PGH Ponderings: 2021's Ready to Step Into the Spotlight

Featured image is of Takara Mason - Tartan/UVA Coley As I've noted on Twitter, as well as in my last few articles, I will fully admit that I've been largely absent from PGH over the winter. However, I did have the opportunity to take in my fair share of basketball during that time. I spent most of my evenings either coaching or scouting, and I tried my best to take mental notes throughout the high school season so that I could bring some of my thoughts back to you. What you're reading now is the second article in a short series of articles that I'll be posting over the next week or so. With the high school season officially in the rear-view mirror, and the AAU season still in its infancy, now felt like as good of time as ever to sort through a slightly jumbled collection of thoughts, observations, and opinions about some of the best players and performances that I saw throughout the past four months, as well as what I'm looking forward to this spring and summer. So that's the plan! In the name of consistency and good, old-fashioned alliteration, we're calling the series PGH Ponderings. One thing that I'll continue to stress throughout this series: These articles aren't meant to be all-encompassing lists of “best fill in the blank,” “top fill in the blank,” or “fill in the blank of the year” winners. Rather, my goal here is to write about some prospects whose performances I admired and appreciated throughout the high school season, and look forward to seeing more of this summer. With that, let's jump in! FIVE 2021's PRIMED FOR A BIG AAU SEASON RAEGAN ALEXANDER - ST. LOUIS PARK & MINNESOTA STARS HERSCH - I would consider last summer's AAU season to be one long, extended breakout performance for Raegan Alexander. Alexander and her Stars Hersch teammates strung together a heck of a year, and Raegan found herself rocketing up the 2021 rankings. This past high school season at St. Louis Park was more of the same for Alexander. She led the Orioles in scoring and rebounding, while nearly averaging a double-double at over 14 points and over 9 rebounds per game. That's one impressive sophomore season. I can't wait to take in my first Stars Hersch 2021 game this spring. The team is still stacked, but this season they'll be taking the court without PGH Minnesota's #1 player in the class of 2021, Adalia McKenzie. McKenzie is running with North Tartan this year, which leaves a bit of a hole in the Stars' lineup. We're anticipating that Alexander will continue to step up her game, and pick up some of the slack that McKenzie left behind. The first tournament for Alexander and her Minnesota Stars Hersch teammates will be at the Minnesota Comets Shootout in St. Cloud on April 13th-14th. GIONNA CARR - STILLWATER & MINNESOTA FURY YELLOW - After starting her high school career at Hill-Murray, Carr decided to transfer to Stillwater this winter. The decision kept her out of varsity action during her sophomore year, which is one of the main reasons why we're so excited to watch her play this summer. While at Hill, Carr was a high-energy freshman who came off the bench for Coach Erin Herman's Pioneers. At that time, she was an impact player on the defensive end, who was in the process of refining her game offensively (but then again, what freshman isn't). Fast forward to last summer, Carr stepped up as a primary ball-handler for her Minnesota Fury Yellow team, a squad whose roster was void of a true point guard. This year, Fury Yellow was able to add Tatum Brostrom (Prior Lake) and Julia Knudson (Orono) to handle the point guard responsibilities. That will move Carr back to the wing, a more natural fit for her skill set. It's also probably where she'll plug into the Ponies lineup next year, leaving the PG duties in the more-than-capable hands of standout 2021 Alexis Pratt. It will be really interesting to see how quickly Carr can adjust back to the faster pace and better competition of AAU ball after a winter of playing JV. My hunch is that she won't miss a beat, and that she'll be an impact player on both sides of the court for Coach Ebenreiter this season. Your first opportunity to see Carr and her Minnesota Fury Yellow teammates is at the Midwest Kickoff Classic in Bloomington on April 12th-14th. CASSIDY CARSON - EASTVIEW & NORTH TARTAN SINN - A short aside here: I have the upmost respect for the program that Coach Molly Kasper has built at Eastview. It takes roughly 30 seconds of watching her teams to recognize how much care and respect there is between her coaching staff and her players. And the same is true for how the athletes treat each other. That type of environment allows for players like Cassidy Carson to thrive. Carson has also had the luxury to learn from the likes of Megan