MN Rise Invitational: Fresh faces who impressed

The most recent generation of players coming out of Southern Minnesota has been pretty strong. From the Southeast we’ve seen the likes of [player_tooltip player_id="1917" first="Alyssa" last="Ustby"], [player_tooltip player_id="1446" first="Ayoka" last="Lee"], [player_tooltip player_id="12722" first="Lilly" last="Meister"], [player_tooltip player_id="6431" first="Anna" last="Miller"] and [player_tooltip player_id="108321" first="Aby" last="Shubert"]. From the South-central part of the state there’s [player_tooltip player_id="28186" first="Joey" last="Batt"], [player_tooltip player_id="109139" first="Mackenzie" last="Schweim"], [player_tooltip player_id="109122" first="Lexi" last="Karge"], [player_tooltip player_id="110535" first="Gus" last="Boyer"], [player_tooltip player_id="109131" first="Madison" last="Mathiowetz"] and more. The next generation, which includes the likes of 2024s [player_tooltip player_id="178265" first="Kadence" last="Hesse"] of Sleepy Eye and [player_tooltip player_id="178267" first="Rhyan" last="Holmgren"] of St. Peter, is just as impressive and there are more on the way. On Sunday in Nicollet we watched nearly 50 players in the 2025-2027 classes do their thing and we can tell you now that the strength and depth of the field continues to grow. We had watched and written about a number of these youngsters over the course of the AAU season, including 2025s <strong>Emily Anderson</strong> of Martin County West and [player_tooltip player_id="208187" first="Annika" last="Southworth"] of St. Peter along with 2026s <strong>Brooklyn Lewis</strong> of New Ulm and [player_tooltip player_id="280354" first="Tucker" last="Downs"] of Mankato West. Here are five more players we focused on at the Rise event whose names you need to remember. <strong>Ella Mullenbach – 2025 guard, Minnesota Valley Lutheran</strong> Ella’s motor goes and goes and goes. She’s quick and fast, with quality handles and the ability to get to the rim. She can also score, both inside and out, and is a high-quality long-distance shooter. This summer with the Minnesota Heat she put up a ton of points and averaged over 12 ppg at the Rise Invitational, as well. She’s not tall but she’s got decent frame size and strength to work with. Ella’s biggest asset is her frenetic energy but she would do well to slow down at times, too. Once she learns to regulate her speed to maximum effect, Ella’s ball security will improve and her effectiveness will do the same. <strong>Morgan Hulke – 2025 guard, New Ulm</strong> As the kids like to say, Morgan is a walking bucket. She was the second-leading scorer in the younger division over the course of the Rise Invitational, averaging 14 points per game. I believe she was the top scorer in Division 2 at the AAU State Tournament, as well. Morgan is a terrific three-point shooter and she’s added a nice pull-up jumper to her repertoire, as well. Hulke is also very effective inside with big power and a soft touch. Although she’s not that tall, Morgan has a huge frame and is physically mature and strong for her age. She knows how to leverage that size to advantage in the paint, attacks the rim with gusto, and pulls down more than her share of rebounds. <strong>Brooklin Hinze – 2026 guard, St. Clair</strong> There were a ton of great young athletes in Nicollet on Sunday, including Brooklin. She’s long and quick, with light feet and lengthy strides. Her first step is very impressive and difficult to defend. She gets to the rim with high frequency and knows what to do once her defender has been dealt with. Hinze led the division in scoring with 91 points, about 15 per game.  She can shoot the three, has a sweet step-back jump shot, and she’s a very good on-ball defender. Brooklin is definitely a prospect to watch in the Class of 2026. <strong>Brylee Miller – 2026 wing/guard, Fairmont</strong> We watch a ton of young players do good work, but every so often we’ll spot someone who just grabs hold of our attention and keeps it for a long time. We told you yesterday about [player_tooltip player_id="280354" first="Tucker" last="Downs"] of Mankato West. She’s one of those players. Well so is Brylee, a long wing/small forward who has a little something extra. Miller is a natural athlete who moves beautifully, and her motor is second to none. Her ability to blow past defenders with a powerful stride and elevate to the rim is impressive – scoring on a stylish 360-degree spin move was fun to watch – and her willingness to put her body in harm’s way is a huge asset. She averaged 12 ppg at the Rise Invitational and made her presence felt all over the court. <strong>Morgan Mathiowetz – 2027 guard, Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s</strong> At one point during Sunday’s action one of the officials snuck over to where we were sitting and asked the question: “Is that a Mathiowetz?” Yep, she is. Morgan is the little sister of 2023 South Dakota State commit [player_tooltip player_id="109131" first="Madison" last="Mathiowetz"] of North Tartan EYBL. She’s the latest in a long line of Mathiowetz family members who have excelled in athletics in the region and Morgan has definitely got next. She’s small yet, but her skill set is oh so sweet. Morgan can handle it, shoot it, pass it, and score it pretty much any way you want. She’s got a natural feel for the game and has clearly put in the work to develop. I hesitate to even say it because it’s really not fair to the kid, but I can’t resist: Morgan could turn out to be as good or better than Maddie and that’s saying something. Remember where you heard it first. Here are a few more names to remember for the MN Rise Invitational. <ul> <li><strong>Maddie Backer</strong> – 2025 guard, New Ulm</li> <li><strong>Jordan Carpenter</strong> – 2027 guard, Rochester Mayo</li> <li><strong>Jersey Coleman</strong> – 2027 forward, Owatonna</li> <li><strong>Sienna Duinick</strong> – 2027 guard, Central Minnesota Christian</li> <li><strong>Cadence Okerman</strong> – 2025 guard, Sleepy Eye</li> <li><strong>Kylie Olson</strong> – 2026 guard, Mankato East</li> <li><strong>Hope Stark</strong> – 2026 guard, Yellow Medicine East</li> <li><strong>Jacey Swanson</strong> – 2026 guard, St. James</li> <li><strong>Journey Swanson</strong> – 2026 forward, St. James</li> <li><strong>Nevaeh Wacholz</strong> – 2025 guard, Albert Lea</li> </ul> <span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>Top photo: The winning team in the 2025-2027 division at the Rise Invitational was led by prospects Jacey Swanson, Ella Mullenbach, Brooklyn Lewis and Jersey Coleman.</em></span>