Gym rat! When players truly love the game, when it is their passion, when everything else seems to take a back seat to the pursuit of basketball excellence it becomes obvious that the athlete in question is a diehard. Over the years, watching Ava work, that is always the impression we get. She’s just so darned passionate, and that’s half the battle when it comes to preparing for college basketball. So there she was on Saturday at Hopkins playing hard, competing on every possession, fighting for each opportunity and doing it all with a smile. Ava can play. She is an exceptional shooter who has put in untold amounts of work to hone that skill. That allows her to stretch the defense and create open opportunities for her teammates. Nebben’s ball-handling continues to improve. Ditto for her defense. And on a senior-heavy squad at Class 3A Monticello she managed to appear in 29 varsity games as a sophomore. The Magic return four starters so it won’t be easy to earn more minutes but when players bring energy and effort and an infectiously positive attitude to the gym every day of the season it’s hard to keep them off the floor. Ava embraces the grind, respects the game and puts in the work. She will no doubt figure out a way to play at the next level.