Promising newcomers we liked in AAU Week #9

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The talent level of North Tartan's Elite teams – the so-called ‘second' units fielded by the venerable AAU program – varies greatly from year to year. The first time we watched our colleague Rudy Ruffin's 8th grade Elite team in the spring we weren't quite sure what to think. Certainly there was some talent to see but it seemed like there was also plenty of work to do to develop their skills and polish these hidden gems. Fast forward a couple of months to today and it's clear that is exactly what is happening. A number of the North Tartan Elite 2027s turned in strong performances at the Battle on the Hardwood in Rosemount over the weekend as Rudy's girls won their first division title of the year. Two of their standouts lead the way today as we take a look at some promising newcomers we liked in AAU Week #9.<strong> </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='667778' first='Laila' last='Moses'] &amp; [player_tooltip player_id='667779' first='Grace' last='Prose']<strong> – guard, North Tartan 2027 Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Although there's plenty of others on this team who warrant our attention – <strong>Brooke Mikolichek</strong>, [player_tooltip player_id='639702' first='Ellie' last='Drange'], <strong>Lauren Santy</strong> and <strong>Lexi Nicolai</strong> to name a few – it is Laila and Grace who currently provide the fuel that powers this team. Moses is a tall, long forward who can jump out of the gym. She is very athletic. Laila does it all for North Tartan, leading the team in scoring, rebounding and ability to single-handedly break the press. The list goes on. As a nationally significant hurdler, you know Moses has speed to burn. Laila's skill development has come so far over the past couple of months. She can beat her defender off the bounce with skill, quickness and power. She can also hit the mid-range pull-up with a high degree of success. On the other side of the ball she uses her length to be an impactful lock-down defender. Moses plans to play this winter at DeLaSalle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grace is listed as a shooting guard but has now taken over point guard duty for 2027 Elite and is doing a remarkable job running the offense. The feisty 8th grader, who currently stands about 5'5, is a highly skilled ball handler with a nice feel for the game. From Mahtomedi, she is the daughter of former Zephyrs coach Eric Prose, who is an assistant with this North Tartan team. Not surprisingly, the coach's kid has a strong understanding of the game. At the core of her list of assets, however, is Grace's shooting ability. This kid can get hot and bury buckets from distance in mass quantities. She made four triples and scored 16 points in Sunday's championship contest and averaged a dozen points per game in the event, second-most in the division. Prose is also her team's vocal leader and example setter, a dedicated competitor who motivates others and leads by example. This spring she has committed to improving her defensive play, has put in the work to do so, and now the fruits of her labor are evident. Both Moses and Prose are pretty good right now but they're probably going to be great long-term.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":667875,"width":400,"height":263,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/06/Brooke-Soash-crop-3525x2314-1686072395.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-667875" width="400" height="263" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='667771' first='Brooke' last='Soash']<strong> – guard, Crossfire 2028 Herman</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We know Brooke can score. One look at her numbers from the AAU State Tournament will tell you that as she averaged 16.5 points per game over the two weekends of play. Watching the 5'5 guard from Champlin Park a little more closely this past Sunday morning in Rosemount, it quickly became obvious that she can do a whole lot more. Brooke is very well put together for a 7th grader. She's much stronger and more powerful than the vast majority of her peers which makes it possible for Soash to blow by or through defenders on her way to the rim. She is uber-athletic, a standout softball player and sprinter who competes with poise and confidence. We love her aggressiveness. Although she scores mostly at the hoop, Soash also has a nice mid-range game, can make the floater and shoot threes. Longtime Crossfire and Heritage Christian Academy coach Tim Herman tells us that Brooke is a great leader with an unquestionable work ethic. We should also mention Soash's teammate <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='630242' first='Caelyn' last='Foster']</strong>, a long and versatile performer from St. Micheal-Albertville who showed us a lot at both ends of the floor. We'll circle back to watch her again in the near future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are two more fresh faces we liked over the weekend:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='667531' first='Lexie' last='Mathews']<strong> – guard/wing, Metro Stars 2026</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ellen Wiese has an impressive group of freshmen this season and on Sunday they took home a title at the Summer Kickoff. We were impressed with Lexie on Saturday when we watched Metro Stars compete. The 5'10 forward from Eastview has tremendous length, and moves really well with pace and agility. She is an all-around talent who can shoot the three or power to the rim. She can also post up, although [player_tooltip player_id='478364' first='Brynn' last='Leibfried'] and <strong>Evelyn Miller</strong> have that covered for Metro. Mathews defends well and is a strong rebounder all over the floor. We loved her energy. Lexie was constantly talking – directing traffic and offering positive encouragement to her teammates. She made a number of nice hustle plays and was very active on both sides of the ball. The main thing Lexie needs to improve on is her focus and consistency so that she is as effective as possible on every play, in every game, every week. Look out when that happens.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='667772' first='Greta' last='Kemming']<strong> – guard, Minnesota Dynasty 2028</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've seen the Dynasty team several times and the 7th graders from Rosemount have proven to be one of the better independent teams this spring. It's impossible to miss Kemming, who is one of the most dynamic point guards we've seen in the Class of 2028. Standing a mere 5 feet at this point, the little speedster is fast, she's quick and she is uber-talented with wonderful handles and light feet. Greta is the Dynasty captain and leads her team in every way, including scoring, field goal percentage, 3-point production and free throw percentage. She loves to get to the rim and does so very well. With her size, however, it's important that she develop a nice mid-range game, and be able to shoot from distance. After much practice she can now do both. Kemming is also a really strong defender who reads her opponents well. We're told her basketball IQ, effort level and desire to learn are all off the charts. There are some talented kids in this Dynasty crew – we really liked guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='897934' first='Lanaia' last='Durant']</strong>, too – but Greta is currently a notch above the rest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->