AAU Awards: 15U Most Valuable Duo

Last week we began our rollout of our this year's Most Valuable Duos award. First handed out last summer, the MVD award is designed to recognize a pair of teammates who were instrumental to their team's success throughout the AAU season. Each duo is a little bit different: Some lead their team in scoring, some make up a pair on the defensive end, but each pair of players being recognized help set the tone for their respective teams this summer.   On Thursday we announced that [player_tooltip player_id='659130' first='Jaliyah' last='Diggs'] and [player_tooltip player_id='667778' first='Laila' last='Moses'] from [program_tooltip program_id='712665' first='Metro' last='Stars'] brought home the award in the 17U division, and yesterday we covered the 16U award, which went to [player_tooltip player_id='904190' first='Malin' last='Youngberg'] and [player_tooltip player_id='565313' first='Elsa' last='Retzlaff'] of [program_tooltip program_id='713021' first='West' last='Central United']. Today we'll cover the 15U selections.   Something to note here is we've broken down our Most Valuable Duos by the age bracket the listed AAU team plays in. With some individual players playing up a year or two, this means that not every duo features two players from the same graduating class. All that matters in this case is that the pair spent the majority of the summer playing for the same team.   As a reminder: While there are plenty of out-of-state prospects playing for Minnesota clubs who had a phenomenal summer, only Minnesota players are eligible for these awards. This means that players from other states who play for Minnesota-based AAU clubs were not considered. On the other hand, players from Minnesota who play for out-of-state clubs were considered eligible, provided that we had the opportunity to see them play in person.    MOST VALUABLE DUO   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/Raegan-Kelm-crop-3060x2009-1737306013.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1150809" style="width:557px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='1095939' first='Raegan' last='Kelm']</figcaption></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/01/268-Madeleine-Hamiel-crop-5607x3682-1772126543.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1784320" style="width:554px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='897060' first='Madeleine' last='Hamiel']</figcaption></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='1095939' first='Raegan' last='Kelm'] & [player_tooltip player_id='897060' first='Madeleine' last='Hamiel'] – [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] 15U EYBL   For the [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] 15U EYBL team, the AAU season couldn't have ended any better. Late last month, after finishing with a 15-0 record at EYBL events, the incoming sophomores took home the championship for Nike's 15U division. While the spotlight was shared pretty evenly across the roster all summer, two members of coach Lyndsey Robson's squad stood out in particular. Making up a dynamic defensive duo for [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'], Kelm and Hamiel made all the difference this season.   Throughout the spring and summer, Kelm did what she always does – played fast-paced, hard-nosed defense. From EYBL sessions across the country to Minnesota's own AAU State Tournament, the 5'9 guard served as a suffocating, disruptive presence on the perimeter. While the Byron sophomore generally isn't going to score the most points on this roster, Raegan often came up with clutch buckets off the dribble, all while demonstrating the value in forcing a stop or snagging a defensive rebound.   For Hamiel, it truly was a breakout summer. After a stellar freshman season at Cretin-Derham Hall, the Raiders star showed out on the biggest and brightest stages all summer. Madeleine led the team in scoring at EYBL events with 12.4 points per game, all while acting as the linchpin in the team's defense. We weren't the only ones to take notice of Madeleine's efforts, though. The 5'10 guard garnered attention from Division 1 coaches from across the country, picking up offers from schools such as Marquette, Northwestern, Nebraska, Iowa, and St. Thomas throughout the AAU season. Clearly, Hamiel's trajectory is only up from here.   HONORABLE MENTIONS   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/01/256-Izze-Austin.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1686278" style="aspect-ratio:1.5014710358121133;width:555px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='994855' first='Izze' last='Austin']</figcaption></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/07/Lucy-Hilgert_2029-crop-4551x2986-1782915376.jpeg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1877443" style="width:548px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='1244229' first='Lucy' last='Hilgert']</figcaption></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='994855' first='Izze' last='Austin'] & [player_tooltip player_id='1244229' first='Lucy' last='Hilgert'] – [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] 2029 UAA   The [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] 2029 UAA team ended the season on a high note by capturing the 15U UAA Championship in July. All throughout the AAU season, it was backcourt leaders Austin and Hilgert who routinely stepped up to the plate. Playing point guard for the Fury, Austin's high basketball IQ and flat-out effort on both ends of the floor were tremendous assets for the team. Also a skilled passer and high-level defender, the Minnetonka sophomore gave strong offensive performances both at Live at the Lakes and the Minnesota AAU State Championships back in May. On top of that, Izze picked up multiple Division 1 offers, including those from North Dakota, Utah State, and South Dakota.   But it was Hilgert who was utterly dominant in her first season with the Fury. Already announced as the Prep Girls Hoops 2029 Breakout Player of the Year (<a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2026/07/aau-awards-2029-breakout-player-of-the-year/">click here</a> to read more about that), Lucy exceeded all expectations this summer. The 5'10 shooting guard put up big numbers in the scoring column, was a significant contributor on the defensive end, earned her first Division 1 offers, and entered the top 20 in our class of 2029 prospect rankings. All in all, it was an incredible summer for the Chanhassen sophomore.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/01/283-Korbin-Tanner.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1686310" style="aspect-ratio:1.5014710358121133;width:523px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='1233136' first='Korbin' last='Tanner']</figcaption></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/01/229-Greta-Layton.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1686252" style="aspect-ratio:1.5014710358121133;width:524px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='1246847' first='Greta' last='Layton']</figcaption></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='1233136' first='Korbin' last='Tanner'] & [player_tooltip player_id='1246847' first='Greta' last='Layton'] – [program_tooltip program_id='713021' first='West' last='Central United'] 2029 Blue   Once again, the [program_tooltip program_id='713021' first='West' last='Central United'] duo worked in tandem all summer long. Tanner, a 6'2 post, held down the paint week after week. Fresh off a stellar freshman season at New London-Spicer, we saw Korbin take a major leap in her confidence, over skill level, and willingness to shoot the ball. Named as the runner-up for the PGH 2029 Breakout Player of the Year, Tanner saw a significant uptick in her recruiting this summer, earning offers from West Florida, North Dakota State, South Dakota, and more.    While she may not have received as much of the fanfare, Layton was just as impactful for West Central. Highly explosive and lightning quick with the ball in her hands, the 5'9 guard excelled at getting downhill on the attack, but was equally effective from three-point range. The month of May was particularly strong for Greta, who had a 62-point weekend at Live at the Lakes, followed by her first Division 1 offer from North Dakota later that month. Dominating much of the offense for West Central, Layton and Tanner helped the 2029 Blue squad earn a 27-7 overall record, plus a 6-0 streak at Nike's Tournament of Champions in July.

Last week we began our rollout of our this year's Most Valuable Duos award. First handed out last summer, the MVD award is designed to recognize a pair of teammates who were instrumental to their team's success throughout the AAU season. Each duo is a little bit different: Some lead their team in scoring, some make up a pair on the defensive end, but each pair of players being recognized help set the tone for their respective teams this summer.