Recruiting update: Offers and commitments galore

**UPDATE** Somewhere along the way we missed the fact that Jodi Anderson Jodi Anderson 5'11" | CG Centennial | 2021 State MN of Centennial committed to the University of North Dakota in April. The athletic guard/wing is ranked #20 in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2021. Numbers below have been updated to reflect her addition.

There hasn’t been any basketball played in these parts since March 12, and the May NCAA viewing period has come and gone without a single AAU tipoff. That hasn’t stopped the big recruiting wheel from turning, however. There are tons of offers being tossed about right now, and there have been commitments, too. The latest came within the past couple of days as Waconia’s Addy Salzer Addy Salzer 5'10" | CG Waconia | 2021 State MN and Rosemount’s Helen Staley Helen Staley 6'0" | PF Rosemount | 2021 State MN both verballed to Division 1 programs. Salzer, who plays for 43 Hoops, committed to Iona College in the suburbs of New York City. Staley verballed with Oakland University in the suburbs of Detroit. That brings the total number of known 2021 commitments to 15, including 12 to Division 1 schools:

• #2 Jenna Johnson Jenna Johnson 6'2" | PF Wayzata | 2021 State #52 Nation MN – Wayzata/North Tartan EYBL to Utah
• #4 Katie Borowicz Katie Borowicz 5'6" | PG Roseau | 2021 State MN – Roseau/Minnesota Stars Hersch to Minnesota
• #5 Kendall Coley Kendall Coley 6'2" | SF St. Louis Park | 2021 State #94 Nation MN – St. Louis Park/FBC North to Nebraska
• #7 Gianna Kneepkens Gianna Kneepkens 5'11" | CG Duluth Marshall | 2021 State #86 Nation MN – Duluth Marshall/Minnesota Fury UAA to Utah
• #8 Cassidy Carson Cassidy Carson 6'0" | CG Eastview | 2021 State MN – Eastview/North Tartan EYBL to South Dakota
• #12 Maggie Czinano Maggie Czinano 6'1" | SF Watertown-Mayer | 2021 State MN – Watertown Mayer/Fury UAA to Minnesota
• #14 Jordyn Lamker Jordyn Lamker 6'0" | SF Maple Grove | 2021 State MN – Maple Grove/Minnesota Stars Hersch to St. Thomas
• #16 Paige Meyer Paige Meyer 5'6" | PG Albany | 2021 State MN – Albany/Minnesota Comets to South Dakota State
• #20 Jodi Anderson Jodi Anderson 5'11" | CG Centennial | 2021 State MN – Centennial/North Tartan EYBL to North Dakota
• #24 Julia Bengtson Julia Bengtson 5'10" | PG Becker | 2021 State MN – Becker/Minnesota Comets to Eastern Illinois
• #29 Helen Staley Helen Staley 6'0" | PF Rosemount | 2021 State MN – Rosemount/Fury UAA to Oakland
• #32 Addy Salzer Addy Salzer 5'10" | CG Waconia | 2021 State MN – Waconia/43 Hoops to Iona
• #34 Jordyn Hilgemann Jordyn Hilgemann 5'10" | SF Marshall | 2021 State MN – Marshall/Minnesota Rise to Northern State
• #48 Lizzie Berkvam Lizzie Berkvam 5'10" | PG Lakeville North | 2021 State MN – Lakeville North/North Tartan Elite to MSU-Moorhead
• #64 Brigid Boyle Brigid Boyle 6'0" | SF St. Agnes | 2021 State MN – St. Agnes/Minnesota Stars DeSart to Wayne State

WHO IS UP NEXT

There is still plenty of talent up for grabs in the class of 2021, including #3-ranked Sophie Hart Sophie Hart 6'4" | C Farmington | 2021 State #44 Nation MN of Farmington, who is currently the most sought-after player in the class. The 6’5 post has apparently narrowed her list to a handful of schools, all high majors. #1 Adalia McKenzie Adalia McKenzie 5'10" | CG Park Center | 2021 State #39 Nation MN of Park Center (North Tartan EYBL), #6 Kaylee Van Eps Kaylee Van Eps 5'11" | SF Chaska | 2021 State MN of Chaska (Fury 2021 UAA), #9 Jade Hill Jade Hill 5'8" | PG Mpls. South | 2021 State MN of Minneapolis South (Fury 2021 UAA), #10 Paige Kindseth Paige Kindseth 5'10" | CG Farmington | 2021 State MN of Farmington (Stars Hersch) and #11 Ellie Dague Ellie Dague 5'10" | CG Henning | 2021 State MN of Henning (North Tartan Elite) are among the most desirable acquisitions in the class. Two players who are drawing a ton of interest right now are #17 Anna Miller Anna Miller 6'2" | C Rochester Mayo | 2021 State MN of Rochester Mayo (North Tartan Elite) and #26 Sacia Vanderpool Sacia Vanderpool 6'4" | C Byron | 2021 State MN of Byron (FBC North), a 6’4 giant who has received a pile of offers over the past few weeks including her first high major opportunity on Wednesday.

