2027s and 28s who moved the needle at Summer Jam
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In our earlier Summer Jam recaps this week, our focus has been primarily on the upperclassmen. Today we roll it back a couple of grades to look at a few 8th and 9th graders who moved the needle at the…
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Continue ReadingIn our earlier Summer Jam recaps this week, our focus has been primarily on the upperclassmen. Today we roll it back a couple of grades to look at a few 8th and 9th graders who moved the needle at the state’s largest AAU event. With more than 400 teams in attendance, it’s not easy to narrow our scope to just a handful of players. In the spirit of the Nike swoosh, we just do it! Here are five 2027s and 2028s we liked at Shakopee.
Amelia Ecker Amelia Ecker 6'0" | SF East Ridge | 2028 MN – 2028 forward, North Tartan Nike (East Ridge)
In the months since our first sighting, the North Tartan forward has really started to tap into her enormous potential. We’ve seen a leap in her game in recent weeks, especially following the move up of former teammate Sahara Wilson Sahara Wilson 6'1" | PF Lakeville North | 2028 MN to the 9th grade team. With more time and space to operate, Amelia (pictured above) has become extra assertive on both ends of the floor. This past weekend, Ecker was a monster on the defensive end, grabbing every rebound that came her way and blocking shot after shot. Standing at 6 feet tall with a strong build (and still growing), her eventual size will be ideal for college competition. If her game continues to evolve at its current rate, we’ll be talking about Amelia a lot more in the years to come.
Lauren Robison Lauren Robison 5'8" | CG Lakeville North | 2028 MN – 2028 guard, North Tartan Nike (Lakeville North)
Of all the strong 8th and 9th grade teams we watched this weekend at Summer Jam, it was North Tartan 8th Nike that took home the hardware for the 2028s. Crucial to their success as a group was the individual play of Robison. The Lakeville North guard came up with timely points in multiple games for Tartan, but particularly in Sunday’s championship game against All Iowa Attack EYBL when NT came from double digits down to win it. Lauren hit four bombs from beyond the arc, finishing with a game-high 17 points in the 58-49 win. Robison is a player we’ve been watching for quite some time, and given the way her confidence and her game has grown in recent months, it’s likely she will land a spot somewhere in the top 20 when we publish the initial rankings in the fall.
Jaliyah Diggs Jaliyah Diggs 5'5" | PG Hopkins | 2027 State MN – 2027 guard, E1T1 Queens (Hopkins)
Of all the high-scoring performances we’ve seen this AAU season, one name that continues to come up week after week is that of Diggs, the ultra-athletic point guard from E1T1 Queens. It seems that Summer Jam was no different. While we only have stats for two of her team’s four games, Jaliyah still managed to tally 20 and 25 points in those two contests, with the 25-point performance coming against the All-D1 starting lineup of All Iowa Attack 9th EYBL, a roster that included elite Minnesotans Mya Wilson Mya Wilson 6'1" | CG Hill-Murray | 2027 State MN , Ari Peterson Ari Peterson 6'0" | SG Providence Academy | 2028 MN and Chloe Johnson Chloe Johnson 5'11" | PG Duluth Marshall | 2028 MN . Diggs is a remarkably explosive downhill scorer who often uses her quickness and advanced ball handling to get to the rim, where she also excels at drawing fouls. All of that will come in handy this winter, as she embarks on her first season with the Hopkins Royals.
Ashna Ramlall Ashna Ramlall 5'9" | CG Rosemount | 2028 MN – 2028 guard, Minnesota Fury UAA (Rosemount)
Speaking of filling up the score sheet… It was another big weekend for the 8th grader, who is one of three outstanding Ramlall sisters at Rosemount. Much like her older siblings, Ashna is an elite level talent who is no stranger to scoring the basketball at every level. The Fury guard has put up an astounding number of points this spring, many of them coming from beyond the arc. According to Tournament Depot – our main source of stats during the AAU season – Ramlall has drained 73 three pointers since the start of season, not including out-of-state tournaments. When we put out the first 2028 rankings this fall, it’s highly likely that Ashna’s name will be well up on that list.
Quinn Kemper Quinn Kemper 5'11" | CG Edina | 2028 MN – 2028 guard, Minnesota Stars DeSart (Edina)
Summer Jam was another big weekend for the Minnesota Stars DeSart guard from Edina, who put up 53 points across the team’s four games. Quinn is no stranger to scoring the basketball, but Stars coach Jim DeSart has been more than pleased with how her game has progressed to new heights this spring. There’s no doubt that playing a full season of varsity basketball in the Lake Conference has helped her in this area. Kemper’s largest performance of the weekend came on Sunday morning against Sanford Sports 14U Black. She recorded a game-high 21 points, and knocked down four three-pointers. Be sure to look for the 5’11 guard’s name when we publish the first rankings for the 2028 class in just a few months. She’s a lock for the list.
PGH scout Ally McGinnis wrote these evaluations
In our earlier Summer Jam recaps this week, our focus has been primarily on the upperclassmen. Today we roll it back a couple of grades to look at a few 8th and 9th graders who moved the needle at the state's largest AAU event. With more than 400 teams in attendance, it's not easy to narrow our scope to just a handful of players. In the spirit of the Nike swoosh, we just do it! Here are five 2027s and 2028s we liked at Shakopee.
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue Reading