North Tartan 2020 wins Nike Nationals without you know who
Their official name is North Tartan 10th Nike EYBL, but to most observers they are simply known as Paige Bueckers‘ team. The elite 2020 squad, which has won just about everything there is to win from coast to coast, on Thursday captured the Nike Nationals EYBL title in Chicago. They did it without Bueckers, who is with Team USA preparing for the FIBA U17 World Cup beginning July 21 in Belarus. “We talked beforehand about how if we didn’t believe we could win without Paige then we wouldn’t win the tournament. Believing in ourselves and this team was a huge part of our success,” said guard Lauren Jensen of Lakeville North. “Obviously losing a player like Paige will impact a team, but this team has a ton of talent, and we knew that everyone would step up and do what we needed to do.”
North Tartan defeated a very strong Missouri Phenom team 49-39 in the championship game after bouncing Virginia powerhouse Boo Williams by 17 in the semifinals. In the quarters they squeaked past an outstanding Philly Belles team 58-56. North Tartan also defeated Central Florida Elite and Kentucky Premiere in earlier games. The toughest match-up was the win over the Belles. “We had beaten them at the Boo Williams tournament in April, and then lost to them by a couple points in Indianapolis,” Jensen said. “Losing to them in Indianapolis definitely gave us extra motivation. They have become one of our biggest rivals in the EYBL.”
The margin of victory in the Boo Williams game was definitely a surprise. “They have some decent size but we kept things moving which appeared to tire them out some,” said Mallory Brake of Hastings. “Early in the game it was closer but we pulled away with a 55-38 win. We shot our threes well in that game, and our bigs got a ton of boards. We had lockdown defense, too, which shut down their bigs.”
The Phenom were quick and aggressive, but North Tartan quickly figured out how to penetrate and expose their zone down low while at the same time making shots from the outside. As usual, North Tartan pushed the pace and were physical inside. Jasmine Smiley of Wayzata said rebounding was the key. “During the championship game it was important that we we got the O boards for put-backs, as well as defensive boards,” Smiley said. “Overall we just played together with grit and energy and outworked the other team.”
Winning never gets old
Grit and energy, indeed. That pretty much sums up the way North Tartan has played all summer. And last summer. And the summer before that. This is definitely a special group with a wide array of skill sets. While veterans like Jensen, Brake, TeeTee Danso, Kayhla Adams and others have experienced this type of success for a long time, it is all new for Nyamer Diew of Worthington, Annika Stewart of Wayzata and for Smiley. She gave up a very comfortable position as a high-minute starter last summer at E1T1 Premier to join North Tartan as more of a role player for coach Tara Starks.
“It was hard for me to make the decision to leave E1T1, but I knew what I was signing up for,” Smiley said. “I’ve learned so much just from this one year from Coach Starks, my teammates and the games. It’s even more than what I hoped for.”
For Jensen and company, winning never gets old. “All of our wins and accomplishments are really good, and it’s hard to compare them,” she said. “Not having Paige was a great opportunity for us to show how deep this team is. It was definitely was fun winning the championship and showing everyone that we can do it without her.”
Bueckers issued a tweet shortly after the victory was in the books: “Our team knew what we were capable of… our goals never changed from the start to the finish. So proud! I love my squad.”
North Tartan’s TeeTee Danso, Nyamer Diew and Mallory Brake (left to right) celebrated their championship in style on the shores of Lake Michigan. (photo courtesy of Crisha Walton)North Tartan’s roster listed by Prep Girls Hoops ranking
- #1 – Paige Bueckers, Hopkins
- #3 – Lauren Jensen, Lakeville North
- #4 – Mallory Brake, Hastings
- #11 – Jasmine Smiley, Wayzata
- #12 – Mia Curtis, Minnehaha Academy
- #16 – TeeTee Danso, Simley
- #17 – Annika Stewart, Wayzata
- #21 – Nyamer Diew, Worthington
- #28 – Vanessa Alexander, St. Michael-Albertville
- #37 – Kayhla Adams, Hopkins
- Courtney Beckers is not ranked because she is from Wisconsin.
Top photo: Director Bill Larson (far left) and coach Tara Starks (far right) celebrated with their star-studded North Tartan cast in Chicago. (photo courtesy of Nike EYBL)