2026 AAU Breakout Player of the Year: Marta Forsline

We expect a lot from the most gifted prospects we evaluate. After all, players with extraordinary height, length, and athletic ability basically begin their quest for a scholarship on third base. When it takes longer than anticipated for those players to put it all together, patience is required.   Now, after plenty of work and dedication to her craft, we watched everything come together this spring and summer for [player_tooltip player_id='502561' first='Marta' last='Forsline'] of Mesabi East High School in Aurora, Minn. The 6'3 post went from an intriguing prospect with tons of potential to a force on the floor – with more than a dozen Division I offers to show for it. For that, we're proud to select Marta as our Prep Girls Hoops 2026 AAU Breakout Player of the Year.   Forsline's AAU coach this season was Dre Jefferson of the [program_tooltip program_id='712700' first='Minnesota' last='Suns'], who had a front-row seat to the coming-out party. “I thought going into the season that Marta was going to be a bit of a project, just because I hadn't seen her play since 9th grade,” Jefferson said. “But at our first workout, I saw her ability to do everything on the basketball court. She was so mobile for a kid her size. She shot it well. She was unselfish, passed the ball, had a great attitude. She did everything for us.”   It's not as though we haven't seen Marta play at a high level before. Last winter, she averaged 25 points per game while shooting better than 54% from the field. She added 14 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 3 blocks, and 1.6 steals per game on a team that won 20 games. And in previous AAU seasons, we watched flashes of brilliance – games where she could completely take over. But consistency was elusive.   That changed this summer.   “I think the poor games were the anomaly,” Jefferson said. “She showed flashes of inconsistency rather than being boom or bust on every other possession. She was consistently aggressive, consistently vocal. Her energy was infectious. With kids like [player_tooltip player_id='927228' first='Amaya' last='Pahl'] and [player_tooltip player_id='458302' first='Abbie' last='Pietila'] constantly bringing energy, Marta fed off that and her level of play matched their energy.”   The results were clear. Week after week, Forsline caught the attention of evaluators and college coaches. On a team where University of Minnesota commit [player_tooltip player_id='205310' first='Tori' last='Oehrlein'] has long been the main attraction, Marta carved out her own space – and delivered.   “The thing she really improved on is being tough and physical,” Jefferson said. “In the past, she had a tendency to float around the perimeter. This year, she was aggressive scoring in the paint, running the floor, demanding the ball. Early in the season while we were still developing, she gave us a sense of calm that took pressure off Tori. We knew we could go inside and she could create scoring opportunities for herself and others, even when we didn't execute the offense perfectly.”   Marta has so many tools – her height and length, quality footwork, advanced skill set, soft touch around the basket, and the ability to shoot from distance. Defensively, she can rebound, block shots, and anchor the paint. She's an impact player on both ends of the floor.   In previous years, I received occasional inquiries from college coaches about Marta, but not many relative to her potential. This year, that changed. Since April, the interest has been steady and so have the offers. As Marta's play leveled up and the questions began to be answered, her recruiting took off. There simply aren't many players her size, and this summer, Marta showed she can perform up to expectations.   It's a diverse mix of schools that are recruiting Forsline, including regional programs like St. Thomas, North Dakota State, UW-Green Bay, and Omaha, as well as others we don't hear from often like Akron, Florida Atlantic, Vermont, UC-Davis, and Wyoming. After being ranked #41 by Prep Girls Hoops three years ago, Forsline moved into the mid-20s last summer. At our June update this year, Marta rose into the top 20, landing at #17 in the Class of 2026.   “Day-to-day, we kind of knew what we were getting from Marta,” Jefferson said. “We knew she was going to run the floor and get easy baskets. We knew she'd get to the free throw line, and we knew she was going to protect the basket – not just with her length and shot-blocking, but with her voice and communication.”   Runner-Up: [player_tooltip player_id='498663' first='Madison' last='Ohm'] – [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] EYBL (Byron HS)   We've always loved Ohm's game. Whether in high school or on the AAU circuit, she's consistently shown up and stood out. The top-25 prospect had long been on the radar for Division II programs, with a few D1s expressing curiosity.  But this spring, Madison took a leap of faith when offered the opportunity to suit up with [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] EYBL. Ohm didn't just survive the country's most competitive circuit – she thrived. Her pace, energy, and elite defensive instincts were on full display. She more than fit in, and college coaches took notice. By summer's end, Madison accepted a Division I offer from Mercer University in New York.  She finishesd the AAU season ranked #15 in Minnesota's Class of 2026, having once again proven that betting on her is always a smart play.

We expect a lot from the most gifted prospects we evaluate. After all, players with extraordinary height, length, and athletic ability basically begin their quest for a scholarship on third base. When it takes longer than anticipated for those players to put it all together, patience is required.