PGH Freshman Showcase: Evaluating Team 9

Intern Paxyn Rendahl has been with Prep Girls Hoops all summer contributing her basketball knowledge and scouting ability at tournaments throughout the AAU season. She is now part of our evaluation team for all of the PGH Minnesota showcases this fall.   A former college player at St. Scholastica who played high school ball for Pine Island, Paxyn has an excellent understanding of the game and what it takes to get seen and be recruited. She wrote most of these evaluations for Team 9 as well as Team 10.    This has been a breakout year for Goranson who began the summer with a relatively low profile before turning in one great performance after another. Picking up where she left off in AAU, Reese was on top of her game Sunday at the Freshman Showcase. Tall and athletic Goranson (pictured above) is a constant force on both ends of the floor. She remains involved on offense by setting screens, passing through the paint, and crashing the boards to dish the ball out again or go back up for the shot. Her defensive identity is also key with her high coordination and timing of blocking shots and out-rebounding her opponent. No matter where Reese is on the court, she makes an impact, whether that's taking the ball to the basket or getting every rebound possible. This is a player with a high ceiling.     Kirchoff has one of the biggest motors in Minnesota. The high-energy guard is a a beast whenever she steps foot on the court. Her speed, ball-handling and quick decision-making are impressive and she plays with a high basketball IQ. Kirchoff is able to read her teammates so well and dishes quick bounce passes into the lane to the open player. Ava has a stellar jump shot herself, where she can dribble the ball past a defender to the elbow, take the quick basket, and give her team that extra boost. The confidence Kirchoff exudes brings a unique tone to her game. She is a ready-for-action player and stays involved on both offense and defense.     Egan is a long and athletic combo guard from St. Michael-Albertville who finds a multitude of ways to get involved as much as she can. When Tenlee has the ball in her control, she makes a positive impact with her quick decisions and timely looks to the hoop. The intensity she fosters on offense by creating a quick tempo game is also brought into her defensive role. She causes chaos and forces turnovers with striking regularity. Tenlee is consistently reading the opponent's passes to get steals, which pushes that intensity right back into her offense. Egan has excellent fundamentals and a well-rounded game that will carry her far.    NEW NAMES TO KNOW    A tall but quick post, Nordvold is balanced down in the lane, settles herself easily, and is constantly working to get open and get the shot up down low. Her footwork is quick and smooth, and keeps her balanced against other defenders. She utilizes her height clearly on offense, but also on the defensive end because of her wingspan. She brings more of a shot-blocking identity on defense, but also manages to get deflections with her long reach. Nordvold is always communicating when she's ready to go to work down low, and uses her height and wingspan effectively on offense and defense.     Watching Peppin at the Freshman Showcase it seemed obvious that she can shoot lights out any day. Her quick release and accuracy of the shot will no doubt get her noticed. The smaller guard showcased her speed and quick footwork while handling the ball at a high level. Grace showed off her quickness throughout the day, not just on offense but in her defensive work, as well, taking advantage of those assets to get deflections and steals. Peppin is a guard who is full-speed at all times and hustles no matter the time or score.     Wallskog is a tall, athletic player from Tri-City United High School in Montgomery who plays AAU for the [program_tooltip program_id='712699' first='Minnesota' last='Rise']. Her height and strength are something she takes advantage of well. The helpful combination of assets enables Lila to take the ball to the lane with the determination that she will get to the basket or the free-throw line. It helps to be a great free throw shooter, of course, so she can leverage those opportunities in crucial end-of-game situations when the score is close and the outcome has yet to be determined.     Now at Proctor High School, Henkel gained valuable experience last winter at Duluth Marshall. The poise and maturity she developed there was obvious at the Freshman Showcase. The 5'8 guard is a dangerous three-point shooter with excellent footwork, but there's more versatility here than simply stretching the floor. Henkel uses her length extremely well around the basket, keeping the ball high and away from smaller defenders while finishing effectively off the glass. She handles pressure well, plays with a high basketball IQ and has already proven capable against older competition.     Like Henkel, Clinton also has considerable varsity experience at a young age, and the maturity showed at on Sunday in Maple Grove. The 5'7 combo guard from Tartan High School has a lean, fluid frame, good speed and the versatility to contribute in several ways. She does many of the little things well, attacking the glass from the guard position, creating steals and finding ways to impact possessions without needing the basketball constantly. Clinton was part of a big resurgence at Tartan last winter as a supporting player, but she appears capable of taking on considerably more responsibility. Continued improvement and consistency as a perimeter shooter will certainly help.

Intern Paxyn Rendahl has been with Prep Girls Hoops all summer contributing her basketball knowledge and scouting ability at tournaments throughout the AAU season. She is now part of our evaluation team for all of the PGH Minnesota showcases this fall.