The Week That Was No. 7: Destined to do great things

It was only a matter of time. From the very first occasion we saw [player_tooltip player_id='377583' first='Mya' last='Wilson'] play I knew she was going to be special. Ditto for [player_tooltip player_id='351665' first='Vienna' last='Murray'], who just had a little something extra that was difficult to describe. Here we are, many years and dozens of viewings later, and both players are celebrating the same meaningful milestone: 2,000 career points. That seems like a logical place to launch our recap of The Week That Was No. 7.   MAJOR MILESTONES   We first encountered Murray at a [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] AAU workout not long after her family had relocated to the Twin Cities from Duluth. A virtual unknown entering tryout season, Vienna remarkably made the top NT squad. Playing varsity at Tartan High School in Oakdale as a scrawny middle schooler, Murray was soon putting up prodigious numbers despite being double- and triple-teamed on a squad that didn't have a lot of other offensive options. She later transferred to East Ridge for better competition. When the Raptors entered play last Monday against Lakeville South, Vienna needed 8 points to reach the career 2,000. In typical fashion she scored 34, eight above her season average.   Scouting her in 2021 at the Fall Exclusive, scout Tony Ragulen of Prep Girls Hoops had this to say about Vienna: “Watching Murray's confidence grow from week to week has been a treat. Every Friday she's blessed us with something from her bag of tricks proving she's more than just a 3-point sniper,” Tony wrote. “Her ability to shoot, pass and drive is a big reason her Bison squad finished 6-0 making them the only undefeated team, and Vienna an easy choice as the MVP...”   One year later she was rated as the 9th best prospect in the first ranking of the Class of 2026. That obviously turned out to be too low as Vienna's game grew dramatically in the years that followed and she racked up more than 30 Division 1 scholarship offers. “Vienna has an old-school mid-range game that is a thing of beauty,” we wrote at the time. “Murray is an exceptional athlete – quick and fast and explosive.”   Over time Murray rose all the way to #3 among current Minnesota seniors.  In a normal class – one without generational talents [player_tooltip player_id='252381' first='Maddyn' last='Greenway'] and [player_tooltip player_id='205310' first='Tori' last='Oehrlein'] at the top – Murray just might be a #1 herself. She recently committed to the University of Oklahoma.   Our first viewing of Wilson as a 6th grader was even more exciting. I remember being blown away by her body control, and how everything she did looked so natural. When I saw how tall Mya's parents were, I was even more intrigued. As we executed the process of ranking the 2027s for the first time in the fall of 2023, Wilson was a consensus #1, the position she still holds today. We wrote that Wilson, “is blessed with so much natural athleticism and grace, and has put the work in to hone everything else. The highly-skilled guard has a deep bag of tricks and all of the intangibles, too."   Wilson has been lighting it up for Hill-Murray all season under new coach Betty Trull, who has given the players the freedom to play creatively and take advantage of their many God-given and gym-built assets. Wilson is thriving, to the tune of 26 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists per game. The Pioneers broke a school record last week for most points in a game with 108 against a strong Richfield squad. Mya passed the 2,000 mark in a win over Champlin Park on Tuesday, a game in which she had 38 points.   There are now 16 active players in Minnesota who have reached 2,000 for their career. Wilson and Murray join Creighton commit [player_tooltip player_id='471360' first='Mya' last='Moore'] of Orono and St. Thomas signee [player_tooltip player_id='515676' first='Samantha' last='Voll'] of Monticello as the only active players who reached the milestone while competing in Class 3A or 4A.   Lest we forget, we learned of two 1,000-point scorers this week, as well: Maranatha Christian Academy senior [player_tooltip player_id='773411' first='Olivia' last='Lanari'] (South Dakota School of Mines) and Blake School senior [player_tooltip player_id='605806' first='Charley' last='Bowles'].   WHAT TO WATCH   There is no shortage of great games to watch this week, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a better one-day lineup anywhere in the country on Tuesday night. Depending on your allegiances, interests and appetites you have the opportunity to order off this menu in the Twin Cities, all beginning at 7 p.m.   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>St. Michael-Albertville at Eden Prairie</li>   <li>Hopkins at Maple Grove</li>   <li>Rosemount at Lakeville North</li>   <li>Benilde-St. Margaret's at Orono</li>   <li>Minnehaha Academy at Providence Academy</li> </ul>   COMING UP   We spent Saturday on the road at the Breakdown Southern Minnesota Hoops Fest taking in five games in Byron and Kasson-Mantorville. On Tuesday we'll have a recap for you on that. Ally McGinnis will have player evaluations from that event and elsewhere. Also look for more 'Tony's Takes' from his viewing in week 7.   Later in the week we'll look back on some of the players we scouted in 2025 and offer some crystal ball speculation on which athletes will have breakout seasons in 2026. We're also working on compiling evaluations on fresh faces we liked over the holidays. Stay tuned!

It was only a matter of time. From the very first occasion we saw Mya Wilson Mya Wilson 6'1" | CG Hill-Murray | 2027 State MN play I knew she was going to be special. Ditto for Vienna Murray Vienna Murray 6'1" | SG East Ridge | 2026 State #83 Nation MN , who just had a little something extra that was difficult to describe. Here we are, many years and dozens of viewings later, and both players are celebrating the same meaningful milestone: 2,000 career points. That seems like a logical place to launch our recap of The Week That Was No. 7.