Recruiting has been challenging in 2020 due to the COVID-19 virus which has eliminated on-campus visits and the D1 viewing periods. The players being hurt the most by these developments are the bubble kids, those incoming seniors who have had Division 1 interest but no offers and are in need of some big tournaments to raise their stock. Athletes falling into that category would include the likes of #25 Caela Tighe Caela Tighe 6'0" | SF Big Lake | 2021 State MN of Big Lake (Stars Hersch) and #30 Lilli Mackley Lilli Mackley 5'11" | CG Hill-Murray | 2021 State MN of Hill-Murray (MN/WI Force). Those players who have been out with long-term injuries are in a similar situation, including #33 Sophie Wood Sophie Wood 6'1" | PF Chisago Lakes | 2021 State MN of Chisago Lakes (North Tartan Elite) who missed the season with a back injury but is ready to roll now. Without the opportunity to prove themselves it will be difficult to expand their list of options.

RECAPPING THE SENIOR CLASS

The dust has pretty much settled on the class of 2020, although we are still getting calls on a regular basis from NAIA and D3 schools looking for talent. Not all of the 2020s who have committed have made their choices public, and we may have missed some, too, but the vast majority of the players in the Prep Girls Hoops Top 150 have signed on the dotted line.

If you include the prospects who have committed to St. Thomas, whose official Division 1 status is pending, there were 21 players commit to the highest level, including four who are going to high major programs: #1 Paige Bueckers Paige Bueckers 5'11" | CG Hopkins | 2020 State MN of Hopkins (UCONN), #2 Lauren Jensen Lauren Jensen 5'10" | CG Lakeville North | 2020 State MN of Lakeville North (Iowa), #3 Alyssa Ustby Alyssa Ustby 6'2" | CG Rochester Lourdes | 2020 State MN of Rochester Lourdes (North Carolina) and #14 Annika Stewart Annika Stewart 6'3" | PF Wayzata | 2020 State MN of Wayzata (Nebraska). Another half-dozen or so players went the junior college route and may eventually end up in D1, a group that includes the likes of #17 Zhane Thompson Zhane Thompson 5'7" | CG Burnsville | 2020 State MN of Burnsville (NIACC), #19 Patience Williams Patience Williams 6'1" | C Benilde SM | 2020 State MN of Benilde-St. Margaret’s (Southwest Florida), #20 Nurjei Weems Nurjei Weems 6'0" | PF DeLaSalle | 2020 State MN of DeLaSalle (Moberly) and #28 KK Adams KK Adams 5'8" | CG Hopkins | 2020 State MN of Hopkins (Hutchinson).

That would continue a trend of late that has seen a number of players take the JUCO route to higher-level opportunities. 2019 graduate Solape Amusan Solape Amusan 6'0" | C-PF Woodbury | 2019 State MN of Woodbury played this year at Iowa Western and signed with Illinois of the Big 10. Among the 2018 graduates now headed for Division 1 programs are Autam Mendez Autam Mendez 5'9" | PF Cretin-Derham Hall | 2018 State MN of Cretin-Derham Hall (San Jose State), Sommer Blakemore Sommer Blakemore 5'8" | PG Park Center AAAA | 2018 State MN of Park Center (Tulsa), Mikayla Van Nett Mikayla Van Nett 5'10" | SF St. Paul Como Park AAA | 2018 State MN of St. Paul Como Park (Northwest Louisiana), Raena Suggs Raena Suggs 5'7" | CG Hopkins AAAA | 2018 State MN of Hopkins (Weber State) and Ruth Koang of Austin (Alabama).

BY THE NUMBERS

So how do the numbers stack up versus recent graduating classes? By comparison, the class of 2019 saw 23 players go Division 1 straight out of high school including three high majors: #2 Sara Scalia Sara Scalia 5'10" | SG Stillwater | 2019 State MN of Stillwater to Minnesota, #3 Destinee Oberg Destinee Oberg 6'2" | C Kennedy | 2019 State MN of Bloomington Kennedy to Arkansas and #7 Sara Stapleton Sara Stapleton 6'3" | C Centennial | 2019 State MN of Centennial to Wisconsin. In 2018 there were 28 D1 signings. In 2017 there were 26. In 2016 there were 31. The decline over the past couple of years doesn’t mean there were fewer players deserving of the opportunity. Rather it means there were more players making different choices out of high school by going the D2 route close to home rather than a lower-level D1 program halfway across the country. That is a trend that is likely to continue. Based on what we know today, I would estimate that the 2021 class ends up with more than 25 players going to the highest level.

Top photo: Katie Borowicz Katie Borowicz 5'6" | PG Roseau | 2021 State MN of Roseau made a verbal commitment to the University of Minnesota. The Minnesota Stars point guard is rated #4 in the class of 2021.