Breakout Player of the Year: Ella Hardwick

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We employ our crystal ball a lot at Prep Girls Hoops. Sometimes we get it right; often we don't. Two weeks prior to the start of the 2023-24 high school season, we made some predictions on which players were poised for a breakout campaign. Turns out most of our prognostications were pretty solid, but one player's trajectory exceeded our expectations in a big way. Today we are happy to crown [player_tooltip player_id='595568' first='Ella' last='Hardwick'] of Eden Prairie as our high school Breakout Player of the Year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='595568' first='Ella' last='Hardwick'] <strong>– 2025 guard, Eden Prairie</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At the PGH Top 250 Expo in October, it was obvious that Ella was heading in the right direction. She generated a ton of conversation that day with her endless energy, strength and athleticism, leading Hardwick to be named among the biggest stock risers at the event. She also made Tony Ragulen's All-Intangibles Team. When the high school season opened at Thanksgiving, Ella burst out of the gate with an outstanding display at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic. She played with pace and aggression, attacking the basket and rebounding relentlessly. It was impressive stuff. She finished the game with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals. Turns out it was not a one-off performance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The trend continued throughout the early weeks of the season as Eden Prairie demonstrated week after week that its lack of size was in no way going to hinder the Eagles' success. South Dakota commit [player_tooltip player_id='262910' first='Tori' last='Schlagel'] was outstanding. Ditto for D1 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='252480' first='Rae' last='Ehrman']. But if we had to pick one reason why EP was rolling, it had to be the improved play of Hardwick, who can shoot it from outside, finish at the rim and get past most defenders one-on-one. When it came time to update the Class of 2025 rankings in February, Ella was rewarded with a massive jump up the list, rising 60 places to #71. Based on how she played in the home stretch of the season, it turns out that ranking wasn't nearly high enough. EP made a deep run in the post-season before falling in the section final by a bucket to the eventual state champions from Minnetonka. Hardwick's contributions were crucial.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ella finished the season averaging 11.5 points per game, third-best on the Eagles and a massive improvement from her 3.3 ppg as a sophomore. Ella averaged 6 rebounds per game, just a smidge behind Ehrman. She also led the team in assists and steals. In short, it was a remarkable year for the versatile guard who recently collected a Division 1 offer from La Salle University. We look forward to seeing what's next from our 2023-24 Breakout Player of the Year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>RUNNERS-UP</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='565312' first='Ari' last='Peterson'] <strong>– 2028 guard/forward, Providence Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One year ago, Peterson was all about potential. This season the Providence Academy 8th grader became a star. One of the most athletic players in the state, Ari has greatness written all over her. Now well over 6 feet, with dunk-potential leaping ability, Peterson was very good at both ends of the floor. Her ball handling improved exponentially. Ditto for her outside shooting, which was crucial in PA's run to another Class 2A state championship. Ari's confidence soared as she averaged 12 points and 7 rebounds per game. The sky is the limit for Ari, who is sure to be among the top-rated freshmen this fall when we rank the Class of 2028 for the first time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='453753' first='Lauren' last='Hillesheim'] <strong>– 2025 guard, Hopkins</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hopkins needed big things from Lauren this season. She came through in a big way, earning a spot in the Royals' starting lineup and getting stronger and stronger as the season progressed. When we published our list of potential breakout performers in November, Lauren was among the players we included and she delivered on that promise. Hillesheim averaged 12 points per game – a four-fold improvement from last year – and proved to be a key defensive piece, as well. As a result, she rocketed up the Class of 2025 rankings in February, rising to the top 50 where she is virtually certain to earn a scholarship to compete at the next level. The 5'10 junior is gritty, she's physical, and she can knock it down from distance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>HONORABLE MENTIONS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='558627' first='Erma' last='Walker'] – 2027 forward, Hopkins</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you watched Hopkins in the Class 4A state tournament, then I don't have to tell you just how much Erma's performance meant to the Royals. The power forward was a beast against Maple Grove, going 14-of-16 from the field for a season-high 30 points while grabbing 9 rebounds. It was icing on the cake for Erma's season. It was never going to be easy for Hopkins to replace <strong>Nunu Agara</strong> (Stanford) and <strong>Taylor Woodson</strong> (Michigan) but Walker delivered. Erma is the highest-rated forward in Minnesota's Class of 2027. This season she showed everybody why.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='344333' first='Cail' last='Jahnke'] <strong>– 2026 guard, St. Michael-Albertville</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've been predicting big things from Cail from the first time we laid eyes on her as a long and lanky 7th grader. She earned a top 5 spot in the first ranking of the Class of 2026. Since then, the 6'2 guard has grown in both height and ability. We predicted a breakout campaign for Jahnke in our pre-season preview and she rose to the occasion. Following the graduation of <strong>Tessa Johnson</strong>, now delivering in the NCAA tournament for South Carolina, Cail assumed a much bigger role in every aspect of the game. She averaged 15 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game, more than double last year's production.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='550024' first='Chloe' last='Nuss'] <strong>– 2025 guard, Totino-Grace</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chloe made it obvious on opening weekend that she was going to be a force this winter. She ended the season with a bang, too, leading Totino-Grace to a surprise appearance in the Class 3A tournament, scoring 28 points against DeLaSalle, and passing the 1,000 career-points plateau. Along the way Chloe demonstrated her amazing defensive energy and consistency on the offensive end. She led the Eagles in scoring at 20 points per game, including a season-high 44 against Robbinsdale Armstrong. The 5'10 junior also raised her stock at the February rankings update, leaping ahead to #67.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023 WINNERS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Looking back 12 months ago, the 2023 Breakout Player of the Year awardees have had very nice seasons:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Winner</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='550025' first='Kendyl' last='Lodermeier'] – The 2025 forward from Goodhue led her team to the Class A state championship</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Runner-up</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Lily Peper</strong> – The 2023 forward from Roseville had a great freshman year at St. Kate's.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Honorable mentions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='478913' first='Anna' last='Stromberg'] – The 2024 post from Legacy Christian Academy rewrote the record books at her school and earned a D1 scholarship to Radford University in Virginia.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='339131' first='Kate' last='Kapsner'] – The 2025 forward from Benilde-St. Margaret's played a crucial role in the Red Knights' second Class 3A state title in a row.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='550004' first='Lauren' last='Queensland'] – The 2025 guard from Grand Meadow led her team in scoring this season and helped the Superlarks win 19 games.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='478366' first='Riley' last='Ang'] – The 2026 guard from Rosemount suffered a torn ACL on the first day of AAU practice last summer but returned in January. She'll be a key piece for the Irish next season.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->