5 Takeaways from the State Tournament

Another year of Minnesota girls high school basketball is in the books. Another State Tournament has come and gone, and this was one of the best. It's always a whirlwind week chock-full of games to watch, players to evaluate, stories to write and college coaches to talk with. All of the above was accomplished – and we had a lot of fun. Here are 5 takeaways from the 2026 State Tournament.   <ol class="wp-block-list"></ol>   1. Star power is where it's at   West Central Area was an exception last year, a team-first collection of small-town kids working together to achieve something special. Most high school state championship teams in recent years have been built around the star power of one or two or three big names propelling their squads to the top. The 2026 event was certainly all about the superstars. In Class A it was [player_tooltip player_id='498658' first='Morgan' last='Mathiowetz'], a Top 10 prospect in the Class of 2027 and Division 1 commit to North Dakota State. In Class 2A it was Kentucky commit [player_tooltip player_id='252381' first='Maddyn' last='Greenway'], her sister [player_tooltip player_id='872714' first='Beckett' last='Greenway'] and elite prospect [player_tooltip player_id='529357' first='Emma' last='Millerbernd']  of Providence Academy plus national standout [player_tooltip player_id='433933' first='Chloe' last='Johnson'] of Duluth Marshal – all Top 10s.   Class 3A delivered a plethora of truly elite talent from [player_tooltip player_id='498661' first='Pressley' last='Watkins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='939000' first='Kiera' last='Willis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1280312' first='Jayda' last='Nobles'] at Benilde St. Margaret's to [player_tooltip player_id='458305' first='Audrey' last='Shindelar'] (South Dakota State) and [player_tooltip player_id='339214' first='Jayci' last='Rath'] (St. Thomas) of Stewartville' to [player_tooltip player_id='377583' first='Mya' last='Wilson'], her sister [player_tooltip player_id='923286' first='Ashlee' last='Wilson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='772240' first='Sarah' last='Poepard'] at Hill-Murray and [player_tooltip player_id='897060' first='Madeleine' last='Hamiel'] and [player_tooltip player_id='939003' first='Isabella' last='Deleeuw'] of Cretin-Derham Hall. And then there's Class 4A where University of Minnesota commit [player_tooltip player_id='578467' first='Amisha' last='Ramlall'] and her Top 10 sister [player_tooltip player_id='716527' first='Ashna' last='Ramlall'] led their group to a state championship by defeating a trio of Top 10 prospects in [player_tooltip player_id='659130' first='Jaliyah' last='Diggs'], [player_tooltip player_id='558627' first='Erma' last='Walker'] and [player_tooltip player_id='377584' first='Ava' last='Cupito'] of Hopkins. There were more than 20 Top 10s in the tournament, eight of them in 4A.   2. There's a new Greenway in lights   Speaking of stardom, how about those Greenways. It's not easy following a famous father and Chad Greenway has to be the most well-known parent in Minnesota girls basketball. I mean, the Vikings are at the top of the heap when it comes to fan interest and media coverage in the state, and Chad's career was pretty darn good. From the moment she stepped into the high school basketball spotlight six years agoi, Maddyn has been known as “Chad Greenway's daughter.”  I think it's time we change that. After the greatest high school sports career in state history, from this point on we are referring to Chad as "Maddyn's dad.” The torch has been passed!   3. Every tournament needs a bad guy   As any successful politician will tell you, it helps to have a bad guy to campaign against. The daily news is certainly evident of that these days! The same is true in sports, whether it's the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Lakers and their ilk, fans want enemies. In girls basketball, it is the successful private schools that always seem to draw unwanted attention. Predictably, that sentiment bubbled up again at this year's tournament – mostly on social media, of course – as Providence Academy earned its fifth straight state title in Class 2A and Benilde-St. Margaret's won again in 3A.   Should there be a separate tournament for private schools? Perhaps. Should private schools face the same residency and transfer restrictions as public schools? Maybe. That does seem more fair if you live outside of the Twin Cities and do not benefit from open enrollment. In the real world, however, attorneys run the show and it's hard to imagine how such modifications to the basketball eligibility rules could possibly comply with Minnesota's open enrollment laws, Title IX at the federal level, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Even if it was legally possible, there would still be one problem: The haters would have to find someone else to hate.   4.Television still matters   In an era when there are so many ways to be informed, entertained and educated, television still matters. The Prep 45 State Tournament broadcast has been widely criticized over the years, particularly among those of us who follow girls basketball closely. No disrespect to radio legend Dave Lee who handled play-by-play duties for many years, but he's not a girls basketball guy. Every year he would struggle with the names, resort to cliches to compensate for a lack of knowledge, and make it obvious that he wasn't really up to speed on how the girls game is played now.   This year was different, and we can thank Justin Gaard for that. A veteran sports broadcaster and current voice of University of Minnesota women's basketball, Gaard did an outstanding job on play-by-play this past week. He did his homework, gathering anecdotes about players, learning about the stars of the game, and making a concerted effort to pronounce players' names correctly. It was a massive improvement and a breath of fresh air.   With the snowstorm rolling in on the weekend, I had to hightail it out of town before dawn on Saturday, arriving home in time to watch all four games on TV. For the first time, I enjoyed the broadcast with the volume up. Gaardsy was great!   5. Nice guys really can finish first   There are a lot of interesting characters coaching girls basketball in Minnesota. We've gotten to know many of them over the years outside of the State Tournament spotlight. We connect frequently to talk about their players and teams and opponents. I have to say that this year's championship squads are coached by four of the best.   Despite what the aforementioned haters might believe, Tim Ellefson of Benilde-St. Margaret's and Providence Academy coach Connor Goetz are two of the most helpful, most genuine guys you could know. In addition to their duties herding the gold-plated cats, they are truly about making high school basketball a positive experience for all of their players.   Bruce Woitas has been the coach at Sleepy Eye St. Mary's for four decades. I got to know him when we were scouting 2022 graduate and current South Dakota State University star Madison Mathiowetz. He was always really helpful. And then there's Chris Orr, one of the state's best coaches, best strategists, best leaders and genuinely great guys. If 2026 proved one thing, it's that nice guys really can finish first.

Another year of Minnesota girls high school basketball is in the books. Another State Tournament has come and gone, and this was one of the best. It's always a whirlwind week chock-full of games to watch, players to evaluate, stories to write and college coaches to talk with. All of the above was accomplished – and we had a lot of fun. Here are 5 takeaways from the 2026 State Tournament.