PGH Freshman Showcase: The best of Team 7

More than 100 prospects put their skills on display Sunday at the third annual Prep Girls Hoops Minnesota Freshman Showcase. The talented field at Hopkins High School was divided into 12 teams chosen at random by the super-secret (but less than perfect) PGH algorithm. The squads weren't exactly even, but our focus was on the individual performances rather than game outcomes or team play. We're analyzing players on a team-by-team basis. Here are the top performers from Team 7.    It doesn't take long when watching Ally do work to figure out that she isn't your average 9th grade point guard. No, the Orono floor general is a cut above in so many different ways. A member of the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2028 Watch List, Ally is a high-level prospect who has speed and quickness, court vision and IQ, and well-honed box of tools to handle pretty much any situation. Like her older sister Mya, the younger Moore has great natural instincts and a terrific feel for the game. You can drop her on any court at any level at any time or place and she's going to figure out a way to succeed. That's what she did on Sunday.     The lengthy freshman from the Northland was one of the day's great revelations. A complete unknown to us entering the day, Jailynn did enough good stuff to make it clear that she is a scholarship-level candidate. There's a lot of work to be done, of course, involving trainers and skill development and on-court experience. But the raw materials are outstanding. Digging a little deeper we learned that Jailynn's dad was a football standout in college who stands 6'5 and has a fitness training enterprise. Clearly, the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree! Sherill is a multi-sport athlete who will have choices to make. If Jailynn opts to get serious about basketball, there's no telling how high she'll climb.     In our look at 10 top performers at the Freshman Showcase on Sunday, we told you about Hamiel, an athletic 2029 guard who recently relocated to the Twin Cities from Canada with her U.S.-born parents. Madeleine is super-quick and she never stops hustling. Her constant pursuit of the basketball is impressive. In addition to oodles of natural ability and a well-developed set of skills, Madeleine brings a certain level of maturity and poise to the proceedings that belies her age. Who knows what to expect from this youngster long-term. Right now we're just having fun watching the action.     It's not easy following in the footsteps of an outstanding older sibling who has set the bar so high as to be practically unreachable. That's the situation Danika finds herself in after top-10 ranked sister [player_tooltip player_id='458305' first='Audrey' last='Shindelar'], who recently committed to South Dakota State, has set the world on fire. Gradually, though, Danika is forging her own path. She is a crafty combo guard who can handle the basketball, distribute at a high level, and weave her way through traffic to score at the rim. She can also shoot the three-ball. Her defensive abilities are impressive, as well. Danika gained significant varsity experience last year and her confidence has spiked accordingly.     If there's one attribute that can really help small guards overcome their lack of size and length it's this: utter fearlessness. Callie's certainly got that one covered. She has also put in a ton of work in the gym to build a box of tools that serve her well. With quick hands and feet, terrific speed in the open court, great explosiveness, and an aggressive mindset, Lynch can do great work. She handles the basketball really well, even under heavy pressure. She scores at the rim consistently, even with physical contact. With a team-first mindset, and high IQ, Callie brings a lot to the table in a compact package.     If we had to put just one label on Gabby's game it's kind of obvious which one we'd choose: three-point bomber. Yes, this girl can shoot it from distance. Give her a little too much space or time and Granberg will make you pay. That's a good start, and now the rest of her game is catching up as she learns to parlay her current weapons into other scoring options. Granberg recently moved over to the Rise for next summer and put up plenty of points in the club's recent fall league games. Gabby has an impeccable work ethic and, like pretty much every player who comes out of Mayo, she can also defend. Add it all up and you have a prospect to follow.     Comets Boone received a ton of attention over the summer, but most of it was directed at a couple of standout prospects at the top of the roster. We'll plead guilty to not paying enough attention to the foot soldiers who made it possible for the team to have so much success. That would include Terwey, a shooting guard with a quick release and the ability to consistently nail it from downtown. Brynn has a very high IQ. She uses her body really effectively and is a crafty finisher who can take on defenders and score off the bounce. Terway is just scrappy overall and it really shows up in her on-ball defense. If she puts in the work, Brynn has a chance to play in college.     Azli's high school career is off to a nice start. She does a lot of good things that help you earn court time as a youngster – forcing turnovers and forging steals, knocking down threes and getting to the rim, making intelligent decisions with the basketball, defending with passion and aggressiveness. She certainly grew up with a great role model in Juliana Ewald, the 2023 graduate from the Huskies who is now playing college ball at Bethany Lutheran. I have to say Julia was one of our favorites and if Pulak has half of Ewald's work ethic and desire, she will do just fine. We like what we've seen so far.     The combo guard from St. Cloud was new to us at the Freshman Showcase. Although it was only a brief viewing, Ja'Leyah showed us enough to warrant more attention down the road. Ceaser's strongest asset right now is probably her shooting, and she can knock it down from anywhere. Ja'Leyah is also pretty good at handling defensive pressure when she has the ball. She goes to the hoop with purpose and knows how to finish. Defensively she does a nice job of anticipating and reacting accordingly. Ceasar was pulled up to the JV squad last winter and looks to be in the mix for varsity this time around.

More than 100 prospects put their skills on display Sunday at the third annual Prep Girls Hoops Minnesota Freshman Showcase. The talented field at Hopkins High School was divided into 12 teams chosen at random by the super-secret (but less than perfect) PGH algorithm. The squads weren't exactly even, but our focus was on the individual performances rather than game outcomes or team play. We're analyzing players on a team-by-team basis. Here are the top performers from Team 7.