Meet the 2025 Prep Girls Hoops Hard Hat All Stars

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You've seen them. The players who who throw themselves across the floor in the first minute of a mundane AAU tournament game, when most players have barely broken a sweat. The one who wrestles a rebound away from her opponent who is four inches taller, or sprints back on defense after a turnover to block what looked like an easy layup. The kid who never seems to run out of energy, never backs away from contact, and never asks for credit but just does the work. That's a Hard Hat All Star.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Every year, as the AAU summer wraps up and we hand out the usual post-season honors, we reserve one last award for this special breed of competitor. The Prep Girls Hoops Hard Hat All Stars are not necessarily the most gifted scorers, the smoothest shooters, or the players who fill up the highlight reels. Instead, they are the workers. They bring grit, toughness, and resilience to every possession. They do the little things – the screens, the deflections, the box outs – that rarely get noticed outside of the huddle but mean everything to a team's success.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To make this team, you have to embody a certain mindset. It's about more than stats. It's about diving for loose balls in a game that's already decided, or taking a charge against the biggest body on the floor. It's about communicating constantly, encouraging teammates from the bench, listening to coaches with eye contact and intent. It's about always playing the right way – with effort, energy, and a toughness that rubs off on everyone around you.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And here's the twist: players who have already won another postseason award aren't eligible. That's intentional. The Hard Hat team exists to shine the spotlight on those who sometimes live in the shadows — athletes whose contributions are essential but often unheralded. Of course there are still gifted scorers and top-shelf talent on the team, but it is the less-lauded aspects of their game that has landed these prospects here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Among those who would have received serious consideration but aren't eligible because they picked up another post-season award would be 2026 guard [player_tooltip player_id='498663' first='Madison' last='Ohm'] (Marist), &nbsp;2027 guard [player_tooltip player_id='644100' first='Annika' last='Kieser'], 2028 guard &nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='897050' first='Annabelle' last='Gothmann'] and 2029 guard [player_tooltip player_id='1263671' first='Madeleine' last='Hamiel'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These are the 2025 Prep Girls Hoops Hard Hat All Stars, players who remind us that basketball isn't just about scoring points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":539605,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/11/Emma-Hanson-scaled-crop-2390x1569-1667300443.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-539605" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FIRST TEAM</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='773415' first='Emma' last='Hanson'] – 2026 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='712362' first='Legacy' last='Hoops'] (Waconia) (UW-Stout) Pictured above</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='937656' first='Kendal' last='Damon'] – 2026 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='713420' first='Minnesota' last='Diamond Elite'] (Forest Lake) (South Dakota School of Mines)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='478365' first='Audrey' last='Schmidtke'] – 2026 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='712665' first='Metro' last='Stars'] (Lakeville South)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='764180' first='Anna' last='Smelser'] – 2027 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='718403' first='Minnesota' last='Freeze'] (Armstrong)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='644103' first='Lauryn' last='Stolzenberg'] – 2027 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='712362' first='Legacy' last='Hoops'] (Lake City)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1004105,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/09/311-Madison-Gothmann.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1004105" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SECOND TEAM</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='339179' first='Brylee' last='Miller'] – 2026 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='712699' first='Minnesota' last='Rise'] (Fairmont) (MSU-Mankato)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='672939' first='Madison' last='Gothmann'] – 2026 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='767539' first='Minnesota' last='Comets'] (Milaca) Pictured above</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='675954' first='Brooke' last='Mickolichek'] – 2027 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='712699' first='Minnesota' last='Rise'] (Glencoe-Silver Lake)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='992401' first='Drea' last='Fernholz'] – 2028 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='713021' first='West' last='Central United'] (Brandon-Evansville)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1095939' first='Raegan' last='Kelm'] – 2029 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] (Byron)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1307575,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/09/262-Bethany-Black-Lance-crop-5607x3682-1755877666.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1307575" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>HONORABLE MENTION</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='502550' first='Mia' last='Banks'] – 2026 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='712722' first='North' last='Tartan'] Elite (Rochester Mayo) (Bemidji State)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='734360' first='Gigi' last='Coleman'] – 2027 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='712665' first='Metro' last='Stars'] (Minnehaha Academy)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='786203' first='Bethany' last='Black Lance'] – 2028 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='713021' first='West' last='Central United'] (Brainerd) Pictured above</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1246846' first='Nivaya' last='Koles'] – 2029 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] Yellow (Lakeville North)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1057125' first='Macie' last='Henrikson'] – 2029 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] Yellow (Lakeville South)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->