Spring Showdown: 2029s who earned a spot on our radar

There are plenty of big names already on our radar for the Class of 2029 leading up to our first ranking of the grade this fall. There's been a lot of coverage of kids like [player_tooltip player_id='884449' first='Andie' last='Changamire'], [player_tooltip player_id='872714' first='Beckett' last='Greenway'] and [player_tooltip player_id='994855' first='Izze' last='Austin'], for example. With all of the top teams travelling to major circuit tournaments across the country over the weekend, we had the opportunity to dig a little deeper into the 2029s at the Spring Showdown here in Minnesota. Here are a half dozen players who earned a spot on our radar at Chanhassen and Southwest Christian.   Kylie Lindberg & Alexa Maynard – Minnesota Rush 2029 White   Although we had seen the team name a time or two in the past, we really didn't know much about the Rush prior to the Spring Showdown. Based in the St. Michael-Albertville area, the Rush have been around for more than five years but are just now getting a solid foothold in the girls' game. We were impressed by what we saw from the 2029 White squad coached by former Monticello standout Ava Nebben, who now plays at Hamline University in St. Paul. It was Kylie Lindberg (pictured above left) and Alexa Maynard (above right), a pair of 5'5 guards from Monticello, who first caught our attention.   Kylie moves the ball up the floor in a hurry, attacking the rim with aggression and pace. She's also the one who gets the Rush offense organized and in rhythm. Lindberg can definitely score as her 42 points in the tournament will attest. She is a great leader who sets the tone for her team with her quickness and an elevated level of energy. Kylie's confidence in her distance shooting has improved and will get better with time and reps, of course. Defensively she's solid and knows how to put pressure on opposing ball handlers in a big way.   Alexa, is playing up on the 2029 team as a 7th grader, but you'd never know she's a year younger than the rest of the squad. The combo guard is really good at making space and creating shots and opportunities for herself and her teammates. She has solid fundamentals at both ends of the floor and no shortage of athleticsm.   Jazmyn Goettlicher – [program_tooltip program_id='712699' first='Minnesota' last='Rise'] 2029 Heiderscheidt   Jazmyn is a great example of just how far physicality, a willingness to do the hard stuff, and sheer energy can carry you in the game of basketball. The incoming freshman from Nicollet already earned her way into a starting role for coach Dustin Wright's squad using those attributes which, particularly in Class A, can make you an impact player in a hurry. When we watched Goettlicher on Saturday, she was a cut above everyone on the court. That shouldn't be surprising given that she has been a regular on the Rise's top 2029 team the past two seasons. This year, due to conflicts with softball, she elected to be part of the second team which doesn't require as much of a time and travel commitment. Jazmyn is athletic and mobile. She loves to bang opponents to create space and get to the rim. She also earns plenty of free throw opportunities as a result. She scored a dozen points when we watched the Rise against Attack Academy from Winnipeg leaving her mark on the contest in a big way.   Ellie Schweim – Crossfire 2029 Elite   Although her name had been passed along to us by a couple of observers prior to the spring season, we were not familiar with Ellie's game until this weekend. She did not play AAU last year and has not yet been on the varsity stage. That's probably going to change this coming winter as Lakeville South coach Blake Nicols is high on Schweim's long-term potential. Ellie is about 5'10 and is likely to get bigger. She uses her size well as a physical rebounder and low-post presence. She can score both inside and from mid-range. Ellie's next item on the to-do list is to become more consistent from game to game. She is one of several nice prospects on the 2029 Crossfire Elite team that includes [player_tooltip player_id='1252806' first='Ella' last='Klaphake'] of Maple Grove and Naomi Corley of United Christian Academy, who looks like she's grown an inch or two since the fall.   [player_tooltip player_id='1256220' first='Sydney' last='Clemens'] & Ava Totoe – [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] 2029 Elite   Although we had seen coach Nate Nelson's NT Elite squad at practice, this was our first look at the team in live game action. There are numerous noteworthy players in the group including [player_tooltip player_id='1090098' first='Peyton' last='Lightfoot'] of Delano – we wrote about her in October at the Fall Exclusive – along with Raela Thomas (Prior Lake), Adrianna Krueger (Shakopee) and Peyton Bluhm (St. Croix Prep). Our focus here is on two girls who caught our attention this weekend.   Ava Totoe is a 5'3 point guard whose calling card is speed and quickness. The Wayzata 8th grader uses her light feet to get by defenders and weave her way to the rim with crafty moves and good instincts. She's really handy at the feint and the fake, putting defenders on their heels and opening up opportunities to score or dish. Her finishing against taller defenders is improving. Ditto for her three-point shooting. Defensively she is solid. Totoe is adept at stripping the ball from opponents, forcing turnovers, and then cashing in at the far end of the floor. Basically, Ava is a pest, which is exactly what small guards need to be when they don't have the basketball.   [player_tooltip player_id='1256220' first='Sydney' last='Clemens'] is about 5'10. She uses her length well at both ends of the playing surface. On offense the height/length combination makes her a difficult matchup. Clemens seems to have good strength for her age. Combined with a legit aggressive streak, she is really physical under the basket which makes Sydney difficult to keep off the glass, and she can defend multiple positions. Sydney had 15 points when we watched Tartan against Nine25 Olson. Once she develops a greater variety of post moves, and becomes more consistent from beyond the arc, Clemens' offensive production is only going to get better.

There are plenty of big names already on our radar for the Class of 2029 leading up to our first ranking of the grade this fall. There's been a lot of coverage of kids like Andie Changamire Andie Changamire 5'11" | SG Becker | 2029 MN , Beckett Greenway Beckett Greenway 5'7" | CG/SG Providence | 2029 MN and Izze Austin Izze Austin 5'8" | PG/SG Minnetonka | 2029 MN , for example. With all of the top teams travelling to major circuit tournaments across the country over the weekend, we had the opportunity to dig a little deeper into the 2029s at the Spring Showdown here in Minnesota. Here are a half dozen players who earned a spot on our radar at Chanhassen and Southwest Christian.