George wasn’t the only Jefferson ‘Movin’ On Up’
2020 guard Shayla Miller of St. Louis Park is the only sophomore on Suns Jefferson 2019. (Photo by St. Louis Park Echo) All of the top teams in AAU ball do their darndest to get better over the winter,…
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All of the top teams in AAU ball do their darndest to get better over the winter, wooing players from other clubs, holding open tryouts and private workouts, and beating the bushes for the next big thing. It’s a competitive enterprise that often yields only incremental improvement. Seldom does it result in the type of roster makeover that MInnesota Suns coach Dre Jefferson has pulled off. Jefferson, who winters as an assistant coach at Hopkins, is in charge of what has been the second-best 2019 Suns team behind the Keitzer squad. That might change in the near future.
With the exception of its long-time core – Lindsey Olson and Shayla Miller of St. Louis Park, and Kaitlin Winston of Farmington – the Jefferson lineup has undergone a metamorphosis. “We made changes because we had to,” Dre said as his team prepared for its debut at this weekend’s Suns Spring Showcase. “Some of our kids were not at the level they needed to be at to compete with the type of teams that we play.”
That should not be a problem this time around as Jefferson has added a pair of proven players, a prospect with big-time potential, and several complementary pieces of the puzzle:
Emma Anderson, 5′ 7, point guard, Big Lake (North Dakota)
Anderson has trained with Jefferson since junior high school but has played in recent years for Fury Blue. It’s not often that you can acquire a D1 senior with those kind of credentials. “One of our biggest struggles last year was finding the right point guard, and Emma embraces the point guard role. She knows she’s going to have to play it in college. She knows that is the expectation,” Jefferson said. “She is so smart and so unselfish. She fits right in with our other kids.”
Elaina Jones, 5’10, power forward, DeLaSalle
“‘E’ is a phenomenal athlete and a great teammate, who leads with her voice and her actions,” Jefferson said. “As the high school season went along, she started to show what she was capable of. When she was called upon to do more, she did more.” Jones played up a year with Tayler Hill Elite last summer. “I don’t know if she knows how good she is yet. That’s part of the growth process,” Jefferson said. “She accepts coaching and she wants to be great. She asks a ton of questions and is a joy to coach.”
Shyanne Loiland, 6’1, forward/wing, Crosby-Ironton
The mystery that is Shyanne Loiland is about to be revealed. After a tip from a basketball junkie in the hinterlands, and a story we wrote in Northstar Girls Hoops, Jefferson felt compelled to have a closer look at the prospect from Crosby-Ironton. “Shyanne came down to some workouts during the winter and she loved the skill development we were doing, she loved the energy in the gym and she got along with the girls really quickly even though she’s a pretty quiet kid,” Jefferson said. “Her ceiling is so high. She’s a little behind but she has high-major potential. She’s long, she shoots the heck out of the ball, she’s super savvy and smart and she is a tough kid.” Loiland is also willing to drive 230 miles round trip to practice.
Building around a quality core
Winston, Olson and Miller have been with Suns Jefferson for the past three years. Talented guard Jada Hood of Roseville played there part-time a year ago but returns in a full-time role now. That’s huge. Winston is an athletic 6-foot forward who is committed to D1 Northern Iowa. The 6-foot Olson is a beautiful shooter whose game has grown in leaps and bounds. And the 5’10 Miller is a workhorse from the class of 2020 who can fill pretty much any role you want.
“The team was really built around those kids,” Jefferson said. “The great thing is how well they complement each other. Lindsey shoots the ball very well, Shayla is really versatile and can create shots for other people, and Kaitlin is a great finisher around the basket and a phenomenal defender. None of them are the greatest one-on-one players. That’s why we play the way we play. We try to move the ball a lot, try not to dribble a lot, and that complements their skill sets. The other thing is they all want to get better and they all work hard.”
There’s no doubt about that. Winston, Olson and Miller have been ‘all-in’ for a long time, and Jefferson has worked tirelessly to help them improve and get their names out. There were plenty of eyebrows raised when Winston landed her D1 deal, not because she wasn’t worthy but because very few people knew about her. Olson is drawing D1 interest and Miller is a scholarship-level player, as well. “Playing for us is a process and they have all bought into the process,” Jefferson said. “They don’t take shortcuts, they don’t miss practice, they don’t miss workouts. They come to everything. I believe it’s really important to invest in the kids that invest in the process.”
Suns Jefferson has also added a trio of really solid depth players in 5’8 guard Cheyenne Carter of Benilde St. Margaret’s and 5’10 forward Bailey Reardon of River Falls, Wisc. (both refugees from the defunct Crossfire Theisen squad), as well as 6’2 forward Cate Flynn of Centennial. Jefferson stressed the importance of adding complementary pieces and not just chasing the most talented kids he could find. “I’m really pleased with how quickly this group has come together,” he said. “They have certainly exceeded my expectations but we haven’t played a game yet. This weekend will tell us a lot, but it’s just the first step in the process. What we’re really doing is preparing our kids to play well in July.”