Meet Maya Nnaji, Minnesota’s #1 prospect in the class of 2022
Last year at this time, Maya Nnaji of Hopkins was a tall, gangly young teenager trying to navigate her way through the first few weeks of 8th grade. She had basketball potential to be sure, but it seemed like it…
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Continue ReadingLast year at this time, Maya Nnaji of Hopkins was a tall, gangly young teenager trying to navigate her way through the first few weeks of 8th grade. She had basketball potential to be sure, but it seemed like it was going to be a long while before it actually materialized. Turns out the wait was rather brief. Today, Nnaji is one of the most highly-sought after freshmen in America, with a pocketful of power conference offers and a skill set that makes coaches drool. She has also worked her way into the #1 spot atop the Prep Girls Hoops Freshmen 50 which was released on Tuesday.
It has been quite the summer for the 6’3 forward who parlayed her AAU court time with Tylor Coley’s 2021 Minnesota Suns into a position in the national spotlight. Nnaji has probably grown three inches in the past year, but her game has grown by so much more. “I have definitely taken it to the next level,” she said after a recent open gym where coaches from Minnesota, South Carolina, Kansas State and Purdue were interested observers. “Playing up on my AAU team we go around the country facing older, bigger girls so you really have to step up. I think I did that well.”
A versatile workhorse
When a kid is 6 feet tall in the 7th grade, it’s only natural for coaches to want to plunk her down in the paint. That’s usually a quick shortcut to some Ws, but it doesn’t do the kid any favors in the long run. Coley wanted more, and the results have been remarkable. “She has blossomed into a kid that can really stretch the court,” he said. “A coach might want to put her in the post, but I wanted her to be so versatile that he wouldn’t ever fret about putting her out on the perimeter… If she gets to 6’5, with the skill set she is developing right now, she’s going to be able to play like Breanna Stewart. Now that’s a stretch, of course, but that’s the goal, to play like Stewie or Elena Della Donne.”
Emulating the WNBA MVP is a lofty goal, but Nnaji is a workhorse who is willing to do whatever it takes to be great. Maya is in the gym constantly, not because her dad or brother or coach are pushing her, but because she is driven to succeed. The results speak for themselves. “I’m definitely versatile,” she said. “ I am able to post up, step outside, shoot the three, take it to the basket. All of that… I’m working on getting stronger and being quicker so I can guard every position.”
Some vacation souvenirs
It can be challenging for busy families to find the time for a summer vacation these days, but the Nnajis carved out a few days and hit the road across the Midwest. Along they way, they picked up a few souvenirs. No, not cheap T-shirts or tacky knick knacks. Nnaji picked up scholarship offers. “We went on a one-week trip to Illinois, Purdue, Indiana and Ohio State,” Maya explained. And they all offered? “Yeah, they did. It was really exciting. I was not expecting that,” she said. “I don’t even remember seeing any of those coaches at my games, so I was surprised.”
It has been quite the whirlwind. Amazingly, Maya isn’t the only one in her household going through the recruiting process. Her brother Zeke is also a highly sought player from Hopkins, who has a string of big-time offers on the table from the likes of Kansas, Kentucky and more. “I play against my brother in the driveway one-on-one all the time,” she said. “I’m used to having him pushing me around, so when the girls come out on the court, no one is as big, as strong, as quick as he is.” Those must be quite the driveway games. “There have definitely been some scrapes,” Maya said with a laugh. “I have definitely thrown up a few times!”
Nnaji will be a big piece of the Hopkins puzzle
When it comes to ranking Minnesota players, we draw our own conclusions. No other recruiting analysts see the players as much as we do. Ditto for the college coaches. That said, when ESPN Hoopgurlz selects a Minnesota player in their top 20, we definitely take notice. Nnaji learned of the honor while on a phone call with a coach from the University of Maryland. Go figure. She joins her Hopkins teammate Paige Bueckers on the ESPN list, where the junior point guard occupies the #1 spot in the class of 2020.
Despite all of the offers and accolades, Nnaji has yet to really make her mark in high school basketball. She has played mostly JV so far, although her role did expand as last season went on. “Hopkins is very intentional about developing their players,” Coley said. “At any other school in Minnesota she would have been playing at the varsity level and playing a lot of minutes. This year I think she’s going to start and she is going to be an impactful player. She’s in a conference where she is going to get challenged a lot, but I think she is ready for that.”
Nnaji definitely projects as a starter for the Royals. The maturity is there now. The confidence, too. Nnaji speaks quickly, answers questions confidently, knows who she is and where she’s going. Surely she must be feeling some pressure. “No, not at all. I need to perform,” she said matter-of-factly. Her goal for freshman year is clear: “I definitely don’t want to have a repeat of what happened last year, where Paige was the only one producing points and we lose at state. I mean, she gave her all in the championship game. Our team was battling but nobody else was actually producing. I don’t want that to happen again. I want to be able to take some of that weight on my shoulders and be able to produce points, blocks, rebounds, all that stuff.”
We will be watching.
Photos courtesy of Maya Nnaji’s Twitter account (@maya_nnaji23)