AAU Awards Day (Part 2)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All my AAU event articles for the summer are complete. Now, I'd like to talk about the AAU season in a macro sense and hand out some superlatives. Before I get into everything, all the players mentioned played for Wisconsin-based AAU programs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lead Guard of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='764918' first='Anna' last='Miller'], Let it Rain</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whenever I watched Let it Rain's Open team, they looked like a completely different group with and without [player_tooltip player_id='764918' first='Anna' last='Miller']. Even before she stepped foot on a high school campus, I told people at Let it Rain she was better than 95% of lead guards in the state, and somehow still made me look wrong by being one of the best lead guards the second she debuted against McFarland. She was outstanding this summer as a facilitator, scorer, and defender. Miller was arguably the most valuable to her team than anyone else in the state. She may never pass the eye test as someone who's 6'1, blisteringly quick and jumps out of the gym, but you can't argue with the results. Miller is a winner.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Others under consideration: [player_tooltip player_id='533074' first='Kardyn' last='Peppler'], [player_tooltip player_id='533069' first='Presly' last='Samz'], [player_tooltip player_id='338944' first='Georgia' last='Acompanado'], [player_tooltip player_id='374230' first='Addy' last='Verhagen'], [player_tooltip player_id='751257' first='EllaMay' last='Cooper']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Wing of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='533057' first='Natalie' last='Kussow'], [program_tooltip program_id='713045' first='Wisconsin' last='Lakers']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There isn't a more pure scorer in Wisconsin than [player_tooltip player_id='533057' first='Natalie' last='Kussow']. You can throw the ball to her in the corner when three people are on her, and she'll still find a way to put the ball in the basket. That's the type of scorer she is. I thought Kussow did an excellent job being a combo-type guard when she had to be a facilitator and showed she could be a lead guard and has the vision of a lead guard. The Arrowhead wing has always been labeled as a scorer since I've known of her, and that perception won't change in a larger sense because of what she's done at Arrowhead, but she showed plenty of different facets to her game. There's a reason she's one of the top players in the country.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Others under consideration: [player_tooltip player_id='533077' first='Adaline' last='Sheplee'], [player_tooltip player_id='474774' first='Leah' last='Nordin'], [player_tooltip player_id='764903' first='Ava' last='Van Vonderen']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Post of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='652141' first='Rachael' last='Chilicki'], [program_tooltip program_id='713043' first='Wisconsin' last='Impact'] 17U</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I talked about Chilicki a day or two ago, and all those points still stand. So, I won't go too in-depth. However, 6'3 post kids who can play inside and out aren't everywhere in Wisconsin, and Chilicki is one of them. I've been impressed with her motor at her size and willingness to try different things, but she's as talented as any post I've seen in Wisconsin.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Others under consideration: [player_tooltip player_id='842199' first='Kaia' last='Waldrop'], [player_tooltip player_id='995775' first='Maren' last='Schmotzer'], [player_tooltip player_id='914910' first='Addison' last='Schmidt'], [player_tooltip player_id='915001' first='Jillian' last='Kunert']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Newcomer of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='888387' first='Lana' last='Mannetter'], [program_tooltip program_id='713043' first='Wisconsin' last='Impact'] 15U</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For this, I wanted to highlight kids in their first year playing AAU in the high school age groups (15-17U.) Mannetter was a significant reason her Impact 15U group was as successful as they were because she was the best player on the court, and kids couldn't stop her. Mannetter gave her team an advantage because she could get downhill against anyone and could finish with both hands at the basket. She was a versatile wing that added length to their group that they otherwise wouldn't have had. Since KK Arnold left to play EYBL basketball years ago, I'd argue that Mannetter is the best prospect to put on an Impact jersey, and she's still improving.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Others under consideration: [player_tooltip player_id='751287' first='Tessa' last='Bryan'], [player_tooltip player_id='751284' first='Sidney' last='Zehner'], [player_tooltip player_id='914910' first='Addison' last='Schmidt'], [player_tooltip player_id='764918' first='Anna' last='Miller'], [player_tooltip player_id='804247' first='Brielle' last='Gray']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Coach of the Year: Goran Nikolic, [program_tooltip program_id='713043' first='Wisconsin' last='Impact'] 15U</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Of the kids who played in Chicago, on average, they scored 24 points in their first season of high school basketball. That's it. It was a group with an absolute star in [player_tooltip player_id='888387' first='Lana' last='Mannetter'], who hasn't gotten to high school yet, and numerous kids who played most of their first season on JV teams. The only one with a prominent role was [player_tooltip player_id='751259' first='Hayden' last='Lauer'], who suffered a scary injury on Sunday and didn't play in most of the quarterfinals. She also didn't play in the semifinals or finals of EYCL. I'm also super happy that she should make a full recovery. Coach Nikolic had a group with little to no experience at the varsity level and managed to take that group to the title game of 15U EYCL. I don't think I'll see anything like that ever again. [player_tooltip player_id='751252' first='Carrington' last='Balthasar'] was excellent all weekend. [player_tooltip player_id='751282' first='Rose' last='Mussoline'] and [player_tooltip player_id='751264' first='Kennedy' last='Thistle'] were the energizer bunnies for them. Lana Manetter could outplay anyone in that league. Having [player_tooltip player_id='751286' first='Tatum' last='Meinen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='888382' first='Eva' last='Denzien'] be floor spacers could rebound all played prominent roles for their group en route to a runner-up finish in 15U EYCL. Again, I don't think we'll see a group like them, who beat multiple shoe teams and nearly won a league they weren't in until the final two weeks. Truly one of the wildest rides I've seen in AAU basketball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Others under consideration: Jason Kofroth ([program_tooltip program_id='713045' first='Wisconsin' last='Lakers'] 16U GUAA), Reggie Williams ([program_tooltip program_id='712778' first='Purple' last='Aces'] 16U S40)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->