AAU Week 1: Hot Cheetos or hard workouts?
Back on March 26, I posted a bit of cheeky tweet intended to prod young athletes to continue putting in the work necessary to fulfill their dreams even through the spring wasn’t going as planned: “There’s a big upside on…
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Continue ReadingBack on March 26, I posted a bit of cheeky tweet intended to prod young athletes to continue putting in the work necessary to fulfill their dreams even through the spring wasn’t going as planned: “There’s a big upside on the recruiting front as a result of the shutdown,” I wrote. “When AAU eventually gets going we’ll know immediately who put in work when nobody was looking & who sat on the sofa watching Netflix and eating Hot Cheetos. Your stock as a prospect will change accordingly.”
As AAU practice resumed over the course of the past week, the choices players made about how to spend their time during the shutdown came home to roost. We saw a lot of kids who were really struggling. Some of that is inevitable, of course. Even if you have been working hard on your own it’s not the same as the usual routine of practices and games and it will take time to get back in ‘game shape.’ But watching 10 teams go through their paces in the last seven days it was glaringly obvious who had put up some shots in the driveway but not much more.
In the interests of diplomacy I’m not going to tell you that players X, Y and Z were sucking wind and struggling to get through practice and probably had trouble getting out of bed the next morning. They know who they are and they’re definitely feeling the consequences of their actions or lack thereof. The good news is they are young and they’ll recover and it’ll all be good. But I thought we should at least offer a socially-distanced high five to those who have clearly been putting in the work even when nobody was watching. Here are five players who were ready to go when the time came.
Gina Stefferud Gina Stefferud 5'10" | PF Champlin Park | 2021 State MN (Champlin Park) – Suns 2021 Froehlich
As a general observation, the higher the talent level of the team, the better overall condition the players appear to be in. That’s inevitable, I suppose. If you play for Fury 2023 UAA and are already talking to colleges as a high school freshman, there is plenty of motivation to keep working, striving to improve and chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If you are Nia Holloway Nia Holloway 6'0" | PF Eden Prairie | 2022 State #45 Nation MN or Jodi Anderson Jodi Anderson 5'11" | CG Centennial | 2021 State MN at North Tartan, you’ve got your eyes on the prize 24-7-365. When you play for a lower-tier team, and your status as a college prospect is by no means certain, that is much more difficult. That’s why we need to salute Gina.
Coming off a breakout high school season at Champlin Park, the 5’10 power forward has earned her way into the Prep Girls Hoops class of 2021 rankings at #136 and rising. And when we say ‘earned’ we really do mean it. Gina started at the bottom but has been grinding hard over the past couple of years to improve her game and get the most out of her talent. She wears a hard hat and carries a lunch bucket to the job site every day.
On Thursday night at a park in Shoreview it was hot, the workout was a little off-kilter because the court was unavailable for a period of time, and the engagement level of the players was all over the place. Despite the obstacles, Gina was pounding the pavement and won every single race there was to win. Running ‘killers’ was a showcase for this athlete as she finished way out front in every rep. Stefferud is a little unorthodox, and she’s not the smoothest or swiftest player on the floor, but she will play college basketball and her work ethic is the primary reason why. I have nothing but respect for players who are determined to get the most out of what they have even in the midst of a global pandemic.
Dorothy Stotts Dorothy Stotts 5'8" | CG Edina | 2022 State MN (Edina) & Ally Schultz Ally Schultz 6'0" | CG Lakeville South | 2022 State MN (Lakeville South) – Minnesota Stars 2022 Nilsen
The most well-conditioned group we watched this week was Matt Nilsen’s Minnesota Stars 2022 team. They worked hard when I watched them on Sunday, did a ton of conditioning drills and made it obvious that they had been preparing well for the opportunity. I suppose that should not be surprising given that five of the players are new to the squad, including Lexi Karge Lexi Karge 6'2" | PF Mankato East | 2022 State MN and Mackenzie Schweim Mackenzie Schweim 5'10" | PG Mankato East | 2022 State MN of Mankato East, Adeline Kent Adeline Kent 5'8" | CG Becker | 2022 State MN of Becker, Desiree Ware Desiree Ware 5'8" | CG Minnetonka | 2022 State MN of Minnetonka and Lily Fandre Lily Fandre 6'2" | SF Eagan | 2022 State MN of Eagan. All of these kids are scholarship-level prospects who are eager to impress.
The two players who stood out the most to me are a pair of athletes whose commitment has never been questioned: 5’11 guard Ally Schultz Ally Schultz 6'0" | CG Lakeville South | 2022 State MN of Lakeville South and 5’8 guard Dorothy Stotts Dorothy Stotts 5'8" | CG Edina | 2022 State MN of Edina. Schultz (#21 in the class) has been working hard on her conditioning all spring as she attempts to get stronger and more nimble. She always puts a ton of time in on her shooting and the results speak for themselves. Stotts (#26) is the ultimate grinder, a player whose success is built on a superior basketball IQ, attention to detail and a whole lot of grit. Both girls powered through every challenge Nilsen threw at them on Sunday and were vocal about encouraging their teammates to do the same. Both Schultz and Stotts are great examples of what can happen when you go about your business in the right way.
Haley Bryant Haley Bryant 5'7" | CG Lakeville North | 2023 State MN (Lakeville North) & Emy Wolkow Emy Wolkow 5'11" | CG Lakeville North | 2023 State MN (Lakeville North) – North Tartan 2023 Elite
These two only know one way to roll: Flat out all year round. When I saw them on Sunday evening in Lakeville, the two freshmen were on their second major workout of the day. That’s not new. They have been training hard throughout the dead period. Both have improved their skills over the past 12 months while physically maturing at the same time, and they are clearly driven to get better. The last half hour of Sunday’s session had to be excruciating after four hours on the court, and it was obvious they were feeling the burn, but neither player complained or let off the gas.
Wolkow is a 5’10 combo guard ranked #30 in the class of 2023. She’ll have a huge impact for this North Tartan team and not just because her sister Maddie is the head coach! Emy is long and lanky, has a well-honed skill set and the fire inside burns bright. Bryant is a top-40 freshman, a 5’7 combo guard with great handles who plays with passion and pace. Both will be major pieces for the new-look Lakeville North this coming season.