AAU Newcomer of the Year: Malin Youngberg

Heading into a new AAU season in the spring, we're almost always aware of the top players among the incoming freshman. That makes sense given the fact that many of them have already made their mark in varsity basketball. We also get timely inquiries about prospects we haven't seen yet who are doing good things out of the limelight. One such question that kept coming up this spring was this: “Have you seen [player_tooltip player_id='904190' first='Malin' last='Youngberg'] yet?” Our answer was usually something like, “No but we will as soon as possible.” The 2028 guard/forward from [program_tooltip program_id='713021' first='West' last='Central United'] made an immediate impact, grabbing our attention just a few minutes into that first viewing, and holding it for the rest of the season. Today we are pleased to offer Youngberg some well-deserved recognition as the Prep Girls Hoops AAU Newcomer of the Year.   WCU coach Jake Smith told us back in May that they had high expectations for Youngberg, who plays high school ball in relative anonymity at Little Falls. “Malin is reserved but has a quiet confidence about her. From the first time we were in a gym with her, we had a feeling she was special,” Smith said. “She is the quintessential Swiss Army Knife. It isn't often that you have a player who can literally play and defend every position. Defensively she gets her hands on everything and plays with great verticality to contest at the rim. Offensively, she has a smooth handle, uses her length to finish at a variety of angles and is becoming a knock-down shooter off the catch.”   That's certainly what we saw all summer. Based out of Alexandria, West Central's 8th grade unit did some great work. We had high expectations for guard [player_tooltip player_id='565313' first='Elsa' last='Retzlaff'], who we knew well from Hillcrest Lutheran Academy in Fergus Falls. Elsa delivered and then some. Ditto for [player_tooltip player_id='835982' first='Lilly' last='Henriksen'] of BOLD, who had shown out during the high school season. We liked several others on the team, including athletic guard [player_tooltip player_id='834489' first='Paige' last='Determan'] from Sauk Centre. But what we saw from Youngberg was just different.   “There was a sequence versus Fury UAA where she tipped a pass, went coast to coast and swooped in using her length to finish,” Smith recalled. “There was another one where she blocked and recovered a shot, went end to end, and pulled up from three… Offensively, what Malin does for us is invaluable, but defensively is where she really sets herself apart.”   Big shoes to fill   Comparisons are inevitable when we are evaluating prospects. It's effective when describing a player to college coaches to say “she plays like” this current prospect or “she reminds us” of some past recruit. In Youngberg's case, it's hard to resist benchmarking her potential with that of [player_tooltip player_id='346165' first='Hadley' last='Thul'], who also emerged form the West Central program. “We were there for Hadley's ascension,” said Smith, “and there are a lot of similarities between the two in their skill sets, athleticism, instincts and length. Malin is better than Hadley was as an 8th grader. Like Hadley, the big swing for Malin will be if she can continue to get a little taller and get stronger.”   Obviously Hadley matured very, very quickly and turned into an absolute beast at the highest levels of the AAU game. Thul is now committed to mid-major powerhouse South Dakota State. Can Youngberg follow suit at a similar level? Only time will tell. In the meantime, Youngberg will keep working on her game as she learns to navigate the recruiting process. She is definitely mature for her age, asks great questions, and is eager to learn and get better.   “Where we've been most impressed as the season has progressed is her maturity and approach,” said Coach Smith. “She has received significant D1 interest and has every club team coming after her. It's all happened faster than I believe she expected. She hasn't been overwhelmed and has taken a humble approach with the attention she's receiving."   The Newcomer of the Year award identifies players who have established themselves in high school level AAU basketball for the first time this summer. Even if players have excelled as 6th or 7th graders in their age group, they aren't really on our radar yet unless they are established varsity players. Also in the running are athletes appearing in AAU for the first time, or having great success while advancing to a much higher level of competition. All six of our honorees were unknown to us entering the AAU season.   RUNNER-UP   <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/04/A-Gothmann_Comets-8-Boone.jpg?