Walstad (UW-Milwukee), Macy Guebert (South Dakota), and Emma Carpenter (UM-Crookston). That is a trio of true leaders, as well as fantastic basketball players. Cassidy was a huge reason why the Lightning were so successful this year, and come next winter she will be expected to shoulder even more of the load. But first, she will have the opportunity to play with North Tartan Sinn, one of the most loaded AAU rosters in recent memory. Here's a fun fact that should drive home that I'm not speaking in hyperbole: Cassidy Carson is currently PGH Minnesota's ninth ranked player in the class of 2021. And yet she has five (yes five) North Tartan teammates ranked higher than her in 2021 and 2022 classes (2021: #1 Adalia McKenzie, #2 Jenna Johnson, #5 Ellie Dague 2022: #1 Maya Nnaji, #4 Mara Braun). With that much firepower, Carson should have plentiful opportunities to slash to the basket and draw fouls on defenders, two things that she does extremely well. The expectations will continue to rise for Cassidy come her junior season at Eastview. But as far as this summer is concerned, my plan is to sit back and enjoy watching one of Minnesota's most talented prospects play on one of Minnesota's most talented teams. Carson and North Tartan Sinn will be playing the Saturday games at the Midwest Kickoff Classic in Bloomington on April 14th (NT 17's will play on Sunday). ELLA HRONSKI - MAHTOMEDI & MINNESOTA FURY YELLOW - Hronski is another really intriguing prospect. During her freshman season at Mahtomedi in '17-'18, she was playing so well that her coach, Eric Prose, couldn't help but put her in the varsity rotation. At that time, the Zephyrs had a loaded line-up that included the likes of Emma Grothaus (Lehigh) and Annika Sougstad (MIT). Then last summer, Hronski was forced to play a bit out of position, much like her AAU teammate Gionna Carr. Despite being more comfortable at the wing, Ella shared ball-handling responsibilities with Carr and others for Fury Yellow throughout the season. Fast forward to the '18-'19 high school season and Mahtomedi's roster was absolutely decimated by injuries. Unfortunately, Hronski was one of the many Zephyrs bit by the injury bug, keeping her out of the first two thirds of the team's games. But when Ella was able to come back, she made an immediate impact. There are a few reasons why we're looking forward to watching Hronski again this spring. First, she's finally back at full-strength after a long rehab process. Second, the improved guard play of this year's version of Fury Yellow should allow her to play a much more dynamic role. And finally, Hronski is known as a shooter, with opposing teams often trying to run her off the line and get the ball out of her hands. But over the past year, she has become much more confident finding her way to the basket and creating for her teammates. We're planning on a break-out type of summer for Hronski as she continues to round out her game. As noted above, the first tournament for Hronski and Minnesota Fury Yellow is at the Midwest Kickoff Classic in Bloomington on April 12th-14th. TAKARA MASON - TARTAN & UVA COLEY - Takara, or "TK" as she's more widely known, is one of the more unique prospects in the 2021 class. Mason has an excellent, almost effortless feel for the game of basketball. One of the first things that stands out about TK is that she has the ability to distribute the ball like a true floor general. During her sophomore season at Tartan, Mason led the Titans with nearly 6 assists per game, and did so while maintaining a 2.75 to 1 assist to turnover ratio. That's the kind of stat that college coaches drool over. And at the same time, Takara shoots the ball with confidence from behind the arc (led Tartan in 3-point shooting last year), and is strong enough to bring smaller guards in the post. You're probably starting to see why I call her unique. Her skill set doesn't necessarily lend itself to a specific position. At the end of the day, Mason can just flat out hoop. And I think those are the types of players that her AAU coach, Tylor Coley, is naturally drawn to. Players who don't need plays called for them in order to have an impact. Your first opportunity to see Mason and her UVA Coley teammates is at the Midwest Kickoff Classic in Bloomington on April 12th-14th. FIVE BONUS NAMES TO REMEMBER I watched so many good players this winter, it's hard keep the list to five. So here are five prospects outside of PGH Minnesota's Top 50 that I'd recommend you keep your eye on this summer. BRYNN BAUER - SOUTH ST. PAUL & HEAT VANG JULIA BENGSTON - BECKER & COMETS ELITE LILLI MACKLEY - HILL MURRAY & MN/WI FORCE ANNA RANEY - MAHTOMEDI & HEAT VANG JAYLA RELIFORD - ROBBINSDALE COOPER & 43 HOOPS   In-article photo of Cassidy Carson is courtesy of the Star Tribune