Best of the West - ND Class AA

The talent level in ND keeps getting better. There are some big time college prospects throughout the Western part of the state. Here are the best in the West:    Leelee will go down as one of the best players in ND high school history. She has the highly sought after combination of size, athletic ability, and incredible talent. What makes her so special is her ability to score from anywhere. She is a high level three point shooter, but possesses the physical abilities necessary to score near the basket. Not many North Dakota kids get as much attention from high major schools like Leelee has received. Her offers include: Utah, Arizona State, Pittsburgh, Iowa State, Arizona, Penn State, Ohio State, Arkansas, Wake Forrest, Kansas, Cal, Marquette, Miami, Iowa, Clemson, Michigan, Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Maryland, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Nebraska, TCU, Louisville, Mississippi State, Purdue, Wisconsin. When you have schools recruiting you from the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, and Big East, you are pretty special. Look for Leelee to have another stellar year and win the Gatorade Player of the Year award once again.     Maggie has been a well known player in ND since her 8th grade year when she lead her team to a state title while winning the tournament MVP award. She continues to impress and get better each season. Her commitment to her offseason work is impressive, often times traveling to Fargo for skills sessions and traveling to Minneapolis to play for the well known North Tartan AAU club. Maggie is very skilled with the ball in her hand and has a great change of speed and direction. She is also a terrific three point shooter. This combination makes it very difficult to stop Maggie from scoring, a big reason why she is Minot's all-time leading career scorer. Maggie holds a handful of Mid-Major D1 offers from NDSU, UND, and Central Michigan.     If SDSU offers a North Dakota kid, she must be pretty special. If I am not mistaken, the last North Dakota basketball player to go to SDSU was Tylee Irwin, a stand out player from Wahpeton. SDSU is always the favorite to win the Summit League and make the NCAA tournament each season. They are often times ranked in the Top-25 rankings in the entire country, which is impressive for a Mid-Major program. Brooklyn can flat out play. Her footwork and pre-scoring positioning is so impressive. She is able to seal defenders early so that her scoring looks effortless. Brooklyn should be a 1st-Team All-State selection in 24-25, a WDA Senior Athlete of the Year finalist, and a Ms. Basketball Finalist.     McKenna just signed with NDSU the other day, a program that is on the rise and has valued finding talented North Dakota girls. McKenna fits exactly what Jory Collins looks for in recruits: tall, long, and athletic. If she continues to work hard, her game will translate very nicely to the college level. She will be able to be disruptive on the defensive end and has the ability to defend multiple positions. McKenna is also an outstanding rebounder, having averaged 11.7 per game last season. The 2nd-Team All-State selection from last year should prove to have a nice senior season. I anticipate her being a solid choice for a 1st-Team selection in 24-25, as well as a WDA Senior Athlete of the Year finalist.     Zoie is an impressive player for the Patriots. An All-Conference selection a year ago, Zoie will be relied upon by Century heavily this season. She averaged over 14 points per game and with the departure of Eden Fridley, I expect that to go up. What I really like about Zoie is her defensive intensity. She is a very good on-ball defender and is very difficult to drive past. She also has a quick first-step on the offensive end. She is able to read her defender's feet and fiercely attack the basket. Zoie will have another impressive year for Century and be critical to the Patriots winning games in 24-25.     Marlee is going to be a force in the WDA for the next three seasons. She had a great freshman season last year on a state tournament qualifying team. Legacy will be very difficult to score on around the rim with Marlee and Brooklyn anchoring their defense. Marlee is an elite athlete who runs the floor really well. Her length and defensive anticipation makes her one of the better defenders in the state. I anticipate her offensive skills will continue to improve as she progresses through high school. Marlee will have an opportunity to be an All-Conference selection in 24-25 and there will be college coaches calling her in the future.    The WDA has some incredible talents. It will be a lot of fun to see these players line up each night and compete.

The talent level in ND keeps getting better. There are some big time college prospects throughout the Western part of the state. Here are the best in the West: