PGH Minnesota Expo: Top performers on Team 2

After back-to-back weekends of watching some of the best freshmen and sophomores in Minnesota strut their stuff at two Prep Girls Hoops showcase events, it was the juniors and seniors who had their turn in the spotlight this past Sunday. More than 75 prospects took to the floor at Jefferson High school in Bloomington. Tony Ragulen, Ally McGinnis and I are doing individual evaluations of the top performers on each of the eight teams this week. Here are the best of Team 2.    Coming off a solid summer AAU season with Comets Roberts, the 5'7 guard brought her best to the Expo on Sunday. Her performance included tenacious defense that was a blast to watch. Hacker puts a ton of pressure on the ball, and uses her quick hands to cherry-pick passes, often leading to fast break points for her team. On the offensive end, she showcased her ability to knock down threes and handle contact when attacking the basket. The first game of the day came right down to the wire. At a time when it's easy for players to get nervous and make mistakes, Acelynn was calm, cool, and collected. In her sophomore season at KMS she averaged over 14 points per game, a team high.     The Farmington wing was a key piece of the puzzle for the Tigers in her sophomore campaign, averaging 7.4 points per contest. Now in her junior year, Carly has another year of strong AAU competition under her belt and has made some big improvements in her game. If we had kept track of stats on Sunday, the 5'9 junior would have filled the entire sheet. Olson was incredibly productive on both ends of the floor, grabbing rebounds, scoring, picking up assists on the fast break, and generating defensive stops. On one possession she took the ball at her defender to get downhill, was triple-teamed in the paint, and finished through the contact. Carly seems to have a never-ending amount of energy, playing just as hard at the end of the day as she did at the start. Olson will move to the AAU Bobcats in 2025.     We last wrote about Wilson back in June after a strong performance at the Breakdown Summer State Tournament where she did great work on behalf of New Ulm. The 5'8 guard impressed us with her increased aggressiveness and intensity on the court; on Sunday she gave us more of the same. In addition to her tenacity and hustle, Riley showed off her passing abilities. She has a particular affinity for post-entry passes and hitting off-ball cutters on the move. We also got to witness some of Wilson's athleticism, mainly in her elevation over defenders when shooting or grabbing rebounds. One of Riley's key attributes is her quality as a teammate. She is consistently vocal on and off the floor, unselfish, and encouraging to her teammates, all of which are invaluable skills for any college prospect.     Another Team 2 player who left it all on the floor on Sunday was Jenkins. The 6'0 forward from Eastview brought a tremendous amount of competitive edge and hustle. One of the first things you notice about Jenkins is her sheer amount of length, which she uses very effectively on the defensive end. We got to see her block several shots down in the low post. Maya is vocal both on and off the floor, and quickly took to a leadership role in the showcase setting. While she doesn't score a ton, the Bobcats forward is highly opportunistic in that regard. If she grabs a loose ball or a long rebound on the offensive end, she doesn't hesitate to attack the basket; same goes for offensive put-backs. We look forward to seeing Maya become a more assertive force on the floor with Eastview this winter. She appears ready to take a leap forward in her development.     It's been a big week for Monticello's Ruda twins. The week kicked off on Sunday with strong performances from both Addison and her sister Abby. We saw Addison showcase her ability to do the little things on both ends of the floor. On the defensive end, the 6'1 forward used her tremendous length to rebound the ball, block shots, and create disruption in the passing lanes. On offense, she kept things simple, scoring the majority of her points with back-to-the-basket moves in the low post. Despite being hampered by injury at times, Addison has elevated her game in recent months and will play a key role for Monticello in her junior season. With mobility, length, and a high motor, Ruda is a scholarship-level college prospect. Both Addison and Abby received offers from Division 2 Bemidji State on Monday.

After back-to-back weekends of watching some of the best freshmen and sophomores in Minnesota strut their stuff at two Prep Girls Hoops showcase events, it was the juniors and seniors who had their turn in the spotlight this past Sunday. More than 75 prospects took to the floor at Jefferson High school in Bloomington. Tony Ragulen, Ally McGinnis and I are doing individual evaluations of the top performers on each of the eight teams this week. Here are the best of Team 2.