Midwest Extravaganza: 15U All Stars, part 1

Now that this year's Midwest Extravaganza is all wrapped up, we wanted to look back at the 10 players who stood out the most over the weekend. This article will come in two parts, featuring 5 players each. In no particular order, here are the first 5 players from our All Star team at the 2026 Midwest Extravaganza.    Ellie is that special kind of talent that draws attention from bipartisan fans, and who makes her team must-watch basketball.   She's able to set the tone early for [program_tooltip program_id='1230720' first='Team' last='Herro']. In her first game of the weekend, she buried three 3-pointers in the opening 4 minutes, on her way to a 14-point performance. But scoring is only a small component of what makes her a special player. She runs the floor with ease and comfortability, and has supreme command of what's going on at all times.   Ellie's very comfortable when she's going downhill on a fast break. I saw her make several impressive layups, including some acrobatic baskets under the hoop. And defensively, she has nice length and impressive hops to get up high for blocks.   Ellie can score with ease, but she's an elite passer as well. She told me that one of the aspects that she thinks sets her apart, is her ability to find an open teammate.     Alay'ja is an 8th grader who was playing up against older competition this weekend. And still the 13 year old was magnificent every time she stepped on the floor.   This is a kid who shows extreme hustle on both sides of the ball, and is going 100 miles per hour every single play. Defensively, she's a terror. In the first half of one of her games, I twice watched her just rip the ball right out of the hands of her opponent, then turn and convert it for a layup.   She's a fantastic downhill dribbler, who has speed and toughness when she's in transition. Her footwork and her moves in traffic help her get to the basket, even through a heavy defensive presence.   Alay'ja also stays in control of herself at all times. Even when a ball gets tipped away, she doesn't panic-but is able to gather and set up the offense again. And her passing abilities are off the charts. She has such a crisp and creative delivery; she'll get several assists each game-but also plenty of passes that should be assists, but just don't get converted for a basket.   Alay'ja says that she believes she brings energy to the team and likes to be a leader on the court. She's also just a pure grinder, who's game attracts attention, even when it's not the game you're there to watch.     Sara played some excellent ball for her 24:Up team that went 4-0 over the weekend. In spite of a size disadvantage, she has incredible toughness, and won't back down against players who can be 4-5 inches taller than her.   Sara is a defensive pest. She can rip the ball right out of someone's hands, and turn it into a fast break. Or she comes out of nowhere for steals.   And offensively, she has tremendous court vision, with an uncanny ability to find an open passing lane. She's a great point guard who can direct traffic, and always has an impact on plays-even when she's not the one scoring. And when she does take the ball to the hoop, she can score through defensive pressure, and is great at drawing fouls. In her final game of the weekend, I watched her convert 5 free throw attempts.   Sara prides herself in her passing abilities, and controlling the offense when she's on the floor. She also likes to be vocal, both on offense and defense-helping her teammates at all times. She won't always be the team's high scorer, but she brings an insane skillset to the table.     Allie is another player who helped her team finish with a perfect 4-0 record this weekend. She plays on a well-balanced DCBA lineup, but always finds a way to make a difference when she's on the floor.   Allie sees the court extremely well, especially when she gets a defensive rebound into her hands. She's capable of making a full-court pass for an assist. Or she can quickly move her offense into transition mode, capitalizing on finding the defense on their heals.   Allie has a nice shot from deep, and she's very elusive when she wants to drive to the basket. She scored 19 points in a win over [program_tooltip program_id='713339' first='Next' last='Level Grind'], but she's a lot more than a scorer. Her passes are pristine, and she's a wizard at finding an open player.   Defensively, Allie is the type of player who never gives up on a play-able to sneak up and get a block from behind. Her defensive pressure, along with her tempo on offense, allows Allie to take over the game from start to finish.     Cailyn is a terrific hustle player, who finds ways to impact the game outside of only her scoring.   She's a great ballhandler and distributor, who's able to drive the lane and draw attention, before kicking it out to an open teammate. She has the ball on the string when it's in her hands, and she seems to toy with the defense until she finds an open teammate, or a lane to drive to the hoop. And she's a constant triple-double threat; with a knack for getting in position for rebounds as well.   Having Cailyn on your team is like having a coach out on the floor. She says she likes to give 100% effort at all times, and involve teammates when she can.

Now that this year's Midwest Extravaganza is all wrapped up, we wanted to look back at the 10 players who stood out the most over the weekend. This article will come in two parts, featuring 5 players each. In no particular order, here are the first 5 players from our All Star team at the 2026 Midwest Extravaganza.