State Tournament Stock Raisers Class AAAA and Class AAA

Marc Hugunin

March 19, 2017 @ 10:45 PM

What players raised their stock the most at the state tournament? That depends on what you mean by “raised their stock.” Some raised their stock an infinite amount—players who were not on the radar at all previously, and/or not in our ranking. Others made big but incremental strides. We list the big stock raisers in all 4 classes---AAAA, AAA, AA and A—and in all 4, uh, classes—senior, juniors, sophomores, freshmen and younger. But, first, the top 5 big gainers from any and all classes. Biggest Gainers 1. Mattea Rice, Orono, 6-2, senior. I am told she did not play ball as a sophomore or junior. She averaged 1 bucket and 3 points during the regular season. Oh, and she scored a career high of 19, shooting 9-of-10 in the state title game. No big deal. 2. Amaya Battle, Hopkins, 5-7, 7th grade, wing. Has a lot of growing up to do but even in a few tournament minutes you can see that she can play. Ms. Basketball 2022? 3. Sidney Wentland, Elk River, 5-10, senior, power forward. Already known as a solid defender, and already highly regarded—going to D1 Denver—but raised her stock by showing that she can handle the ball against elite pressure and hit the long shot. 4. Madison Gehloff, Waseca, 5-9, sophomore, wing. Proved herself to be an elite shooter. 5. Taylor Brown, Lakeville North, 6-2, junior, forward. Had a nice tournament and raised her stock mainly by showing the mobility to play the 3. Class AAAA Center—Zoe Hardwick, Minnetonka, 6-2, junior. Hard-working post, not quick, but has developed some post moves with some economical footwork that enables her to get her shot off fairly quickly. OK rebounder, too. Power Forward—Sidney Wentland, Elk River, 5-10, senior. Small Forward—Taylor Brown, Lakeville North, 6-2, junior. Point Guard—Hannah Kleist, Hopkins, 5-8, senior. Started game 1 with DeeDee Winston out sick and played well. Not an elite player, to be sure—Cos only played her about 2 minutes against Elk. But she knows how to play the game and can be an asset for a D3 team looking for a 2017 1. Shooting Guard—Caitlyn Peterson, Lakeville North, 5-10, senior. I found out that the reason Caitlyn wasn’t starting for North early this year was that she was sick, so I am sorry if I implied any other reason for her being out of the starting lineup. But, be that as it may, she came on strong toward the end of this year. It was her time, she said, and she just wanted to go out playing her best, and she did. Had a nice tournament, scoring above her usual average. Off the Bench—Amaya Battle, Hopkins, 5-7, 7th grade, wing. Has a lot of growing up to do but even in a few tournament minutes you can see that she can play. Ms. Basketball 2022? Class AAA Center—Olivia Travis, DeLaSalle, 5-10, junior. A smaller version of Zoe Hardwick, a late blooming post who came on strong late this season and was a total monster on the boards, especially the offensive end, during the tournament. Power Forward— Mattea Rice, Orono, 6-2, senior. I am told she did not play ball as a sophomore or junior. She averaged 1 bucket and 3 points during the regular season. Oh, and she scored a career high of 19, shooting 9-of-10 in the state title game. No big deal. Small Forward—Madison Gehloff, Waseca, 5-9, sophomore. Point Guard—Megan Thompson, Holy Angels, 5-6, senior. I have always loved Megan Thompson’s game and she showed it all in the 1st round, scoring 16 points with 10 assists. Great floor leader. Shooting Guard—Hannah Johnson, Willmar, 5-10, sophomore. Actually she is Willmar’s 1. She is big and strong, a 1 in the Kaia Porter mold, though the comparison suggests that she’s not as decisive in her actions, including her passing, as Porter, but of course Porter is a senior, Johnson a sophomore. Lots of upside here. Off the Bench—Meara Beighley, Grand Rapids, 6-2, sophomore, post-power forward. A powerful rebounder who really goes after it on the boards, including the offensive end.