Conference preview: Big South East is Loaded with Talented Prospects

The Big South East is a fascinating conference to preview for a couple of reasons. First, it is home to some of the most talented players and teams in southern Minnesota. And second, most of the conference's top players spent this past summer as teammates during the AAU season. The success of <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2018/08/rising-to-the-top-dan-wolfe-named-aau-coach-of-the-year/">Dan Wolfe's</a> MN Rise squad this past summer was <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2018/09/meet-the-2019-minnesota-aau-player-of-the-year-all-stars/">well documented by PGH Minnesota</a>. Wolfe's roster included five players from the Big South East, all of whom play for different high school teams. Waseca's <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2018/08/prospect-spotlight-madison-gehloff-2019/"><strong>Madison Gehloff</strong></a>, New Ulm's <strong>Joey Batt</strong>, Blue Earth's <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2018/09/prospect-spotlight-caitlin-rorman-2019/"><strong>Caitlin Rorman</strong></a>, St. Peter's <strong>Jacey Welp</strong>, and Fairmont's <strong>Taylor Crissinger</strong> were all members of that highly-successful MN Rise team. They will now spend the winter going toe-to-toe for a shot at a Big South East conference title. <span style="font-size: 18pt"><strong>WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR WASECA TO REPEAT?</strong></span> <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>WASECA</strong></span> spent much of last season ranked as a top 10 team in Class 3A. The Bluejays came within one game of the state tournament after an outstanding four-loss regular season. The scary thing about Waseca is that with the exception of 2018 point guard <strong>Taylor Hiller</strong>, they bring basically everyone back. When we were going through the "Best Backcourt Duos in the Metro" series, I made a push to include <strong>Madison Gehloff</strong> and <strong>Gus Boyer</strong>. We ultimately agreed that Waseca is outside our definition of "the metro," but that should take nothing away from this talented tandem. Gehloff is the seasoned veteran. Senior, leader, scorer, defensive stopper. You name it, Madison has played that role for the Bluejays. Boyer is a junior with loads of talent, averaging over 14 points per game for Waseca as a sophomore. They will be joined by senior forward <strong>Brianna Highum</strong> and junior forwards <strong>Hannah Potter</strong> and <strong>Rachel Breck </strong>in what we are assuming will be the Bluejay starting lineup. With all that talent and experience, Waseca will be the odds-on favorite to repeat as Big South East Conference champs in 2018-2019. <span style="font-size: 18pt"><strong>THE BLUEJAYS' BIGGEST CHALLENGERS</strong></span> It only takes two words to explain why <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>NEW ULM</strong></span> will be contenders in the Big South East this season: <strong>Joey Batt</strong>. Batt is a dynamo who can fill it up better than anyone in the conference. Her 26 points per game was best in the Big South by over 7 full points last season (Gehloff was 2nd). And truth be told, there's a lot to like about the Eagles in addition to their MSU-Mankato committed point guard. New Ulm will return their top four scorers from last year's 19 win team. Batt will team up with senior forward <strong>Itanna Wieland</strong>, senior guard <strong>Ellie Bute</strong>, and junior guard <strong>Hannah Osbourne</strong> to make a run towards a conference championship. PGH Minnesota has our calendars marked for 1/8/19 and 2/7/19 when New Ulm faces off against Waseca with conference supremacy on their minds. <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>ST. PETER</strong></span> was arguably the most balanced team in the conference a season ago with six players averaging between six and ten points per game. The bad news for the Saints is that three of those six players have graduated, leaving behind the formidable trio of forwards <strong>Sarah Conlon,</strong> <strong>Jacey Welp</strong>, and <strong>Signe Alger</strong>. St. Peter will need to find guards to step into the starting backcourt and replace <strong>Kayla Oeltjenbruns</strong> and <strong>Olivia McCabe</strong> who were the Saints top two scorers a year ago. They'll have a good shot at remaining towards the top of the conference standings if they are able to do so. <span style="font-size: 18pt"><strong>DARK HORSE TEAMS</strong></span> Similar to New Ulm, it doesn't take long to explain what (or rather who) makes <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>BLUE EARTH</strong></span> successful. Senior forward <strong>Caitlin Rorman</strong> is the one who makes everything go for the Buccaneers. But Rorman doesn't have quite the same type of supporting cast that Batt gets to play with, meaning that she will be expcted to shoulder the majority of the scoring load on a nightly basis. Blue Earth will be looking to improve upon their 1-5 record against the conference's top three teams a year ago. They could make their way towards a top 3 finish if they are able to grab a couple more wins against Waseca, New Ulm, and/or St. Peter this winter. <span style="font-size: 18pt"><strong>REBUILDING</strong></span> <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>FAIRMONT</strong></span> finished last year with a record of 11-14. The Cardinals have the opposite problem of St. Peter in that they will be looking to replace almost all of their frontcourt production. <strong>Alli Lardy</strong>, <strong>Claire Cutler</strong>, and <strong>Brenna Cutler</strong> were 2018 forwards who stood between 6'0" and 6'2". A shift towards a more guard-centric approach may be in store for Fairmont as they return their senior backcourt pair of <strong>Taylor Crissinger</strong> and <strong>Lexie Lunn</strong>. While the Big South East projects to be more of a guard-centric league in 2018, the Cardinals may be challenged to consistently contain opposing post players. <span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>ST. JAMES</strong></span> went winless in Big South East play last year. While the Saints graduated three contributors from the class of 2018, we would expect them to be more competitive in 2018-2019. The main reason for optimism at St. James is a trio of underclassmen. Sophomores <strong>Ellie Becker</strong> and <strong>Chloe Mickelson</strong> along with freshman <strong>Jaelyn Haler</strong> all played significant varsity minutes last year. And while St. James may still be a year or two away from becoming a truly competitive program, another year of maturation for their young core is sure to make a difference for the Saints come this winter. <span style="font-size: 18pt"><strong>PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR CANDIDATES</strong></span> <em>Candidates are listed alphabetically</em> Joey Batt - 2019 New Ulm Gus Boyer - 2020 - Waseca Taylor Crissinger - 2019 - Fairmont Madison Gehloff - 2019 - Waseca Caitlin Rorman - 2019 - Blue Earth Jacey Welp - 2019 - St. Peter &nbsp; <em>Crissinger photo courtesy of The Fairmont Sentinal</em> <em>All other photos pulled from Twitter</em>