BTN Midwest’s Best: Top performers & fresh faces

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At Prep Girls Hoops, we scout players in as many different settings as we can, from high school and AAU games to team practices, our own showcase events and other viewing opportunities that arise throughout the year. When BTN Scouting out of Phoenix invited us to attend their Midwest's Best event on Saturday at Hopkins High School, we jumped at the opportunity. Led by Minnesota-based trainers Dyami Starks and Anthony Tucker, the gathering of some of the regions's top prospects did not disappoint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Among those in attendance at the morning session were elite performers like [player_tooltip player_id='252381' first='Maddyn' last='Greenway'] and [player_tooltip player_id='872714' first='Beckett' last='Greenway'] of Providence Academy, Michigan State commit [player_tooltip player_id='205298' first='Jordan' last='Ode'] of Maple Grove, high-major recruit [player_tooltip player_id='351665' first='Vienna' last='Murray'] of East Ridge and 2027 top 10 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='558627' first='Erma' last='Walker'] of Hopkins. The afternoon session included ranked prospects such as [player_tooltip player_id='630244' first='Jazmin' last='Daing'], who recently moved from Rochester to Minnetonka, along with [player_tooltip player_id='659130' first='Jaliyah' last='Diggs'] of Hopkins and rising star [player_tooltip player_id='478373' first='Chloe' last='Carlson'] of Proctor. Here are a few thoughts on the players we liked on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FRESH FACES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='994855' first='Izze' last='Austin'] – The 2029 point guard from Edina (pictured above middle) got herself noticed quickly thanks to superior ball handling, excellent court vision and a really nice feel for the game. The [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] talent can score in so many different ways, from driving to the hoop to burying shots from pretty much anywhere you'd like. She is a disruptive defender, too, with quick hands and fast feet. She's already a varsity regular at rebuilding Edina and demonstrated on Saturday that she is more than capable of handling players much older and bigger than she is.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='932145' first='Brielle' last='Denkmann'] – Brielle's reputation precedes her at this point as folks have been talking about the 2029 talent from Wayzata and the [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] for a good while now. Unlike most of her peers, Brielle is just so long with plenty of height and an outsized wingspan that provides numerous advantages at both ends of the court. Combined with light feet, good quickness and a highly honed set of skills, Denkmann is already serving notice that she is going to be one of the best, if not the best, prospects in the Class of 2029. The college offers have already begun.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jaya Taylor</strong> – The 2030 standout from Fargo Shanley (left in the top photo) is already quite well-known for a 7th grader, which isn't surprising given her outsized social media presence at a young age and her success with [program_tooltip program_id='712665' first='Metro' last='Stars'] Starks. The good news is that Taylor has the game to match the hype, a fact that became quite evident as the day progressed on Saturday. She did some magical stuff with the basketball in her hands, demonstrating elite one-on-one skills and on-court intelligence that belies her age. We know Taylor can score against players of all descriptions and she plays with relentless energy. This was merely a glimpse of what's to come.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>COMEBACK KIDS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='280354' first='Tucker' last='Downs'] – The 2026 Top 10 prospect from Mankato West missed the entire AAU season due to injury. In what was supposed to be her debut on the UAA Circuit with [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'], Downs, pictured above on the right, instead spent her time rehabbing and preparing for a comeback. She returned to the court on Saturday, looking a little tentative early and getting stronger as the day progressed. By the final session, we were convinced that Downs is healthy and ready to rock as she dominated for stretches at a time and looked every bit like the elite talent that she is. Watch for a D1 commitment announcement from Tucker very soon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='918682' first='Danasia' last='Anderson'] – The 2028 point guard, previously of Park Center and now at Minnehaha Academy, is also making her way down the bumpy comeback trail. Anderson missed last season with a torn ACL and, after a brief return, tore her MCL. Time will tell if Danasia can return to the form we saw in her 7th grade year when the uber-talented guard was a standout at the varsity level who played with plenty of swagger. Anderson, who plays for [program_tooltip program_id='714566' first='Minnesota' last='Stars'] OU, is an unselfish, pass-first point guard with a tremendous feel for the game and excellent distribution skills. She can also score. On Saturday we saw glimpses of greatness and she is driven to get back to the top. We'll definitely be paying attention.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":993741,"sizeSlug":"medium","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/09/Anaya-Shaffa-PGH.jpg?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-993741" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STOCK RISERS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='600748' first='Kaja' last='Nash'] – The 2027 guard began her high school career at Maranatha Christian, played last winter at Southwest Christian and is now at Wayzata. It might take Kaja some time to find her role in a power program but rest assured that Nash has the potential to be a dominant piece for the Trojans in the Lake Conference. The Top 15 sophomore from the [program_tooltip program_id='714566' first='Minnesota' last='Stars'] checks every box. She is consistently productive regardless of the circumstances and has the confidence and skills to excel now and in the future. Kaja celebrated her first Division 1 offer last week (University of St. Thomas) with a performance on Saturday that was worthy of recognition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='992385' first='Anaya' last='Shaffa'] – Pictured above, the 2028 guard from DeLaSalle raised some eyebrows at the recent Prep Girls Hoops Freshman Showcase, demonstrating advanced skills, excellent quickness and really good feel for the game. This week she'll join 49 other standouts as a member of the Freshman 50, the first ranking of the Class of 2028. On Saturday, Shaffa played like a potential scholarship-level prospect. Sharing the court with some elite talent, the [program_tooltip program_id='714566' first='Minnesota' last='Stars'] athlete looked every bit at home. It's difficult to project right now just how good Anaya will be in the long term. Let's just say she's definitely trending in the right direction.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":930039,"sizeSlug":"medium","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/06/Kinsley-Ketterhagen.jpg?w=200" alt="" class="wp-image-930039" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>IMPRESSIVE IMPORTS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Addie McLaughlin</strong> – The shifty guard from Regina Catholic in Iowa City was the most pleasant surprise of the day at Midwest's Best. The 5'5 combo guard from All Iowa Attack is an elite shooter, handles the ball at an extremely high level, can control tempo with the best of them, and scores in seemingly impossible situations near the basket. Time after time McLaughlin scored in transition and there was little defenders could do to impede her progress. We were impressed in our first viewing of Addie, but she has already established herself as one of the best young players in Iowa where she was named a potential top 5 prospect in the Class of 2028.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kinsley Ketterhagen</strong> – The lengthy 2028 guard from Oostberg, Wisconsin and Playmakers Thrive arrived at Hopkins with a well-established reputation as an exciting young prospect to watch. And then she backed up the buzz. At 6 feet tall, the shooting guard (pictured above) has so much length and gets up and down the court with the fluid athleticism we so often see from high-major players. Her turnaround jumper is deadly. Her length makes her an effective defender. And the confidence gained by playing several years up in AAU seems to have raised her game to a new level. Clearly Ketterhagen is one of the very best 2028s in Wisconsin. She certainly looked the part on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->