5 things we learned at the Up Next Showcase

Over the past decade our approach to scouting and ranking of players has been pretty consistent: We don't get serious about looking at prospects until after their 8th grade year. The only exception has been precocious 7th graders who are already playing high school varsity. I'll admit that when Prep Girls Hoops announced the Up Next Showcase for players entering 6th, 7th and 8th grade I was a little uneasy about passing judgement on the youngsters. As it turned out, last Saturday's event in Maple Grove was a blast. Here are 5 things we learned at the Up Next Showcase.   #1 Scouting younger players is different   Athletes are athletes, and it's not difficult for scouts to see very quickly whether a prospect has the athleticism necessary to play at a high level. That's the initial thing I look for when scouting a player for the first time. The other key factor is height. Every player we watch we ask ourselves the question, “How tall is she going to get?” Watching the youngsters, height isn't really something to consider. I mean, how can you estimate heights on kids under 13? Some kids grow early, others grow late. Honestly, it was kind of freeing not having to be concerned about a player who is only 5 feet tall!   #2 There's a big difference between 6th graders and 8th graders   At the Up Next Showcase there was no separation of players by grade, and players from 6th through 8th were all teamed together. At PGH events an algorithm picks the teams so that all of the tall kids don't end up on one squad. In reality, the key differentiating factor at Up Next should have been age. I don't even know if it's possible to sort the players in that way but kids entering 8th grade are largely much bigger, stronger, more skilled and more experienced than kids two years younger. With a few exceptions that's how it played out on Saturday.   #3 The next generation is going to be just as good   We've seen so many great players come through Minnesota over the past decade. We've watched Paige Bueckers and Gianna Kneepkens progress from middle school all the way to the WNBA. Dozens of players have been stars at the Division 1 college level. More than a hundred players a year from this state reach college ball at some level. Surely this pipeline of remarkable talent can't continue, can it? Anyone watching on Saturday knows the answer. The next generation is going to be just as good. Or better. [player_tooltip player_id='1357327' first='Azariah' last='Bailey'], [player_tooltip player_id='1417807' first='Sumaiyah' last='Kunert'], [player_tooltip player_id='1881593' first='Kaidence' last='Reif-Edwards'], [player_tooltip player_id='1246119' first='Erlande' last='Lonsdale'], [player_tooltip player_id='1354631' first='Kendra' last='Lynch'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1877991' first='Kaci' last='Lynch'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1886211' first='Brinley' last='Skala'] have the ability to be stars themselves. Others who played on Saturday will no doubt emerge over the coming years.   #4 The kids are all right   When we first started doing showcase events nearly a decade ago a lot of the participants came to the gym with a similar mindset: "I'm going to get mine." There was much more of a “me first” attitude and far less sharing of the basketball. That's changed over time. One of the key reasons college coaches have come to rely on Minnesota players is their “team-first” mentality. That was evident on Saturday. Regardless of differences in age and ability level, players worked together for success. The environment was full of positive energy. Players encouraged each other. They were vocal in all the right ways. We didn't see bad attitudes or selfishness. It was great! The players may have been exhausted but they had fun. Yeah, the kids are all right.   #5 Up Next is an idea worth repeating   Now that the event is in the books, one thing is obvious: The Up Next Showcase is an idea worth repeating. The number of players – about 40 – was just right. The mix of ages and abilities worked out. The parents were supportive. The coaches enjoyed working with the younger kids. And, most importantly, the players had a blast. Let's hope we can do this again one year from now.

Over the past decade our approach to scouting and ranking of players has been pretty consistent: We don't get serious about looking at prospects until after their 8^th grade year. The only exception has been precocious 7^th graders who are already playing high school varsity. I'll admit that when Prep Girls Hoops announced the Up Next Showcase for players entering 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade I was a little uneasy about passing judgement on the youngsters. As it turned out, last Saturday's event in Maple Grove was a blast. Here are 5 things we learned at the Up Next Showcase.