PGH Sophomore ID Camp: Team 1 standouts

Nearly 100 players competed on Sunday at the first Prep Girls Hoops Minnesota Sophomore ID Camp, a showcase for the Class of 2027 at Hopkins High School. Throughout the week, PGH scouts Tony Ragulen, Ally McGinnis and I will bring you team-by-team evaluations of the standout performers on each squad. Here are the best of Team 1.    The 8th-ranked prospect in the Class of 2027, Sexton has everything you'd want in a Division 1 post player. At 6'3, she is the biggest player in a class that doesn't have an abundance of size. Mariah's skills are well-developed for her age and position. Her work ethic and potential are first-rate. On Sunday we had the pleasure of watching Sexton go head-to-head with two other elite bigs in [player_tooltip player_id='665719' first='Addison' last='Bjorklund'] of Brainerd and [player_tooltip player_id='558627' first='Erma' last='Walker'] of Hopkins and Mariah made it obvious that she is trending in the right direction to be successful at the next level.     Ashley has had to shoulder an awful lot of responsibility at a young age playing in a rebuilding Big Lake program that hasn't had much depth over the past couple of seasons. The young guard has more than held her own. At 5'6, Fitzgibbons doesn't have a whole lot of size but she makes up for it with on-court intelligence, crafty ball handling, nice floor vision, and quality distribution skills. She can also shoot the heck out of the basketball from anywhere you'd like. On Sunday, Ashley showed how good she is at spotting opportunities and seizing the moment, which is what we saw her do during a solid summer with the Comets.     We've never seen Lauryn compete in a game of one-on-one on an asphalt driveway or neighborhood court, but chances are it would be a ton of fun to watch chaos ensue. That's because the scrappy guard is an absolutely fierce competitor who doesn't know the meaning of fear. With a wiry build and tons of athleticism, Stolzenberg's skills have come a long way since we first evaluated her early in the summer of 2023. She handles it better, shoots it better, and makes better decisions. Her ability to elevate and hit the pull-up jump shot from mid-range is impressive. Lauryn is so quick and so aggressive. Given time, she has the potential to be really good.     The ongoing development of Grace's game has been so gratifying to see. She appears to have grown a bit taller, but size has never been a liability for this prospect anyway. Prose earned a regular spot on the Mahtomedi varsity as a freshman and averaged 7 points per game last year, top 5 on the Zephyrs. This summer on Tartan's 2027 Elite squad, she absolutely took over games when we watched, playing with high skill at high tempo and bringing energy every time out. Defensively she is a force who can change the course of a game. All of that earned Prose a spot in the top 50 in the Class of 2027 and she's still trending upward.      Jade is one of the most well-rounded prospects in the Class of 2027 and it showed on Sunday. She's just solid in every aspect. Nguyen clearly looks like an athlete. She moves well, gets up and down the court at a rapid pace, is plenty agile and has good quickness. Offensively she offers a variety of options, from a sweet pull-up jump shot to strong ball-handling ability and nice court sense. She's just crafty, with lots of tools in her bag. Defensively, Jade has improved and her quickness and intensity serve her well. Not surprisingly Nguyen had a very productive summer with Diamond Elite and appears ready to do more on a deep Eden Prairie squad.     Tessa is a point guard's point guard. She's not the fastest horse in the race, and not the most athletic, but she is deceptively quick and oh-so-clever. There aren't many games where Tessa isn't the smartest player on the floor. This is an athlete with a lofty basketball IQ, elite court vision and the ability to pass the ball as well as anyone in the gym. Her sense of timing is impeccable as well as her sense of when to go and when to slow. All of that has earned her a top 50 ranking among Minnesota's sophomores and the Wayzata prospect continues to deliver.

Nearly 100 players competed on Sunday at the first Prep Girls Hoops Minnesota Sophomore ID Camp, a showcase for the Class of 2027 at Hopkins High School. Throughout the week, PGH scouts Tony Ragulen, Ally McGinnis and I will bring you team-by-team evaluations of the standout performers on each squad. Here are the best of Team 1.