A foursome of fresh faces at the Fall Exclusive finale

The Minnesota girls high school basketball season officially opened on Monday with the first day of practice across the state. For most of the younger girls competing in week number three of the Fall Exclusive on Friday, however, varsity basketball isn't something that's number 1 on their priority list right now. They came to the three Friday Fall Exclusive sessions to gain experience and exposure. We've profiled a number of players who successfully completed that mission at the event hosted by Jr All-Star. You can read their names at the bottom of this article, and link to their evaluations, but first let's look at four more fresh faces who stood out at the Fall Exclusive finale.   [player_tooltip player_id='1280966' first='Eliza' last='Mullenbach'] – 2031 guard, New Ulm   If the Mullenbach name sounds familiar it should. That's because Eliza's older sister [player_tooltip player_id='422673' first='Ella' last='Mullenbach'] is a 2025 prospect whose name has been front and center here for several years now. While the NIACC commit shares the enthusiasm and energy of her younger sister, Eliza looks and plays quite differently from Ella. Pictured above left, Eliza has a ton of length for a 6th grader and is already quite tall. She moves extremely well, getting about the court with natural ease and possessing a ton of bounce. She is terrific with the ball in her hands, can shoot it with a high degree of success from distance, and has a nice feel for the game. Mullenbach knows how to play fast without getting sped up, and she goes about her business with a certain calmness that makes her a valuable piece every time steps on the court.   [player_tooltip player_id='1090098' first='Peyton' last='Lightfoot'] – 2029 guard, Delano   Like Mullenbach, Lightfoot plays the game with more than enough confidence to execute effectively under pressure. Pictured above right, Peyton is intense. She's very quick, can move well laterally, and sees what's happening around her on the floor. That combination of abilities enables her to get to the right spots and create room for herself to do good work. That leads directly to open looks from midrange and beyond, and creates cracks in the defense through which Lightfoot can slip and score at the rim. Lightfoot was very vocal when we watched and utterly fearless, too.  Although her USC squad didn't have a lot of success as a group at the Fall Exclusive, Peyton certainly did in her own right. Using her physicality, intelligence and hard-nosed approach to things, Lightfoot scored in double digits in half of her team's games over the three weeks of competition.   Reese Wrbanek – 2030 guard, Maple Grove   The lengthy 7th grader has been subjected to the same type of pressures most young players are when they grow early. Youth coaches are always desperate for size and taller players inevitably gets plunked down in the post. That might help win a few 7th grade basketball games but it does little for the player's development. Reese is working hard to escape that box while developing the skills needed to be a guard because – odds are – that's likely where she'll end up. Big guards are in demand at the collegiate level and Wrbanek has the potential to excel in that role. She's really long with a solid frame. She's strong and aggressive. She has super-long arms. And she isn't shy about physical play or fearful of letting shots fly when she's open. There's definitely athletic ability in the family, too, as Reese's brother Jacob is 6'2, 225-pound football stud at Maple Grove. That bodes well for Reese's future, as well.   Peyton Storm – 2030 guard, Holy Family   The 7th grade guard isn't the tallest player on the floor. She's not the longest or the quickest or the most athletic. But make no mistake, Storm has the potential to be a quality college prospect. Why? Because she has put the work in to develop her skills, building a nice game piece by piece, step by step, day by day. For most players, that's exactly what it takes. We love how she sees the floor, can locate a teammate heading in the right direction, and fire a pass to just the right spot for points to be scored post-haste. We love that she plays with energy, that she isn't afraid to rebound hard against bigger, stronger players. We like her touch at the basket and her ability to knock down threes. Bottom line: Once she grows a little and physically matures, Peyton has the potential to be an impact player at the next level. Look for her to play some varsity minutes this winter at Holy Family.   FALL EXCLUSIVE STANDOUTS   Here are the other standouts from the College Division of the Fall Exclusive that we've profiled over the past three weeks. All are names to remember.   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1244956' first='Gianna' last='Diessner'] – 2029, Minnetonka</li>   <li>Macie Henrikson – 2029, Farmington</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1246851' first='Aza' last='Baartman'] – 2029, Goodhue</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1252806' first='Ella' last='Klaphake'] – 2029, Maple Grove</li>   <li>Tate Huppert – 2029, Ellsworth WI</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='939014' first='Addison' last='Campion'] – 2029, Belle Plaine</li>   <li>Rose Keating – 2029, Minneapolis Southwest</li>   <li>Melanie Carlson – 2030, Northwestern WI</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1095965' first='Kailoni' last='Johnson'] – 2030, St. Louis Park</li>   <li>Kendall Malmgren – 2030, St. James</li>   <li>Kade Huppert – 2031, Ellsworth WI</li> </ul>   Click the links to read their evaluations from <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/10/the-best-of-week-1-at-the-fall-exclusive/">Week 1</a> and <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/11/fall-exclusive-week-2-high-motor-newcomers/">Week 2</a>.

The Minnesota girls high school basketball season officially opened on Monday with the first day of practice across the state. For most of the younger girls competing in week number three of the Fall Exclusive on Friday, however, varsity basketball isn't something that's number 1 on their priority list right now. They came to the three Friday Fall Exclusive sessions to gain experience and exposure. We've profiled a number of players who successfully completed that mission at the event hosted by Jr All-Star. You can read their names at the bottom of this article, and link to their evaluations, but first let's look at four more fresh faces who stood out at the Fall Exclusive finale.