Breakout Player of the Year: Nunu Agara of Hopkins

Over the past couple of seasons the word most often used in describing [player_tooltip player_id="108348" first="Nunu" last="Agara"] has been ‘potential.’ After the high school season she had this year, we need to come up with new adjectives because Nunu’s talent, athleticism, and ability was on full display. Agara has arrived and is now among Minnesota’s premier college prospects. That’s why today we are pleased to name the Hopkins sophomore as the Prep Girls Hoops Breakout Player of the Year. There were a lot of players who had breakout campaigns, but this award is intended for those who have already completed at least one season of varsity basketball prior to this year. That means rookies such as 7th graders [player_tooltip player_id="252381" first="Maddyn" last="Greenway"] (Providence Academy) or [player_tooltip player_id="205310" first="Tori" last="Oehrlein"] (Crosby-Ironton) aren’t eligible. Now that we’ve got that fine print out of the way, here are this year’s winners. <strong>WINNER</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="108348" first="Nunu" last="Agara"] <strong>– sophomore, Hopkins</strong> Nunu is an athlete pure and simple. With long strides and unbelievable leaping ability, Agara can use her natural physical tools to dominate in several aspects of the game. That has been evident all along which is why she, along with her teammate [player_tooltip player_id="108298" first="Taylor" last="Woodson"], is a top-three prospect in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2023. This year Agara became a much more complete basketball player whose ability to knock down key shots and make big plays was a huge part of Hopkins’ continued success. Nunu averaged 32 minutes per game, scoring 11.7 points and 8.3 rebounds on average. Those numbers are much more impressive when you consider how much talent is in the Royals lineup and how the scoring is so evenly distributed across the roster. Nunu’s ceiling is virtually unlimited. She is a high-major prospect and this winter she showed loudly and clearly why that is the case. <strong>RUNNER-UP</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="108318" first="Sophie" last="Lahti"] <strong>– sophomore, Pine City</strong> The 6’0 guard is one of the most athletic players in the state regardless of class, grade or position. Her leaping ability is elite. This year, Lahti showed up as a much bigger and buffer version of herself, for the first time having the strength to overpower opponents with her physical tools. When Sophie attacks the rim she is virtually unstoppable at the Class 2A level. Lahti is now an established varsity stalwart with three seasons of experience, and her statistics tell the story of Sophie’s growth. As an 8th grader, Lahti averaged 5.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. As a freshman it was 13.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists. This year Lahti scored 20.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 4 steals. She topped the 20-point mark 10 times, including totals of 29 at Isle as well as 30- and 34-point performances against Ogilvie. Lahti holds Division 1 offers and her ceiling is high. She’s also a heck of a lot of fun to watch. <strong>HONORABLE MENTIONS</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="178269" first="Liv" last="McGill"] <strong>– </strong>As an 8th grader at Park Center last year, you could see what was possible for McGill. She is strong and athletic and just oozing with skill and swagger. The quick-as-you-like guard averaged 7.5 points per game in a veteran-laden lineup. This winter, as a freshman at Hopkins, the 2nd-rated prospect in the Class of 2024 was a force in a powerhouse program. It’s not often that a freshman makes that kind of impact at Hopkins, but Liv put her stamp all over pretty much every game and was integral to the Royals’ success. She averaged 11.9 ppg, made big plays on a regular basis, and was a defensive dynamo. Liv’s potential is exciting. [player_tooltip player_id="215958" first="Tori" last="McKinney"] – The freshman from Minnetonka got her feet wet in varsity as an 8th grader and it was typical first-year stuff – a little tentative and very much lacking in physical strength. Fast forward one year and McKinney was an impact player on one of the top Class 4A teams in the state. Tori’s numbers don’t jump off the page, but it’s impossible to overstate how important she was, especially after earning a place in the starting lineup midway through the season. “Tori’s length and speed make her a menace on the defensive side of the ball,” said coach Leah Dasovich. “And she has a positive assists-to-turnover ratio which, as a freshman in the Lake Conference, is outstanding.” [player_tooltip player_id="109737" first="Tamia" last="Ugass"] – It seems odd to include a senior in this category, which is normally reserved for younger players on the rise, but what the Louisiana State commit from Roseville did in her sixth season of varsity basketball is definitely deserving of note. The 6’3 post started as a 7th grader at St. Paul’s Highland Park before moving to Roseville in 9th grade. Throughout her career she averaged in the 10-12 points per game range while dominating the boards. This year, under new coach Tanysha Scott, Tamia’s production went through the roof . With the green light to knock down threes at will, Ugass averaged 18.3 ppg. She scored 73 points in two games against East Ridge, and was in double figures 15 times in 17 contests overall.