Best Frontcourt Performances from the Minnesota Stars Fall Shootout

There were opportunities aplenty this past weekend for players and teams to tune-up for the upcoming high school season. The Minnesota Stars AAU club hosted a great event at Bloomington Kennedy on Sunday that included both high school teams and AAU squads from the area. I wrote about some of the best guard performances yesterday, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2018/09/best-backcourt-performances-from-the-minnesota-stars-fall-shootout/">which you can check out here</a>. And now it's time to get to the good stuff. Without further adieu, here are the top frontcourt performers from yesterday's event. <strong>Raegan Alexander (2021) - Minnesota Stars/St. Louis Park</strong> - Alexander has really come into her own over the past year. Raegan averaged a solid 8 points per game for SLP last season. But I would expect that number to balloon this winter, as she has become a more consistent player on the offensive side of the floor. Alexander played with her Minnesota Stars Hersch team this weekend, and ran the floor with purpose throughout the event. She has a really nice feel for the game, and has become a dangerous pick and roll player. <strong>Mariam Diaby (2020) - Edina</strong> - Diaby's length alone made her a disruptive force on defense on Sunday. She has good body control, which allowed her to block shots at a high rate without fouling. She raked in tons of rebounds, and made good decisions when she was pressured in the post. Diaby's offensive game has made some nice strides as well. While the majority of her scoring throughout the event came from offensive rebound put-backs, she boasted a solid field goal percentage and finished well through contact. <strong style="font-size: 16px;font-style: normal;font-family: Lato, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"></strong> <strong>Marissa Grothe (2019) - Chaska</strong> - The Hawks were missing their top 2 scorers from a year ago in <strong>Mallory Heyer</strong> and<strong> Kaylee VanEps</strong> on Sunday. That provided an opportunity for others to step up, which I thought Grothe did nicely. She showed her senior leadership, communicating constantly, and making sure her teammates were in the right places. Marissa worked hard and as a result consistently found herself with good position on the block. She showed maturity and patience when she got the ball inside, and had a package of post moves that she mixed in well. I would expect that Grothe will have a solid senior campaign for Chaska this winter. <strong>Liza Karlen (2020) - Stillwater</strong> - Karlen's arrival in Stillwater from St. Paul Central completely changes the look of the already tough Ponies. Adding her to the mix alongside elite guards<strong> Sara Scalia</strong> and <strong>Alexis Pratt</strong> will give opposing teams headaches all winter long. Karlen hauled in rebounds at a high rate all day, and seemed to fit right in with her new teammates. Liza is super creative around the basket, and has good range to her jumper, making her match-up nightmare. <span style="text-decoration: underline;font-size: 18pt"><strong>TRIO FROM "THE ISLAND"</strong></span> DeLaSalle looked impressive throughout the day with convincing victories over Minnetonka and Rogers. And while none of the following athletes necessarily project to be traditional post players at the next level, they all share a handful of forward-like traits. <em>Strong</em>, <em>physical </em>and <em>overwhelming</em> are all words that rang through my head as I watched the Islanders on Sunday. <strong>Mary Claire Francois (2019) - DeLaSalle</strong> - Francois has the basketball IQ and ball-handling skills to play on the perimeter, combined with the size and physicality needed to excel in the post. She is super smooth, and nearly impossible to stop once she has a full head of steam pointed at the basket. There wasn't a formal competition for the most and-1's on Sunday, but if there was Mary Claire would have won by a landslide. She was able to finish through even the hardest of fouls and made a living at the free throw line in both of DLS's games. <strong>Elaina Jones (2019) - DeLaSalle</strong> - Similar to Francois, Jones is not a traditional back-to-the-basket post player, but does the majority of her scoring near the hoop. She played superbly in transition, and was aggressive in attacking the basket. Elaina's most effective action throughout the day was to receive the ball at the top of the key, quickly rip through past her defender, and explode to the rim with two dribbles. The quick-hitter worked time and time again for the Idaho State commit as she finished on both sides of the hoop. Jones also rebounded extremely well and steadily kept opposing post players off the glass. <strong>Nurjei Weems (2020) - DeLaSalle</strong> - Weems has really expanded her game since last winter. Nurjei shot the ball confidently from mid-range and beyond throughout the day, and played multiple positions for the Islanders. But what stood out most about Weems on Sunday was her freakish athleticism. There was a particular defensive possession in which Weems bit on a shot fake and leaped into the air. Obviously, jumping at opponents' pump fakes is not a recipe for sustained success. But Nurjei's gaffe quickly turned into an awe-inspiring moment. The image of her seemingly never-ending outstretched arm paired with her sky-high vertical leap made my jaw drop. And while I assume Nurjei's coach let her know it's best to keep her feet on the floor, watching her fly through the air on this particular afternoon was far more entertaining. Needless to say, Weems will be a force on both ends of the floor for DLS come this winter. &nbsp; <em>Cover photo of Nurjei Weems and Elaina Jones courtesy of the West Central Tribune</em> <em>Marissa Grothe photo courtesy of swnewsmedia.com</em> <em>Mary Claire Francois photo courtesy of the Star Tribune</em>