The Race for Ms. Basketball
The Minnesota Girls Basketball Coach’s Association has announced a “first cut” of 34 players who remain in the hunt for the coveted Ms. Basketball award. As always, there are some surprises, some disappointments, some complaints. Readers of the girls basketball…
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Continue ReadingThe Minnesota Girls Basketball Coach’s Association has announced a “first cut” of 34 players who remain in the hunt for the coveted Ms. Basketball award. As always, there are some surprises, some disappointments, some complaints.
Readers of the girls basketball Hub complained, for example, that Makayla Van Nett of St. Paul Como; Natalie Steichen of Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton; and Syd Schultz of Owatonna were among those who didn’t make the cut. Someone responded concerning Van Nett that her coach is not a member of the association and did not nominate Van Nett for the award. So any complaints must be with the thought in mind—Was she nominated by her coach?
Well, I’d be fairly sure that Steichen was nominated. He coach’s dad runs the coach’s association—well, the boys association, not the girls. So, who knows? But Steichen was one of the 2 biggest surprises not making the list. Northstar Girls Hoops has her rated #19 among the senior class. The other is Erica Hicks, Champlin Park guard, whom we rank #20. One has to wonder whether her decision to sit out AAU ball last summer and to forego basketball at the college level had anything to do with her status off the list? Or was she not nominated?
Well, in any event, here are the nominees.
Carmen Backes | Chisago Lakes |
Bailey Becker | Sauk Rapids-Rice |
Taylor Brown | Lakeville North |
Tayzha Buck | Red Wing |
Mary Burke | Mountain Iron-Buhl |
Krystal Carlson | Hastings |
Monika Czinano | Watertown-Mayer |
Kristie Fett | Lyle-Pacelli |
Bren Fox | Norwood-Young America |
Audrey Gadison | St. Croix Lutheran |
Emma Grothaus | Mahtomedi |
Sam Haiby | Moorhead |
Teana Hakamaki | Cromwell-Wright |
Rachel Hakes | Woodbury |
Heaven Hamling | Grand Rapids |
Angie Hammond | Hopkins |
Nicole Herbranson | Barnesville |
Morgan Hill | Minneapolis South |
Cayle Hovland | Willmar |
Jaclyn Jarnot | Maranatha Christian |
Kelsea Lund | Lac Qui Parle Valley |
Ayoka Lee | Byron |
Maddie Loder | Orono |
Sydney Lodermeier | Goodhue |
Kayla Mershon | Minnetonka |
Shea Oman | New London-Spicer |
Kelsey Peschel | Sauk Centre |
Kylie Post | Maranatha Christian |
Mackenzie Rensch | Hutchinson |
Sydney Stapleton | Centennial |
Maesyn Thiesen | Sauk Centre |
Autumn Thompson | Stephen-Argyle |
Megan Walker | Minnetonka |
Megan Walstad | Eastview |
Let the record show that our top 13 and 16 of our top 17-rated seniors are on the list. Our top 5—Sam Haiby, Carmen Backes, Megan Walstad, Yokie Lee and Morgan Hill—all remain in the running, and still look like a pretty good list of finalists from here.
MIA are our #14 Raena Suggs, Hopkins; #18 Brynne Rolland of Apple Valley; Steichen, #19; Hicks, #20; #24 Claire Orth, Centennial; #28 Tiahna Nicholson, Thief River Falls; #29 Sommer Blakemore, Park Center; #30 Emma Schmidt, Wheaton; Schultz, #32; and Betsy Schoenrock, NRHEG, #33.
So their top 34 and our top 34 contain just 23 of the same names, while each of us has 11 unique names on our list. Also MIA, by the way, is our #36 Grace Touchette of Northfield who would probably move into our top 34 if we happened to update our 2018 rankings today. I don’t see any other major oversights, but I think Steichen, Hicks and Touchette qualify as major oversights. But, again, were they nominated?
Among those who were nominated Bailey Becker, Sauk Rapids-Rice (#78); Audrey Gadison, St. Croix Lutheran (#64); Teana Hakamaki, Cromwell (#84); Cayle Hovland, Willmar (#142); Kelsea Lund, LQPV (#51); Kelsey Peschel, Sauk Centre (#86); Kylie Post, Maranatha (#56); and Autumn Thompson, Stephen-Argyle (#53) are not among our top 50. I’m not saying we’re right and they’re wrong. Just, for the record.
Regardless, now the focus shifts away from Steichen, Hicks and Touchette to the 34 who are still in the running and especially to the obvious candidates including our top 5 (above) along with #6 Krystal Carlson, Hastings; #7 Emma Grothaus, Mahtomedi; #8 Monika Czinano, Watertown-Mayer and #10 Heaven Hamling, Grand Rapids.