Williamson had us smiling at the Fury Spring Showcase
Alyssa Williamson makes me smile. That’s the only way I know how to explain it. Just like the first time I saw her on a frigid February afternoon in Hayfield, the Martin County West guard brought a grin to my…
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Continue ReadingAlyssa Williamson makes me smile. That’s the only way I know how to explain it. Just like the first time I saw her on a frigid February afternoon in Hayfield, the Martin County West guard brought a grin to my face one more time Friday night at the Fury AAU Spring Showcase in Bloomington. The difference this time, however, is there were a number of college coaches lining the court who were also smiling as they watched number 1 in purple. One of them will be lucky enough to land the plucky guard who plays the game with that all-out passion you simply cannot teach. “Alyssa has a motor that will not quit,” said Pierre Ellis of Minnesota Nice AAU, the up-and-coming Southern Minnesota club Williamson plays for. “She is that pest you love to hate, but the one you want to have on your team.”
Yep, that’s her. With outstanding lateral quickness, terrific handles, tremendous straight-line speed and just the right amount of swagger, the 5’7 junior averaged more than 17 points per game this season on a very good Mavericks team. Alyssa is tough and aggressive, and she lives to play the game. Williamson has always been able to shoot the ball, as well as use her ample athleticism to score at the rim. Now she plays like a true point guard who can do so much more.
“That’s what I asked her to do, to work on being a facilitator and that’s what she did,” Ellis said. “I asked her to work on controlling her speed. She used to have one speed, now she has three speeds. I asked her to work on her left hand and she did that. I asked her to work on her jump shot and she did that. She has done everything that I have asked her to do – and worked with her to do – and she just keeps on working.”
If Williamson was just a little bigger she would likely be a D2 prospect. As it is, Alyssa is probably headed for D3 where she will no doubt prosper.
Here are four more prospects who performed well on the weekend:
Junior Caitlin Brink of Minnesota Nice has already passed 1,000 career points at Cleveland.Caitlin Brink, 5’6, junior, guard, Cleveland (Minn. Nice 2019)
Caitlin may be small but her punch packs a wallop. The Cleveland guard – no, not the LeBron Cleveland but the one east of St. Peter with a population of 699 – is a 5’5 or 5’6 dynamo, who passed the 1,000 career points mark this winter. “Her speed and quickness are deceptive,” Ellis said. “She can score, she can shoot from deep and she can attack you off the dribble.” Ellis said Brink is a gym rat who arrives early, works late and is driven to be great. “This kid is a workaholic. No ifs, ands or butts about it,” he said. “She really wants to play ball.” Brink is drawing a lot of college attention and has an upcoming D2 visit out west.
Ellie Buzzelle, 5’9, 8th grade, guard, Rogers (Stars 8th Kolden)
Above: Guard Ellie Buzzelle of Stars 8th Kolden has no problem getting airborne. Below: Lilli Mackley is part of a talented freshmen class at Hill-Murray.Buzzelle is one of the top prospects in the class of 2022, but if you didn’t know it you would swear she was at least a year or two older. Ellie plays for a loaded 8th grade Stars team that is the defending AAU state champion, but on Friday night her star shone brighter than the rest.
Buzzelle is so athletic, so quick, and so gifted. As the accompanying photo amply illustrates, she can also get airborne. The only word(s) we could utter Friday night while watching Ellie was, ‘Wow!’ As her 7 points per game will attest, Buzzelle is already playing a big role for Greg Amundson at Rogers but she brings so much more to the table than just scoring. Get used to hearing this name for the next four years and beyond.
Lilli Mackley & Bella Hartzell, freshman guards, Hill-Murray (MN/WI Force 2021)
The Stars’ opponent Friday night was MN/WI Force 2021, a less-heralded squad that will no doubt catch a few teams off guard. Although the Force don’t have the depth of talent the Stars have, they did knock off Fury 2021 Yellow last weekend and the Kolden crew may have taken them a little too lightly. That’s because they have guards Lilli Mackley and her Hill-Murray teammate Bella Hartzell. Both are top 50 or 60 prospects in the class of 2021. Both are skilled, athletic and smart. Both play with passion and defend hard. They brought all of those assets to bear against the Stars, falling just short, but Mackley (6 ppg) and Hartzell (8 ppg) are two prospects who are definitely worth paying attention to. Along with top 20 freshman Gionna Carr (7 ppg), the pair leads a potent freshman class for the Pioneers.
Photo top: Alyssa Williamson of Minnesota Nice is a 2019 guard from Martin County West. (All photos by Ally McGinnis)