Twinkle, twinkle little Stars, how I wonder which ones you are
If you watch a lot of AAU basketball then you are accustomed to seeing the Minnesota Stars. It’s just that sometimes it’s a little hard to figure out exactly which Stars team you are watching. Wait a minute, is that…
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Continue ReadingIf you watch a lot of AAU basketball then you are accustomed to seeing the Minnesota Stars. It’s just that sometimes it’s a little hard to figure out exactly which Stars team you are watching. Wait a minute, is that Bjorgaard or Buerman or Blascziek or Borowicz? Did we mention there are two Buermans and two Bjorgaards? Confusion is inevitable, I suppose, given that Mark Smith’s club has 26 teams. While marquee squads like Hersch and Nelson draw plenty of attention, two of the lesser-known Stars teams had their moment in the sun on Sunday in Menomonie, Wisc. That’s where Stars Cosgriff 9 defeated Stars Zabel 9 by a score of 35-34 to win the Silver Division at the Great Lakes Shootout.
Claire Binnicker of Hopkins led the Cosgriffs with 12 points while Audrey Stark of Lakeville North had 8. Ashley Erickson of Eagan and Sese Burks of Henry Sibley grabbed 7 rebounds apiece. For the Zabels, Amanda Drake of Lakeville South and Alainah Erickson of Maranatha led the way as they often do. The game was a reunion of sorts. Last year, the same two squads met in the same championship game and Zabel (then known as Amundson if you’re still with me) prevailed by a single point in double overtime.
Chances are, you don’t know much about the aforementioned Stars’ players, and that’s too bad because some of them are going to be pretty good. The one name you should remember is Burks, the only player on either team that has cracked the Northstar Girls Hoops class of 2020 rankings at #126. The 5-8 Burks is an athletic wing with a nice first step. She starts at Henry Sibley alongside Tori Nelson (#5 in the class of 2019 and a South Dakota State commit), and 6-1 wing Ally Tetzlaff of Minnesota Fury Gold (#47 in 2018). Burks has a huge motor and is a hound dog on defense. She averaged 4 & 3 as a freshmen and is improving rapidly, thanks largely to what she has learned playing for Brian Cosgriff and Ana Garcia at the Stars. Although the kids of Cosgriff and Zabel may not be household names, there is a place for them in AAU ball. Sunday, that place was victory lane.
It’s the Russo and Ragulen show
In the Stars hierarchy, the top 9th grade team belongs to Scott Antl, who has a nice collection of talent to work with. The player college coaches are mostly coming to see is Emily Russo, and why not. The 5-11 post from New Prague is ranked #6 in the class of 2020. Russo is a big, powerful forward who uses her size to great advantage. She’s a terrific rebounder who plays with maturity beyond her years. For all of Russo’s potential, however, perhaps one player people should be paying more attention to is the smallest kid on the roster – 5-foot-3-inch point guard Aaliyah Ragulen of Park Center.
Stars Antl is a good squad having a good summer and much of the credit for that success belongs to Ragulen. The dynamic little point guard has a tremendous variety of implements in her toolbox. She is a terrific ballhander and a great shooter who rarely turns the ball over. Ragulen sees the court really well and is the Stars’ fearless leader. Before he departed for the college ranks, Park Center coach Chris VanderHyde said he had big plans for Ragulen. VanderHyde’s successor is Barb Metcalf, who comes to the Twin Cities from West Fargo, N.D. I suspect there are not many 2020 point guards in NoDak who can match up with this one.
Better late than never
It’s hard to know how many players we have watched over the past few weeks of the AAU season, but it’s way too many to keep track of. There never seems to be enough time or space to mention every name worth mentioning, but I have been saving a few in my back pocket. Here they are:
Grace Touchette, Northfield – The 5-foot-7-inch point guard is currently ranked 44th in the class of 2018. A member of the Fury 2018 Gold squad, Touchette is a classic 1 who runs the offense well and is clearly the player leading her team on the floor. An intelligent playmaker, Touchette also shoots 40 percent from three-point range.
Taytum Rhoades, Minnehaha Academy – Playing up a year as a member of North Tartan Nike 11 Elite, Rhoades is currently ranked 39th in the class of 2019. A natural-born shooter and scorer, Taytum is deadly in transition and an inspiration on defense. She may have reached a new level with an outstanding 25-point performance in the high school state tournament and a very solid summer.
Mya Roberts, Grand Rapids – Roberts gets a mention for the class of 2020 where she is currently ranked #107 and rising. A scrappy guard who creates havoc on defense, Roberts isn’t particularly smooth but handles the ball well enough and makes things happen with great frequency. Roberts is a member of the Minnesota Comets 9 Elite team this summer and Grand Rapids coach Kris Hamling says Mya will play a key role this winter.
Cherish Henderson, Robbinsdale – It isn’t clear yet where she’ll suit up for her freshman year (St. Paul Central might have the inside track), or exactly how much of an impact Henderson will be able to make there, but if there’s a game of one-on-one going on, my money is on this dynamic little (perhaps 5'1″) 2021 guard from the Minnesota Suns. Henderson is a gym rat with grade-A handles and the swagger to match. Win or lose, she’s usually worth the price of admission.