2024 AAU Awards: Out-of-state standouts

Prep Girls Hoops covers the entire country when it comes to elite girls basketball, but in general our mission on the Minnesota side of things is to focus on prospects from here. While watching tournaments in the Twin Cities, however, it's impossible to overlook the contributions of players from neighboring states who play on Minnesota-based teams. That's why, for the second year in a row, we wanted to offer some recognition to the out-of-state standouts who made their presence known in Minnesota this AAU season.   Unfortunately, three of last year's honorees spent either all or most of their summer sidelined with injuries, so we didn't get to see much of 2025 Rainey Welson, 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='342164' first='Maggie' last='Fricke'] or 2027 Olivia LaBlanc. Hailing from Hortonville, Welson is the #1 prospect in Wisconsin's Class of 2025. She is a long-time [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] leader who has committed to the University of Maryland. Fricke is rated #2 in North Dakota's Class of 2026. The feisty guard from Minot also plays for [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan']. LeBlanc, who plays for [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'], is a hard-nosed competitor from Hudson who is rated a top 10 prospect in Wisconsin's Class of 2027.   Among those imports who were able to compete this summer, here are the Prep Girls Hoops out-of-state standouts for 2024.   FIRST TEAM   Lee Lee Bell – 2026 forward, [program_tooltip program_id='714566' first='Minnesota' last='Stars'] 3SSB (Minot, ND)   The North Dakota star had an outstanding AAU campaign filled with highlights. Bell has been a dominant force since coming to Minnesota for AAU, but this year she appeared to get even bigger and better. It was certainly a breakout summer for the 6'2 forward when it comes to recruiting, as she racked up high major Division 1 offers throughout the season. The list includes, but is not limited to Arizona, Iowa State, Utah, Michigan, Iowa, Cal, and Virginia Tech. Lee Lee was a crucial part of her team's success every weekend, including in May at Minnesota's AAU State Tournament, scoring 23 points in the championship win over the Fury. In July, Bell led her team to the 3SSB 16U Circuit Championship, earning both first team all-tournament and MVP honors in Rock Hill, SC. Lee Lee is the #1 ranked prospect in North Dakota's Class of 2026.   [player_tooltip player_id='555488' first='Lakyn' last='Donnelly'] – 2028 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='715344' first='Inspired' last='Athletics'] (Horace, ND)   While her AAU club is not located in Minnesota, the Fargo-based program competes in our AAU State Tournament and a plethora of events in the Twin Cities. In other words, we saw a lot of this star point guard this summer. Donnelly started the season with a bang, delivering a high-octane performance against Rise Busse during the first weekend. The standout displays continued from there as Donnelly continually showed off her skills as a crafty floor general who can distribute the ball just as well as she can score it. While she stands at just 5'5, Lakyn has an innate ability to impact the game in numerous ways and her fiery style of play translates to both ends of the floor. The incoming freshman saw an uptick in recruiting, earning D1 offers from both St. Thomas and NDSU. Lakyn finished off the season by leading her team to the 15U Nike EYCL championship in July.   [player_tooltip player_id='331508' first='Jaiden' last='Haile'] – 2025 forward, [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] EYBL (Horace, ND) (Gonzaga)   The Horace, ND standout was an instrumental piece for Tartan's 17U EYBL squad this summer. The 6'2 power forward held things down in the post, consistently using her strong frame and excellent footwork to create offensive opportunities for herself and her teammates. Haile was essential on the defensive end as well, as she uses both her size and basketball IQ to defend the paint, limiting scoring chances for her opponents. In addition to her rather substantial defensive prowess, Haile is also incredibly effective at the other end of the floor and positively fills up the stat sheet as a result. In her junior season with the Hawks, she averaged 24 points and nearly 16 rebounds per game. Jaiden announced her college commitment to Gonzaga during the AAU season.   [player_tooltip player_id='461314' first='Fallon' last='Passanante'] – 2026 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] EYBL (Fargo, ND)   While we only had one chance to watch the top 5 prospect from North Dakota last winter before leading her high school team to a state championship in the Roughrider State, the opportunities were abundant during the AAU season. The Tartan guard was a key piece of the backcourt all summer long. From her ability to knock down countless shots from the three-point line, to her high-pressure defense and knack for racking up steals, Fallon is one of the premier guard prospects in the Dakotas. The 5'6 guard is not just a shooter, she can score at every level and uses her explosiveness and crafty ball handling to blow by defenders to get to the rim. Passanante averaged over 17 points and 6 rebounds a game with Fargo Davies last winter and she is a ton of fun to watch.   [player_tooltip player_id='555487' first='Jordan' last='Christofferson'] – 2027 forward, [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] EYBL (Horace, ND)   The third Horace Hawk on our list of out-of-state standouts, Christofferson (pictured above) was integral to Tartan's success this summer. The power forward consistently gets the job done at both ends of the floor. From her lockdown defense in the paint, to her natural prowess for grabbing rebounds, Jordan consistently made big plays at key moments when we watched. At the AAU State Tournament in May it was an inbounds pass to a teammate for a quick two on one play and the game-winning basket on the next that sealed the championship for [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan']'s top 2027 squad. The 5'11 prospect earned all-tournament first-team honors as well as Most Valuable Player recognition for her key role in taking home the hardware. Many college coaches took notice of Christofferson's potential this summer and she currently holds D1 offers from North Dakota and North Dakota State. There should be many more to follow.   2ND TEAM   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Megan Johnson (WI) – [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] 2025 EYBL (West Salem, WI) (Winona State)</li>   <li>Karrington Asp (IA) – [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] 2025 UAA (Dubuque, IA) (NDSU)</li>   <li>Devin Larson (WI) – [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] 2027 UAA (Hudson, WI)</li>   <li>Libby Bartz (WI) – [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] 2028 UAA (Hudson, WI)</li>   <li>Jadyn Mataczynski (WI) – [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] 2028 UAA (Hudson, WI)</li> </ul>   PGH Scout Ally McGinnis contributed to this article.

Prep Girls Hoops covers the entire country when it comes to elite girls basketball, but in general our mission on the Minnesota side of things is to focus on prospects from here. While watching tournaments in the Twin Cities, however, it's impossible to overlook the contributions of players from neighboring states who play on Minnesota-based teams. That's why, for the second year in a row, we wanted to offer some recognition to the out-of-state standouts who made their presence known in Minnesota this AAU season.