AAU Week #1: Who was shining at the Suns Showcase?
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The occasion may have been the Minnesota Suns Spring Showcase but there was nothing spring-like about Saturday morning. One attempt to traverse the back parking lot at Hopkins High School just minutes before tipoff made that obvious, but the show…
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Continue ReadingThe occasion may have been the Minnesota Suns Spring Showcase but there was nothing spring-like about Saturday morning. One attempt to traverse the back parking lot at Hopkins High School just minutes before tipoff made that obvious, but the show must go on even in the aftermath of an April Fools blizzard. By day’s end, though, the sun was shining and so were plenty of young basketball prospects who were making the most of their first opportunity of the 2023 campaign.
Once again this AAU season, we’ll be writing our always-popular weekly recap on the Monday following each event. We’ll also do our regular articles covering fresh faces, stock risers, breakthrough performers and the like. So without further ado – and hopefully no more snow to shovel – is our recap of AAU Week #1 at the Minnesota Suns Spring Showcase.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
One thing we always enjoy on opening weekend is seeing the new teams that show up unannounced, with unfamiliar names and logos and players. We always try to go into it without preconceived notions about what is possible for the independents, open to the possibility that they might have staying power and star power. Remember DTA Academy? We’d never heard of the team or their coach Marqus McGlothan in the spring of 2018 when we watched them the first time in St. Cloud. Today those kids are playing college basketball and their coach is employed at Division 1 Eastern Illinois. It happens.
On Saturday we saw our first newcomers of 2023 in the first game of the first tournament on the first day of the new season – Minnesota Advanced 2025. Turns out that many of the top players are actually 2026s and the team is based out of Bemidji. Coach Quincy Wilson tells us the club has fielded boy’s teams in the past but that this is their first effort in the girls arena. Let’s just say they are off to a pretty good start. After a few first-half jitters against Suns 2025 S40, Advanced came back to win 47-40 with a really impressive second half. They finished the opening weekend with two wins and a loss. There were four players in particular who stood out.
- Taelynn Cash – The 2026 guard from Grand Rapids (jersey #5) has a solid build, plenty of strength and the athletic ability to set herself apart. We loved how well she moved about the court along with her aggressiveness.
- Kait Laduke – The 2026 guard from Bemidji (#13) isn’t very big but she certainly made things happen. She is a pass-first point guard who sees the floor well, keeps her eyes up and finds the open teammate. She’s skilled and crafty and highly-focused.
- Jada Morgan – The 2025 guard from Grand Rapids (#00) was the alpha dog for her team this weekend. She is super aggressive with plenty of speed and explosiveness. She’s agile, athletic and very deceptive. We loved her shooting stroke, too.
- Anysia Pink – As you can tell in the banner photo, the 2026 guard from Bemidji (#14) has a ton of length, which she used well at both ends of the floor. Pink has a nice sense of timing on rebounds, anticipates well defensively, and has a quick first step.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kadence Pierce Kadence Pierce 5'10" | SG Ogilvie | 2026 State MN – 2026 guard, Minnesota Suns 2026 Blue Star
Players like Kadence are the reason we love AAU basketball so much. I’m sure the good people of Ogilvie – population 393 – enjoy watching her play for their local high school in Kanabec County. But for the rest of us, who are committed to uncovering next-level basketball talent, her skills and abilities would have remained a mystery if not for the many opportunities we had to watch her in person last summer with Minnesota Stars Nilsen. Fast forward to Saturday and Pearce was right back in our consciousness after a six-month void.
Pearce is now suiting up for Minnesota Suns 2026 Blue Star, led by DeLaSalle coach James Fassett. In the first half of Saturday afternoon’s contest Kadence appeared to be feeling things out with her new team. She was steady but not spectacular, solid but not outstanding. At halftime Fassett made a couple of adjustments and instructed his talented freshman to take advantage. Pearce certainly did.
Kadence scored off the bounce with a rapid first step, on mid-range jump shots after creating space, and from deep-three territory. Her shot is a thing of beauty – smooth and silky and high. Pearce was attacking the basket in a variety of ways, unafraid of physical contact and able to finish in spite of it. And she scored a couple of buckets from seemingly impossible angles while contorting in improbable ways. In short, Pearce took over the game and Fassett’s team picked up the W. At 5’10 with a ton of length and a solid frame, Pearce is built for college basketball and is developing the skills to succeed there three years hence. Kadence is ranked in the Top 40 among Minnesota’s freshmen and this weekend she reminded us why.
FRESH FACE OF THE WEEK
Ellie Pease Ellie Pease 5'9" | PG Proctor | 2027 MN – 2027 guard, Minnesota Starks
Trainer/coach/club director Dyami Starks is raising up a whole new wave of prospects in the Northland right now and not just generational talent Chloe Johnson Chloe Johnson 5'11" | PG Duluth Marshall | 2028 MN of Duluth Marshall, the 2028 guard who won our high school Newcomer of the Year award. The latest in line was making an impression Saturday playing up a year for the Starks 15U squad directed by UW-Superior coach Emily Carpenter. Ellie is a talented athlete with a nice build, light feet and the on-court presence that lets you know she’s ready to conduct business.
We were impressed with Pease’s advanced ball-handling skills, ability to control tempo, and her natural feel for the game. She sees the floor, picks out an open teammate and fires precise passes to the intended target like she’s done it a thousand times before. Ellie also has a quick first step. At one point on Sunday she enticed her opponent out into the right corner, setting her up for a quick blow-by on the baseline, followed by a sweet floater for two points. It was beautiful, and pretty sophisticated stuff for an 8th grader with limited varsity experience. Ellie also has a smooth shooting stroke, although she might be a tad reluctant at the moment to fire it as often as her coaches would like.
With speed in the open court, plenty of size in the family (always good news) and the necessary work ethic, Ellie appears to have what it takes to excel. Proctor boasts two other Starks standouts – 9th grader Chloe Carlson Chloe Carlson 5'8" | CG Proctor | 2026 State MN , who is a Top 40 prospect in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2026, and uber-athletic 8th grader Peyton Walker, who we have written about before. If Pease’s game evolves in the direction it appears to be going the Proctor Rails will be on track for some time to come.
COMING UP
- Top Newcomers – On Tuesday we’ll take a look at some of the fresh faces who made an impression at the Suns Spring Showcase, including Maia Richardson of Northfield, Adele Changamire of Becker, Alexa Juntanen of Rogers and more.
- Top Stock Risers – On Wednesday we’ll focus on players who raised their stock over the weekend. That list includes the likes of Franny DeLeon of Stillwater, Elena Kronschnabel Elena Kronschnabel 5'10" | SF Cretin-Derham Hall | 2025 State MN of Cretin-Derham Hall, Ashlynn Spong Ashlynn Spong 5'10" | SG St.Croix Prep | 2026 State MN of Woodbury and others.
- PGH Circuit Coverage – We’ll be heading to Milwaukee at the end of the week for our first coverage of the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit. The Legacy Region Kick Off runs Friday and Saturday where we’ll watch the prospects of Minnesota Diamond Elite, Air Minnesota and FBC North do battle with clubs from across the region.