Fresh faces we liked at the Fall Exclusive

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Back in October of 2020 when fall sports were on pandemic pause and nobody knew if there would be a high school basketball season, the Fall Exclusive was born as an opportunity for players to stay sharp and have a little fun while we all fretted about what was to come. The event was a huge success. Year three of the league, presented exclusively by our friends at Jr All Star this time around, opened on Friday night at Bloomington Kennedy with 10 teams and a ton of talent. While Shakopee's [player_tooltip player_id='215985' first='Olivia' last='Pawlicki'] and Eden Prairie's [player_tooltip player_id='252480' first='Rae' last='Ehrman'] were torching the 9th-12th grade division – we'll have more on that tomorrow – there were a number of newbies making their presence felt among the 7th and 8th graders. Here are six fresh faces who stood out in week 1.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sara Stern – 2027 forward/wing, Maple Grove</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Height: 6 feet. Wingspan: 74 inches. Vertical jump: 22 inches. Upside: Not measurable. If you are into numbers, those are some pretty good digits to begin with. Pictured above, Stern also has very good bloodlines, as she is the sister of Top 10 junior [player_tooltip player_id='215956' first='Claire' last='Stern'] who has committed to North Dakota State. Sara may have that kind of potential, too. Stern can score off the bounce and finishes well at the rim. We liked her shooting form and she can knock them down from mid-range to beyond the arc. She is a solid rebounder and disruptive defender who knows how to use her length well to defend multiple positions. And she's a tireless worker with great intangibles and a ton of upside.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":537429,"width":400,"height":263,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/10/Maggie-Joyce-scaled-crop-2206x1449-1667094294.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-537429" width="400" height="263" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='866655' first='Maggie' last='Joyce'] – 2028 guard, New Ulm</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When 5'10 7th graders stroll onto the court we pay attention. When they are athletic and long and bring plenty of bounce to the party we are all in. That's Maggie. The Minnesota Rise athlete just returned after being out for six weeks with a broken arm and still had a small cast on her wrist Friday. It didn't appear to hamper her at all. Maggie rebounded the ball well, made some shots and finished at the rim, too. She moves really well and at one point scored a pretty bucket off a sweet spin move, finishing with her left hand. Joyce has some work to do on her shooting from distance but all of the ingredients are there to be a scholarship-level player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":537436,"width":400,"height":263,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/10/McKenna-Hulke-scaled-crop-2331x1531-1667094460.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-537436" width="400" height="263" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>McKenna Hulke – 2028 guard, New Ulm</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Some players are just a ton of fun to watch, and the Minnesota Rise have a lot of them right now. Count this 7th grader among them. McKenna was on fire Friday night. She was constantly on the move, always on the attack, and mostly on the money from long distance. She is really athletic and very quick. Her ability to attack and retreat and attack again immediately was impressive for a young player. She can handle the basketball, is an excellent three-point shooter and despite being pretty tiny right now showed no trepidation whatsoever about taking the ball into the danger zone.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":537443,"width":400,"height":263,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/10/Kiyanah-McGriff-scaled-crop-2511x1649-1667094548.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-537443" width="400" height="263" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='990285' first='Kiyanah' last='McGriff'] – 2028 forward, Roseville</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Standing perhaps 5'9 or so, McGriff has a big frame and is physically imposing from first glance. She looked a tad tentative to start and we weren't quite sure what to expect. Then she showed some skills, the ability to make shots from mid-range and the explosiveness to elude two defenders and elevate to the rim. Kiyanah does everything at her own pace. She's not hurrying but she's not slow. She's not going to wow you with her handles or make a mix tape but she is effective. And the longer the evening went the better McGriff got. This is a small sample size, of course, but we are intrigued.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":537450,"width":400,"height":263,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/10/Fiona-Antilla-scaled-crop-2434x1598-1667094633.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-537450" width="400" height="263" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fiona Anttila – 2027 guard, Prior Lake</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When you watch Fiona play you get the feeling you are watching a much older player, not a fresh-faced 8th grader who has yet to grace a varsity court. Standing about 5'7 with a good-sized frame, Anttila is a solidly built guard whose skilled development is equally advanced. She handles the ball very well, knows how to control tempo, and can change speed or directions quickly and without difficulty. She's also a mature decision maker who sees the floor, finds the open teammate and makes the right play. This Minnesota Stars athlete definitely has scholarship potential.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":537462,"width":400,"height":263,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/10/Landis-Williamson-Andrews-crop-1172x770-1667094722.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-537462" width="400" height="263" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='502564' first='Landis' last='Williamson-Andrews'] – 2026 guard, Eastview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Landis has been making quite a name for herself over the past few weeks. The crafty 5'6 combo guard from Minnesota Diamond Elite had a really nice day at the Prep Girls Hoops Freshman Showcase in September, earning a spot on our colleague Rudy Ruffin's sharpshooters squad for her three-point prowess. She has looked very good at Breakdown Fall League, was a standout at the Featured 40 last week and on Friday night she was excellent once more. Landis is explosive with fast feet, quick hands and the ability to make space for herself to shoot. This is a talented guard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->