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-897064" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='897050' first='Annabelle' last='Gothmann'] – 2028 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='767539' first='Minnesota' last='Comets']   Out of all of the new prospects we saw for the first time this summer, few have been as dynamic and impactful on the floor as the Comets Boone point guard from Milaca. We first saw Gothmann back in April when she led her team to a remarkable 20-point comeback win over a formidable opponent. From her high intensity on-ball defense, to her ability to attack the basket and finish through contact, to her willingness and ability to feed the ball to the right teammate for an easy bucket, the impact of the Milaca 8th grader's presence on the floor was evident in every facet of the game. We kept watching the Comets throughout the AAU season and Annabelle continually impressed us with her tenacity and aggression, maturity and poise, basketball IQ, and relentless motor. The 5'8 guard earned several honors over the course of the summer, including All-Tournament Honorable Mention at the AAU State Tournament, a spot on our 2028 Watch List, and the attention of several scholarship-level college programs.   HONORABLE MENTIONS   [player_tooltip player_id='918612' first='Lexi' last='Lawrence'] – 2027 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan']   It's not often that a young player excels in their very first AAU game, let alone when they're playing two years up, but that was the case this summer for the young forward from Sacred Heart School in East Grand Forks. She made her debut in June with Tartan's satellite team coached by David Smart of Ada-Borup. The players hail primarily from smaller schools in western Minnesota. During that game, Lexi impressed us with her simple yet effective playing style, strong natural instincts, and innate athletic ability. Had we not been told ahead of time, we would never have guessed that Lexi was a 9th grader or that it was her first weekend with the team. With strong fundamental skills, a 6-foot lengthy build, and excellent basketball DNA, Lawrence is headed for higher-level college ball in a few years time.   [player_tooltip player_id='911448' first='Kylie' last='Olson'] – 2027 forward, [program_tooltip program_id='713291' first='Minnesota' last='Nice']   Olson is yet another sophomore-to-be who played up in the 17U division this summer. The Nice newcomer stands at 6 feet tall and is still growing, Kylie has a big, strong frame and plays like a true post player. She's mobile with light feet, plays physical on both ends of the floor, and consistently competes with a high level of effort. She has great instincts on the floor and can play in the low post or extend out to the perimeter, too. Olson plays high school ball at Class AA New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva – more commonly known as NRHEG – where the great Carlie Wagner put her school on the map. Over the course of this past winter. Olson evolved from a JV player to a key piece of the Panthers varsity rotation, eventually earning the team's Most Improved Player award.   [player_tooltip player_id='889762' first='Savannah' last='Sullivan'] – 2026 guard, Minnesota Venom   Yet another small town prospect to come on to our radar this summer, the guard from Rothsay made an excellent first impression on our scouts when we first watched her back in April. The Minnesota Venom guard held her own in a contest against Stars Antl showcasing her ability to hang with D1-level prospects more accustomed to performing on bigger stages. The 5'9 combo guard is a natural athlete with a knack for scoring the basketball. In addition to her ability to knock down shots from beyond the arc, Sullivan plays with a high level of basketball IQ and poise. Savannah crossed the 1,000 career point threshold this past winter, averaging 19 points per game and earning All-Conference honors in the Little 8. She is a prospect to watch.   [player_tooltip player_id='894002' first='Jayden' last='Sonnenberg'] – 2026 guard, ND Pro   The Frazee guard is another 1,000 point scorer who joined the prospect rankings this summer. We first saw Jayden early in the season when she was playing for Inspired Athletics out of Fargo. In that contest the 5'11 guard impressed us with her assertive play style, physical defense, and more than anything else, her ability to thrive against the Fury's 2027 UAA squad, a formidable team loaded with Division 1 prospects. While Sonnenberg finished the AAU season with ND Pro – also based in Fargo – she continued to play at a high level, showcasing her touch around the rim, rebounding prowess, and natural athleticism. Jayden was added to the class of 2026 rankings at the most recent update in June and is a player on the rise.   PGH scout Ally McGinnis contributed to this article.

Heading into a new AAU season in the spring, we're almost always aware of the top players among the incoming freshman. That makes sense given the fact that many of them have already made their mark in varsity basketball. We also get timely inquiries about prospects we haven't seen yet who are doing good things out of the limelight. One such question that kept coming up this spring was this: “Have you seen Malin Youngberg Malin Youngberg 6'0" | CG/SF Little Falls | 2028 State MN yet?” Our answer was usually something like, “No but we will as soon as possible.” The 2028 guard/forward from West Central United made an immediate impact, grabbing our attention just a few minutes into that first viewing, and holding it for the rest of the season. Today we are pleased to offer Youngberg some well-deserved recognition as the Prep Girls Hoops AAU Newcomer of the Year.