A healthy helping of Thanksgiving leftovers

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without leftovers, right? The Twin Cities Thanksgiving Tip Off and Hamline University's Pat Paterson Tournament certainly dished up some tasty morsels. We've been digesting them all week, but there were a few more side plates we wanted to deliver. Click a link below if you want to have a look at what we've covered so far.

Before we roll into the next basketball extravaganza this weekend – the Breakdown Tip Off Classic at Hopkins – here are a few plates of leftovers for your dining pleasure.

THANKSGIVING STOCK RISERS

Chloe Nuss Chloe Nuss 5'10" | SG Totino-Grace | 2025 State MN – 2025 guard, Totino-Grace

The 5'10 junior was a buzzsaw all weekend. Totino-Grace was impressive at the Tip Off. They played with pace and passion, and Top 30 sophomore Maria Radabaugh Maria Radabaugh 5'9" | CG/SG Totino Grace | 2026 State MN was everywhere. The one Eagle who really raised her stock, though, was Nuss. The lanky guard did a ton of great stuff offensively that resulted in a pair of 18-point performances against Minneapolis Roosevelt and Visitation. With an explosive first step, Chloe has the ability to streak by defenders to score at the rim. With a nice mid-range game, she can pull up and hit the jump shot. With exceptional range, Nuss can drop bombs from three-point territory. All that is great, of course, but what really stood out at St. Thomas Academy was Nuss' defense. This kid is a bulldog!

Chloe was vocal and active, tenacious and full of energy, and the pressure she put on ball handlers was impressive. Against Visitation, Nuss was assigned for much of the game with the task of guarding 6-footer Sam Wills Sam Wills 6'0" | SG Visitation | 2025 State MN , the 5th-rated prospect in the Class of 2025. That's a tall order. Although Sam had been sick all week and wasn't able to deliver her usual level of excellence, whatever energy Wills did have was sapped from start to finish by Nuss in a convincing victory. Truth be told we've been lax in writing about Nuss' exploits in the past, and we haven't given her fair recognition in the rankings. That's on us and it will change at the next update in February.

Mira Jackson Mira Jackson 5'4" | CG Roseville | 2026 State MN – 2025 guard, Roseville

One other player who really raised her stock over the weekend was Jackson, a 5'3 point guard from Roseville. I think the Raiders surprised a lot of folks at STA. Coach Tanysha Scott's team has always defended well, of course, and that was a huge factor in securing wins over Mahtomedi by 25 and Mountain Iron-Buhl by 34. Jackson had a big part in that. Despite an obvious lack of height, the Top 100 prospect in the Class of 2026 makes up for it with speed, athleticism and elevation. She has nice handles, sees the court and usually makes the right play. Freshman Analaya Salanoa Analaya Salanoa 5'6" | SG Roseville | 2027 State MN drew headlines at the tournament for her school-record 10 triples against MIB – rightly so! – but that display of downtown delivery would not have been possible without Mira setting the table.

WELCOME BACK TO THE PARTY

Kaylie Cox Kaylie Cox 5'7" | CG St. Michael-Albertville | 2024 State MN – 2024 guard, St. Michael-Albertville

In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, there was a tweet that came out of the St. Michael-Albertville program that included a photo of several players. I did a double take when a familiar face from the past appeared among the group. Could that really be Kaylie Cox Kaylie Cox 5'7" | CG St. Michael-Albertville | 2024 State MN ? A quick text to STMA coach Kent Hamre confirmed that the talented guard who left basketball two years ago is back. She's bigger and stronger and did not look the least bit rusty this week.

When Cox departed the scene in 2021 she was considered a can't miss college prospect. At about 5'7 she's not very big but the impact Kaylie makes on the game certainly is. At the time, she was a Top 20 prospect who had been ranked as high as #12. Cox has light feet, excellent quickness, plenty of strength and a solid box of tools. We're always saddened when a player moves on from basketball, especially one with so much promise. On those rare occasions when they return, we celebrate appropriately. Cox gives Hamre a quality starter who is only going to get better as the season progresses. Through four games now, STMA is undefeated and Cox has done her share.

Katie Kelzenberg Katie Kelzenberg 6'2" | PF Wayzata | 2025 State MN – 2025 forward, Wayzata

Wayzata didn't make its season debut until Tuesday, so technically not over the Thanksgiving weekend. Still, we had to let it be known that in addition to Cox another elite talent has returned. When she departed basketball two years ago to focus on a burgeoning volleyball career – the v-ball folks tell me she's a stud – Kelzenberg was the #6-ranked basketball prospect in the Class of 2025. She's big and strong, she's quick and agile, and she has touch around the basket.

This summer Katie showed up in the gym at Wayzata unexpectedly and began to participate in basketball activities once again. Coach Julie Stewart was elated. In the first few minutes of Tuesday's contest with Maple Grove, Katie made it obvious that she is going to be an impact contributor once again. Kelzenberg appears to have lost none of her previous abilities. After a scorching start against the Crimson, things went south in a hurry for the Trojans but we saw enough from Katie to know that she's going to be big factor in their success this season. Kelzenberg finished her first game back with 16 points and a boatload of rebounds.

THE INEVITABLE INCIDENT

Someone's feelings are bound to get hurt when extended family gathers around the Thanksgiving table, especially if weird Uncle Larry starts talking about politics and conspiracy theories. It's inevitable. So, too, at big basketball events where there's probably going to be an injury of the physical variety. In the case of this weekend the unfortunate casualty was the #1-rated prospect in the Class of 2024, Olivia Olson Olivia Olson 6'1" | CG Benilde-SM | 2024 State MN . The Benilde-St. Margaret's guard, who will be playing at the University of Michigan next year, suffered broken bones in her left hand as the result of an unlucky collision. It was in a heated battle between BSM and Providence Academy, but it wasn't the physicality of the contest that caused the problem. It was just an odd bump that happens frequently in the normal run of play. The result was a break in the third and fourth metacarpals. Olson had surgery earlier in the week to insert two plates and 13 screws. She is expected to be out of the lineup for a month.