Six Big Time Post Players at the AAU State Tournament
The Minnesota AAU State Tournament Championship Tournament wrapped up yesterday with the Minnesota Fury taking home championships in the 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 brackets. So it shouldn’t be surprising that our lineup of big time post players from the…
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Continue ReadingThe Minnesota AAU State Tournament Championship Tournament wrapped up yesterday with the Minnesota Fury taking home championships in the 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 brackets. So it shouldn’t be surprising that our lineup of big time post players from the weekend is a rather Fury-heavy list.
Without further ado, here are six of the most dominant post players from the AAU State Tournament:
Sophie Hart – 2021 – Minnesota Fury UAA (Farmington) – We watched Hart play in a highly entertaining quarterfinal match-up against Tamia Ugass and Minnesota Stars Hersch. Sophie is PGH Minnesota’s 11th ranked player in the class of 2021, and Tamia is the #10 prospect. It was a fantastic game, and a great battle between two of the class’s best and strongest front-court players. Hart was on a mission early. She scored three baskets in the first 90 seconds, and forced a Stars timeout before most players had even broken a sweat. Hart’s combination of size and skill wore down opposing defenses all weekend, and she was a key component of Fury UAA 2021’s championship run.
Mallory Heyer – 2022 – Minnesota Fury UAA (Chaska) – Heyer’s 2022 Fury UAA club may be the most talented in all of Minnesota. Mallory is used to spending much of her time with the ball being double and triple-teamed. So having the luxury of playing alongside nine other girls who are all a threat to score must feel like a dream come true. Mallory took full advantage of her match-ups this weekend with scoring totals of 9, 13, 19 and 28. Heyer’s 69 points in total were the third highest of any player in any division, trailing only Desiree Ware (UVA 2022, 89 points) and Alexis Pratt (Fury 2021, 72 points). And much like Hart in the 2021 group, Heyer’s presence on the block was crucial for Fury UAA 2022’s journey to the title.
Liza Karlen – 2020 – Metro Stars Starks (Stillwater) – I don’t think it’s out of line to say that Karlen is probably the most polished low-post player in Minnesota’s class of 2020. Strong arguments could be made for Minnesota Stars teammates Nneka Obiazor or Emily Russo. But after watching this weekend, I’d say Liza is tough to beat. Karlen was the tournament’s leading scorer in the 2020, behind double-figure scoring performances in all four games. One of my takeaways from the weekend is that it’s a treat to watch Karlen play alongside Paige Bueckers. They are a dangerous 1-2 punch for many reasons, not the least of which is that Liza runs the floor extremely well. And watching Beuckers drop in perfectly placed 3/4 court passes to a well-positioned Karlen is a thing of beauty that will never get old to me.
Morgan Kelly – 2021 – Minnesota Rise Wolfe (St. Peter) – We’ve watched Morgan Kelly play a few times over the past month. And each time we have we came away more impressed. We saw Morgan and her Rise teammates go up against the #1 ranked North Tartan EYBL squad on Saturday morning. North Tartan can throw out a lineup of 3-5 Power 5 Conference college prospects at any given time, and Rise played them to a stalemate for 31 minutes. The game was tied with 50 seconds to play, at which point Mara Braun drained a cold-blooded corner three that gave North Tartan the lead for good. Kelly spent most of the game matched up against 2022’s #1 ranked player Maya Nnaji and 2021’s #2 ranked player Jenna Johnson, and she matched them blow for blow. Even in a loss, Morgan impressed us with her fearlessness and her physicality.
Natalie Mazurak – 2020 – Minnesota Fury UAA (Eden Prairie) – Natalie looks like she’s having a whole lot of fun this spring. And why wouldn’t she be? She’s playing great and her team just won the state championship. The fact that Mazurak is playing more loose seems to be making a big difference, as she has been a threat to score from all areas of the court. Her interior game looks to be improved. And in the game we watched against E1T1 in the quarter-finals, she knocked down two triples for good measure. Anyone starting to notice a trend with Fury teams having success behind strong performances from their post players? Make that three great weekends for Fury post players, and three Fury championships.
Savannah McGowan – 2023 – Minnesota Suns Bluestar (Robbinsdale Armstrong) – While the first five players on the list are a bit older and more seasoned, McGowan is still a little bit in the I’m bigger than you and there’s not much you can do to stop me phase of her game. Savannah stands somewhere in the 6’1″ – 6’2″ range, and has great strength to go with her length. She scored in double figures in all four games, including a weekend high of 17 against Crossfire Vaughn on Saturday afternoon. We came away impressed with McGowan’s maturity and basketball IQ, and we’re looking forward to her continued development.
In-article photo of Natalie Mazurak is courtesy of SW News Media
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