well and is a very confident ball handler. Tate also plays with a ton of hustle and heart. We saw her get a bloody nose Friday night after a physical play, and jump right back into the fray after only a few minutes of nasal repair.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Leah Brustad – 2029, New Ulm</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brustad is a truly versatile guard/ forward combo. She's pretty tall and also quite powerful for her age. Her long arms and strength make her an impressive rebounder and a solid shot blocker. Able to run the floor well, Leah's transition defense is impressive, as well. When she's not playing defense, you can find Leah taking the ball up the floor, on the wing, or even in the low post. Her versatility and proficiency all over the floor is certainly a tremendous asset.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1090102' first='Kimora' last='Givens'] – 2029, Minnehaha Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kimora impressed us time and time again over the course of the Fall Exclusive. Her basketball IQ and consistent grit make her a highly effective floor general and team leader. She's aggressive on both ends of the floor and a quality scorer. The fact that she's still only in 7th grade means Kimora has lots of time to grow and develop her skills, but given where she's at right now, we'd say the future is looking very bright indeed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1047086' first='Mckenna' last='Hulke'] – 2028, New Ulm</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hulke is a scrappy, mid-size guard with a lot of strength and grit. She demonstrates a high basketball IQ in her defense, innate sense of timing, and her decision making on both ends of the floor. Her quick feet and big first step make her a threat on the drive, and she shoots well from beyond the arc, too. When Mckenna gets up a full head of steam, and makes a beeline for the basket, it takes a Herculean defensive effort to impede her progress. Mckenna is a prospect with a ton of upside.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='901096' first='Katherine' last='Whited'] – 2028, St. Louis Park</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In all of the games we watched from the younger group over the past few weeks, Whited had to be the best ball handler on the floor. While she's a little on the smaller side, Whited more than makes up for it with speed. She's quick off the bounce, good at distributing the ball, and an excellent scorer around the rim. Pictured above, Katherine is also a menace of a defender. She is constantly getting in passing lanes for the steal and scoring out in transition. We look forward to watching Whited's evolution because her laundry list of assets is a recipe for success.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SECOND TEAM</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='897052' first='Tatum' last='Morrison']</strong> – 2028, Deer River</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Brooke Estochen</strong> – 2028, East Ridge</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='994855' first='Izze' last='Austin']</strong> – 2029, Edina</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Amyra Mahik</strong> – 2028, Pipestone</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='939014' first='Addison' last='Campion']</strong> – 2029, Belle Plaine</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>HONORABLE MENTION</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Kennedy Lewis </strong>– 2028, Sartell</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Kalloni Johnson</strong> – 2030, Minnehaha Academy</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Sylvia Heusinkvelt</strong> – 2029, Stewartville</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='918668' first='Kherington' last='Braun']</strong> – 2028, Waconia</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1090092' first='Demi' last='Holman']</strong> – 2029, Park Center</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->