The Best of the Mill City Invitational

When the goal is to see a wide cross section of players with the potential to play at the next level, we end up watching AAU teams of varying skills, abilities and styles of play. From rag tag collections of players just learning the game to groups of youngsters we've seen improve dramatically over time to some of the premier programs in the state, we saw it all this weekend at the Mill City Invitational. No team impressed us more than [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] 2028 UAA. We'll begin our recap of Mill City with the host club's best 16U prospects.   AT THE TOP   We've come to expect the best of any team the Fury puts on the floor. Most often, the girls deliver. While we could say similar things about the club's elite performers in the classes of 2027 and 2029, this weekend we particularly admired what we saw when watching the incoming juniors do their thing. This roster includes some of the state's very best and they looked the part. Averaging over 70 points per game, the Fury reeled off four straight wins to capture the title in the highest division – High School Platinum.   With so many elite prospects, it's impossible to single out one or two or even three players who stood out. That's what I love about this group: they share the ball, come at you in waves, deliver equal parts skill and grit, and don't appear to care much about who gets the credit on any particular weekend. Consider the assets available to coach Tim Peper:   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Long-time point guard [player_tooltip player_id='716527' first='Ashna' last='Ramlall'] of Rosemount. She can handle it, distribute it and knock it down from any distance you'd like, and she does it consistently. Ashna is now drawing offers from some of the most elite power four programs in the country including Stanford. Ramlall put up 58 points this weekend.</li>   <li>Gigantic post [player_tooltip player_id='644896' first='Logan' last='Miller'] has evolved into an absolute force on the inside. Coming off a high school season in which she averaged over 23 points and 15 rebounds per game, Logan has continued to polish her game developing into the quintessential modern post player. She, too, is a lock for high-major basketball. Logan had 48 points this weekend.</li>   <li>Top 10 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='918684' first='Quinn' last='Kemper'] scores at all three levels, employing length, athleticism and skill to beat you inside or out. She puts up numbers every weekend for the Fury just as she does at Edina where Kemper's averages this winter were 27 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists per game.</li>   <li>[player_tooltip player_id='644897' first='Natalie' last='Heyer'] of Chaska is a Top 25 prospect with length, skill, mobility and athleticism, a talented performer who can impact the game in a variety of ways. When we watched on Saturday, Heyer was burying buckets from way downtown, an element of her game that has become a real weapon. We'd love to see Nat get more minutes because she deserves them.</li> </ul>   This group, along with the currently injured [player_tooltip player_id='1209367' first='Ailee' last='Peper'], has been at the core of the team for a long time. The gradual addition of talented prospects from neighboring states has been a factor in their success as well – particularly the top-ranked junior in North Dakota. That would be Lakyn Donnelly of West Fargo Horace, one of the most polished pure point guards we've seen in recent years. Nobody has a better feel for the game than Donnelly, who had 57 points at Mill City and recently added an offer from South Dakota State to her recruiting options. Guard Violet Richman hails from North Dakota, as well, while guard Jadyn Mataczynski is from Hudson, Wisconsin. Post Kalli Harris of Sioux Falls, South Dakota joined the group this season.   And then there's [player_tooltip player_id='923286' first='Ashlee' last='Wilson']. Playing two years up, the 8th grader from Hill-Murray returned home from the All-Iowa Attack a few weeks ago and made an immediate impact after joining the Fury. On every other team she's played on, Ashlee has had the ball in her hands from start to finish, rarely leaving the floor for a breather, always drawing rave reviews. Wilson is the presumed #1 in Minnesota's Class of 2030. College coaches we talk with tell us she is the #1 prospect in the country in her age group. I personally think she will someday make it to the WNBA.   The main question on everyone's mind when Wilson came to the team was how would she fit in? I mean, Ramlall is an elite point guard who has been exceptional for years, not exactly the type of player you want to take minutes from. Donnelly falls into the same realm. Are you really going to limit their touches? Evolving over the past month or so, we saw on the weekend that Wilson has fit in very nicely and the group has learned to feed off each other's unique abilities. In short, the Fury 2028 UAA team I scouted this weekend played basketball the way it is supposed to be played, and it was a ton of fun to watch   PLAYERS ON THE RISE   [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] 2029 S40 also had a great weekend going 4-0 with wins over a pair of 2027 squads and two 2028s. That's impressive. Over the years we've seen a number of the Fury's so-called “second” teams perform well. This group is probably best since the 2024s. The rising star of the team is [player_tooltip player_id='1246846' first='Nivaya' last='Koles'] of Lakeville North, who provides an injection of enthusiasm every time she steps on the floor. Koles is a defensive dynamo with elite quickness and a non-stop motor. She can also score the basketball. At Mill City she knocked down 8 triples and scored 47 points.   