Spring Showdown: Incoming freshmen who impressed

Over the years we have watched a lot of great basketball games and tons of outstanding individual performances. On Saturday morning, however, we saw one of the most-impressive, most-impactful halves of basketball by an individual player that we've watched in a very long time. We'll lead with that spurt of brilliance as we look at incoming freshmen who impressed over the weekend at the Spring Showdown in Bloomington. We're focused heavily at this time on players from the Class of 2028 who have a shot at making the Freshmen 50 in the fall. Here are a few names you need to know, along with a bonus standout from the Class of 2029.   [player_tooltip player_id='897050' first='Annabelle' last='Gothmann'] – [program_tooltip program_id='767539' first='Minnesota' last='Comets']   Now back to the incredible second-half performance mentioned above. It came courtesy of Gothmann, an 8th grader from Milaca whose physical makeup and mental maturity are way beyond her years. Comets 8th Boone had really struggled to score in the first half against [program_tooltip program_id='718403' first='Minnesota' last='Freeze'] 2028 when we watched, and by half-time they were down by about 20 points. It wasn't pretty, but they weren't about to pack it in. That's when Gothmann stepped up in a big way.   It started on the defensive end where the feisty guard dialed up the intensity about 10 notches. There was not a single possession where she wasn't locked in and dictating what the Freeze were able to do on offense. Whether hunting boards, picking steals, or forcing turnovers, Annabelle impacted pretty much every play. She plays a high intensity, physical style of defense that reminded us of the way the Australians do it. For comparison's sake, think of how long-time WNBA standout Penny Taylor played, or how current NCAA star Georgia Amoore, most recently of Virginia Tech, does it. We found out later that Gothmann also plays boys football, and suddenly it all began to make sense. Clearly her toughness and physicality translates well to the basketball court!   On the offensive end, everything ran through Gothmann once again. She does well handling the ball under pressure and her strong frame allows her to absorb contact from the defense. She is an unselfish player, as well, and routinely makes the extra pass to find open teammates. Slowly but surely, the Comets chipped away at the lead. By the time they were down to a one-point deficit, there were just 6 seconds left on the clock. The ball came to Annabelle off the sideline inbound. Despite being heavily guarded, she drove into the lane and knocked down an exquisite turnaround floater to win it as the final buzzer sounded. That capped an incredible comeback and reminded us just how important shear effort and will can be to a player's success. Every college coach in America is looking for players like that.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/04/Tatum-Morrison_Starks-8-crop-3916x2571-1713822886.jpg?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-897072" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='897052' first='Tatum' last='Morrison'] – [program_tooltip program_id='713214' first='Minnesota' last='Starks']   We've watched Morrison many times over the past couple of summers and she never fails to disappoint. Now that she's bigger, stronger and has one more season of experience, expectations have risen. On Saturday, the Starks Lindquist guard delivered with a strong performance at the Spring Showdown. She demonstrated her offensive prowess, using creative ball handling and an explosive burst of speed to blow by defenders on her way to the basket. Morrison made an impact at both ends of the floor and averaged double-digit scoring for the tournament. After a breakout varsity season up in Deer River, where she regularly tallied high numbers of points, assists, and steals, Tatum has proven herself as a stats machine. On the defensive end, Morrison excels on the perimeter due to her quick feet and excellent lateral movement, as well as quick hands and her ability to read passing lanes for the steal.   [player_tooltip player_id='897059' first='Amelia' last='Ritchie'] – [program_tooltip program_id='718403' first='Minnesota' last='Freeze']   We had heard good things ahead of the weekend about the 2028 version of the Freeze, a newer club with players mostly from the North Metro. I don't recall seeing Ritchie before (apologies if that's yet more faulty memory on my part) but it didn't take long for the athletic guard from Blaine to grab our attention as she impacted her team's game against the Comets in a multitude of different ways. She opened with steals on consecutive possessions, leading to transition points. Next, she rattled off a quick 7 points in just a couple of minutes. Amelia can attack the basket through traffic as well as knock down open threes. Ritchie also showed off her willingness to be aggressive and fight for every possession, whether it be wrestling for a jump ball or sprinting to save the ball from going out of bounds. The Freeze roster has a number of intriguing prospects, including forward Kaelee Hanson of Elk River, guards Addy Sears and Juliana Bramwell of Centennial, guard Sydney Pierskalla of Spring Lake Park, and guard Sarah Carlson of Legacy Christian among others. We'll circle back and cover them all in the future.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/04/M-Hamiel-Winnipeg-crop-3911x2568-1713822799.jpg?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-897069" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='897060' first='Madeleine' last='Hamiel'] – TAP Manitoba 14U   When we arrived at the Spring Showdown on Saturday, we certainly didn't intend to watch players from beyond the northern boundary to Canada. Given that our mission is to locate and chronicle the best Minnesota prospects, a Winnipeg-based player is off the table. But sometimes in scouting you just can't help yourself. We first noticed Madeleine around 9:30 in the morning playing on the court next to the game we were watching. Immediately her length and athleticism made her stand out. It didn't take long for us to see that the 13-year-old has many of the tools required in the making of a high-level college basketball player – speed, athleticism, quick feet, a high motor, explosiveness, hustle, you name it.   As we sat down for our last game of the day, there was Hamiel again doing her thing on the court next to us. It wasn't long before we turned away from the game we were supposed to be scouting and instead watched a young star in the making. Madeleine had another outstanding performance. She is a skilled ball handler, a natural scorer, she uses her length on both ends of the floor, and demonstrates great instincts on the basketball court. But here's where it got really interesting.   Come to find out that the Hamiel family are only temporary residents of Winnipeg. It is the latest stop on a family journey that has seen them reside in multiple ports of call around the world. Both of Hamiel's parents are in the U.S. Foreign Service and have spent much of Madeleine's childhood in Africa and beyond. Dad grew up in the Twin Cities. Mom was a standout Division 1 basketball player in the 1990s. Even better, the family may relocate to Minnesota in the not-too-distant future.   Bottom line: Remember the name [player_tooltip player_id='897060' first='Madeleine' last='Hamiel']. If she ends up here for high school, the gifted guard could be one of the top prospects in Minnesota's Class of 2029.   PGH scout Ally McGinnis contributed to this article.

Over the years we have watched a lot of great basketball games and tons of outstanding individual performances. On Saturday morning, however, we saw one of the most-impressive, most-impactful halves of basketball by an individual player that we've watched in a very long time. We'll lead with that spurt of brilliance as we look at incoming freshmen who impressed over the weekend at the Spring Showdown in Bloomington. We're focused heavily at this time on players from the Class of 2028 who have a shot at making the Freshmen 50 in the fall. Here are a few names you need to know, along with a bonus standout from the Class of 2029.