Impactful 9th graders to watch at the State Tournament

Minnesota's Class of 2027 – next year's incoming sophomores – has been a ton of fun to watch since we first started scouting them intently over a year ago. At last weekend's AAU State Prelims, there were many impressive performances among the 2027s. Here are a half dozen top prospects you'll want to see at the AAU State Tournament beginning Friday.   [player_tooltip player_id='498661' first='Pressley' last='Watkins'] – [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] 2027 UAA   Pressley's transition to the Fury appears to have been seamless. The Benilde-St. Margaret's freshman was outstanding when we watched at the Prelims. She was certainly productive offensively. Watkins dropped 50 points over four games this weekend, tying for fourth-best among the 2027s. Pressley can score at every level, but she excels at hitting shots from beyond the arc. Against the Rise on Saturday, Watkins put up 22 points, including four made threes. On the defensive end, Pressley used her impressive length and foot speed to force turnovers that led to points for her team. Pressley is ranked #2 among 2027 Prep Girls Hoops prospects.   [player_tooltip player_id='637605' first='Kaelyn' last='Bjorklund'] – [program_tooltip program_id='714566' first='Minnesota' last='Stars'] 2027 3SSB Antl   The Lakeville South forward wasn't expected to play AAU this year, but after doing a 180 on that idea Kaelyn has been having an undeniable impact for the Stars Antl squad so far this spring. On Saturday, Kaelyn had an impressive performance against [program_tooltip program_id='712362' first='Legacy' last='Hoops'] Elite. We liked her strong post moves in the paint and her ability to use her body and strength to earn positioning down low. The night prior, Bjorklund was draining shots from deep, making three buckets from beyond the arc in a win over the Comets. Bjorklund is currently ranked 12th among 2027 Prep Girls Hoops Minnesota prospects. The Stars earned the #2 seed.   [player_tooltip player_id='529357' first='Emma' last='Millerbernd'] – [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] 2027 Nike   The Providence Academy guard continued her streak of excellent performances last weekend. She helped lead [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] Nike to four wins as the team earned the #1 seed in the 9th grade division for this weekend's State Tournament. On Saturday, Emma led all scorers with 18 points in [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan']'s matchup against the top Fury 2027 team. She found success on the drive as well as at the free throw line, but it was from long distance that Millerbernd gathered most of her points, knocking down four shots from three. Emma is a top 5 prospect in the Class of 2027 and she lived up to that standard at the Prelims.   [player_tooltip player_id='667778' first='Laila' last='Moses'] – [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] 2027 Nike   We've enjoyed watching Laila make the transition this spring to [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan']'s top 2027 unit. Coming off a strong winter season at DeLaSalle, the lengthy Moses is making it obvious that she belongs among the best. Laila racked up 38 points over four games at the Prelims, including two double-figure performances. That's good productivity against elite opponents such as P.J. Hill's Stars 3SSB squad and the Fury's UAA team. Moses excelled in scoring off of cuts to the basket as well as in transition. We like Laila's versatility at both ends of the floor. She's ranked #25 in the class and is making her case to move up.   [player_tooltip player_id='659130' first='Jaliyah' last='Diggs'] – [program_tooltip program_id='713348' first='E1T1' last=''] Queens 2027   Minus her trademark goggles, Diggs looks a little different now than she did last summer. What hasn't changed is the way the Park Center guard can impact a basketball game. Despite her size, Diggs is extremely difficult to contain regardless of the dimensions or abilities of her opponents. She's just so explosive with a level of elevation that will take your breath away. Diggs used her speed, quickness and savvy to lead the Queens to a #4 seed for this weekend's big event. Averaging nearly 14 points per game at the Prelims, Diggs was dominant. She is currently ranked #24 in the Prep Girls Hoops prospect rankings and is one of the state's most entertaining performers.   [player_tooltip player_id='764292' first='Aaliyah' last='Williams'] – [program_tooltip program_id='712665' first='Metro' last='Stars'] 2027 Szabla   We picked coach Leah Szabla's group as one of our potential sleeper teams going into the Prelims and they made us look pretty smart. The [program_tooltip program_id='712665' first='Metro' last='Stars'] swept three opponents by an average margin of victory of 37 to earn the #13 seed. Averaging 12 points per game, Aaliyah's high-level performance was a huge reason for that success. The Rochester Lourdes guard is quick, athletic and very, very crafty. She can get downhill in a hurry, and knows what to do with the basketball when she reaches the intended destination. Williams entered the PGH rankings at #60 in the winter. With the way she's played this spring, it's obvious that she is going to move up, up, up.   Here's a link to the State Tournament schedule: <a href="https://tournamentdepot.com/tournament/#!/T/Tournament0000000405">https://tournamentdepot.com/tournament/#!/T/Tournament0000000405</a>   PGH scout Ally McGinnis contributed to this article.

Minnesota's Class of 2027 – next year's incoming sophomores – has been a ton of fun to watch since we first started scouting them intently over a year ago. At last weekend's AAU State Prelims, there were many impressive performances among the 2027s. Here are a half dozen top prospects you'll want to see at the AAU State Tournament beginning Friday.