We liked what we saw from [player_tooltip player_id='1263425' first='Ella' last='Oyesanmi'] of Tartan High School, whose game has blossomed this year. Ditto for post [player_tooltip player_id='1317635' first='Lyla' last='Behnke'] of Spring Lake Park, lengthy guard [player_tooltip player_id='994863' first='Siri' last='Richardson'] of Northfield, and [player_tooltip player_id='1246108' first='Brooke' last='Bachmann'] of Chaska. Once Brooke becomes more aggressive on the offensive end of the equation, look out!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/02/170-Eleanor-Donner.jpg?w=907" alt="" class="wp-image-1742688" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Donner</figcaption></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='1311115' first='Eleanor' last='Donner'] – 2028 forward, [program_tooltip program_id='713420' first='Minnesota' last='Diamond Elite']   When I walked into the gym on Saturday morning, Donner was one of the first players who caught my eye. Standing at least 6'1, Eleanor's height and length always set her apart. What struck me at Mill City was how the rest of her game is coming together. She's smoother, more skilled and more offensively productive than what we've seen from her in the past. Offensively, Donner plays with patience from the high post, sees the floor well, understands how she fits into the offense and makes herself available around the basket.   Defensively, she's active, vocal, and engaged. Donner's fundamentals are pretty good, and she does the little stuff well. As she becomes more confident offensively, she'll be that much more impressive. Diamond Elite coach Omar McMillan has been encouraging her to shoot more, attack more, be more aggressive. Over the summer Eleanor has begun doing that. Now entering her junior season, it's evident that the young prospect is going to take things up a level or two this winter at Edina.   FUTURE WATCH   We've been hearing about the Gunderson twins from Chaska for some time now. On Saturday incoming 7th grader Maya Gunderson took to the court with Nick Storm's Fury 2029 UAA group. That's right, she hopped right into an elite squad of girls who are three years older than her and played against opponents up to five years older. For more about the Gunderson, have a look at today's article from Ally McGinnis: <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/?p=1870271&preview=true&_thumbnail_id=1870472">Seeing Double at the Mill City Invitational</a>. Meanwhile the Fury veterans got the job done going 4-0 while beating four 2027 squads. [player_tooltip player_id='1244229' first='Lucy' last='Hilgert'] of Chanhassen led the division in scoring with 72 points while [player_tooltip player_id='939000' first='Kiera' last='Willis'] of Benilde-St. Margaret's had 67.   OTHER TOP PERFORMERS   [player_tooltip player_id='991034' first='Izzy' last='Wiita'] – The junior from Mountain Iron-Buhl topped the 20-point mark in every game at Mill City for [program_tooltip program_id='784736' first='High' last='Impact'], leading the High School Red Division in scoring with 88 points. Izzy is a top 50 prospect in the Class of 2028.   [player_tooltip player_id='1145711' first='Reagan' last='Essig'] – The 2027 guard from Triton High School lit it up again at Mill City, leading the High School Silver Division with 73 points. She had 14 threes for the weekend. Essig is an athletic floor leader who is drawing substanial interest at the D3 level.   [player_tooltip player_id='923678' first='Ahmani' last='Crump'] – The 2027 guard from St. Paul Como Park has been a rock for [program_tooltip program_id='713420' first='Minnesota' last='Diamond Elite'], leading from the point, distributing well and scoring consistently. She put up 56 points to top the High School Gold Division. Her Diamond Elite teammate [player_tooltip player_id='932014' first='Ma'lon' last='McCoy'] of St. Agnes in St. Paul scored 39.   [player_tooltip player_id='1233100' first='Rinlee' last='Bergan'] – Once again this weekend the 6-foot guard from [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] SE was dominant around the basket, leading the 9th grade Platinum Division with 61 points. That included a 29-point performance for the Lewiston-Altura standout in a one-point win over Team Wisconsin. The Top 50 prospect is rapidly improving.

When the goal is to see a wide cross section of players with the potential to play at the next level, we end up watching AAU teams of varying skills, abilities and styles of play. From rag tag collections of players just learning the game to groups of youngsters we've seen improve dramatically over time to some of the premier programs in the state, we saw it all this weekend at the Mill City Invitational. No team impressed us more than Minnesota Fury 2028 UAA. We'll begin our recap of Mill City with the host club's best 16U prospects.