How are Minnesota’s D1 freshmen doing so far?
The first few weeks of college basketball can be pretty nerve-wracking for a freshman just trying to figure it all out. Most players take some time to find their footing at the next level. Not Nunu Agara. The Stanford newcomer out of Hopkins is pretty much killing it already. She certainly leads the way today as we take a brief look at how a few Minnesotans have begun their Division 1 college careers.
Performing in Palo Alto
We’ve watched a lot of college basketball over the past couple of weeks, and it has been a ton of fun. It was only a few days into the season when the Nunu highlights started appearing in social media feeds. Those unmistakable athletic moves to the basket. The stratosphere-scratching rebounds over top of everyone else in the paint. That jump shot we’d watched so many times since Agara was in junior high. All of it has translated well at Stanford so far.
The Cardinal are a perfect 5-0 with a docket that so far includes a win over Duke. Stanford is 4th in the latest collegiate rankings behind South Carolina, UCLA and Colorado. As for Nunu, the 6’2 forward put up 16 points on opening night Nov.1. A week later she scored 18 against Hawaii in Stanford’s first home game, including 8 made free throws. That was the most points scored by a Cardinal freshman in a home opener since the great Candice Wiggans, who went on to a decorated career in the WNBA including time with the Minnesota Lynx.
Through five games Agara is averaging over 18 minutes per game off the bench and recording just under 9 points and 3.6 rebounds. Those are pretty good numbers by anyone’s standards for the first Minnesotan to play at Palo Alto since the great Susan King of Holy Angels 20 years ago. None of this should surprise us. Agara has been a winner forever. She won a gold medal with Team USA at the U17 Women’s World Cup in Hungary. She won a state championship at Hopkins. Heck, she even won Prep Girls Hoops Breakout Player of the Year in 2021.
It’s early, of course, and Nunu is still a college freshman who hasn’t quite figured it all out yet. Her major, last time we checked, is still undecided. Even at an elite academic institution like Stanford there’s still plenty of time to pursue greatness on and off the court. She’s certainly heading in that direction.
10 FRESHMEN OFF TO A SOLID START
Here are 10 more former Prep Girls Hoops Minnesota prospects who appear to be in the rotation (playing at least 10 minutes per game) and contributing early in the season at the Division 1 level. We’ve listed them in the order of their final PGH ranking. Our stats were compiled through Tuesday’s games.
#1 Tessa Johnson – Minnesota’s 2023 Ms. Basketball from St. Michael-Albertville is nursing an ankle injury at the moment at top-ranked South Carolina, but in her two appearances for the Gamecocks so far Tessa averaged 15 minutes per game with 6.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3 assists.
#6 Molly Lenz – The point guard from Eden Prairie has been pretty effective in the early going at Illinois State. She’s averaging 14 minutes a game for the Redbirds and is doing what she does – running the point, distributing the ball and defending with grit.
#8 Maren Westin – The Wisconsin-Green Bay guard from Becker had her breakout game on Thanksgiving with a 13-point performance in Cancun in a convincing win over UMass. Maren is playing nearly 17 minutes per game and has already made a few highlight packages. Business as usual for Westin.
#9 Savannah McGowan – The big post from Armstrong High School is Lenz’s teammate at Illinois State and she’s off to a great start, as well. In just 11 minutes per game, the fun-loving forward has been super productive, averaging 7 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 73%
#11 Abby Krzewinski – The gritty forward from Wayzata was in the starting lineup for North Dakota State when we watched the Bison play Northern Colorado earlier in the week. Abby is already a key piece in Fargo where she’s playing 16 minutes per game, averaging 8 points and 3 rebounds.
#16 Avery Koenen – Also at NDSU, the 6’3 forward from Montevideo is making the most of her opportunities, too. Koenen is averaging 17 minutes, 4.8 points and 4.3 rebounds for the Bison. Abby and Avery have the tools to be excellent mid-major contributors long term.
#17 Shannon Fornshell – Playing a similar role at Drake University in Des Moines, the forward from Wazyata has been very good. We were at the Bulldogs’ home opener against St. Thomas on Nov. 6 and coach Allison Pohlman was singing Shannon’s praises. She’s averaging 19 minutes and over 5 boards.
#33 Piper Carlson – Standing under 6 feet tall, the forward from St. Michael-Albertville was never a lock to play at the Division 1 level, but she parlayed her physical style and defensive presence into an opportunity at Idaho State. Piper is in the rotation at 13 minutes and averaging 3 rebounds per game.
#34 Audrey Korman – The giant post from Maple Grove was a late bloomer in high school and had an excellent senior season. She’s off to a good start at D1 New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark where she’s averaging 15 minutes, 3 points and 3 rebounds per game while studying engineering.
#43 Jazzy Dupree-Hebert – Last but certainly not least on our list, this Hopkins graduate continues to deliver inspirational performances thanks to sheer tenacity and will. Jazzy is off to a great start at Oakland University in Michigan where she’s playing over 20 minutes and scoring 7.3 ppg.