Fall Exclusive week 2: High-motor newcomers

It's hard to measure “motor” but we know it when we see it. On Friday night at the Fall Exclusive, we saw our fair share of players who were running on all cylinders. Although it wasn't the plan going into week #2 at Jefferson High School, it turns out that all of the players who made us sit up and take notice did so because they were going flat out from start to finish. More on that in just a minute.   I was on vacation last week and missed out on opening night of the Fall Exclusive presented by Jr All-Star, but Prep Girls Hoops scout Ally McGinnis offered up her take on the standout performers. (You can <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/10/the-best-of-week-1-at-the-fall-exclusive/">read it here</a> if you like.) I'm happy to report that after beginning week #2 by watching some of Ally's picks – Kendall Malmgren, Macie Henrikson, [player_tooltip player_id='1244956' first='Gianna' last='Diessner'], Melanie Carlson and [player_tooltip player_id='1246851' first='Aza' last='Baartman'], in particular – that she nailed it. All of them are going to be terrific collegiate prospects. Henricksen put up 24 points, including four three-pointers, in Duke's 47-34 win over USC and followed that up with a 16-point performance against South Carolina. She leads the division in scoring with 68 points in four games.   Our goal on Friday was to check out more of the youngsters performing in the College Division, who are mostly in the classes of 2029 and 2030. PGH scout Tony Ragulen was also on hand and his focus was on the older players. I'm sure he'll have plenty to say about [player_tooltip player_id='990284' first='Dreah' last='Christiansen'] of Menahga, a top-40 freshman who turned in another outstanding performance this week. She's averaging 12 points per game at the Fall Exclusive and is tied for the division scoring lead with Richfield senior [player_tooltip player_id='520266' first='Desirai' last='Chappell']. He'll no doubt tell you about the buzzer-beating game winner from [player_tooltip player_id='834489' first='Paige' last='Determan'] of Sauk Centre, also a top 50 prospect in the Class of 2028. We'll leave all that and more to Mr. Ragulen.   In the meantime, here are 5 fresh faces who had their motors revving on Friday night.   [player_tooltip player_id='1252806' first='Ella' last='Klaphake'] – 2029 guard, Maple Grove   Pictured above, Ella was a revelation in our first viewing. While she didn't jump out immediately as someone to watch, over the course of the evening Klaphake's relentless effort impacted the game in so many different ways. She didn't light up the scoreboard or make standing-ovation type plays, but every time Ella had the ball she created opportunities. The Maple Grove guard is deceptively quick, with fast feet and the ability to slip past defenders. She moves well and her handles are impressive, too. Defensively she was a machine, displaying relentless effort, consistent intensity and putting opposing ball handlers in tough spots throughout. Ella is utterly fearless it would appear, and is the type of blue-collar workhorse college coaches crave. This is a prospect we'll be following in the Class of 2029.   Tate Huppert – 2029 guard, Ellsworth, WI   We first watched Tate for an extended period of time at the Mill City Invitational this summer, and we certainly liked what we saw. Tate caught our attention very quickly on Friday at the Fall Exclusive, as well, and we're pleased to report that she's even better than she was this summer. Tate is a talented, athletic guard with a deep bag of tricks and a high basketball IQ. She moves so well on the floor. When you combine that ease of motion with length, height, and a highly developed set of skills, you're obviously going to have a player who impacts the game. We loved her intensity level, which really shows up in how Huppert defends. She's also vocal (a truly underappreciated asset) and she can shoot the three.   Tate's younger sister Kade Huppert was also impressive on Friday. Despite playing up a couple years, the 2031 guard was one of the top performers in the gym. Kade is equally athletic, just as quick and comparably skilled. Both girls are naturally bouncy, but they've invested an incredible amount of time and effort to develop their games. The crafty Kade reached double-digits for Duke against USC on Friday and followed that up with an 11-point game in the nightcap. Watch out for these two in the years to come.   [player_tooltip player_id='939014' first='Addison' last='Campion'] – 2029 forward, Belle Plaine   The 6'1 post is an imposing presence on the floor. Campion has excellent mobility to go along with her superior size and length, a potentially deadly combination that is enhanced by her ability to run the floor at pace and handle the basketball while doing so. There was a time, not so long ago, when bigs simply did not have that kind of skill, especially as 8th graders. But this is a new era and we have come to expect power forwards to do much more. Addison is one of the those players. The three-sport athlete plays with energy and competes hard. She does a lot of things well, including excelling in the pick and roll game, putting the ball on the floor and attacking the basket, and shooting with range. Her body control is advanced for her age as is Campion's repertoire of moves with her back to the basket. Averaging over 10 points per game so far at the Fall Exclusive, it's clear that Addison will be a Division 1 prospect and one of the top forwards in the Class of 2029.   [player_tooltip player_id='1095965' first='Kailoni' last='Johnson'] – 2030 guard, St. Louis Park   Day in and day out, regardless of the circumstances, never mind the opponent or situation, in games or practices or training sessions, nobody plays harder than this 7th grader. She is a warrior. Another product of the Verve Basketball training stable, Johnson plays the game with equal parts joy and ferocity. She just goes and goes and goes. Johnson is constantly on the attack, using her strength and athleticism to both bully opponents into submission or out-finesse them one on one. She can also score the basketball on a consistent basis. On the defensive side of the ball, Kailoni's intensity and strength are terrific assets. Offensively, she has the type of speed and skill that make her difficult to stop. Simply put, Johnson out-motors everyone with the type of passion and intensity you simply cannot teach.   Rose Keating – 2029 guard, Minneapolis Southwest   Last winter Rose appeared in a half dozen varsity games as a 7th grader at Southwest, offering up glimpses that she was going to be a factor for Dan Froehlich's Lakers in the years to come. On Friday night at Bloomington Jefferson, Rose made it look like she's ready for a much bigger role this winter. Competing on the South Carolina squad, Keating was consistently impactful at both ends of the court when we watched. She's athletic and explosive, takes and makes contact well, and plays without fear. Rose is also strong and has really good balance and mobility. And she can get to the rim and finish throughout whatever physicality the defenders care to dish out. The fact that she can defend multiple positions and rebounds the basketball effectively will certainly earn her more opportunities to prove what she can do.

It's hard to measure “motor” but we know it when we see it. On Friday night at the Fall Exclusive, we saw our fair share of players who were running on all cylinders. Although it wasn't the plan going into week #2 at Jefferson High School, it turns out that all of the players who made us sit up and take notice did so because they were going flat out from start to finish. More on that in just a minute.