AAU Preseason Preview: Iowa Blue Jays
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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…
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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 cover a new group to the AAU scene on the road this Spring/Summer season. The Iowa Blue Jays have put together this group to compete throughout the State of Iowa over these next few months as everyone tries to grow as a prospect. This squad has 11 players listed on their roster, all between the 2025-2028 graduating Classes, who will all be attending Bondurant-Farrar for their high school careers. This team has a little bit of everything. Some promising size in the Post, knock down Shooting Guards, lengthy Forwards, and creative Point Guards. It’ll be exciting to see how they do on the road. As long as they play as a group and learn to work on themselves throughout these next few months, they are going to be really happy with their results in the end.
Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!
Schedule –
April 27-28: Midwest Festival of Teams – Ames, Iowa
May 11-12: Queens of the Court – Ames, Iowa
May 18-19: Battle of the Best – Des Moines, Iowa
June 15-16: Midwest Girls Classic – Ames, Iowa
June 22-24: MAYB – Des Moines, Iowa
June 29-30: Summer Sizzler – Ames, Iowa
The only 2025 prospect from this team, that is going to be looked at as one of their emotions leaders, is one of their Forwards – Erica Lyle Erica Lyle 5’11” | PF Bondurant-Farrar | 2025 IA . Lyle is a 5’11 Post, that is solid with her back to the basket near the rim. She started as a Junior this last season for Bondurant-Farrar High School and did well at holding her own inside the paint. She has demonstrated the ability to catch and face up, with the chance to attack off of the dribble from within 15FT. Her focus this AAU season is going to be becoming a monster on the defensive end. She shows some promising traits on that side of the ball but she is still working on it as a whole. If she continues to focus on the correct things, she is going to be someone who puts up some nice numbers as a Senior when she takes the Varsity floor.
Morgan Muller Morgan Muller 5’5″ | PG Bondurant-Farrar | 2026 IA was the 6th man for her Bondurant-Farrar program this past season and I’m sure that she is going to be seeing the floor a lot more as a Junior this next season. Muller may be only 5’5 but she is scrappy on defense and very good at creating havoc within her personal matchup. She is someone that can create off the dribble for others, while being a willing and able passer once things open up. She can do a lot of positive things for this squad but I think her best ability will be defensively. If she can create some turnovers and keep everything simple, this team is going to be so much better off because of it. She is going to be another prospect that is looked to when her team needs a play made on either side of the basketball and I’m sure she is going to make that happen, whenever the opportunity presents itself.
When you watch certain players compete, some just have “it.” You hear me say that all the time. I think that someone from this squad that has, “it”, is Addison Brown Addison Brown 5’8″ | CG Bondurant-Farrar | 2026 IA . Brown is 5’8 and she runs the floor better than most. She is relentless in her pursuit of the basketball in the rebounding department, while always seeming to beat her matchup down the floor for easy looks at the rim. You can tell that she is definitely most comfortable near the paint but she is working on expanding that out to the perimeter. There are a lot of solid athletes on this team but Brown might be the most athletic. She pulls out some noteworthy moves or series throughout a contest and I’m sure that is going to be on full display some more this AAU season with the Blue Jays.
A promising young talent that will be lacing up with this team over the next few months is Libby Weston Libby Weston 5’9″ | SG Bondurant-Farrar | 2027 IA . Weston is a Shooting Guard, that started JV as a Freshman this last season, while earning a Varsity jersey to end the year. Weston is going to be big part of the future for the Bondurant Program and I’m expecting a lot out of her this season with this team. Weston has a lot of promising abilities on the hardwood. She is very good at shooting the basketball from all three levels, she is great at anticipating passes, and she has some good length for her age. There are handful of 2027’s and 2028’s on this roster and she could turn out to be one of the best. She just needs to continue to get into the gym and work on her weaknesses. If that happens and she falls in love with this sport, the possibilities are endless.
Another individual from this 2027 Class that is on this team is Point Guard, Piper Lyman Piper Lyman 5’6″ | PG Bondurant-Farrar | 2027 IA . Lyman is 5’6 with the ability to shoot, facilitate, and defend. She played up within the Bondurant Program all Winter long, showing her worth in more ways than one. The best way that I could easily describe her play-style is that she does a lot of things well but she needs to work on her consistency to make those things great. She can handle, shoot, defend, and assist at a solid rate, I just need to see it little more consistency. If she happens to lock in on that part of things, she is going to turn out to be really, really good over these next few years.
Tiara Berggren Tiara Berggren 5’6″ | PG Bondurant-Farrar | 2027 IA stepped onto the JV and Varsity floor as a Freshman, contributing in every way conceivable. In my opinion, Berggren is at her best when she is getting into the teeth of the defense off of the dribble and creating for others. She is solid in most parts of the skill side of the game, while having a smart head on her shoulders. By the end of the Varsity season rolled around this Winter, she was contributing at a steady rate for a Freshman seeing the floor. Over these next few months she is going to continue to perfect her game as she is going to be a big part of Bondurant’s success these next three years. If she can stay consistent in her work and slowly get better as the years go by, she is going to be someone we hear about quite often throughout the State of Iowa as she continues to grow.
Highlights
One of the taller and longer prospects for this program comes to us in the form of Forward, Tenley Fried Tenley Fried 5’10” | SF Bondurant-Farrar | 2028 IA . Fried stands at 5’10-5’11 and she would be considered a Small Forward at the moment. Offensively, she has demonstrated that she is solid next to the basket or in face up situations. There is never a time when she catches near the block that I think she isn’t going to create a nice look for herself in some form. Where she could really step up and stand out these next few months moving into the high school season is defensively. Once she starts to see and understand situations a little more, she could thrive and all of that is going to come with experience. So that she is playing up on a team like this, is going to do her wonders in the long run if you ask me.
For being someone that is still in the 8th Grade Class, Kaylee Hanson Kaylee Hanson 5’9″ | SG Bondurant-Farrar | 2028 IA has some real promise. As I’m sure you could assume, Hanson is going to be lacing up with this program for AAU season and then with the Bondurant for her high school career. She is a prospect at the SG position that has nice size at 5’9 for her age level, with the ability to get down hill in a hurry in the open court. Once she gets going that way, she is very tough to stop while attempting a take at the rim. She is also a very capable defender and passer when the chances present themselves. I need to see Hanson compete a little more to be able to dive deeper into her play-style but from what I’ve seen up until this point, there is a lot of like here.
Once Fynlee McDowell Fynlee McDowell 5’8″ | SG Bondurant-Farrar | 2028 IA gets some more confidence underneath her belt, she is going have the chance to be a heck of a player. McDowell is another prospect out of the 2028 Class on this team and the only way you’d be able to tell that is by her confidence level. When she is confident, like another other player, she is at her best. As it pertains to the skill-side of the game, she checks off most boxes as being someone who can produce on either side of the floor. The only thing at times holding her back seems to be her confidence but I have a feeling that changes this Spring/Summer. Honestly, she just needs to trust in her work. From what I’ve heard, she works hard and loves to be in the gym. Once she starts to trust in that work, she is going to have a chance to be a fantastic prospect out of this state for the 2028 Class.
Presley Peterson Presley Peterson 5’7″ | SG Bondurant-Farrar | 2028 IA is going to be playing the 2-guard spot for this group a majority of the time, while moving to the Point Guard position if called upon. Peterson has a fundamental shooting stroke, quick handle, and solid vision up the floor whenever she touches the basketball. She can get hot from deep in a hurry and change the outcome of any contest she is playing in, in the blink of an eye. This AAU season she is going to continue to play to her strength for this team, while trying to improve on everything she can. Once she starts to hone in on her best ability, while learning how to play defense in a more conservative way, she is going to be someone who see’s a lot of success on the hardwood. She see’s success now at an above average rate but I’m talking next-level success. Where when someone takes about her, they associate her name with being a fantastic prospect through and through.
One of this team’s knock down shooters is going to be a prospect out of the 2028 Class and that is Kenzie Trusty Kenzie Trusty 5’6″ | SG Bondurant-Farrar | 2028 IA . As they say, Trusty can shoot the leather off of the basketball. She is someone that if she see’s her first shot attempt go in, her opponents might be in for a long day and if not, you still have to tag her in everything she is doing on the offensive side of the floor. If not, she can score a plethora of points in the blink of an eye. My challenge for her during this next few months will be to work on the other aspects of her play-style. If she can work on becoming a more well-rounded prospect, she is going to be able to thrive when it gets to her Freshman year at Bondurant with the offensive style that they are trying to run. I think playing with this team is going to help her tremendously. She will be facing some older competition and that is going to give her some goals to continue to work toward this AAU season.