The Week That Was 13: Calm before the storm

I have a confession to make: I hardly watched any basketball this past week. That's a rarity. Despite my general inability to take actual vacations, I did my best with a trip to California to watch Minnesota United play some pre-season soccer in the sunshine. The weather was glorious, the soccer was great and the break was nice, especially since the whirlwind of playoff basketball and the State Tournament is on our doorstep. As usual, though, I couldn't shut it off entirely. Observing from afar, here are some highlights from the Week That Was #13.

ALL-TIMERS

Mya Wilson Mya Wilson 6'1" | CG Hill-Murray | 2027 State #55 Nation MN of Hill-Murray is the top-ranked prospect in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2027, a talented athlete being pursued by high-major college programs from one end of the country to the other. Much has been expected of Mya (pictured above) ever since the elementary school prodigy appeared on the scene. The thing is, Wilson just keeps on delivering on all that promise. This week Mya passed the great Tessa Cichy – a 2012 Miss Basketball finalist who went on to star at the University of Wisconsin – as the Pioneers' all-time leader in both scoring and rebounding. Wilson has now topped 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 350 assists. Mya leads 20-3 Hill-Murray at 26 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Tatem Votava Tatem Votava 5'11" | PF East Grand Forks | 2026 State MN of East Grand Forks surpassed 2,000 points for her career last week and is the all-time scoring leader for the Green Wave, boys or girls. The 5'11 senior is one of the more versatile players in the state with the ability to play all five positions. Obviously, she can score in multiple ways, but Votava is also a strong defender and team leader who works tirelessly and plays with poise and maturity. We don't have current-season stats for EGF but last year the reigning MVP of the Northwest Conference averaged 23 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Brylee Miller Brylee Miller 6'0" | SF Fairmont | 2026 State MN of Fairmont bettered the 2,000 career points mark during Week 11. Last week she became the Cardinals all-time scoring leader for both boys and girls. I remember seeing Brylee for the first time at a Minnesota Rise fall league game in Nicollet way back in junior high school. She was electric that afternoon and has performed at a high level ever since while earning a top 25 ranking in the Class of 2026. One of the most athletic players in Minnesota's senior class, the 6-footer will join the nation's top-ranked D2 program at MSU-Mankato where her high-energy style will be a perfect fit.

Chloe Carlson Chloe Carlson 5'9" | CG Proctor | 2026 State MN of Proctor is another strong prospect in the Class of 2026, a big guard who also caught our attention early on. We predicted greatness for Carlson over five years ago and, like Wilson and Miller, she has delivered on that promise in a big way. On Valentine's Day against Providence Academy, Chloe had 24 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and a block – a pretty typical scoreline for her – to become the Rails' all-time scoring leader. Ranked 26th among Minnesota seniors, Chloe has committed to D2 University of Mary in North Dakota.

THE YOUNG AND PRECOCIOUS

Every week we try to give you the 1,000-point scorers from the previous seven days. The goal is to celebrate the players who have achieved excellence over a long period of time. The majority of those athletes are upperclassmen, but this week the freshmen take center stage as four 9^th graders reached the magic 1,000. What shouldn't be surprising, given how early they've reached the impressive career milestone, is the fact that they are among the top prospects in the Class of 2029.

Jackson County Central's Zadi Farmer Zadi Farmer 5'5" | CG/SG Jackson County Central | 2029 State MN occupies the final spot our rankings of the Freshmen 50 and her productivity is emblematic of what we are seeing from top prospects in the current era. One of the state's elite shooters, Farmer scored 14 points total as a 7th grader, 417 in 8th grade and so far this year has 602 points in 25 games. She reached 1,000 in her 57th varsity game.

Beckett Greenway Beckett Greenway 5'8" | CG/SG Providence | 2029 State MN of Providence Academy also eased her way into the Lions' lineup as a 7th grader. It was awesome to see the excitement her remarkably accomplished sister Maddyn Greenway Maddyn Greenway 5'8" | PG Providence Academy | 2026 State #14 Nation MN had when Beckett scored her first baskets back then. We have a great post-game picture from that night. Now the #1-ranked prospect in the Class of 2029, Beckett reached 1,000 on Saturday in Proctor. Also hitting 1,000 last week was uber-talented guard Andie Changamire Andie Changamire 5'11" | SG Becker | 2029 State MN of Becker, who is the 5th-rated prospect in the Class. Earlier in the week it was crafty point guard Chloe Reedy Chloe Reedy 5'7" | PG/SG Royalton | 2029 State MN of Royalton who did the deed. Pictured above, Chloe is ranked 27^th currently, although that may be a little low.

There were five players from the Class of 2028 who reached 1,000 in Week 13:

Two 2027s also reached 1,000:

Seven seniors also topped the 1,000-point mark:

MORE ACHIEVEMENTS

DUAL-SPORT EXCELLENCE

We hear lots of folks lament the trend of sports specialization and the number of athletes who focus their efforts solely on basketball. In reality, many of the state's top players are successful in multiple sports, including top-ranked senior Maddyn Greenway Maddyn Greenway 5'8" | PG Providence Academy | 2026 State #14 Nation MN (basketball, soccer, track) who may be the best multi-sport athlete of Minnesota's modern era. But what Alyse Denne of Becker did last week is truly remarkable.

Pictured in the banner photo above, the 8th grader is a rising basketball star in the Class of 2030 who had a 25-point game at the start of the season and has reached double digits in a half-dozen other varsity games. Last week she won a section championship in gymnastics in the same season as basketball. That's unheard of!

Denne won three of four events to become the all-around individual section champion while Becker captured the team title to qualify for the state tournament. We need to give credit to Becker basketball coach Dan Baird and gymnastics coach Jen Harmoning for working together to help Alysse achieve this remarkable feat.

THE LAST WORD

Week 13 marked the end of the outstanding career of Ruth Sinn, who achieved unequalled levels of excellence at the University of St. Thomas over the past two decades. The long-time coach, who had tremendous success at the Division 3 level and led the Tommies into the D1 era, announced her retirement effective at the end of the season. Ruth is one of the best to ever do it, a true leader who did things the right way for the right reasons. It has been a joy working with her over the years to help players reach their potential. St. Thomas will have a hard time finding a replacement who can live up to the standards Sinn set.

We also said goodbye this week to one of my favorite people in the gym – the great Ronnie Henderson. Ronnie was a hall-of-fame player who, at just 5'7, led the former Minneapolis University High School to a state championship and went on to a decorated college career. I knew him as a basketball official who always brought a smile to the gym and was one of the best at his craft. Ronnie passed away suddenly while on vacation in the Dominican Republic. I'm not going to lie: As someone who survived the so-called “widow-maker” heart attack in 2012, Ronnie's death was a stark reminder that life is precious and many things are bigger than basketball.  As we enter the spring season, I am determined to make the most of it.