5 prospects who raised their stock at the Tip Off

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Breakdown Tip Off Classic always draws a nice complement of college coaches from across the country. Among the schools that sent representatives to the event were North Carolina, Northwestern, Minnesota, St. Thomas, Iowa, Drake, North Dakota, Lehigh, Marquette, South Dakota, Wisconsin, UW-Green Bay… the list goes on. What better time for a player to do good work than in front of the decision makers who hold the keys to the scholarship cabinet. Here are 5 prospects who raised their recruiting stock at the Tip Off.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='589282' first='Cassie' last='Wegman'] <strong>– 2026 forward, Delano</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 5'11 sophomore is coming off an outstanding summer that saw her game grow substantially and her confidence rise accordingly. To say Cassie and the Tigers made an impression on Saturday at the Breakdown would be a serious understatement. Delano took it to last year's Class 3A state finalists from Stewartville by a score of 72-50 and Wegman played a big role in their success. She posted 17 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in the contest. Pictured above, Cassie has a good-sized frame and more than ample strength. She is a strong rebounder who gets position, secures the ball with both hands and quickly moves it where it needs to go. Her work ethic is consistent and she competes hard. When we updated the 2026 rankings in the fall, Wegman rose 11 places to #66. On Saturday she served notice that it might be time to move her up again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":675046,"sizeSlug":"medium","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/06/Ava-Cossette-crop-3591x2358-1687211798.jpg?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-675046" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='215944' first='Ava' last='Cossette'] <strong>– 2024 guard, Maple Grove</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tip Off was important to a lot of Minnesota prospects but none more so than Ava. Given that she missed a year of action with a torn ACL, and the fact that she is now a senior still seeking a Division 1 opportunity, it was important for the highest-rated unsigned player in the Class of 2024 to do well in front of college coaches. A couple had made the trip to Hopkins specifically to watch her. That's exactly what Ava did. The Crimson faced off with the Eastview Lightning, where Cosette played a pivotal role in the 55-50 win. She scored 7 points and was all over the place on the defensive end. Her length, combined with foot speed and overall quickness make Cossette a tremendous on-ball defender. The coaches saw what they came to see and Ava made the impression she wanted to make.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":522268,"sizeSlug":"medium","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/10/151-Elayna-Boe-scaled.jpg?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-522268" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='346182' first='Elayna' last='Boe'] <strong>– 2025 guard, Lakeville North</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friday's final game was an electric affair between Hopkins and Lakeville North. The Royals got out to a hot start, and their high-pressure defense was too much for Lakeville to handle in its first game under new coach Andy Berkvam. Trailing by 16 points at the half, junior forward Boe and the Panthers had to turn up the intensity, and they did just that. [player_tooltip player_id='215957' first='Gabby' last='Betton'], [player_tooltip player_id='396430' first='Aduke' last='Ojullu'], and [player_tooltip player_id='335641' first='Trinity' last='Wilson'] all made key plays to help North get back in the game, but it was Boe's defensive prowess that truly wowed us. She spent a large portion of the half playing full-court defense on Florida commit [player_tooltip player_id='178269' first='Liv' last='McGill'], which is never an easy task. While the Panthers fell just short in the 49-48 loss, Boe and the others held Hopkins scoreless for the last 5 minutes. Elayna, ranked #36 in her class, finished with 6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":818523,"sizeSlug":"medium","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/12/Brianna-Nusbaum-crop-1613x1059-1701973097.jpg?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-818523" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='392471' first='Brianna' last='Nusbaum'] <strong>– 2024 guard, Spring Lake Park</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Panthers turned in a nice performance in Friday's opening game against Edina scoring a 70-61 victory. Not surprisingly, it was Nusbaum who set the table for Spring Lake Park as we have seen her do so many times over the past few years. Brianna posted a rather impactful 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, not to mention a half dozen steals. The 5'6 senior is a versatile, well-rounded, consistent performer. She has length, pretty light feet and nice touch. She can knock down shots from the perimeter as well as score off the bounce. With good court vision, Brianna is also a quality distributor. Over time, Nusbaum has grown her game substantially and improved every year thanks to an exceptional work ethic. Based on her first game of the season this past weekend, the St. Mary's University basketball and softball commit probably deserves a rankings bump.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":522279,"sizeSlug":"medium","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/10/166-Ella-Hardwick-scaled.jpg?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-522279" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='595568' first='Ella' last='Hardwick'] <strong>– 2025 guard/forward, Eden Prairie</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eden Prairie came out with a bang on Saturday afternoon and made quite the impression by constructing an impressive 47-18 lead over Andover at halftime. What did not surprise us, however, was the play of the junior Hardwick and her much-heralded teammate and South Dakota commit [player_tooltip player_id='262910' first='Tori' last='Schlagel']. Despite Eden Prairie's relative lack of size, the Eagles were firing on all cylinders. Hardwick played with energy and pace, attacking the basket, and grabbing boards over much larger players, including 6'2 Clemson commit [player_tooltip player_id='215970' first='Morgan' last='Miller']. Ella finished the contest with 7 boards, as well as 13 points and 4 steals. We last saw Ella at the Prep Girls Hoops Top 250 Expo in the fall, where she made a considerable impression on our scouts. If she keeps playing the way she has been for the past few months, Hardwick is poised for a nice jump in the Class of 2025 rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>PGH scout Ally McGinnis contributed to this report</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->