Shaking off the rust at the PGH Minnesota Shootout

The mistakes were many. The decision-making was questionable. The lack of conditioning was obvious. Let's just say I had a rough first day of the AAU season at the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit Shootout. Fortunately, the players were much, much better!   There's always some rust to shake off at the first tournament of the spring. Teams come in with maybe two or three practices under their belt. Half the players are still learning each other's names. But it's also a great opportunity to get the season rolling while most squads are still a week or two away. Some 34 teams showed up at Shakopee High School on Saturday morning as the PGH Circuit returned to Minnesota. There was plenty to see – even if I wasn't exactly in midseason form.   Who Is This Mysterious Number 22?   Gathering rosters is always a challenge on opening weekend. Coaches know they're supposed to submit names and numbers for PGH Circuit events. Despite best efforts, it rarely happens in the manner we would like it to. We had maybe half the rosters, and many of those had incorrect numbers. That's normal as teams sort out uniforms and logistics and the like. Still, it creates problems for those of us trying to evaluate players.   Early in the day, I was watching [program_tooltip program_id='712700' first='Minnesota' last='Suns'] 16U S40 when a certain #22 caught my eye from the far end of the gym. Smooth movement. Natural athleticism. The kind of player we are always looking for. Without a roster in hand, and clearly in need of new glasses,  I asked Suns director Dre Jefferson who it was. “That's [player_tooltip player_id='948888' first='Mallory' last='McBeth'],” he said, laughing at my ineptitude.   Yikes!   McBeth, of course, is a Wayzata sophomore, a Top-20 prospect in the Class of 2028, and the reigning Prep Girls Hoops Breakout Player of the Year. In other words, the sort of player I should immediately recognize. In my defense, it wasn't much past 8 a.m. and the first game of the season. I told myself I'd be better the rest of the day.   That optimism would not age well.   Maybe I just needed more coffee   I've been doing this long enough to have a routine. AAU Saturdays usually start with a pre-sunrise coffee, a quick scan of the schedule, 15 minutes on Twitter and a stop at a favorite breakfast spot to fuel up for a long day in the gym. That's not how Saturday went.   We recently relocated to Sioux Falls for personal and professional reasons, which means AAU weekends in Minneosta now involve a 200-mile drive and a hotel stay. When I woke up Saturday morning, everything felt off – and I was immediately behind schedule. No extra coffee. A hurried breakfast. Not ideal.   After the McBeth incident, it became clear I needed more caffeine – fast. Thankfully Ally McGinnis made a Starbucks run and my equilibrium slowly returned. At least until I realized a good portion of that coffee had spilled down the front of my light gray sweatshirt. I'm still not sure how long I walked around like that without noticing. Par for the course on this day.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/04/Rinlee-Bergan-photo-crop-4028x2645-1775498090.jpeg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1822154" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='1233100' first='Rinlee' last='Bergan']</figcaption></figure>   The rise of Rinlee   One thing I did get right: Making plans to see [player_tooltip player_id='1233100' first='Rinlee' last='Bergan'] play. The 2029 guard is one of the more intriguing freshmen prospects in the state, a  tall, athletic player who came into last year with minimal experience but serious upside. I had pushed to include her in our initial Freshmen 50 rankings last fall, but with limited exposure to everyone involved in the rankings process, we decided to wait.   This winter, Bergan lit it up for Lewiston-Altura, averaging over 20 points per game and generating plenty of buzz in southeastern Minnesota. When we updated the rankings last week, she landed at #40 in solid Division 2 territory. It didn't take long on Saturday to realize that, too, was a mistake.   Playing with Russ Speer's [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] SE 15U squad, Bergan looked like a Top-25 prospect. The athleticism, the innate feel for the game, the rapid skill development. All of it jumped out immediately. Educated observers stopped to watch and discuss her potential.   Since we just updated the rankings last week, adjustments weren't exactly in the plan.s We rarely make changes between rankings updates, but we're going to make an exception in this case. Rinlee has already been moved up today and D1 coaches should plan to have a look as the AAU season progresses.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/04/Jenna-Nelson-graphic.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1822155" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='989050' first='Jenna' last='Nelson']</figcaption></figure>   A case of mistaken identity   As if the McBeth mix-up wasn't enough, I managed to top that feeble-minded feat later in the day.   Just like the players, we do our work in public. The good, the bad, all of it. And on Saturday, there was plenty of both. I was watching the [program_tooltip program_id='970716' first='North' last='Tartan ETS'] 16U group and came away really impressed with a junior guard who seemed to be everywhere. She was handling the ball with poise and precision, making one smart play after another, impacting the game on both ends of the floor. Naturally, I snapped a photo after the game, posted her as a Top Performer, and sent it out on social media.   Just one problem. I got the name wrong.   The [program_tooltip program_id='970716' first='North' last='Tartan ETS'] Twitter account responded with a good-natured correction. I, on the other hand, wanted to crawl under the biggest rock I could find. Mistakes happen, of course. Still, this one stung given that the player involved is a proven Top-50 prospect in the Class of 2028. I pulled the post, corrected the graphic, and re-posted with the right name. Apologies to [player_tooltip player_id='989050' first='Jenna' last='Nelson'] of Chaska. I owe you one.   There's always next week   I spend a lot of time telling young players that the most important trait they can develop is resilience. You fall down, you get back up. You miss a few shots, you keep shooting. When you have a bad game you move on and prepare for the next one. It's good advice and now I'm the one who needs it.   It wasn't the cleanest start to the AAU season, but like everyone else in the gym, I'll get better. There are evaluations to write, notes to go through, and plenty more games ahead. I'll try a little harder, prepare a little more. And maybe bring an extra shirt.

The mistakes were many. The decision-making was questionable. The lack of conditioning was obvious. Let's just say I had a rough first day of the AAU season at the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit Shootout. Fortunately, the players were much, much better!