Live at the Lakes: Players who created some buzz

This weekend's Live at the Lakes tournament was the first D1 live period event in Minnesota this year, a significant gathering of D1 college coaches on hand to shop for young talent from Minnesota and beyond. One of the best aspects of the live period is the opportunity for us to network with college coaches in person, the chance to share information we have on Minnesota players and to glean the perspective of the ultimate decision-makers in the college scholarship process. The roster of universities represented at the tournament was impressive, from regional powers like South Dakota State, Drake and Green Bay to national brands such as Maryland, Stanford, North Carolina, Duke, Indiana and more. It was an impressive turnout.   So who were they talking about? Well, there was plenty of buzz about a number of important prospects this weekend, but there was one name that kept coming up over and over: [player_tooltip player_id='351665' first='Vienna' last='Murray']. Let's begin our discussion of this weekend's buzz-worthy prospects with the 2026 [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] guard from East Ridge and then take a look at other young prospects who improved their status, as well.   [player_tooltip player_id='351665' first='Vienna' last='Murray'] – 2026 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] UAA   It seems like we have been writing about Vienna forever. From the time her family relocated to the Twin Cities while she was in middle school, the now 6'1 sophomore made a great impression on the girls basketball community. Way back in 2021 she earned MVP honors at the Fall Exclusive event. A month later she was the starting point guard at Tartan High School where she averaged 14 points per game as an 8th grader. By the time the first ranking of the Class of 2026 was released in the fall of 2022, Vienna had earned herself a place in the top 10. Over the past few weeks, however, Murray's game appears to have gone to another level.   When we watched on Saturday against Michigan standout Lillie Johnson and Great Northern Elite, the baseline was chock-full of college coaches checking out a plethora of talent on hand. Murray's Fury team is loaded, of course. Although [player_tooltip player_id='280354' first='Tucker' last='Downs'], [player_tooltip player_id='339214' first='Jayci' last='Rath'] and [player_tooltip player_id='502586' first='Maria' last='Radabaugh'] are currently sidelined by injury, 7th-ranked [player_tooltip player_id='458305' first='Audrey' last='Shindelar'], #11 [player_tooltip player_id='344332' first='Kate' last='Holmquist'], #13 [player_tooltip player_id='362575' first='Callie' last='Oakland'], #17 [player_tooltip player_id='458302' first='Abbie' last='Pietila'], #23 [player_tooltip player_id='478363' first='Maddy' last='Blaylark'] and more drew plenty of eyeballs. But it was Murray who the high-major coaches were talking about.   Big guards who can shoot the basketball at an elite level aren't easy to find. Over time, Vienna has added so many different aspects to her game. She is now a mature decision-maker who doesn't feel the need to be the center of attention but can take over a game when that's what is called for. She rebounds with energy, defends with passion and intelligence, and goes about her business with a face of stone. Last winter Murray moved over to East Ridge where she is facing tougher competition and learning to defend from one of the best in coach Ashley Ellis-Milan. This spring Vienna joined this elite Fury group, where she is fitting in nicely. As we all know, the north end of the Class of 2026 is loaded, but Vienna is making the case that she deserves to climb a little higher in the Top 10.   [player_tooltip player_id='339175' first='Brooklyn' last='Lewis'] – 2026 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='712699' first='Minnesota' last='Rise'] Wolfe   We didn't see Dan Wolfe's 2026 [program_tooltip program_id='712699' first='Minnesota' last='Rise'] play on Friday night but it wasn't long after our arrival early Saturday morning before a D1 coach asked this question: “What are your thoughts on [player_tooltip player_id='339175' first='Brooklyn' last='Lewis']?” Not 20 minutes later a different coach asked a similar question. And then it happened again. Clearly Brooklyn must have done some great work on opening night! This is welcome news. To be honest, up until this weekend Lewis hasn't had her A game this spring. After years of dominant play, she was off to a slow start. Once she refocused on some of the basics, however, Lewis did this weekend what she does best: distribute the ball at a high level and use her exceptional explosiveness, quick feet, and outstanding ball skills to make things happen for her team. The coaches clearly liked what they saw. We have Lewis ranked #14 in the Class of 2026, so he you know we're bullish on her long-term future.   [player_tooltip player_id='453753' first='Lauren' last='Hillesheim'] – 2025 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] UAA   What a remarkable year and a half it has been for the lengthy shooting guard from Hopkins, a stretch that has seen her rise from the Royals' supporting cast to a highly valued starter, and move up 57 places in the Prep Girls Hoops ranking into the top 50. More recently,Hillesheim made the move to one of the top AAU teams in the state where she is delivering in spades. This weekend there was a lot of conversation about Lauren.   “What level do you think she can play?” was a common theme I heard from coaches. After offering my opinion, my reply was the same: “What level do you think she can play?” With the uncertainty of the transfer portal having blurred the analysis of where players fit in recent months, the consensus seems to have Hillesheim on the D1/D2 bubble. In reality, high-level D2 programs like the national champions from MSU-Mankato and recent contenders UM-Duluth are just as good or better than teams in the more modest D1 circuits such as the Patriot or Horizon League, for example. Lauren is perfectly capable of playing in either and may be able to compete in mid-major if offered the opportunity.   [player_tooltip player_id='498662' first='Jadyn' last='Kor'] – 2026 guard, Sanford Sports   Out of site, out of mind. That perception is one of the challenges for Minnesota players who elect to play their AAU basketball for teams that are based in neighboring states. There are many reasons why athletes choose to do that. In the case of Kor, it's a matter of logistics. The home base of Sanford Sports in Sioux Falls is 45 minutes from her home in Pipestone. The Twin Cities, where most top AAU teams are based, is a three and a half hour drive. Fortunately the Sanford teams were here for Live at the Lakes and we got to see Kor in person for the first time in several months.   Jadyn's resume speaks for itself. She led Pipestone in scoring this year at 20 points per game while shooting over 40% from the field. She averaged 8.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.5 steals. Kor is a big guard with strength, speed and skill. She's agile enough to guard elite opponents and smart enough to get the better of them. Perhaps the biggest benefit right now for Kor being with Sanford is her teammate Ashlyn Koupal, who is one of the most highly sought-after players in the region. The 6'3 forward with guard skills is truly impressive, and when coaches crowd the baseline to watch her do work, Kor and her teammates also gain valuable exposure. That's what matters now for the #64 prospect in Minnesota's Class of 2026.   [player_tooltip player_id='578467' first='Amisha' last='Ramlall'] – 2027 guard, [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] UAA   We've been rambling on about the most prominent of the Rosemount Ramlall sisters all spring. I mean, how can we not? Having recently moved up to the #3 ranking in the Class of 2027, Ramlall has been lighting it up. At Live at the Lakes, she posted 47 points, 4th best in the top 2027 division. Last week at the State Tournament she had 57. A week earlier at the Prelims she put up 62. At the prior event she scored 60. You get the picture. The reason we bring her up again now is simple: high-level college coaches could not stop talking about her this weekend. We'll not go on in detail about Amisha's play here because most of you already know what she can do, such as lead her team and conference in scoring this winter as a 9th grader averaging 18 points per game while shooting nearly 49% from the field and over 44% from three. Yes, Amisha is the real deal and coaches representing some of the most prominent college programs in the country saw it for themselves this weekend.   Here are two more players who generated plenty of conversation:   [player_tooltip player_id='911664' first='Brianna' last='Eggers'] – The 2028 forward from [program_tooltip program_id='767539' first='Minnesota' last='Comets'] Boone turned in yet another series of strong performances this weekend, including a 27-point outburst against [program_tooltip program_id='718403' first='Minnesota' last='Freeze']. The 6'1 freshman-to-be is long, mobile and utterly unafraid to do battle inside. From Buffalo, Eggers is barely scratching the surface of what's possible. The Comets went undefeated this weekend and continue to impress.   [player_tooltip player_id='659118' first='Alivia' last='Bell'] – The top 10 freshman from Winona has always been a stellar point guard with a bright future, but she continues to take important steps forward in her journey towards college basketball. Having already conquered the Big 9 in Winona, Bell is in the process of relocating to the Twin Cities. She already made the transition to the top Fury team this spring where Alivia has made it obvious that she can do more than just hang with the best of them. We've been high on Bell from the beginning, and she's trending up among college coaches now, too.

This weekend's Live at the Lakes tournament was the first D1 live period event in Minnesota this year, a significant gathering of D1 college coaches on hand to shop for young talent from Minnesota and beyond. One of the best aspects of the live period is the opportunity for us to network with college coaches in person, the chance to share information we have on Minnesota players and to glean the perspective of the ultimate decision-makers in the college scholarship process. The roster of universities represented at the tournament was impressive, from regional powers like South Dakota State, Drake and Green Bay to national brands such as Maryland, Stanford, North Carolina, Duke, Indiana and more. It was an impressive turnout.