Holiday Hoops: Newcomers who got noticed, part 2

The week between Christmas and New Year's – the Holiday Hoops season – always brings the anticipation of great games and plenty of fresh faces to see. The 2022 tournaments did not disappoint. Yesterday we brought you part one of our look at Holiday Hoops newcomers who got noticed. Today we offer part 2 and six more prospects whose names you should know.   Abby John – 2025 guard, Barnesville   On Tuesday we watched two games from the tournament in Perham on Magnitude Sports Network, a regional webcaster in North Dakota and Western Minnesota that always delivers a high-quality product. Abby's delivery was equally good. The 5'9 guard's return from an ACL injury appears to be going well. John was leading the team in pretty much every category when she got hurt last year, averaging over 16 points, 5 rebounds and nearly 4 assists per game. At Perham she was Barnesville's primary ball handler and did a nice job executing the offense against a tough Sauk Centre squad, including some head-to-head action versus Mainstreeters' standout [player_tooltip player_id='396423' first='Cierra' last='Kortan']. John is solidly built, runs the floor with pace, has nice length, handles the ball with aplomb, and can score in a variety of ways. The multi-sport athlete (volleyball and softball) is a also nice outside shooter with quick feet, and a gym rat with the work ethic necessary to excel.   [player_tooltip player_id='520269' first='Hannah' last='Dierkes'] – 2025 guard, Becker   The Granite City Classic featured a number of compelling match-ups but the 22-team event in St. Cloud definitely saved the best for last. That would be the contest between Becker and Minnetonka, two strong programs with championship pedigree. Becker had things rolling despite being without UW-Green Bay commit [player_tooltip player_id='108304' first='Maren' last='Westin']. When Top 30 junior [player_tooltip player_id='304938' first='Alexis' last='Rose'] went down with an injury late in the first half, the Bulldogs' troubles were compounded. That meant more opportunity, however, for some lesser-known players, including the 5'8 Dierkes. She made a number of big plays down the home stretch, including a couple of huge corner threes to keep the Dogs in front. Hannah impressed us with her speed and quickness, her high-energy approach to the game, the improvement in her shooting and ball handling, and the impact of her defensive play. She would benefit from slowing down a little at times, which will help with decision making and ball security, but this is her first year of varsity and the adjustment is ongoing. With a great work ethic, and some nice raw material to start with, the sophomore's future looks bright.   7TH & 8TH GRADERS TO WATCH   Anika Wind – 2027 guard, Cass Lake-Bena   Just an 8th grader, Anika already finds herself in the starting lineup at Cass Lake-Bena. Watching her perform at St. Bens, it's obvious that she has earned the opportunity at both ends of the floor. She is long, has quick feet, nice lateral movement and is quite explosive. She loves to get up and go and is not afraid to take it to the basket and endure the inevitable contact. Wind is a quality shooter, can manipulate the basketball with either hand, and has a very high basketball IQ. She is already a strong defender and fits really well with CLB's high-pressure philosophy. Despite a thin frame, Wind is a good rebounder with substantial leaping ability and a nice sense of timing.   Anna Neyens – 2027 guard, Mountain Iron-Buhl   People up North have been telling me for some time that Anna may be the next big thing out of Mountain Iron-Buhl. Given all of the greats who have been through the Rangers' program that's high praise. Anna shoots the ball extremely well and has been consistently knocking down three-pointers all season. That's probably her biggest asset right now. Neyens is athletic,  has light feet and good handles, and appears to have a natural feel for the offensive game. She is already a starter who is learning on the job, adapting to the higher pace and greater speed of the varsity game, along with understanding coach Jeff Buffetta's defensive principles better. Neyens isn't real tall yet but she does have nice length and is pretty strong and physical despite a fairly thin frame. We like what we've seen so far and she's only going to get better.   McKinley Hoelscher – 2027 guard, Alexandria   Much like MIB, the Alexandria program has established high standards, produced great results, and consistently churned out top-notch prospects. We can add McKinley to the list of current Cardinals who have the opportunity to be great. With ball handlers like [player_tooltip player_id='396428' first='Allie' last='Haabala'], [player_tooltip player_id='453771' first='MaCee' last='Linow'] and [player_tooltip player_id='346165' first='Hadley' last='Thul'], there's no pressure on Hoelscher to step into a major role before she's ready. Instead, McKinley has eased her way into the rotation by working extremely hard and playing the game with a high level of intelligence that makes her a reliable rotation player who can defend, take care of the basketball and score either inside or out. The 5'7 guard is physically strong, loves to push the pace, can finish in a variety of ways with either hand and has an on-court presence and calm demeanor well beyond her years. She is also an intense competitor and a great teammate. To us that sounds like a Cardinal recipe for success.   Rayahna Fairbanks – 2028 guard, Cass Lake-Bena   Rayahna comes from a long family tradition of Cass Lake-Bena basketball standouts and looks to have similar potential to those who came before her. She's got good size for a 7th grader, runs the floor well, and can get to the rim against bigger, stronger, older players. Although she is somewhat reluctant to shoot at times – not unusual for a 7th grader finding her way on varsity – Fairbanks can knock them down from distance. Right now defense is her best asset, and Panthers coach Martin Wind has no qualms about putting her up against top players on other teams. Rayahna is a work horse who gives her all no matter what. She clearly wants to compete, improve and win.

The week between Christmas and New Year's – the Holiday Hoops season – always brings the anticipation of great games and plenty of fresh faces to see. The 2022 tournaments did not disappoint. Yesterday we brought you part one of our look at Holiday Hoops newcomers who got noticed. Today we offer part 2 and six more prospects whose names you should know.