Minnesota AAU Coach of the Year: Tim Ellefson

When people ask me who the best high school coach in Minnesota is, my go-to answer is always the same: Tim Ellefson. The veteran coach has collected multiple state high school Class 3A championships at Benilde-St. Margaret's since arriving from Hutchinson. He's also carved out an outstanding AAU coaching career with multiple Minnesota Fury squads over the years. Now he can add one more accolade to his resume: Prep Girls Hoops AAU Coach of the Year.

Few coaches strike the balance between demanding excellence and creating an environment where every player feels valued quite like Ellefson. His teams consistently play with confidence, discipline and purpose because every player understands her role and knows it matters. Rather than forcing players into a rigid system, Ellefson identifies each athlete's strengths and builds around them. The result is a style of basketball where everyone contributes, everyone earns meaningful minutes and everyone shares ownership of the team's success.

That approach was on full display this summer with the Fury's 29 Select 40 squad, which Ellefson inherited after Ashley Ellis-Milan stepped away from coaching responsibilities. Some wondered whether the group might lose momentum after top-ranked stars Kiera Willis Kiera Willis 5'8" | PG Benilde-St. Margaret's | 2029 State MN and Macie Henrikson Macie Henrikson 5'10" | CG/PG Lakeville South | 2029 State MN moved to the Fury's UAA team. Instead, Ellefson quickly molded a new identity built on balance, chemistry and execution.

I've loved watching this team. They never relied on one player to carry the offense or dominate the spotlight. Instead, they trusted one another, shared the basketball and embraced their roles on both ends of the floor. They consistently valued possessions, defended with tremendous energy, communicated exceptionally well and played with the maturity of a veteran group. While the talent level was undeniable, it was their discipline, effort and willingness to make winning plays possession after possession that truly separated them from most teams in the class.

The results spoke for themselves. Beginning in late May, Fury 2029 Select 40 produced one of the most impressive stretches of the AAU season, capturing championships at the Summer Kickoff, Mill City Invitational, Summer Jam and Power 24 Finals while also finishing undefeated at Select 40 Session II. Before that they made it to the final four at the Minnesota AAU State Championships.

What made the group especially difficult to defend was its balance. On any given weekend, a different player could emerge as the leading scorer. The roster featured several of the state's premier defenders, outstanding ball movement and an unselfish commitment to team basketball that reflected its coach's philosophy. They became proof that connected, disciplined basketball can still overcome teams with more individual star power. Just as importantly, Ellefson accomplished all of this while also coaching the top Fury 2031 team.

The Fury 2029 S40 roster features five players in the 2029 Top 50:

RUNNERS-UP

Nate Lindholm and Selina Mello

Not every great AAU coaching job ends with a national championship trophy. Sometimes the true measure of a coach is how successfully they develop the players they have, build a culture that keeps families invested and create an experience that players remember long after the season ends. That's exactly what Nate Lindholm and Selena Mello accomplished over the past several summers.

Mello guided her 2027 Opportunity Basketball squad to a 23-16 record while consistently challenging her team against the highest level of competition available. Rather than searching for easier paths to championships, Opportunity routinely entered the highest possible tournament divisions. They won titles in Minnesota, Illinois and Ohio, and the players have more than 20 college offers between them.

Lindholm's Minnesota Freeze 2027 finished 21-14 despite frequently facing opponents with deeper, more highly touted rosters of scholarship-level talent. The Freeze earned one tournament championship and two runner-up finishes, but perhaps the program's greatest accomplishment has been its remarkable player retention. This Freeze team was the first, a group that became the foundation for an independent club that has steadily grown into one of Minnesota's most respected.

What ultimately separated Lindholm and Mello is their ability to maximize the potential of their rosters. Both have built outstanding cultures centered on player development, teamwork and accountability while using social media to tirelessly promote their athletes to college coaches. In an era when roster turnover has become commonplace, both programs have maintained exceptional continuity, a testament to the trust they have built with players and families. Fittingly, the two award winners will join forces this winter at Spring Lake Park.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Brett Smith & Jake Smith – West Central United

Last year's Prep Girls Hoops AAU Coaches of the Year could have easily repeated in 2026. The Smith brothers continue to share coaching responsibilities across several West Central teams while transforming the program from an unknown startup into one of Minnesota's premier AAU organizations. The results this summer were really good. The 2028 squad finished 26-8 with a pair of tournament titles. The 2029 team went 27-7 with three tournament wins. Both teams took home the title in the highest open divisions at the Nike Tournament of Champions. The 2030 group captured the program's first Minnesota State Championship and finished 30-5. With half dozen or more Division I prospects in the pipeline, West Central's future is very bright.

Lyndsey Robson – North Tartan 2029 EYBL

Taking over an elite team just before the season begins is never easy, yet Robson made the transition look seamless. Stepping in after a surprising coaching vacancy, Robson quickly established herself as the steady leader of one of the nation's best 2029 teams. The team captured the Minnesota State Championship before completing a perfect EYBL campaign and taking home the national title. Robson is a former Apple Valley standout, who went on to play Division I basketball at UW-Green Bay and Alabama-Birmingham. This summer she guided a talented roster that embraced unselfish basketball, relentless defense and outstanding chemistry throughout its championship run.

Macy Hatlestad – North Tartan 2028 EYBL

Few young coaches have built a résumé as impressive as Hatlestad's. Since taking over Tartan's 16U age group in 2021, she has consistently developed elite talent while producing championship-level results. This summer her 2028 EYBL squad went 14-1 against the strongest competition in the country before winning the EYBL national championship. Hatlestad's demanding leadership style is balanced by a genuine commitment to her players, creating an environment where accountability and development go hand in hand. The former University of St. Thomas player and Alexandria native was a fitting choice as the EYBL 16U National Coach of the Year.

PREVIOUS WINNERS

2025: Brett Smith and Jake Smith, West Central United

2024: Dre Jefferson, Minnesota Suns

2023: Leah Szabla,  Metro Stars

2022: Andy Berkvam,  North Tartan

2021: Keefe Zelinske, Southern MN Fury

2020: Tara Starks,  Metro Stars

2019: Marqus McGlothan, DTA Academy

2018: Dan Wolfe,  Minnesota Rise