AAU Preseason Preview: ETG Midwest Elite 17U 3SSB
In this article:
It’s that time of the year again. It’s AAU Season! This time of the year is always an interesting and excited one. It’s the time where we see new faces in new places, new groups joining together, and a whole…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingIt’s that time of the year again. It’s AAU Season! This time of the year is always an interesting and excited one. It’s the time where we see new faces in new places, new groups joining together, and a whole lot of action as it pertains to high-level basketball throughout the country.
In this article we highlight a group of players, that might be the best team on paper that will be competing on the Adidas Circuit this Spring/Summer season. A team that made it to the Final 4 of the Adidas Nationals last season, brings in a ton of talent from the State of Iowa, as well as moving up some prospects that have really showed their worth this past Varsity season. Honestly, this team is being disrespected. I’ve seen some of the “Top AAU Teams In The Country” type lists on social media and not one of these list mentioned this group. Which is pretty wild when considering AT LEAST seven of the individuals on this roster will have a chance to compete on a D1 floor by the end of their high school careers, if not all of them. This is the type of team that might mess around and go close to undefeated this AAU season. All I can say is just wait because this group is going to surprise everyone throughout the country with how good they could be over these next few months.
Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!
Schedule –
TBD – The program as a whole is still figuring out their schedule for the AAU season, so it is not finalized at this time. If you check back here in a few weeks or look at their social media page, it will be updated but as of now, that’s where we stand.
Savannah Gage Savannah Gage 5’10” | SG Ankeny | 2025 State IA is one of four players coming out of the State of Iowa to compete with this ETG Midwest Elite program and I think she is going to like her decision. Gage is coming off of a high school season that was impressive. She was returning from injury and seemed to not miss a beat. Gage is a University of St. Thomas (D1) commit and I’m excited to see how that goes. She is going to be a prospect that comes in at the guard position, with some swagger and knowledge of the game. She can handle, facilitate, and score at a high rate. All while being a stout defender. Seeing the floor in a capacity with this team is impressive so any time that she gets on the floor, she is going to make the most out of her opportunities. That’s for sure.
Highlights
Trishelle Miller Trishelle Miller 5’10” | CG Sioux City East | 2026 State IA made the switch from All Iowa Attack EYBL to this program last season. Miller is a very skilled prospect, that has taken several college visits up until this point. In the open court she has proven that she is deadly off the dribble or she can move off the ball and knock down some shots from the perimeter. I’m not sure where Miller will take her career at the next level but she is going to have several options. I think with this roster that she will be their Point Guard when she comes into the game but I wouldn’t be surprised if she moved over to the 2 position. She can play off the catch, she has great vision, and she is unselfish so it all depends what this group needs from her throughout the duration of a contest.
The Johnston Dragons are coming off a 5A State Title and one of the best overall seasons we have seen in a long time on the high school leave out of Iowa. A big reason for their success this past few months is because of their Center in the middle, Amani Jenkins Amani Jenkins 6’2″ | C Johnston | 2025 State IA and she is looking to bring her talent out to this ETG Midwest Elite program for her final AAU season on the road. Jenkins is a Marquette Women’s Basketball commit and a very good prospect overall. She has the combination of size, skill, speed, physicality, soft touch, and coordination. She moves really well for her size and she is fantastic at doing her work early on in a possession coming down the court. It doesn’t matter if you are looking at Jenkins in the half court of full court, she runs rim-to-rim really well and she is dominant in all facets of the game. There are a lot of things to love about Jenkin’s play-style but I think the best part is that she keeps it simple. She could hit her matchup with 2-3 counter moves every touch she touches it but she knows better. Instead she just works her area and keeps everything in front of her. Like I said, you HAVE to respect this team. This is another D1 prospect who is going to show everyone this AAU season that she is ready to come into the Marquette program and make an instant impact.
Highlights
When I first sat down to watch Rylee McLucas Rylee McLucas 6’0″ | SF Millard North | 2025 State NE this past AAU season, I left with a lot of questions. McLucas has the size, skill, and knowledge of the game to dominate on both sides of the ball but in this case, she was only hitting one move over and over so I wasn’t sure what else she could do. Well, this high school season, she showed out and showed me that she is another prospect that I would consider the real deal. McLucas has a bunch of moves she can pull out in any given situation, which were on full display all Winter long. She competes with a high school program that has several respectable players so to stand out at all is impressive. On this team, she is going to be one of the bigger players coming off the bench. I have a feeling that she is going to have some really impressive games over these next few months but we will just have to wait and see. If this group ends up starting her, then they may have the biggest starting lineup on the 3SSB circuit. Either way, I have a feeling that McLucas is going to shine on this team.
If you have been keeping up with the State of Iowa and the 2026 Class, then you know how big I am on Jayla Williams Jayla Williams 5’10” | CG Ankeny | 2026 State IA and her game. Williams is a Top 3 rated prospect from her perspective state, who may have the highest ceiling out of everyone in her 2026 Class. At some points, you know what a player is and everyone around her is starting to show that while she just continues to work and get better. She is a multi-sport athlete that is VERY athletic. She can move between the 1-3 position, depending on what this team needs while having a very extensive offensive bag. Defensively, she is just as good. She can pick up in the half or full court throughout an entire game without being tied and she very gives up on a play. As it pertains to college interest, she has already taken some visits to big named schools like The University of Minnesota and Iowa. Like I said, I’ve always been a huge fan of William’s ability and play-style. She continues to get better every time I see her and that speaks to her dedication to this game.
Sarah Gatwech Sarah Gatwech 6’0″ | CG Lincoln North Star | 2025 State NE just put together another impressive high school season, helping her team get to the State Tournament. Gatwech is one of those players that just has moments. She honestly doesn’t take over the game as much as I would like but she has the ability to at any moment. She is another Guard on this team that stands around 5’10/5’11 and she can GO. She is extremely skilled in when the ball hits her hands each possession, while being fundamentally sound. This is one of those prospects where you might not think she is going to kill you but if you don’t account for her, she will have 20-7-5 in the blink of an eye. This coaching staff is going to have some business decision to make as to who starts, who stays on the floor in crunch time, and who they should run their offense through. This is a situation where it’s also important to realize that these players in these positions, might change every game depending on who is playing well. Individually though, Gatwech is nice and this group is going to help her be able to show off her complete skill-set.
While talking about diverse skill-sets, it would be criminal not to mention Avril Smith Avril Smith 6’0″ | PF Millard North | 2025 State NE and what she brings to the floor. Smith is a tall prospect, that can move from the inside of the lane to the perimeter in the blink of an eye. During her previous high school season, Smith was forced to move around and really attack from the short corner or outside the lane. I think this experience actually made her better. She had to use her handle a little bit more, showing off her versatility on a few different levels. I have always been high on Smith as a prospect. I think she can bring a lot of positives to the floor and that is what she is going to do with this group. She is one of their tallest prospects so as long as Coach Prince can get her in favorable situations, she is going to score and defend at a high rate all Spring/Summer long. Everyone is going to have to find their niche on this team and that’s no different in this case. If Smith can find where she stands early on, while making a connection with everyone on roster, it’s going to be a looonnggg season for any opponents who steps to them on the road this year.
Highlights
If you know anything about Nebraska High School basketball, you know about the Gessert Twins. Norah is the Point Guard. The one who can find a teammate in any given situation, while being able to handle and create at a high rate. She is very good with the ball in her hands and that’s not going to chance any time soon. Last AAU season, both of these sisters played well enough to be considered All Americans, being invited out to Adidas’ big event to end the season. Well this year, they are back for me. Norah returns to this group in an interesting situation. She may be the best natural PG that this group has but she isn’t the smallest. She stands at 6’o so I wonder if she will be moved to the off-guard spot or if they will run a duo PG system within their offense. There are still a few questions to answer with this group, like who is going to be the alpha dog and such but I think they are going to play for one another as a whole so no matter what, they should all shine.
The counter-part to Norah is her sister Neleigh Gessert Neleigh Gessert 6’0″ | SG Millard West | 2025 State NE and she is more-so the Shooting Guard of the pair. Neleigh is a knock down shooter and big scoring threat. She has proven that on every single stage she has competed on over her high school career. Whether that is on the high school floor, AAU circuit, a national showcase, ect. It doesn’t matter. Every game she see’s the floor, she produces in one way or another and that is something you love to see. I could go on and on about Neleigh but her game really speaks for itself. She has an effortless shooting stroke, a clean handle, discipline to stay down defensively, and a smart head on her shoulders. Her and Norah have received several D1 Power-5 offers at this point and that list is only going to grow over these next 3-4 months. They just need to worry about continuing to get better and their game’s will do the talking.
The tallest prospect on this roster will come to us in the form of Sanai Foster Sanai Foster 6’2″ | PF Westside | 2026 State NE . Foster is 6’2 with long arms and a quick trigger while shooting the basketball. She has a very raw skill set that could turn into something really special over these next few years on the hardwood. Whenever she catches within 15Ft of the hoop, she has a clean look in one way or another because of her mixture of size and ability. She can shoot over smaller players, she can finish at the hoop through contact, and she doesn’t seem to settle for bad shots a majority of the time. On this team and within this roster, Foster is going to be asked to work from the mid-post in. She has a strong demeanor and that’s going to be key in her success with this group. If she can dominate her personal matchups, while rebounding at a high rate and keeping it simple. She is going to do really well with the players around her. She has a lot of room to grow but I’m confident that she can get there and become another D1 prospect from this team.