Mining for hidden gems at the Midwest Kickoff

Every weekend of the AAU season our goal is simple: Find one previously unknown player with the potential for greatness and illuminate her possibilities for all to see. It is our raison d'etre – the ‘why' in ‘why we do what we do.' This weekend at the Midwest Kickoff Classic, we hit paydirt in a big way. Meet 13-year-old [player_tooltip player_id='1233100' first='Rinlee' last='Bergan'] of Lewiston-Altura.   The final time slot in our 12-hour marathon of Saturday viewing at Jefferson High School in Bloomington was a 14U contest between [program_tooltip program_id='713021' first='West' last='Central United'] and [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] Southeast. We were amped up to see 6'2 [player_tooltip player_id='1233136' first='Korbin' last='Tanner'] of New London-Spicer in a WCU uniform, and we'll have more on her tomorrow. We didn't know much about the NTSE lineup so we asked long-time coach Russell Speer which players we should be paying closer attention to. Russ mentioned a newcomer who would be playing in her first AAU game, a youngster whose highest level of basketball to date was junior high competition for her tiny parochial school. No elite travel ball. No high school games. No fanfare.   Approximately 5 minutes into the contest it became obvious: Russ was right and Rinlee is for real. Standing 5'11, Bergen is long and lean and highly athletic. She's got bounce galore. Rinlee's feel for the game, sense of timing, knowledge of where to be on the court and when to be there – all of it is uncanny and way beyond what could reasonably be expected. Her ability to weave through defenders and finish in traffic was super impressive. Bergan scored up and over defenders, slipped through seemingly impossible openings, and finished every which way with deft touch around the rim. In a 52-40 loss, Bergan finished with 22 points, more than the rest of the NTSE roster combined.   The one thing we didn't see is shot-making. We are informed that this is a work in progress. Although Bergan (pictured above) has the green light from Speer to let it fly, Rinlee can be reluctant to do so. That's not unusual for uber-athletic young players who can beat defenders to score at the rim with ease, a much higher-percentage attempt than any other type of shot.   It's 48 hours later now as I reflect on the game and I still can't get over how comfortable Rinlee looked, how talented she is, and how much potential she has. I don't want to go overboard based on a single game but this is clearly a player with a scholarship in her future. “She communicates on the floor like she has been with the team for years,” said Speer. “She has all of the tools around the rim with good touch. She can drive or finish with her back to the basket, and she can definitely guard one through five. Rinlee will only get better as she competes against high-level players during the season. We are super excited to have her on our squad.”   After the game I met Rinlee's mom and talked with them about her potential. That's when things began to make more sense. It turns out that Rinlee's mom, who looks to be over 6 feet, rewrote the record books 20 years ago at Lewiston-Altura and went on to play Division 2 ball at Northern State. Clearly, she has passed along some knowledge and put in time working with her daughter. We feel confident that it's going to pay off.   Here are a couple more gems just waiting for their turn in the spotlight.   [player_tooltip player_id='992381' first='Alexa' last='Fahey'] – 2028 guard, Woodbury   The freshman guard from [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] 2028 Elite is not an unknown commodity. We've watched her play before and have seen her raw material: the length, the movement, the longer strides, the explosiveness. We were expecting to see more of Alexa last winter at Woodbury but her season was hampered by a lingering thumb injury. Based on what we witnessed at the Midwest Kickoff, however, Fahey's time is coming soon.   Alexa impacts the game in a variety of ways. She has a high basketball IQ, quality handles and a really quick first step. Fahey runs the floor at pace and can beat defenders one-on-one to get to the rim and finish effectively. She's also a team-first guard who always makes the extra pass if someone is in a better position to score. Fahey's outside shooting is much-improved. In fact, NT coach Chad Flies would love it if she'd shoot more often. But that will come with confidence and consistency. On the other side of the ball, Fahey is a very good on-ball defender. She has nice anticipation and defensive understanding and uses her length well.   [player_tooltip player_id='992400' first='Claudia' last='Elmer'] – 2028 guard, Rochester Mayo   Elmer is Fahey's AAU teammate. They are completely different players, but in tandem they give the Elite team some real spark. Elmer is lightning quick and absolutely fearless. She gets around the court in a hurry and is constantly making stuff happen on both sides of the ball. We love players who live to compete and that's what we see in Claudia. She has a certain toughness to her, with grittiness to spare and the type of edge every coach wishes every player had. She can also get things done offensively.   Just 5'4, Elmer plays much bigger. Because of her quickness and bounce, Claudia puts defenders off balance and on their heels. She's explosive and can get to the rim and finish. Her energy level is infectious. Elmer averaged 12 points per game at the Midwest Kickoff. She has a nice shooting motion, a quick release and the ability to make shots from distance. Coach Flies says she is also a terrific teammate who is a joy to coach.   Kylie Schaefer – 2028 forward, River Falls   Our final hidden gem of the weekend was actually uncovered in our very first game of the day on Saturday morning. It's not easy to perform well in an 8 a.m. start at your first tournament of the spring. But from the opening tip, the [program_tooltip program_id='712362' first='Legacy' last='Hoops'] Elite forward was running and gunning and making things happen for her squad. Hailing from River Falls, Wisconsin, Schaefer is listed at 5'9. It's hard to know for sure but she looked taller and certainly played according to that standard.   Kylie has a nice frame and good length. She moves very well, too. Schaefer mostly attacked the basket from the left side, using her size and athleticism to get by defenders. Early in the game she caught a ball on the fly on the left wing and executed a pretty spin-and-shoot move that grabbed our attention in a hurry. Later in the game she was trapped in the paint surrounded by a crowd of three opponents who had her in a pickle. That set of circumstances would normally result in a tie-up or a turnover, but Schaefer was able to extricate herself and get the ball to an open teammate who buried it for a bonus bucket. That kind of court awareness, resilience and strength in combination is pretty rare.

Every weekend of the AAU season our goal is simple: Find one previously unknown player with the potential for greatness and illuminate her possibilities for all to see. It is our raison d'etre – the ‘why' in ‘why we do what we do.' This weekend at the Midwest Kickoff Classic, we hit paydirt in a big way. Meet 13-year-old Rinlee Bergan Rinlee Bergan 5'11" | CG/SF Lewiston-Altura | 2029 MN of Lewiston-Altura.