Minnesota’s Top 10 Small Town Prospects

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's no shortage of small town talent in the state of Minnesota. In fact, the same can probably be said about every state in the country. This week Prep Girls Hoops is recognizing these prospects. All PGH scouts were asked to nominate players from their state and I have to say there wasn't much to debate about in Minnesota. For our purposes we defined “small town” as players from Class A schools, the smallest of the four girls basketball divisions as determined by the Minnesota State High School League. We eliminated any Class A school located in a bigger city – mostly private Christian schools and charters – and now, on the eve of the official 2023-24 season, we bring you our choices as Minnesota's Top 10 small town prospects.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#1 </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='178277' first='Jordan' last='Zubich'] – The 5'11 guard from Mountain Iron-Buhl has established herself as one of the premier shooters in the country while helping her team win a state championship and earning a scholarship to the University of North Carolina. Jordan is ranked #3 in the Class of 2024.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#2</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='178265' first='Kadence' last='Hesse'] – The first player in the Class of 2024 to announce her college commitment, Kadence will stay close to home and play at Southwest Minnesota State. Ranked #21 in the Class, the big guard from Sleepy Eye is a multi-dimensional talent who leads her squad in every way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#3</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='302307' first='Elisabeth' last='Gadient'] – The 5'10 guard from Goodhue started her high school career as an intriguing prospect and will finish it as one of the state's premier floor generals. Ranked #22 in the Class of 2024, Gadient has tremendous feel for the game and the skills to match. She's committed to MSU-Mankato.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#4</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='498658' first='Morgan' last='Mathiowetz'] – The youngest player on our list, Morgan is ranked #8 in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2027. Hailing from tiny St. Mary's School in Sleepy Eye, Morgan is a highly skilled point guard with all of the tools to be successful at the next level. She's also a ton of fun to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#5</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='515673' first='Brielle' last='Janssen'] – The 6'1 sophomore forward has split her time between volleyball and basketball so far and apparently she's pretty good at both. Hailing from MACCRAY High School in Clara City, Brielle is just oozing with potential which is why she is a Top 25 prospect in the Class of 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#6</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='304915' first='Rachel' last='Kottke'] – Nobody has invested more time and effort in improving their game over the past several years than Rachel and her twin sister Kristi. They have been the backbone of a strong Class A program at Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart that has been built on effort, energy and a commitment to excellence.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#7</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='304916' first='Kristi' last='Kottke'] – Like her sister Rachel, Kristi is a Top 50 prospect in the Class of 2024. Both girls can handle it, they can shoot it and they can defend like it's nobody's business. And regardless of circumstances, they always seem to have one more gear. The twins have committed to St. Cloud State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#8</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='453727' first='Kaitlyn' last='Rohloff'] – The 5'8 junior guard from Hancock has already led her Owls to a state championship and earned a Top 35 ranking in the Class of 2025. It's not hard to see why. She thinks the game at a high level, can see the floor extremely well, and has an elite set of skills to do what needs to be done.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#9</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='396435' first='Addison' last='Hoof'] – The high-energy guard is one of the state's quickest players with the state track awards to show for it. Ranked #45 in the Class of 2025, the junior from Lester Prairie is a defensive dynamo who can also score. Hoof announced her commitment today to MSU-Mankato.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#10</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='215986' first='Tresa' last='Baumgard'] – The hard-nosed forward from Chisholm has all of the physical tools to be successful at the next level, including size, athleticism and a healthy dose of grit. Tresa is ranked #37 in Minnesota's Class of 2024 and will play college ball at MSU-Moorhead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>WHO ELSE WAS IN THE RUNNING?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='550025' first='Kendyl' last='Lodermeier'] – 2025 forward, Goodhue (#49)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='550004' first='Lauren' last='Queensland'] – 2025 guard, Grand Meadow (#52)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='396431' first='Gabrielle' last='Fineday'] – 2025 guard, Cass Lake-Bena (#55)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='478375' first='Kadence' last='Pierce'] – 2026 guard, Ogilvie (#42)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='502533' first='Jensyn' last='Storhoff'] – 2026 guard, Lanesboro (#55)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->