Meet the Prep Girls Hoops 2018-19 All-Freshmen Team

This was the year of the freshman. It’s a trend that has been developing in recent seasons as we see more and more younger players making an impact on the varsity level. This year that trend seemed to escalate as so many great young players rose to the fore, both in the regular season and at the state tournament. In recognition of their accomplishments, we are pleased to announce the Prep Girls Hoops 2018-19 High School All-Freshmen team. How much impact did they have? Well two of the players on this list – <strong>Kaylynn Asberry</strong> of Como Park and <strong>Mallory Heyer</strong> of Chaska – played well enough to make our overall All-State team this year. A couple more came really close. Several had some truly dominant performances – <strong>Callin Hake</strong> of Chanhassen and <strong>Lilly Meister</strong> of Rochester John Marshall come to mind – and were the most important players on their teams. A couple of things to note. This team has been selected based on current performance, not future potential. That is, of course, the opposite of our player rankings, which can be confusing. As a result you won’t see some of the top prospects on this list because they have yet to make an impact at the varsity level. Others play in very deep programs where they are having to patiently wait their turn to make a bigger splash. It’s much more difficult, for example, to be an impact player as a freshman at Hopkins or Wayzata than it is at Mankato East or Como Park, where everyone in the lineup was young. There’s no doubt in my mind that 8th grader <strong>Nunu Agara</strong> at Hopkins, for example, would have been a force on most teams in the state. The same holds true for freshman <strong>Nia Holloway</strong> at Eden Prairie. Although she was a regular contributor, (6 points and 6 rebounds per game) and is one of the best prospects in the class, Holloway is currently playing behind Division 1 talent which affected her ability to do more this season. One more note. Two players who made a huge impact at the state tournament are also not included here. That’s because <strong>Kiani Lockett</strong> and <strong>Sydney Runsewe</strong> of DeLaSalle didn’t play enough regular season games to qualify. Both missed most of the season with knee injuries before returning just in time for the playoffs. Without further delay, here is the Prep Girls Hoops 2018-19 All-Freshmen team. <strong>First team</strong> <ul> <li>Amaya Battle, guard, Hopkins</li> <li>Callin Hake, guard, Chanhassen</li> <li>Mara Braun, guard, Wayzata</li> <li>Mallory Heyer, forward, Chaska</li> <li>Lily Meister, forward, Rochester John Marshall</li> </ul> <strong>Second team</strong> <ul> <li>Kaylynn Asberry, guard, Como Park</li> <li>Ellie Colbeck, guard Fergus Falls</li> <li>Ronnie Porter, guard, Como Park</li> <li>Adeline Kent, guard, Becker</li> <li>Maya Nnaji, forward, Hopkins</li> </ul> <strong>Third team</strong> <ul> <li>Alexa Ratzlaff, guard, Rosemount</li> <li>Ellie Buzzelle, guard, Rogers</li> <li>Natalie Mikrot, guard, Moose Lake-Willow River</li> <li>Mya Williams, forward, DeLaSalle</li> <li>Jada James, forward, Como Park</li> </ul> <strong>Honorable mention</strong> <ul> <li>CJ Adamson, guard, Rochester Lourdes</li> <li>Lily Meincke, guard, Lake City</li> <li>Maddie James, guard/forward, Princeton</li> <li>Madison Mathiowetz, guard, Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s</li> <li>McKenzie Schweim, guard, Mankato East</li> </ul> <strong>8TH GRADE ALL STARS</strong> If you watched a lot of basketball this winter you know that it wasn’t just 9th graders who made their presence known at the varsity level. Several 8th graders did the same and we wanted to recognize 10 of them here. From standout defender <strong>Sydnee Nelson</strong> in Red Wing to high-flying guard <strong>Tessa Johnson</strong> in St. Michael-Albertville, these kids are already top performers. <strong>First team</strong> <ul> <li>Shania Nichols-Van Nett, guard, Como Park</li> <li>Kennedy Sanders, guard, Chaska</li> <li>Aby Shubert, guard, Kasson-Mantorville</li> <li>Tessa Johnson, guard, St. Michael-Albertville</li> <li>Taylor Woodson, forward, Hopkins</li> </ul> <strong>Second team</strong> <ul> <li>Cloey Jarnott, guard, Maranatha</li> <li>Ashley Fritz, guard, Hastings</li> <li>Sydnee Nelson, guard, Red Wing</li> <li>Kennedy Herndon, guard, St. Paul Academy</li> <li>Brylee Iverson, forward, Triton</li> </ul> <span style="font-size: 10pt"><em>Top photo: Wayzata's Mara Braun came straight from travel ball to varsity and was a standout performer all season. (Photo courtesy of StarTribune/Sports Engine)</em></span>