AAU Awards Day (Part 1)

<p>All my AAU event articles for the summer are complete. Now, I'd like to talk about the AAU season in a macro sense and hand out some superlatives. Before I get into everything, all the players mentioned played for Wisconsin-based AAU programs.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">AAU Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='874372' first='Nyajuacni' last='Riak'], [program_tooltip program_id='712778' first='Purple' last='Aces']</h2>   <p>Some of the things Riak does on the floor without trying are hilarious. The talent is off the charts, and she's still got a lot to learn. She's a 6'2 athlete dunking in warmups, shooting well beyond the high school line, and handles the ball like an elite-level guard. In her first year with the program coach, Reggie Willaims, and program director, Cordero Barkley, have done an excellent job at helping her realize what it takes to get the most out of her in terms of motor and effort. She's a different player than she was a year ago, in the best way possible. I have no issue saying she will be the most talented player in Wisconsin this winter as a newcomer and could be the best athlete Wisconsin has ever produced on the boys' or girls' side of athletics. I'm sure every shoe program in and around Wisconsin wants her to play for them, but, in my opinion, playing for Reggie and Cordero is the best thing for her development. I hope she's back with [program_tooltip program_id='712778' first='Purple' last='Aces'], but I understand it's hard to say no to some of the shoe programs in the area.</p>   <p>Others under Consideration: [player_tooltip player_id='533057' first='Natalie' last='Kussow'], [player_tooltip player_id='533077' first='Adaline' last='Sheplee']</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">AAU Team of the Year: [program_tooltip program_id='713045' first='Wisconsin' last='Lakers'] 16u GUAA</h2>   <p>Finishing third in the first year you're in Under Armour is impressive in its own right, but doing that while having three kids suffer ACL injuries over the last three months makes it unbelievable. [player_tooltip player_id='509699' first='Graycin' last='Phillips'] started the year recovering from a back injury and didn't in UAA's first stop in Pennsylvania. Then you have [player_tooltip player_id='533086' first='Kylie' last='Pieper'], [player_tooltip player_id='533068' first='Kyrin' last='Lile'], and [player_tooltip player_id='533082' first='Libby' last='Gilmore'], all suffering knee injuries throughout the year. That doesn't include [player_tooltip player_id='533084' first='Vanessa' last='Johnson'], who suffered one back in the fall. By the end of the year, this was a skeleton crew of what the team was supposed to be, but they kept winning games. Their coach, Jason Kofroth, had to roll with the punches with kids coming and going and finished the UAA season with a 13-1 record. Having kids' games that translate well anywhere, like [player_tooltip player_id='533069' first='Presly' last='Samz']'s ability to control the ball under pressure, [player_tooltip player_id='497476' first='Maya' last='Kovacic']'s ability to put the ball in the basket, [player_tooltip player_id='533085' first='Bella' last='Klages']' versatility, and [player_tooltip player_id='533087' first='Aubree' last='Spitzner']'s ability to make shots alleviated some of the pressure the new faces on that team faced through the season.</p>   <p>Others under consideration: [program_tooltip program_id='713043' first='Wisconsin' last='Impact'] 15U EYCL, [program_tooltip program_id='715882' first='Wisconsin' last='Flight Elite'] 15U EYBL</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Breakout Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='764935' first='Jada' last='Seubert'], [program_tooltip program_id='715882' first='Wisconsin' last='Flight Elite'] 15U</h2>   <p>After a leg break last summer, Seubert looked like herself in 2024. I saw her Flight group plenty in Louisville, and Seubert looked like the best kid on the floor down in the Bluegrass. That group looked choppy in Chicago, but Seubert passed all the eye tests. She handled the ball well, has a quick shot, can play through contact, and is a solid athlete. The Stevens Point native is a legitimate three-level scorer who will enter her sophomore year at SPASH with a few offers from D1 programs at the MM and P4 levels. She stood out in a crowd of talent.</p>   <p>Others under consideration: [player_tooltip player_id='767273' first='Eva' last='Brooks'], [player_tooltip player_id='914316' first='Addison' last='Stallings'], [player_tooltip player_id='751246' first='Awut' last='Alic'], [player_tooltip player_id='995775' first='Maren' last='Schmotzer'], [player_tooltip player_id='842209' first='Aspen' last='Abel']</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Comeback Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='766628' first='Brynn' last='Krull'], [program_tooltip program_id='732460' first='Playmakers/Thrive' last=''] 16U</h2>   <p>I've said this before, but being on the floor is the biggest win for Krull, and anything that comes after that is a bonus. I thought she showed some physicality as she got more comfortable on the floor. She made some perimeter shots and showed she could cover ground in some of the chaos that her Thrive group liked to generate on the defensive end. She's missed most of two years due to injury, so you couldn't expect her to be someone who'd dominate right away, but as she gets more comfortable and gains confidence in her lower half, she'll help her Xavier team win games this winter.</p>   <p>Others under consideration: Lilly Meuelemans, [player_tooltip player_id='766630' first='Ava' last='Koch'], [player_tooltip player_id='736760' first='Melia' last='Lemorande']</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Defensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='536013' first='Giselle' last='Janowski'], [program_tooltip program_id='713045' first='Wisconsin' last='Lakers']</h2>   <p>You don't often see teams sit in half-court man defense, but Lakers 17U GUAA did against some of the elite teams they saw this season. However, no matter who they saw, Janowski was the answer against the most talented scorer. She's defended 6'1 wings and 5'7 guards. Janowski showed she could guard any player with her later quickness and physicality. I loved watching her on the defensive end because it seemed like, in her mind, she should force a missed shot every time down the floor. She looks like a perfectionist, and watching her try and figure out how to force stops the first few times down the floor is always my favorite part of [player_tooltip player_id='536013' first='Giselle' last='Janowski']'s AAU games.</p>   <p>Others under consideration: [player_tooltip player_id='995775' first='Maren' last='Schmotzer'], [player_tooltip player_id='528123' first='Makenzie' last='Hawk'], [player_tooltip player_id='533058' first='Samantha' last='Davis']</p>

All my AAU event articles for the summer are complete. Now, I'd like to talk about the AAU season in a macro sense and hand out some superlatives. Before I get into everything, all the players mentioned played for Wisconsin-based AAU programs.