Beyond the spotlight: Prelims offer opportunities to all

When the AAU State Prelims open Friday night, most of the attention will be focused on the elite teams. That makes sense, of course, as high-profile units from the biggest clubs bring a ton of star power to the table in search of state titles. But the run to the State Tournament is also about the dozens of teams that won't be putting on championship rings on May 12. There are plenty of squads that are just trying to better their previous finishes, pull off an upset or two along the way, and offer their players the memory of playing in a special event. One of those team's is Bill Hinck's 2025 squad from the [program_tooltip program_id='712689' first='Minnesota' last='Heat'].   With the exception of perhaps their mothers and grandmothers, nobody is picking the Heat to win it all. Few, in fact, will even be paying attention to the 11th grade E Pool where the Heat will face off against [program_tooltip program_id='712700' first='Minnesota' last='Suns'] Blue Star, [program_tooltip program_id='712697' first='MN' last='Crossfire'] Kahl and the [program_tooltip program_id='728724' first='Minnesota' last='Aces']. That doesn't mean the team is without talent or prospects or potential. They finished in the top 10 one year ago and that was before adding two outstanding backcourt players in [player_tooltip player_id='339206' first='Maliyah' last='White'] of Hopkins and [player_tooltip player_id='453782' first='Alyssa' last='Baranick'] of Maple Grove.   “We're kind of like a mid-major team,” said Coach Hinck. “Our girls aren't D1 prospects so we're not going to these tournaments chasing scholarships. Our goal is to get better, have fun in the process and win as much as we can. This is a team with a lot of girls who haven't been recognized yet for having a ton of success but when we formed I saw potential. I told them last summer that we can be a top 10 team and my own team laughed at me. Many of them had not experienced success in AAU. And then we did it… We had a lot of success but nobody really noticed.”   That's true for many of the teams that will suit up this weekend. Of the 189 squads entered in grades 8 through 11, only four will be crowned champions. Everyone else has their own goals and objectives, their individual definitions of success. “Our goal is to play in the D1 tournament,” HInck said. “With other teams I've had in the past our goal was to be in the super pool (top 8). For other teams maybe their goal is to be number 1. You want to be challenged. You want to get better. You want to see where you are at.”   Competing against the best   White and Baranick are undoubtedly the two most well-known prospects on the Heat roster. Maliyah is an athletic guard from Hopkins with a high skill level and serious explosiveness. She's ranked #54 in the Class of 2025 and has to be considered a scholarship-level prospect. Having a player of White's caliber show up unannounced at a spring tryout is the type of gift every AAU coach dreams about. “She has been great!” Hinck said. “Last year we struggled against pressure because we didn't have any pure point guards. Maliyah just gets into the lane and creates and she has no fear. She is full of confidence but she doesn't force stuff. She can play against the highest level because she has. And she always has a big smile on her face.”   Baranick is a cerebral point guard. Like most of the Heat's roster, she has played behind D1 prospects at Maple Grove. The fact is, Baranick is a quality player in her own right. After recruiting her for the past three seasons, Hinck finally landed Alyssa this spring and her presence has made a huge difference. In addition to being a great ball handler and distributor, the lefty is a major defensive presence. “Maliyah and Alyssa plugged holes that needed to be plugged,” said Hinck. “They have raised the level of the whole group.”   Another highly accomplished player on the team is Haley Jordt. The skilled combo guard helped lead Baldwin-Woodville to its first-ever appearance in the Wisconsin state tournament this winter. The All-State honorable mention averaged over 10 points and nearly 5 rebounds per game. She, too, is an outstanding defender.   Last year's most-impactful player may have been forward [player_tooltip player_id='595557' first='Mara' last='Holle'] of Blaine. When she went down with a torn ACL, that left a big hole in the lineup, but there are two others from Blaine making an impact. Guard [player_tooltip player_id='918774' first='Katelyn' last='Wozniak'] is an outstanding athlete. In fact, she and Holle were on Blaine's state championship 4 X 400 meter relay team. The 5'9 Wozniak averaged over 11 ppg for the Bengals and is a high-level performer who has received little recognition to date. Six-foot post [player_tooltip player_id='396432' first='Bella' last='Brustuen'] is a handful down low where her size and strength are a challenge for most opponents. When Bella is dialed in, she is a beast. Brustuen has added pieces to her game over time and can now step outside and shoot threes.   Carolyn Schrader started up front this winter for Totino-Grace. She is the Heat's Swiss Army knife, a versatile performer with a high basketball IQ. “She's a warrior,” Hinck said. “She takes charges and gets rebounds. She might be our most valuable player because of all the little things she does, and she plays a position we don't have a lot of people at.”   Wing [player_tooltip player_id='918776' first='Lily' last='Ryan'] of Mounds View is coming off an excellent winter for the Mustangs, a season that saw her earn All-Conference honors in the tough Suburban East despite having to play out of position in the post. She's long and lean and aggressive. Ryan is also a strong three-point shooter who can score in bunches.   There are three Andover athletes on the squad. Ellie Fields is a defensive dog who is often tasked with shadowing the other team's top talent. She plays bully ball and is tough as nails. Fields is a quality shooter from distance and has been adding more offensive options to her game. Charlotte Hermann is a 5'9 forward with nice athleticism. The lefty can shoot the three and attack the basket. Claire Becker is another forward from Andover. At 5'11, Becker's size and strength is crucial for the Heat. She has been adding elements to her game down low, and her rebounding continues to get better. The final member of the roster is post Kali Merfeld of St. Michael-Albertville. She is a blue collar competitor with high intelligence who relies on her smarts to get work done. Hinck says Kali is the best inbounder on the team.   “People don't know the talent that's on this team and the players probably didn't know, either,” said Hinck. “A lot of our girls have not received much recognition because they have been playing behind other people on their high school teams who are really good.” In fact, all but two of the girls made it as least as far as their section finals in March and nine are from Class 4A where rosters are deep.   The Heat bring a record of 5-2 into the State Prelims with wins over some strong opponents. Last season they won two tournaments, took second in Las Vegas and finished top 10 at State. Defense is their calling card. A balanced approach to offense is the norm. “This team is one of the most fun I've ever coached. They are finding out that as a unit they are pretty good,” Hinck said. “Our goal is to compete against the best teams. When we're playing against a team that has all of these girls getting scholarships, and it's a toss-up game with a minute to go, that's a win for us.”

When the AAU State Prelims open Friday night, most of the attention will be focused on the elite teams. That makes sense, of course, as high-profile units from the biggest clubs bring a ton of star power to the table in search of state titles. But the run to the State Tournament is also about the dozens of teams that won't be putting on championship rings on May 12. There are plenty of squads that are just trying to better their previous finishes, pull off an upset or two along the way, and offer their players the memory of playing in a special event. One of those team's is Bill Hinck's 2025 squad from the Minnesota Heat .